Organic Cotton for Baby

You already know we've received Classic Elite Seedling in the hand painted colors, but I wanted to share with you my experience with this yarn.

I'm not a big cotton fan. I always have to go down at least 2 needle sizes to get gauge with cotton yarns. This isn't such a big deal - I mean the number of stitches you are knitting on, whether you are using an 8 or a 6, is the same. But what makes it less-than-enjoyable for me, is the pain I feel in my hands when I'm knitting cotton on a small needle. And now that I've hit my mid-40's I'm feeling every ache and pain. Why give myself more pain if I can avoid it?

But I was in the shop after Christmas and I was looking at some of the new yarns we've received for spring. I pulled a skein of each of the new hand painted Seedlings from the shelf, and was amazed at how soft they were! For some reason, I always thought this yarn had a rougher feel to it. I was so wrong!

We used to sell some similar looking cotton yarns with nubbly textures like this and they were, indeed, rougher to the touch. That must have been what I was thinking about when I was "imagining" the hand of the Seedling. Luckily my imagination has now been replaced with a wonderful reality. This is some seriously smooth and soft fiber.

I pulled a copy of the new Yankee Knitter Baby Sweaters, Hats & Blankets #31 pattern and grabbed 3 skeins of color #4566 Lei. It's fun combination of pink and orange with a hint of avocado green thrown in! From the pattern, I chose to make the sweater: a super simple top down raglan cardigan. The thing I liked the best was that when you finished the yoke, the pattern tells you to work the sleeves FIRST, before the body. What's so smart about this? Well, it eliminates stitch holders, for one. And two? You can work the entire piece on a straight needle. Smart thinking!

I whipped up the size 3-6 month sweater in no time, and was pleased to discover that to get gauge, I only had to drop one needle size. My hands are pain free, too! I started the hat this morning and it should be finished soon.

And... if you like hand paints, there are some great colors from which to choose:

Simple & Sweet Baby Sweaters

Each day we see customers in the shop searching for sweater patterns for newborn babies. It's no wonder - don't you always get the urge to knit a little sweater for a close friend or family member when you hear she's expecting? I know I do!

And as yarn shop employees, we've handled this many, many times, so we're always prepared to recommend a good assortment of patterns.

Like the Wee One Welcome Set from Knitting at Knoon.

This pattern is simply adorable. It calls for 400 yards of DK weight yarn. In our shop sample (above) we chose Sirdar Snuggle Crofter DK that knits up with a fair isle striping effect. This yarn is reasonably priced (it costs just $21 to make the set), comes in really sweet colors and is soft and machine washable.

We've got other great DK weight yarns that work really well for this little set. Berroco Comfort DK now has really fun variegated colors, and Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend is also a popular choice.

The Puerperium Baby Cardigan is precious! And it's easy and fun to make. This sweater is pretty hard to resist, once you see the (and feel!) the shop sample (shown below). We used Misti Alpaca Pima Silk and this yarn is just the perfect choice for a newborn. The color choice is spectacular, and it's heavenly to knit.

Another pattern that's been getting a lot of attention is brand new from Yankee Knitter. The Baby Sweaters, Hats & Blankets Pattern #31 is a great addition to the Yankee Knitter offering. The sweaters and hats are sized from preemie to 6-12 months and the blanket is a generous 33"x35". And they knit up quickly in heavy worsted weight.

Our top recommendations for this pattern are Plymouth Encore, Berroco Comfort Worsted, Berroco Vintage and if you'd like a soft wool, then Dream in Color Classy or Classic Elite Liberty Print.

And finally, one last recommendation for a great newborn sweater. We came across this one a few months ago and thought it was beautiful in its simplicity. It is more suited for little girls, but it's a top choice on our list for newborns.

In Threes: A Baby Cardigan is a pattern that's available on Ravelry. We also sell it in the shop through Ravelry. It's the sweetest little sweater. All worked from the top down, in one piece. It's absolutely precious!

We had some Putty colored Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece laying around and I knew it would be perfect for this sweater. It just needs buttons now, but the best part about using such a neutral color is that you can really be creative with your button selection!

Beautiful yoke detail

Socks that Rock! (Upcoming Class Preview)

Handknit socks rock! Customers always mention to us how intimidated they are to try knitting socks for the first time because they're afraid of the shaping needed for a good fit.  Here's your chance to learn how to wield your double pointed needles in the fine art of turning a heel without coming to grief!  

The socks we knit in class will be a small size. That gives us the opportunity to teach you the seamless toe join, aka Kitchener stitch.  We're using our favorite sock pattern, Yankee Knitter Classic Socks for the Family, a tried and true favorite.   

When we finish the class, you'll be ready to knit some "gift" socks... after all, the holidays are just around the corner!

This TWO SESSION class meets Fridays, September 14 AND September 28, 11 am - 12:30 pm.

When One Pattern is Really 2... or 20!

Some of my favorite patterns are those that offer directions for making the same garment in any number of yarn weights. This means that you purchase just one pattern, and you can make it over and over again in different yarns for different sized people. Heck, you can even add stitch patterning to make each one look different!

Over the years I've used a number of patterns that fall into this category. Some of my favorites are:

Yankee Knitter Classic Socks for the Family #29 is sized for Babies, Small Children, Large Children, Women and Men, and has directions for Fingering Weight, Sport Weight and Worsted Weight Yarns. That's 18 different patterns right there. Then you can customize these by adding texture stitches, ribs, etc. It's the number one sock pattern we sell, and we think one of the only ones you'll ever need to purchase.

Ann Norling's Kid's Top Down Raglan or Bottom Up Raglan: Both of these versatile sweater patterns encourage you to experiment with different colors, textures, yarn weights and stitches. Each pattern has instructions for 7 sizes in 4 different weights (that's 28 patterns!) And then add the choices of cardigan or pullover... and v-neck or crew neck. You do the math!

Yankee Knitter Hats & Mittens Pattern #26 is a great basic pattern for anyone wanting to knit mittens for the first time. These mittens are worked flat, so the pattern won't give you practice working in the round, but the mittens fit great and the seam is barely noticeable. Both the hat pattern and the mitten pattern are written for 6 sizes in 2 gauges, and the hat includes 2 style options.

Over the past couple of years, I've been adding some of the Figheadh Yarnworks Fundamentals patterns to this staple collection. From socks to sweaters and hats to vests, Figheadh has some excellent patterns. 


This fall I made the Figheadh Yarnworks Fundamental Top-Down Baby Cardigan this fall out of Classic Elite Liberty Wool Print. What a great pattern! The self striping yarn did all the work, but next time it would be fun to use a solid yarn and add a cable pattern.

And I just completed a Figheadh Yarnworks Fundamental Junior Vest the other day. I used the SMC Bravo Rainbow Color yarn, which is a fun washable acrylic that's a tweedy striping yarn. There is enough yardage in one ball to make up to a child's size 12 or 14. And this pattern makes 12 different sizes in 4 different gauges, so it's a definite keeper.

The Rainbow Sweater Club

Our customer Linda H. stopped in the shop the other day to share a wonderful picture.

A while ago we shared her first rainbow sweater with you. Did you know this sweater was just one in a series of rainbow sweaters? Here are Delaney, Ceilidh, and Katelyn, proud members of the Rainbow Sweater Club! They've also got on matching strawberry hats!

Ready for Rainbows!

Our customer Linda recently brought in her finished Rainbow Sweater to show off the other day. After all the freezing temperatures up here in the frozen north land I'm ready to start thinking about some rainbows myself!

Linda added stripes to the Yankee Knitter Roll Raglan pattern. A couple of months ago she came in to pick out colors for this sweater. We found the perfect shades in Plymouth Encore Worsted. The request for this rainbow sweater came with very specific instructions to include not just blue... but indigo too. I think you'll agree, it's a true Roy G Biv matsterpiece!

Modification for pinkies and pointers

So I finished the girls' mittens last week, and used the Yankee Knitter Hats & Mittens pattern. It's done flat, which was easy and quick to do, and was great for throwing them off track - after all, a flat mitten doesn't really look like a mitten at all, until you seam it up. That enabled me to work on the mittens in front of them, without giving it away. ("Mom, what are you making?"... My answer could have been anything.)

Then I decided that I wanted to make my mom a pair of mittens. I decided to make hers a touch larger than normal, since I wanted her to be able to wear glove liners underneath. Her hands get REALLY cold, and right now she's wearing gloves, that just aren't working. Gloves don't keep your hands as warm, since the fingers are separated and can't share body warmth when they are each in their own little compartment. But thin glove liners under a nice mitten... well this can be quite toasty.

So I grabbed another skein of Malabrigo Rios. It worked so well for the girls' mittens that I wanted to use it again. I didn't want there to be a seam in the mittens for my mom, so I modified the pattern to be worked in the round. I also added a couple of stitches, since I needed it to be a bit bigger than the woman's size, but smaller than the man's size.

I completed the first mitten with the decreases as written in the pattern. I tried it on, and did NOT like it. It gathered in too quickly at the top. Last time I looked, my pinky finger was much smaller than my pointer, and it felt like there was too much mitten above the pinky, and not enough above the pointer. It's not as noticeable in the mittens I did for the girls, and since their hands aren't fully grown, there's not as big of a difference between their pinkies and their pointers.

So I undid the top and ripped back to just above where my pinky was. (Best part about knitting these in the round? I could try it on I went! This would not have been possible if I'd worked them flat.) I started my decreases on JUST the outer edge of the mitten. Gradually, as I had worked more rows and kept trying on the mitten, I got to just above my pointer finger. Then I started decreasing on both sides.Of course, I took EXCELLENT notes as I worked the first mitten. (Totally UN-like me. But I wanted it to be perfect.) And the end result is a REALLY perfect pair of mittens. I hope she likes them and that they keep her warm!

New Sweaters for 2010

I recycled my sweaters. Yep, I took all but one of my hand knit sweaters and bundled them off to Goodwill. Even the very first sweater that I knit! Don't worry, these sweaters weren't fitting me as well as they used to and the I just didn't wear them enough because I was feeling the need to reinvent them all. Now someone else will have these sweaters to keep them warm this fall.

Unfortunately, it leaves me with quite a sweater void in my closet. And since I'm a knitter, that isn't good. So this is the beginnings of my first sweater for 2010. I am using the same pattern that I used for my very first hand knit sweater - the Yankee Knitter Roll Raglan pattern (#21).** I also LOVE the yarn that I'm using for this sweater... Berroco Blackstone Tweed. I've been eying the new colors of this yarn that recently arrived, and I'm thinking I might have to make another sweater out of it. Because now I have a void to fill, remember!

**This is the same pattern that we'll be using for our Knitting A Sweater for the First Time class that is fast approaching! If you want to try your hand at knitting this, there are still a couple of spots left. And don't worry! We'll tackle a much smaller child's size sweater in class so that after class you'll be all set to go for a sweater of your own.

Knitting Excitement

Today I am excited about knitting and I can't wait to finish my sweater...even though it is a tiny sized one this time around. The first class of the First Time Sweater Workshop was this week and there was fun to be had and knitting to share.

I can't finish my sweater, even though I want to! I'm knitting along with everyone else so I can show them how to work each step. For this class, they are working the back of the sweater, the back decreasing, the front of sweater, the front decreasing and neck shaping.

Next class they will cast on for the first sleeve, work on sleeve increases and decreases, and repeat for the second sleeve.,

In the third class I will show them how to piece everything together with proper seaming techniques, picking up stitches for the collar and binding off! The process is wonderful, but sometimes I just want to rush ahead to completion. It's really hard to leave it unfinished. Besides this is such a glorious shade of red...I can't wait for next class!

Yarn: Berroco Vintage Yarn

Sweater Pattern: Yankee Knitter Roll Raglan Sweater Pattern #21 (pieces are for size 1 sweater)

Contradictions

I always tell people I am not the biggest fan of small needle knitting. I often explain that I never finish a PAIR of socks because by the time I've finished one I just can't seem to motivate myself to cast on for the second one. I also like to knit with addi turbo needles so all those beautiful skinny little yarns with their slippery amazingly tiny fibers and I usually end up in a fight when I try to use the yarn and needles together.

But I CAN knit with small needles and I HAVE knit pairs of socks before. Truth is, it just usually isn't my thing. So why then, have I started casting on for projects that are knit on small needles with skinny little yarns?

It all started when a couple of skeins of Koigu - the last two remaining of a colorway - begged to come home with me. I HAD to take them because we needed more room for the fifteen or more new Koigu colors that came in. (That's what I am telling myself anyway.)

I love the colors in these two skeins and found reinforcement yarn that will blend perfectly. Yes, now I'm complicating things and adding even skinnier yarn to the project.... I'll be digging out my Yankee Knitter #29 - Classic Socks for the Family pattern soon.

One of the new colors of Koigu is now desperately trying to get my attention. I am trying to be strong. Because if I am not a big sock knitter, how could I possible have more than one project at once?!

Here, kitty kitty!

I just finished a baby sweater for a friend's baby. It’s their first baby so I really wanted to knit something for them. They decided not to find out the gender of the baby, so I had to choose colors that would work well for either a boy or girl.

I have always loved the Roo Designs Cat Pullover pattern that we sell. It's so cute! It calls for a worsted weight yarn so I picked out several great colors of Jil Eaton Minnow Merino. What a super color selection - it was difficult to pick.

I also thought it would be fun to make a matching hat and socks. I used my Ann Norling Kid's Fruit Cap pattern for the hat, and just followed the stitch count and shaping - but striped the hat. Then for the socks I used my Yankee Knitter Classic Socks for the Family pattern.

And here is the result - I love it!