2011: Year in Review

I completed quite a few projects this year, and it's very hard for me to pick my favorite!  I think it might be the matching set that I made for the kids for Christmas.  I love the yarn, enjoyed the knitting, and love the fit of the finished garments.

 

Here is a quick collage of some of my favorite projects of 2011.

Happy New Year!

A Neon Set

Just got this off the needles and wanted to share - a hat with matching pop-top mittens.  This is yarn that we dyed a few months ago that I finally figured out what to knit with it.  I'm hoping these bright colors will keep them from getting lost!

This was a super easy hat.  I cast on 96 stitches on size 5 needles.  I knit about 1 1/2"-2" for the 2x2 ribbed brim, then switched to size 7 needles.  I knit in stockinette stitch until I was just over 7" past the cast-on edge, then used a kitchener stitch to close the top.  I tied off the "ears" with scrap yarn.  This fits my 2-year-old, my 4-year-old, and me (although I do have a freakishly small head for an adult).

The mittens are the Pop Top Mittens that I purchased on Ravelry (also available on Knit Picks).  It was very easy to follow and knit up quickly, also on size 5 and 7 needles.

Completed Projects

I have finished a few projects that I'm really proud of, so of course I had to snap dozens of photos!  First is a Ridinghood Sweater for my daughter that has been in the works for months.  First I ran out of yarn, then I set it aside because I was tired of knitting endlessly in the round for the full skirt!  I am very happy with the finished project and I'm glad I picked it up and finally completed it.  This was knit with Knitpicks Swish Worsted, a superwash yarn.  Amounts used are listed on the project page.

Next, I completed a set for my children for Christmas.  The vest is an Explorer Vest and the sweater is the long-sleeved sweater from the Charlotte Collection.  They are knit with Cascade 220 Superwash Paints.  This is my second Explorer Vest, and I am so impressed with this pattern - it is written for multiple sizes and yarn weights, and the seamless design beginning with a provisional crochet cast-on is very unique.  The Charlotte pattern is a bit tricky, but this was my second one and it went much more smoothly this time (although there was still a bit of frogging to get it just right!).  The back (photos on the project page) features an increasing rib design, and I love the look as well as the fit.

Next up on my needles are overalls for my daughter and my first pair of adult-size socks - wish me luck!

T-shirt Yarn

I've been wanting to make t-shirt yarn for a long time, ever since seeing it for sale on Etsy and thinking it was so neat and thick.  Of course, I wear tons of tees and couldn't part with any of mine (and all of my husbands were sent to Goodwill a few months ago).  Finally, I went into my parents attic, opened one of my 200 bins of stuff (that they have been asking me to go through and clean out for the last ten years...) and found the perfect t-shirt to make yarn!  A size XL bright yellow t-shirt from my college orientation at Towson University ten (!!) years ago.  Of course, when I came downstairs with it my dad asked why I never gave HIM the t-shirt, to which I replied, "you would not wear a bright yellow t-shirt."  and he said "I might have if you'd given it to me when  you got it."  Point taken.  Sorry dad, the t-shirt has now been cut up into lovely yellow yarn!

I followed an awesome tutorial that I pinned a while ago.  This one has lots of pictures and was easy for me to follow, so check out Polka Dot Pineapple for the instructions.  It was super easy and didn't take too much time (and would have gone much faster if I had real scissors and not my small scissors from my knitting bag).

I knit up a swatch on my size 13 needles.  It was a little difficult to work with, so I think it would be best to use larger needles - I might pick some up this week.  I'm not sure what to make with it yet, but it knit up into a very thick piece - maybe a trivet or a potholder?  We'll see!  The yellow is a bit more vibrant in person.

 

 I still had the rest of the t-shirt from the sleeves up, so I decided to make this very cute t-shirt flower that I keep seeing around Pinterest.  You can see the tutorial on Emily's Little World.  Mine doesn't look nearly as good as hers, but I did get to break out my hot glue gun for the first time which was a great adventure (and I only burned myself once!)

 

Well, it's not perfect, but I like it.  I think the pop of yellow will be great pinned onto a gray, black, or navy sweater or scarf, so I just need to get a pin for the back of this.  It was easy and took about an hour to make; I definitely think I'll be making some to put on headbands or hairbows as Christmas gifts this year.  I still have my template (that I free-handed with my less-than-mediocre artistic skills) and with better scissors, I think I can get these done pretty quickly.

I hope you get your hands on some old tees and make some t-shirt yarn or fun fabric flowers!  I'm sure I'll be back in the attic soon scrounging for more clothes to cut up. 

Where are you?

I realize it has now been MONTHS since I posted.  That's an eternity in blog-world, but it's flown by in "real" life!  I have been busy knitting a little bit in that time when I'm not busy with the rest of my life (school, work, kids - oh my!)

So rather than go on and on as to what I've been doing, I figured I would just show you what I've been doing, because let's face it - everything is better with pictures, right?

 First up - a hat and longies set for a little boy due in November.  Knit with super soft bulky gaia and sure to keep him warm all winter!

 For the same newborn due in November, a football sleep sack - so funny, so adorable.  I cannot wait to see the baby in this set!

 

An Explorer vest for my little explorer, knit with superwash yarn dyed by The Yarn Gnome. 

Modeled by my 4-year-old (although I had to knit him the 2-year size and make it extra long for my skinny boy!)

Finally, a simple halter for my daughter.  I wanted to really show off this beautiful Popsicle colorway by Love Ewe Yarns and this was the perfect pattern.  

 

Modeled by my 2-year-old daughter - a perfect fit!

Completed Projects

 Newborn Knotty Hats - the hat on the left has been modified, the details are available on Ravelry.  These were created as a photography prop for Lauren Honza Photography.

 This is a test-knit of the All in Onesie pattern, polo-style - so adorable!  This was knit with The Yarn Gnome O'Hai on Kona Superwash.

 The buttons were custom-matched by Tessa Ann from a picture of the yarn - I think she did an amazing job with the colors!

 

I think this may be one of my favorite colorways - it's so bright and vibrant for a summer top!  This yarn is Love Ewe Yarns Popsicle Dark custom colorway on Licorice Twist.  The pattern is the Transitional Tunic - the extra eyelets around the ribbing allow you to convert it to a skirt.

 

 This beautiful fan pattern really required my full-attention (I had to frog a couple times because I missed a decrease) but I love the look now that it's finished. 

The back of the dress is corseted - lovely!

Newborn Knotty Hat

I just finished knitting this hat and thought I would type up the pattern quickly.  Sorry for any typos, it's pretty late at night!

Supplies
-2 oz worsted weight yarn
-US size 7 12” circular needle
-US size 7 DPNs
-Darning Needle

Pattern
Cast on 60 stitches using long-tail CO.

Place marker and join work in the round.

Row 1 - Knit
Row 2 - Purl
Row 3 - Knit
Row 4 - Purl
Row 5 - Knit
Row 6 - Purl

Continue knitting in stockinette stitch (knit all rows) until work measures 5” from CO edge.

Decreases:
Row 1 - K8, K2tog* repeat for entire row
Row 2 - K7, K2tog* repeat for entire row
Row 3 - K6, K2tog* repeat for entire row
Row 4 - K5, K2tog* repeat for entire row
Row 5 - K4, K2tog* repeat for entire row
Row 6 - K3, K2tog* repeat for entire row
Row 7 - K2, K2tog* repeat for entire row
Row 8 - K1, K2tog* repeat for entire row
Row 9 - K2tog* repeat for entire row (6 stitches remaining)

Place all 6 stitches onto one needle and work an i-cord for 2.5” (be careful to work first stitch tightly and let the hat hang from the needles to avoid a “ladder” in your cord). Break yarn, leaving a 6” tail. Thread tail onto a darning needle, slip it through all 6 stitches, pulling tightly to close the gap at the end of the i-cord. Weave in all ends. Tie the i-cord into a knot.

You may CO any multiple of 10 stitches, just continue to decrease until you have 4-6 stitches on the needles to work in an i-cord.

Enjoy your hat!

What Causes Pooling?

This is a question that I had when I began knitting.  What causes pooling, and who is to blame?  Is it the yarn dyer?  Is it the knitter?  How can I prevent it?

In my (one and a half) years of experience, I've concluded that no one is at fault for pooling.  Yes, dyers can dye in shorter sections, or perhaps use more colors or fewer colors.  Knitters can alternate skeins to attempt to remedy the problem.  Unfortunately, you may still end up with a final project that you're unhappy with (and if you're unhappy, so is your knitter).

To me, it seems to be a compatibility issue.  Sometimes your beautiful hand-dyed yarn is just not compatible with your pattern.  Take, for example, this beautiful hand-dyed yarn (by Vedilli Yarns).  This sat in my stash for a while and I finally had a project for it - testing the Crunchy Mama Slouchy Tam for Knoodle Knits.  I thought it would make a beautiful, bright hat for my daughter.  Everything was going well until I began the increases... and then things got bad.  Really, disappointingly bad.  I loved the pattern and I loved the yarn, but combined, they just didn't work.  If I wasn't testing, I would have increased or decreased stitches to attempt to get rid of the pooling, but testing is all about making sure the numbers work, so I couldn't do that.  I considered switching yarns, but I couldn't find something else suitable in my stash (I know, this is hard to believe!).  I stuck with it.  The final result wasn't horrible, but it was definitely disappointing.

 

It really could have been worse, I suppose - and when worn by my daughter, it really looks just fine.  Still, I was disappointed in the final result because I felt like I didn't do the yarn justice - and when I'm knitting hand-dyed yarn, I really feel it's my duty to make the yarn look as beautiful as possible.  This may not be a goal for everyone, but it certainly is for me.  If I want to show off a stitch pattern, I'll use a nice semi-solid instead.

Anyway, fast-forward a few months.  I was supposed to knit a pair of shorties for a charity auction, but of course couldn't get my act together in time - I got them halfway done and they just weren't up to my standards.  I pulled the rest of this lovely yarn out of my scraps pile and decided to knit the fastest thing I could think of, a newborn hat.

I am so happy with it!  The yarn did a lovely striping thing with minimal pooling.  Knitting something so small can often result in strange yarn stacking, but fortunately the project was perfect for this yarn.  I feel like this yarn has finally gotten the pattern that it deserved.

We still have not answered the question of the hour though - who do you blame if you send something off for a  custom project and you're not happy with the pooling?  Honestly, I don't think you can blame anyone.  The dyer does not know what project will be knit with the yarn that they dye; they have no control over what it does when it is knit.  The knitter will likely do her (or his) best to make the final garment look as nice as possible, but it's difficult to achieve perfection, even when alternating skeins, increasing/decreasing stitches, or changing needle sizes. 

My recommendation would be to be flexible and honest.  If the knitter shows you a progress picture (which hopefully they will) and you are unhappy with the way it's pooling, tell them.  They don't want to knit an entire garment and have it sit in a drawer in your child's room because you're unhappy with it but were afraid of hurting the knitter's feelings.  Be open to suggestions from the knitter, and hopefully the final result will be something that pleases each of you - or perhaps if the yarn wasn't quite right for the project, you can find another pattern for your beautiful hand-painted yarn.

The Latest Projects

Wow, it's been a while since I posted!  I have been incredibly swamped for the last month between my day job, knitting, and being a mom.  I've completed a few projects that I must share - enjoy!

 

This beautiful Charlotte dress was knit for a craft trade with my friend Wendy at The Whimsical Duck with beautiful Retro Baby "Candy Hearts" on BFL.

My daughter's birthday top!  I love how this came out in the end, even though it ended up being more of a tunic top than a dress.  Knit with Moxie Blu's "Raspberry Limeade" on Australian Merino, this is the Cali Cargo dress (er, cargoless top) and Something Beautiful Shrug, both  by Dakine Knits.  The buttons are from Tessa Ann and perfectly coordinate with the colorway.  Modeled by my beautiful 2-year-old!

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Last week was my son's preschool graduation - he will be in the 4-year-old class in the fall (they grow up too fast!)  This "Soft as a Cloud Cowl", from the book More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson, was knit with the lovely Shalimar Breathless yarn mentioned in my last post.  This yarn was so soft and slippery to knit with, I loved it - and the pattern is beautiful and looks more complicated than it really is (shhhh!)

This scarf was knit for my son's other teacher, the Big Lace Scarf also from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson (I highly recommend this book - I've knit quite a few patterns from it since I received it as a birthday gift).  This was knit with Malabrigo Chunky in the Verde colorway.  I modified the pattern - I used size 13 needles and 2 skeins of this (bulky weight) yarn.  It was a very fast knit, easy but difficult enough to keep your attention.  Even on smaller needles than the pattern calls for, it knit at about 12 inches per hour - so six hours for this 6-foot long scarf.  I hope to make more of these as gifts in the future (and maybe one for myself!)

 

Finally, this cute set was knit for my photographer neighbor.  The diaper cover needs buttons (which I've neglected to sew on for the last two weeks) but I'm very happy with how the set turned out.  The yarn was custom-dyed by Vedilli Yarns, the hat is the Keely hat by Amanda at A Beautiful Skye, and the diaper cover was knit from my own imagination.

 Thank you for stopping by!  If you are interested in a custom-knit item, please contact me, rdsonntag@gmail.com and I will add you to my list.  I'm always open to try new things, so if you find something that you haven't seen in my gallery, let me know!

My Newest Yarn

I didn't realize I purchased so much yarn in the last month or two until I looked at my ever-growing stash.  Because I love to share (probably more than you would like to hear about!) I snapped some photos of the newest additions.

 Calliope by Moxie Blu - this is slightly brighter in person.  It's kettle-dyed on bulky Gaia (so soft!) and I think it will make a lovely Springtime in Hollis sweater.

Shalimar Breathless yarn, Corfu colorway - a super soft merino/silk/cashmere blend, fingerling weight.  This will be a teacher gift for Josh's teacher - either a hat or a cowl (I saw many beautiful cowls at the Sheep & Wool Festival today).

 My most recent purchase, the colorway doesn't have a name but is dyed on Licorice Twist, one of my favorite bases, by The Wool Garden.  I was lucky enough to find this on a sale table at the Sheep & Wool Festival today.  It was hard to capture with my camera, but it is actually purple in there, not dark blue.

 

Popsicle Dark by Love Ewe Yarns - after my best friend drooled over my original Popsicle yarn, I purchased this custom as a gift for her.  Also on Licorice Twist and the colors are super bright and stunning in person.

Finally, this isn't new but I recently balled it and took this photo.  This was custom-dyed by Vedilli Yarns on Kona Superwash Merino.  I love the softness and weight of this yarn.  This is currently on the needles as a hat and diaper cover photography prop set.

Prettiest Rainbow Dress

I know I'm a little biased, but I'm pretty sure this is the most gorgeous rainbow dress that I've ever seen.  I love the customer's idea of blending the colors into one another and I think the rainbow colorway as the top and ruffle with natural trim was also awesome - so much thanks to Katy for this beautiful design!  I cannot wait to see action shots of the dress on her daughter.

In case you missed the other posts on this dress, the yarn is "Autumn Rainbow" scrappy set by Lollytree Yarns on Cestari Superfine (which, surprisingly, I enjoyed knitting).  Katy then purchased an additional skein of bare Cestari to use as trim and for the coordinating soaker.  The pattern is the Cali Cargo Dress by Dakine Knits.

Time for pictures!

 

 the dress was hanging on the wall in my room while I knit the soaker... I am sure my husband enjoyed our new artwork!

 

Thanks again to Katy for letting me knit this set, it is definitely one of my favorite knits yet!