I'm proud to say that I just finished working on my baby's knitted shoes. Actually its my first time doing this extra ordinary skills. I very happy from what I accomplished and every time I see my baby wearing those little handmade shoes, I felt useful and loved. Thanks for this post that I have the chance to share my feelings and emotions. I'm excited to read more about your experiences..
Steve Barbarich, choosehottubsdirect
Hi Everyone,
Thought I'd tell you about my current WIP. I'm knitting a "quilt". It's Target Log Cabin from Kaffe's "Simple Shapes, Spectacular Quilts" quilting book. It's pretty big for a knitting project around 65" x 80". 20 12" squares with 3" wide striped sashing strips with pinwheel blocks as the "cornerstones". In all my years of knitting I've only knit a handful of "flat" objects..a lace tablecloth & a few scarves. So I thought it was time for a blankie.
Here's a link to a photo of the original quilt; scroll down. You can zoom in to see the design.
http://www.gloriouscolor.com/store.php?cat=303
Anyway I had a few challenges to meet. I didn't want any seams because of the seam's rigidity & general weakness so I'm knitting it together. I knit the log cabin blocks starting with a provisional cast on for the center square then knit the logs around & around leaving the outermost stitches on a thread. My plan is then to join the blocks together while knitting the striped sashing & cornerstones. The finished size dictated the yarn--didn't want it to be too heavy to launder at home so I'm knitting in fingering weight yarn at 7 spi which means 14 rows in garter st OR over 14,000 sts per block. (If I'd have thought about what I was starting maybe I would've been dissuaded but I dove right in.)
I'm working with about 70 different colors/balls--slightly embarrassed to say all from my stash--divided into more or less darks & lights but truly darks, medium darks, & mediums.
I have 12 blocks completed & have gotten a little stalled. The excitement of seeing how the colors play together is over since I've just about used every color once. To get myself over my knitting hump I've figured out how much I must knit everyday in order to complete a block-a-week. I've also promised myself that once the blanket is complete I'll knit the remaining yarn into a sweater but working with 2 strands at 5.5 spi--my reward for sticking with it.
I should say that it's looking good.
BTW This project has inspired me to think about using traditional quilt blocks in a sweater. Using the same construction technique of knitting the individual "patches" then joining by knitting. Figure I can get a "Kaffe" look without intarsia.
Doris
Hi Doris,
Thanks for writing and sharing your current project with us here. I enjoyed your descriptions. I love working from left overs in my stash. Really a lot of fun. Did you see the Kaffe sweater in Vogue layout some time ago in back issue. I can look it up if you want to know which one.
And all the women who were wise of heart spun with their hands, and they kept bringing as yarn the blue thread and the wool dyed reddish purple, the coccus scarlet material and the fine linen. Ex. 35:25
Hi anId just wanted to say I enjoyed hearing your expression about feeling useful and loved when you see your baby wearing your handmade shoes. I agree how wonderful something so small can make you feel!
Doris, this is for your reference.
ZassZ: Hi terrie, I happen to have a picture of the BACK of one of his sweaters. It is in Vogune Knitting International 2009, pp. 50 & 51, pattern no. 4. If you go to Vogue's website and click on Vogue 360 at the top of page you'll get an option to view the COLOR VIBES collection in the Holiday 2009. You can view the whole sweater in a 360 degree view. check it out. You are not the only one who thinks that. Here is a link http://www.vogueknitting.com/vk360/vk360_holiday_2009.aspx A way to get the magazine is at the local library as well.
Hi terrie,
I happen to have a picture of the BACK of one of his sweaters. It is in Vogune Knitting International 2009, pp. 50 & 51, pattern no. 4. If you go to Vogue's website and click on Vogue 360 at the top of page you'll get an option to view the COLOR VIBES collection in the Holiday 2009. You can view the whole sweater in a 360 degree view. check it out.
You are not the only one who thinks that. Here is a link
http://www.vogueknitting.com/vk360/vk360_holiday_2009.aspx
A way to get the magazine is at the local library as well.
wow! that 360 of the sweater is gorgeous! if doris gets tired of the quilt - she can turn it into an amazing garment!
congrats on the baby shoes. so nice that every time you look at them it makes you smile. any chance you might show us a pic? don't be like me though - i take pics and then never get them here! haha!
happy knitting,
sharon
Hi Yogama,
How are you?
Wow it's seems like a while we have been back here. How was your trip? Did you go on the one where you drove with hubby and come back on the I will look for you on Hats Crazy.
Here's the little shell hat. Just used less than a full skein from my yarn stash. A good way to use up left over yarn.
Hi Yogama
Good news you finished your vest! How does it fit?
oh it fits so well and i love it. wore it to late lunch with a friend yesterday and got lots of compliments on it. everyone noticed the 6 different buttons. it was a snow day from school here. i rarely see my friend as she is head sec to the school and is always working. so....not only the kids had fun yesterday. and by noon the roads were clear and fine for driving! i actually would like to make another vest in a different color. easy and fun to knit. again - i WILL get a pic to you!! haha!
ok now I want to see it. so glad you had a snow day too. Since you know the fit is good, it makes sense to do another one, different colors and buttons too.
Hi Yogama, this is almost a finished project, but not quite. I said I would show you how it was coming along. I used the shells as weights to hold edges down til I stitch up. Just have to do a few rows across the right front and back edge and then start decreasing for the right sleeve. Then a crochet reverse sttich for edging all around. I look forward to picking out 2 cute buttons for it. Talk to you later.
hi zass,
thanks for the pic. sweater looks really nice - your stitches are beautiful. looks like a fun pattern the way it is knitted. i will have computer tech son with me again this weekend. i know you are tired of my empty promises, so i will just say i will TRY to get some pics posted! haha!
happy button picking,
Hi Sharon,
The pattern is extremely simple, although it says intermediate. The thing is if you use a variegated yarn it ends up striping a different way which makes it interesting although the pattern is all plain knit. The next time I do this one I'll use a different yarn and maybe incorporate a bit of a different stitch pattern in strategic places. I have some ideas I am working on. This was more less a try and see how it does, but it can be adjusted in a number of ways to make it different each time. What I like most is that while knitting, it is easy to "make it fit" adjustments as you go along. It's kind of plain right now, but thanks for looking at it.
Your idea for the sock in a different stripe sequence is really a good one! I really do think - so original.
Copyright (C) 2013 Interweave Press, LLCUse of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms and Privacy Policy, updated March 2007
