Jade Socks for Jeffy

Jade Socks for Jeffy In an effort to find something to make for Jeffy for holiday gift-giving occasions, I knit him a pair of socks. (I actually finished these a good month or so ago, but since he only got them tonight, this was the earliest I could post them. This will happen a lot over the holidays as recipients of my hand-knitted gifts get their stuff. Anyway:) This is my own pattern of cables, and the yarn is supposed to go with his medical greens, in case he wears socks at work. I'm quite pleased with how they turned out, though there are a couple of mistakes which I decided I could live with. (I don't think they're noticeable to the untrained eye.) Pattern: my own Yarn: Dream In Color Classy, in "Good Luck Jade"

Santa Booties for Rory Amidst all of the holiday preparations, I decided that I wanted to knit Rory some holiday booties. So, yesterday, I did. These booties are super-quick and my standard recipe from a book I bought five years ago when Neva was a baby. I used stash yarn and overall am very pleased with how they turned out. Plus he'll be well coordinated and extra-cute for the holidays, n'est-ce pas? Pattern: Patons Look At Me! Yarn: Ella Rae Classic

Fall Booties

Fall Booties So here we have the booties to go with the pumpkin hat. This is my standard bootie pattern, which I like because they're fast to make and if you put elastic in through the eyelet row, they actually stay on the baby's feet! I had to modify the pattern to accommodate the thicker yarn I was using, but the pattern and construction is exactly the way it is in the book. Now Rory is all set for any Fall/Hallowe'en engagement. Pattern: Hat - Tuttie Cutie Fruity Hats; Booties - Patons "Soft Shades Layette" from their "Giggle Knits" pattern book Yarn: Mission Falls 1840 Wool

Pumpkin Hat

Pumpkin Hat It's fall. I have a baby. I can't not make him a pumpkin hat. Pattern: adapted from Brook's Tuttie Cutie Fruity Hats Yarn: Mission Falls 1840 Wool

Rory Shedir Hat

Rory Shedir Hat I started making this hat back in the spring when babies of all kinds were expected over the summer. I had originally thought it might be a gift for someone else, but then as I got working on it and realized how incredibly fiddly and concentration-requiring it was (see all those teeny-tiny cables? with the teeny-tiny yarn and the teeny-tiny needles? what was I thinking?), I decided to make it for Rory. I have very clear memories of working on this in the hospital post-partum, when he was in the NICU, so it seems appropriate that it should end up on his head. The wonderful gift of time and two extra pairs of adult hands this past weekend at my parents' place meant that I could concentrate on the pattern and finish it up. I'm delighted with it, and luckily it's super-stretchy so it will hopefully fit him on in to the fall. Pattern: Baby Shedir Hat, as per her modifications from the original Knitty Shedir Hat pattern Yarn: Lana Gatto VIP (wool/cashmere blend)

Socks for Nimah

Socks for Nimah This is the result of improvements and modifications on Rory's socks. I basically used the same pattern (out of my head), but made it a wee bit bigger and changed the heel. This was my first attempt at doing a short-row heel, and I used the method described by a very smart knitter named Michelle in her basic sock pattern. I'm very pleased with how they turned out. They're a gift for new baby Nimah, who's joining team Kapower. Pattern: Rory socks v. 2.0 Yarn: Cascade Fixation

Socks for Rory

Socks for Rory Rory, compared to our other babies, is a "delicate flower" with skinny little arms and legs. Plus he's still pretty new, and they always say that you should dress babies however you would dress yourself and then add one layer. So when I noticed that his little legs and feet were a bit cold over the past few days, I decided to whip him up a pair of baby socks. (He's still too little for the Robeez slippers I bought him.) I used a yarn with a bit of elastic in it, so they should stretch as needed and also stay up better than yarn without the elastic. And I know Uncle Brad will object to the knee-high length of these socks, but don't worry; they can easily be folded in half to form a cute little cuff, and the ribbing will hopefully keep them on his feet. (For right now I'm going for the leg-warming aspect of the knee-high length, but that will change depending on the weather and the environment he's in.) And, if they really won't stay on his feet, I knit in an eyelet row around the ankle so we can put in an elastic or a tie of some kind to keep the little sockies on his feet. Pattern: my own design, with the help of the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Rules! book Yarn: Cascade "Fixation"

Dress for Neva

Dress for Neva My dad is retiring from the ministry after 37 years next weekend. As you might imagine, it's kind of a big deal, and the whole family will be there. Since Neva doesn't get the chance to wear fancy dresses too often, I took advantage of this occasion to make her a summery, girly-girl dress to wear to the various events. I think she'll be pleased. There's no lack of pink, anyway. Pattern: New Look 6582, slightly altered Fabric: Cotton and Embroidered Cotton, with ribbon trim

Antependium

Antependium What is an antependium, you may ask, and why would I make one? For a thorough description, I refer you to this Wikipedia article, but the short answer is that it's a decoration on the pulpit in a church. The reason that I made one is that my dad is retiring from the ministry after 37 years, and he wanted to give the congregation a Christmas antependium as part of his parting gift. The design is based on a couple of sketches he gave me to use as models. Overall, I'm pleased with the effect; I hope he will be too, and that the congregation will use and enjoy it. Pattern: original design Fabric and Yarn: dupioni silks from my stash; gold lamé for halos, stars and accents; Patons Glittalic yarn in "Cream Gleam" for straw effect

Hat for the Homeless

Hat for the Homeless The Yarn Harlot is having the Canadian launch of her new book tonight in Toronto at Indigo. (The American Launch was two months ago, and the book is already out here, so it's more of a formality than a true launch, but I digress.) Part of her tradition at these launches is to collect hats from knitters which are then donated to local homeless shelters. Last Friday, the planets aligned and it became clear that I could whip down to Toronto for about 24 hours to attend the launch. So I knit this hat. I used yarn from my stash and an online pattern, and it knit up super-quick (5 days from start to finish) and is super-warm and quite lovely, if I do say so myself. I would happily knit this hat again, so if there are any requests for one like it out there, let me know. Pattern: Knitty's Coronet Yarn: Briggs and Little Heritage

Rachel's Wonky Socks

Rachel's Wonky Socks I swear I thought these socks were going to look different than they did. The yarn was this great combo of purples and blues and when Rachel announced she was going to live in England for a few years, I thought that wool socks would be a good thing to have on hand. (I understand there are a lot of cool, damp months over there, and apparently wool actually warms when wet, so it seemed like a good idea.) Purples and blues are some of Rachel's favourite colours, so it all seemed good. The first sock flew by no problem (knit mostly in Cuba). Then I started the second one, and the colours started pooling in this weird, asymmetrical way, and as I knit the sock just got wonkier and wonkier. For a time I considered not giving them to her (because it's hard for me to give a gift that isn't "good enough") but then I realized that these socks were more about comfort and having a piece of us with her than about fashion (thank goodness), and also we're kind of a wonky family so maybe the wonkiness of the socks is appropriate. From what her blog is saying, I can't imagine she'll be wearing them anytime soon, but my hope is that she'll get some use out of them and think of her friends and family who are across the pond and loving her as she lives out this new phase of her life. Pattern: Generic pattern from the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Rules! Yarn: Patons Kroy in Winter Eclipse

Bolero Sweater for Neva

Bolero Sweater for Neva This is the beginning of the sewing/crafting frenzy which I'm engaging in to prepare for my dad's retirement at the end of June. I like having events to sew or knit for, and one of the treats is making Neva some stuff, including a couple of new dresses (pink, of course). I decided to knit her a little sweater to wear over these dresses in case it's cool that weekend (not likely, but still...). Anyway, this was not a hard pattern but it required a great deal of attention because every row was different, due to the shaping of the sweater. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, actually. I'd be even more pleased if it fit her. Sigh... Despite the fact that I checked my gauge and measured her and chose the appropriate size, it's a wee bit too small. We may be able to find a way to make it work, but ultimately she may not even need it, so it may be a moot point. Pattern: Sirdar Lacy Bolero Yarn: Estelle Mystik DK in Soft Rose

Battlestar Galactica Socks

Battlestar Galactica Socks Ta-dah! Finally, I have completed the very first pair of socks I ever started knitting way back in January. I think of these as my "Battlestar socks" because I started them during that week in January that I had the house to myself and I did very little except watch episodes of Battlestar Galactica. Since I took a break from knitting these to knit Jeffy's socks, they're not the first pair I've completed, but the one on the left foot is the very first sock I ever knit, and the one on the right foot is the sixth sock I've completed. (I have two more pairs on the go, if you're wondering about that math.) Pattern: Generic pattern from the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Rules! Yarn: Patons Kroy in Country Jacquard

Jeffy's Socks

Jeffy's Socks Look! My Very First Completed Socks! This was another knitting surprise for Jeffy. I know, I know -- what a treat, eh? Especially since he almost never wears socks. But his birthday was coming up, and I'm currently addicted to socks, so... These were super-fast socks to knit, which is part of the reason I chose them. The yarn is warm and relatively thick. I did something which is apparently a classic sock-knitter thing to do, which was to give him one completed sock and one sock still on the needles. I wasn't convinced that I had the sizing right, so instead of ripping two socks out, I figured I'd just rip one out if necessary. Turns out, it was necessary; the socks were too big, but if I'd gone around measuring his foot, it really would have given away the surprise. (I think they're still a bit big, but he assures me they're fine, so I'm letting it go. But if I make him more, ever, they're going to be a bit smaller.) Pattern: Knitty's Thuja Yarn: King Cole Merino Superwash Wool

Neva's Hat and Scarf When I found this yarn on sale at Wool-Tyme, I knew it was destined for Neva. The pink, the purple, the fuzziness -- it has everything she loves. I thought it might only be enough for a scarf, but there was enough for a hat as well. She's been asking when they were going to be done for some time now, and this morning she was clearly delighted to be able to wear them to school. I'm not sure how well that hat will stay on, but the wool should keep her good and warm if it manages to stay on her body. Pattern: made up from bits and pieces I picked up from samples at Wool-Tyme and from the Yarn Harlot's book, "Knitting Rules!" Yarn: Lana Gatto "Musa" (wool/acrylic blend)

Mohair Shawl

Mohair Shawl I started this shawl in August 2006 so that I'd have something to wear with the beautiful amethyst earrings Jeffy gave me for our anniversary. I finished it last night. It's cozy and warm and fuzzy, and the Dude has told me it's a "beautiful shirt, Mommy." I like it too. Pattern: Luxury Mohair Stole Yarn: Moonlight Mohair in "Purple Mountains"