Saturday

There are a lot of really good movies on tv today, so I'm having trouble being academically productive, but I did just weave in the ends on three knitting projects unexpectedly, so that's pretty cool! As The Band's Visit wraps up, I'll tell you about my newest FO.

Mini Snape

Pattern: Capuchon by Tagil Perlmutter
Yarn: Berocco Vintage in Smoke (held double)
Needles: US 10.5
Project Page

This was a result of asking my Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup Slytherin Nest which classes I could fit a bunch of baby things into. My Big Snake, Alrischa, said I should make a baby Snape cape. So I did! :D

It's super cute! It also looks insanely big for 6-12 months, but what do I know? The only changes I made to the pattern were to knit one more inch before the raspberry stitch border, which I did in seed stitch, and close the top of the hood with a 3-needle-bind-off. Seriously, every baby/toddler/child needs a cape.

My model is Jasper, whom I admit I still sleep with from time to time. :) He's the only child-sized object I have in the house. Besides a bunny...but bunnies bite.

I'm a day late, but that doesn't mean you can't still see yesterday's FO Friday posts on Tami's blog. Next Friday should be the end of baby things, then back to adult-sized garments. I'm going to try to wear this cape  for a little while, though....

Marvelous!

I have a second to breathe (and write a post)! It's nice. :) Usually I don't go crazy until mid-October (midterm), but this year it's the movement into the second third of the semester that's killing me. I've had worse weeks, though, so I think I might me moderately rockin' it.

On the knitting front, I'm knitting a few rows here and there on a few different things. Here's the thing that has blossomed most, though. It's a baby blanket that I started last Friday at a get-together with the gals in my department. I didn't have anything mindless I could take to work on while we watched a movie, so I cast this puppy on. It's rather pleasant. I'm not crazy about the shadow rib rows (p2, k1 tbl) because knitting through the back loop requires an iota more of attention than I've had to give it, but I haven't messed it up...yet.

I cannot decide if I like this color! I loved it when I picked it out because it wasn't white, we didn't have a lighter tan, and the darker brown was just not baby enough, but it's earthy and boyish and I think the mother will love it. Now that I'm about halfway through it, though...I just don't know....What do you think? You can be honest. :) It's Plymouth Encore DK, so I don't know if I can dye it, but that wouldn't keep me from trying!

I think I'm still on track to show you a few finished baby objects Friday (or one, at the very least), so I hope to see you then! For more WIP Wednesday projects, head over to Tami's Amis! Now that the Summer Sweater KAL is winding down, you should definitely go to luvinthemommyhood to check who has finished their sweaters. They are beautiful! I wish I had more time to devote to mine. :( I think I should have it done in a week or two. fingerscrossed!

Sweet

Sophisticated

Pattern: Baby Sophisticate by Linden Down
Yarn: Berroco Vintage in Breezeway
Needles: US 8 and 7
Project Page

My former officemate is due very soon with her first child. I need to get all my baby knits in the mail! This is the first. It's adorable! The color, the pattern...it all come together.

I have to admit that this is actually far from finished, but it won't look much different after a wash, block, ends woven in, and buttons, right? The buttons are going to be the hard part. The ladies at knitting last night thought silver or wooden. I think they are right, but I have the perfect set of bronze buttons in my head that I'll use if I can find them in real life. That's always the trick, yeah?

I can't tell you how much fun I had knitting a tiny little sweater! It's portable, quick, cute, and still a sweater! Don't be surprised if you see me starting to stockpile baby sweaters. :D I have no plans to do so because I can't wear them, but if I do start, you'll know why.

Next week I should have everything but the blanket done, so expect that fun little array of tiny goodies. Oh, I must ask (having never knit garments for babies): I've knit this and a cape in a 6-12 month size because I'd hate to send clothes that are too small for a potentially large baby, but now I'm afraid that if it's a small baby, it won't have anything to wear this winter! Should I knit a smaller sweater or just hope he's a big baby?

For more FO Friday posts, go to Tami's Amis!

P.S. It's a Pacific Northwestern baby, so I am not at all worried about it being too warm for him to wear sweaters in 6 months.

Blog 'N Run

A quick update before I'm off to class.

Look! I have the beginnings of an Exeter right front! Yay! It took me two or three hours to wind 9.7 oz of yarn by hand (O.O), but I didn't have too much trouble and now I can knit from it! Yay! I'm praying that I have enough from the right front and both sleeves. I should, but we'll see.

That's all I'm going to show you, but there will be at least one baby item on Friday. I'm hoping to finish my sample knit by Monday so I can ship it, too. It just needs sleeves and finishing. I never know if I can show it to you. I'm tempted. It's pretty and published, so...maybe?

For more WIP Wednesday posts and Summer Sweater KAL posts, go here and here, respectively.

A Birthday Gift

Magical

Pattern: Noro Striped Scarf by Jared Flood
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden
Needles: US 7
Project Page

My great-grandmother will be 91 tomorrow. For her 90th, I promised her a knitted item of her choice. She chose a neutral scarf and here it is (a little late)! I've been wanting to make a Noro Striped Scarf for a couple months. I hate Noro, but had a skein of Silk Garden in tans because I accidentally ordered it instead of Sock  for my Rudens, so I stuck with it. I picked a pretty blue-green to go with it and I think it turned out beautifully!

I wasn't able to give it to her in person, so I'm not sure what her thoughts on it are. I also think I forgot to wash it, so she might think it's scratchy! I'm not a very good great-granddaughter!

I made couple of changes. I cast-on 31 sts instead of 39 and only used 2 skeins instead of 4. It was really a lot of fun to work on, despite it being Noro and 1x1 ribbing! It took me no time at all, mostly because the suspense of the color-changes was amazing. :) I might have to make a few more, but I doubt it will be with Noro again. :P

For more FO Friday posts, go to Tami's Amis!

The Thirtieth

TA-DA!

dress: ?, cardigan: Gap, jeans: Aeropostale, shoes: New Balance,  the usual.

This is as excited and awake as I can look after spending 13 hours at school with a brutal cold. I thought I'd revisit the pulled-up dress look with jeans this time. I've decided I like it in both outfits, so I will revisit it. Maybe in spring. It looks a little busy and distracting for fall/winter.

Reflecting on this 30 for 30, I think I see now that my wardrobe strengths are layering, layering, and layering. My wardrobe weaknesses are ridiculously hot weather, accessories, and shorts. I feel like I did better in this 30 for 30 than the winter one, but I can see winter and fall 30 for 30s are definitely more up my alley. It was just too hot to layer and switch it up! I still have an Idaho summer wardrobe after so many years in Iowa. I'll have to work on that.

In any case, it was really fun again and I look forward to another (after I've had some time to enjoy my wonderful closet full of fall clothing :D)! Thanks for joining me! And many thanks to Eliza for hosting!

So Tiny!

Here's something you've probably never seen me knit: baby items! I've got a cape and a sweater going. There will be a blanket and booties by the end of the month, too.

In other news, a new sample knit:

A shawl:

And a neglected Summer Sweater KAL project:

School. Think of how many projects I'd have time for if I didn't have to go to school! Soon-ish. This post was delayed by a dreaded and clingy cold, but for more WIP Wednesday posts, go to Tami's Amis!

The Twenty-Third Through Twenty-Ninth

John and I are sick. It's miserable. I also have a lot of school stuff to do, so my posts are going to be short and sweet this week (I hope!). Today I'm going to share my few remaining 30 for 30 outfits. I'll have the 30th for you tomorrow with my WIPs.

top: Banana Republic, shorts: Banana Republic, shoes: Merona, accessories: beach scarf, Relic watch, Avon rings and Mom's pearl.

Apparently this is my favorite outfit. I think I've worn it 3-5 times this 30 for 30. It's so easy and comfortable! But I need to shake it up a bit.

top: pulled up dress, shorts: Banana Republic, cardigan: Gap, shoes: Merona, accessories: the usual.

I wish I had thought of this sooner! I have this super-form-fitted dress that I've always called my "First Date Dress" (for winning a guy, though I've never worn it on a date...ever). I put it on as usual, pinched the fabric on my ribs, and pulled it up to the elastic top. It's so slinky that it stayed there all day! Presto, peplum top! I could have gone a little shorter to show the shorts a bit more. The skirt is asymetrical, so this is the most anyone saw of the shorts all day.

top: Banana Republic, jeans: Aeropostale, shoes: New Balance, accessories: hand-knitted shawl!, the usual.

I told you! Love this shirt! The shawl wasn't a great choice, but it was the only way I could spruce up this outfit I keep wearing over and over and over and over again.

dress: Cabbages and Roses, cardigan: Gap, shoes: New Balance, accessories: dress socks and the usual.

I got my dress shoulder straps shortened! Not enough, but they are as short as possible. It was a struggle all day to keep the world from seeing down my front, so I had to come home and change. I wish I had found a light pullover in my closet to do this. Alas, I forgot this cardi doesn't button above the navel. I could have worn my long grey cardi with a belt....Next time. The tennis shoes were practical. I walk a lot on Wednesdays.

Twenty-four -five, and -six got lost to Labor Day Weekend. They were largely uneventful, though twenty-five was a repeat of another outfit I didn't photograph and wish I had. :/ Last one tomorrow! I haven't even worn it yet, so it will be a surprise for everyone! :D

Though they all got done on time, you should go check out Eliza and the girls' final outfits.

Check!

I needed an "Oh shit, I have so much schoolwork!" break, so I took one. I'm back! I'll be on track next week, too, so I'll have some knitting, et cetera to share next week. Today, I have a very special FO!

This WIP has been on my list of things to finish for a very, very long time. Now it is not on that list anymore!

Rudens

Pattern: Shipwreck Shawl by Knitting Harpy
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Sock in Color 269
Needles: US 4, 8, 9, 10, 10.5, 11
Project Page

I began this shawl in the spring of 2009, my second semester in grad school. I had never knit a shawl or anything on circular needles (I was afraid of them!), but I loved this pattern so much the moment I saw it, that I had to make one! I wanted it in neutral yarn and the only qualifying yarn the LYS (where I now work!) had was Noro Silk Garden Sock.

It went really quickly until I had to start adding beads. I grabbed a couple packs at Hobby Lobby or something, one a variety with wooden, pearly, and a few seed beads, the other brown seed beads. Picking out defective beads wasn't too bad. Stringing thousands of beads was not my favorite. Stringing beads on thick-and-thin, super fragile Noro is the reason this shawl has not been touched in a few years.

But now it's done and it's pretty fabulous, if I do say so myself. I began this project in my phase where I just knitted whatever I liked without really thinking about it's function as a finished object, so I'm at a loss about what to do with it. I tried giving it to my grandma, but I worked to hard on it to just give it away the moment after I bound it off! So now it's hanging on the back of a chair where I can admire it and pat myself on the back for not forgetting about it entirely.

I'll probably give it to my grandma, but she'll have to wait a month or two. :) It will look prettier draped over the back of her couch than our chair (besides, that's where Rams and Ewes is going once I finally get that back sewed on right!).

It's a load off my mind to have finally finished this monster! I've been knitting easier. :) I'm sure you all have that project too. The one that nags you every time you cast something new on and it sits sad in its hideout? Sometimes they just need to sit for a while, so don't feel too bad about it. Though I would like to know...what is that project for you?

For more FO Friday posts, head over to Tami's Amis!