Loose Ends

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I’m feeling indecisive, or at least indecisive enough that I don’t want to commit to a whole sweater right now. So, I took a dive into my stash and found a project that should be pretty doable. It’s nearly finished, at least, so I should be able to give myself that finished-project-serotonin-boost that I love.

You might remember that I published this pattern a few months ago- super cute Rainbow Socks.

Well, it turns out that I never actually finished the prototype. I got 80% of the way through the socks, wrote up the pattern and decided to go do something else. Typical Allison.

Eagle-eyed readers will notice that I changed the design a bit to add more rainbows at the heel and toe. I definitely like the more-is-more aspect of the final pattern, but I’m not unraveling anything right now, so I’ll keep these guys as they are, with their boring toes.

I’m determined to finish these socks! Will it take a day? A week? A month? All summer? only time will tell.

What’s the last project that you pulled out of hibernation?

Next Up?

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And now that I’m done with my little cabled sweater, it’s time to move on to… something else.

What else, exactly? I have no idea. It’s been super-hot here in Seattle, which isn’t helping my knitting mojo, either. But I’m always happy to troll around on Ravelry for a little bit and consider my options.

My first thought was that I didn’t want to start anything big, so maybe a little stuffed animal. Maybe this stinking cute little family of bears with a full wardrobe of sweaters? Tsutsu Bear by Cynthia Vallet.

Or maybe I should make myself something light and summery? I’ve had my eye on this tee for a while. I don’t really have any warm-weather sweaters (which really feels like an oxymoron), so maybe it’s time to try out some nice linen or something. I really like how the pattern is pretty flexible and easily adaptable to a variety of bodies. Outline Tee by Jessie Maed Designs.

Or maybe I try something really out of my comfort zone, and try my hand at crochet again? The last time I crocheted a sweater, the results were… questionable. I really like how this top looks, though. But will it look like that on me? I suppose there’s only one way to find out. Calad Shirt by Jessica Tsung.

I’m going to think on it for a while, dig through my stash and see what speaks to me, and maybe make a run to my yarn store. Hopefully something really piques my interest.

What do you knit when you don’t know what to knit?

All done!

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And just in time for a heat wave, of course. I finished my kid’s sweater on Monday. Tuesday was a chilly 50 degrees, so we busted it out right away on a little trip to the woods near our house. He looked like a cross between a baby hobbit and a little old man. Frankly, my ideal kid aesthetic. (Though I think the cute factor could be upped with the addition of elbow patches.)

And literally by Wednesday, it was in the 70s, and over the weekend it got into the 80s. So, it seems like this super-cozy, cabled wool sweater will not be getting a lot of play until next fall.

But, thank goodness, I managed to make the sweater big enough that it’ll definitely fit all the way through the next year (probably). There’s plenty of length in the sleeves, and if I blocked it out, I’m sure I could get some extra room around the belly and chest. I haven’t blocked it yet, because it fits just about perfect as is, and it’s extra-squishy and fluffy pre-blocking. It’s possible the neck will be a little too tight if this kid’s gigantic head keeps growing at its current rate, but that would be an easy fix.

I’m so happy to have this sweater finished! I truly don’t know the last time I finished any project, much less a full sweater. And, I’m so glad it turned out well! Now I’m thinking of making myself another Ben sweater to match… My current one is definitely “well-loved.”

Have you finished any projects lately?

So close I can taste it

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I’m thiiiiis close to finishing my toddler’s sweater! Miracle of miracles, I got it seamed up over the weekend, and the sleeves actually look proportional to the rest of the sweater! I had serious doubts about that, but hey, it turns out that my math was correct! Who knew?

It’s so cute, and all I have left to add is the neckband! And, I suppose, block it. But that’s it! I honestly didn’t think this sweater was ever going to get finished. I’ve gotta say, it’s a nice feeling, getting close to finishing a long project. It’s been too long since I managed a bigger project like this.

And it even looks like its still going to fit the kid… maybe even next year!

Have you managed to finish anything lately?

Nearly There

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I’ve just about done it- I’ve got all the big pieces for the toddler Ben-ish pullover finished. (And right in time for summer-y weather to set in. Though this is Seattle; I’m sure it’ll get back to cold and rainy before the week is out.)

The sweater looks so good! I just love this cable pattern- it’s making me want to knit up another Ben for myself (the one I made for my husband 10+ years ago and that I subsequently adopted/stole back is looking pretty disreputable). I can’t wait to see this on my little guy. He’s naturally got a real “tenured professor” vibe, so it’s basically a crime that he doesn’t have a cabled sweater already. Maybe I should add some elbow patches, too.

Anyway, all that’s left is to seam it, add the collar and block it. And if I say it like that, it doesn’t sound like much, but I’m sure it’s going to take a few weeks for me to actually get around to finishing up everything. Because why would this step take any less time than any other step? For a tiny little sweater, it’s really taking a lot of work. Long gone are the days of finishing an entire adult sweater in two weeks.

How do you feel when you get close to the end of a project?

Inspiration: Daniel Tiger

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It’s been… a long time since I did one of these posts. Mostly because I haven’t had time to sit down and watch anything interesting on TV, much less do the digging to find pattern resources.

Then it occurred to me, there’s a show that I watch all the time that heavily features a famous sweater. (I’m logging way more time watching this show than I really care to admit, if I’m being honest.)

It’s grr-ific, tiger-tastic, and literally the only show that my 2-year-old will watch. It’s Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood!

Do I enjoy watching Daniel Tiger? Not particularly. Is it a great show for 2-year-olds? Definitely. Do I still use the “teaching songs” with my big kid when I’m trying to get them to stop hitting their brother/put on their shoes/not freak out when something goes wrong? Absolutely. Do the songs work? Sometimes.

Anyway, look at Daniel’s cute little red sweater:

It’s a cute little zip-up red hoodie with drawstrings and pockets. I think it’s supposed to be a raglan sleeve, but it’s hard to say, with it being a cartoon and all. But with a little searching I found a couple options.

First is the Rainbow Child cardigan by Rebecca Newman. This pattern looks super flexible (and cute!) and could easily be adapted into a DT sweater.

The R&R Hoodie by Tanis Lavallee would be perfect, with almost no changes! And it comes in a range of sizes. It’s at a pretty small gauge, though, so that might not be quite as cozy as Daniel’s sweater.

But after all that looking, I realized that I should have just searched “Daniel Tiger Sweater,” because of course someone has designed the perfect Daniel Tiger sweater. It’s called the Neighborhood Sweater by Analisa Gedge. It’s adorable, screen-perfect (or at least as screen-perfect as you can get with a cartoon.

Now, if I actually make DT sweaters for my kids, what’s the likelihood that they’ll still be watching the show when the sweaters were done?

A Roll of the Dice

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I started working on the second sleeve, and, well, I almost immediately ran out of yarn. I had managed to delude myself into thinking that I had enough yarn to make it through the sleeve. But, no matter how much I wanted it to be true, I had barely made it through the cuff when I was left with this much yarn:

So, I ran back to Webs and ordered another skein. I was excited when the package showed up yesterday, but then I suddenly realized- I had no idea if it was going to match. The color on the website vs. the actual color was so wildly different, it suddenly occurred to me that the new and old yarn might not match at all.

I crossed my fingers, held my breath, and opened the package.

And thank all the Knitting Gods! Not only did the color match- the new yarn was actually the same dye lot as the stuff I ordered months ago. I certainly lucked out!

Now all I have to do is… finish the sweater!

Did you ever luck out (or not) with a dye lot?

Halfway across the island

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Woo! It’s starting to look more like a sweater! It’s going to need a nice blocking (and assembly) to really see how it looks, but I’m feeling more optimistic that this will be done before my toddler is in high school.

Anyway, here’s the sweater all laid out. Obviously, I haven’t sewed it up yet, but it’s getting there. Despite my best/worst attempts at math, the proportions look more or less correct. And I just love the “little old man” aesthetic for my slow-moving, cheerful, and thoughtful little guy.

One funny thing that happened though, is that the sleeves are literally wider than the body pieces. It’s an oversized sweater with generous sleeves, so it’s not that surprising, but still, when they’re laid out like that… it looks a little funny.

Now I just have to make the other sleeve… and sew it together… and block it. I’m basically done, right?

Are you working on any long-term projects?

Onto the Sleeves

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I’ll be honest. When I went to photograph this sleeve this morning, I was a little disappointed. I thought that I had completed more than I have. It’s really not much more than a cuff right now, but oh well. At least it’s a nice cuff.

It’s just been so nice and sunny and warm (ish… it’s still hovering around 50, but I’ll take what I can get), I’ve just not been in the mood to knit like I do in the winter.

Still, I’m making progress. I’ve cast on for the cuff and am increasing 1 stitch at the beginning and end of every other RS row. So far, I think it’s going well, but of course I’ve got quite a way to go before I know for sure that the sleeve is the right size. (I probably won’t know for sure until I block it out, honestly.)

But I’m still cruising along. I’m just crossing my fingers that it still fits my kid next winter, since I seem to have missed the cold-weather window.

How often do you miss the season for your WIPs?

New Pattern: Rainbow Socks

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It’s been a while since I was able to show you guys a new pattern, so today’s definitely a special day!

I’d like to introduce you to the happiest socks on the block: the Rainbow Socks!

These guys are in the new super-cheerful sock collection from Knit Picks (Pop Socks), which I definitely recommend you check out.

These adorable little guys are a super simple, top-down sock with an afterthought heel. The only tricky part about them is that they’re absolutely COVERED in bright, stripey rainbows! (Which isn’t really tricky, it just involves a lot of end-weaving.)

I’m so pleased with how these turned out, and even more tickled because the Knit Picks team put together a pack of rainbow-colored minis specifically for this project! You can grab the pack here!

I can’t wait to see folks start knitting up these little guys- nothing says “Spring” like hand-knits covered in rainbows!

Grab the pattern here, the book here, and the yarn here!