An FO and a WIP

Well I certainly didn't expect it to take this long to update my blog! An FO is always a good reason to blog, and since I left you with my big mess of a mistake while on vacation, I thought it would be good to rectify the situation with a beautiful (if I do say so myself) finished sweater.

I present to you my Drops 103-1 Jacket made with The Fibre Company Road to China yarn in colorway "Jade". Very fitting for the Summer Olympics in Beijing, despite my pathetic finish.

Now you may notice that the front of the sweater seems a bit higher than the rest. I swear to you all is good with the sweater. Just look a little closer at the belly.


Baby number 2 is on the way! I found out in August that I was pregnant and spent September quite nauseous. (That hardly describes it - but trust me it wasn't pretty and I'll spare you the details.) So now do you forgive me for not having written sooner? I'm trying to blog more often and read blogs again, but had a little hiccup with the whole "whoops, I'm knocked up!" thing.

If you're going to be in Rhinebeck this coming weekend, drop me a comment. I will definitely be there on Saturday. Now if you'll excuse me, I am long overdue in setting my bloglines to my new computer. So much reading to catch up on!

Red Hot Socks for Hotty Hubby

Secret knitting is really killing my blogging. Hey wait, that didn't stop me from posting to Flickr. Hmm. Ok, ok, I'm addicted to Flickr!

Hi, my name is Annie. I am addicted to my new camera and this website called Flickr. It is sucking every spare minute of my time, more than Ravelry, if you can believe it. I hardly have time to knit.

Hello! Snap back to reality! Must have time to knit. These socks may have taken longer than expected, but they did get finished. For Hotty Hubby's birthday (back in June) I wanted to give him a pair of red socks. I started them in May and I finished them in July but hey, I have a kid. And a Flickr addiction. He was surprised and he loves them. He wears them with his camouflage shorts with air conditioning blasting. It's sweet and a little funny looking.


These socks are my own fudging using a stitch pattern from Charlene Schurch's More Sensational Socks. I knit them toe up with a short row heel to take advantage of as much yardage as possible. I still could have gone on for another inch or so, but 7" leg (including a 2" cuff) was my goal so I ended up with some scrap yarn. Yarn is Socks That Rock Heavyweight in colorway "Brick".

The stitch pattern is a 4 stitch repeat, but on both sides of the leg I purposely omitted the pattern and did a little ribbing instead. My husband has narrow ankles so I wanted to be certain that the socks would be snug around the ankle.

I did receive a request for the pattern, but since it is an adaption of a pattern already mapped out in Charlene's book, (and since I didn't take that great of notes) I will leave you with a guideline of what I did so that you can make these socks if you so desire. The stitch pattern is called "Decorative Ribbing" - page 87.

Red Hot Socks

Queue it!

STR Heavyweight - 1 skein

Size 4us circular needle (36" for magic loop)

Using the toe of your choice, (short row I what I used) cast on the appropriate number of stitches for the width of sock you want to make. Fudge the number to make sure it is divisible by 4.

After completing the toe, work stockinette on half the stitches (sole) and work the other half the stitches in the stitch pattern, making sure that you start and finish with a PURL stitch. This may mean that you have uneven number of stitches between needles 1 and 2, but that doesn't really matter as long as your total stitch count is appropriate for the size you are making and is divisible by 4.

Ok, take a moment now and just measure the toe before the stitch pattern starts. Mine is 2". Make a note of the length of the toe part of your sock. Knit the foot of the sock until you are less the length of your toe. In my case, the sock needed to be 10.5" long for the foot, so I knit (including the toe) for 8.5". At this point, continue with the sole stitches (the half of the stitches that are stockinette, borrow evenly from the other needle to make sure you have half the number of the total stitches) and work a short row heel.

Once heels are complete, continue in the round picking up stitches at the edges if necessary to fill in any holes from joining. (Take the next round to knit 2 tog or purl 2 tog as necessary to get back to your original stitch count.) Continue in the stitch pattern - keep in mind that since you have a stitch count divisible by 4, you should be able to continue with the stitch pattern all around quite nicely. You may not necessarily start a row on the beginning of a repeat per se, but it should work out. Fudge, it ain't just dessert.

I wanted the ankles to be snug, so fudging it a bit, (you get the theme here, right?) I started needle one and needle two omitting the stitch pattern in the first 4 stitches and just did a quick bit of twisted 1x1 ribbing to make sure the legs would be nice and snug around the ankles. It worked with the stitch pattern perfectly and you can see it in the photo above. You do not have to do this at all, but a neat little trick to keep those ankles from sagging should that be a concern.

Keep knitting until 1.5 to 2 inches less of desired length. Continue in 1x1 twisted rib. (Continue working the knit stitches through the back loop.) I wanted a 7" leg so I knit the stitch pattern for 5" and switched to rib for the last 2".

Cast off loosely (EZ sewn cast off is great) and wash, block and wear! Any questions or mistakes, please leave me a comment.

Now if you will excuse me, I have a lot of blog reading to catch up on. Yah, that suffered too. But I'm back! Miss me?

Two for One

A little somethin' somethin' for my Mom for Mother's Day. Although making a gift takes time, it doesn't necessarily keep it from being craptastic. So I worked really hard on the packaging. If you're gonna go handmade, why not go all the way? Adorable (if I do say so myself) crocheted flowers in Brooklyn Handspun Signature in Mocha Rose to decorate the easiest, foolproof (well, almost) handknit gift for my Mom:


Dishcloths. Sugar n' Cream in Ecru. One skein gave me 2 of the 4-Corners Dishcloth. Seriously, my Mom swears by the handknit garter stitch dishcloth. Sure, she may get a kick out of a handknit scarf, she will admire a pair of mittens, she does wear the socks I made (and hello, they are 100% cashmere!) but garter stitch dishcloths. A winner, as long as I don't get too experimental. Hopefully Sugar n' Cream is as good as Peaches n' Cream, and hopefully this style of garter stitch dishcloth is as good as the favored Grandmother's Favorite Dishcloth. The truth will come out in the wash. If these are wrecked within a couple of weeks, I know she loves them. Nicely folded in a drawer...wah wah wah.


Oh but look! Happy Mother's Day to me! I have a fantastic stash, but I had an extra 20 minutes and I was near Knitty City and well it is Mother's Day and I am a Mom. Schaefer Andrea in "Dian Fossey".

Uh, behind the lovely green blob? You saw that, eh?



Yah. Schaefer Andrea in "Julia Child". It's also my birthday. Hooray!

Going Green

This past weekend I threw out a little challenge to my knitting group. In honor of Earth Day, I asked everyone to bring a handknit cup cozy to our most recent event. It's a small item that could have a big impact, so I got right to my own challenge. First, I made the Kureyon Coffee Cozy by Michelle Molis. (You can see mine here.) Totally inspired by the gently spaced increases, I set out to try my own interpretation. I present to you the Going Green Cup Cozy. (Ravelry link.)

The increases are worked into the eyelet pattern by simply removing the "k2tog". The pattern is easy to memorize, it's the row count that's a tad tricky. I wrote it out line by line for the memory challenged, but I swear you'll get the hang of it. Think of the pattern happening in sets of 8:

row 1 - Increase 1 stitch each needles 1 & 3
row 2 - knit
row 3 - maintain eyelet pattern
row 4 - knit
row 5 - Increase 1 stitch each needles 2 & 4
row 6 - knit
row 7 - maintain eyelet pattern
row 8 - knit

A crocheted edge adds finishing and a sturdy edge. Knit one and help save a few trees. Woo hoo!

Going Green Cup Cozy

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Lite (I used color 2017)

Needles: 5 size us6 dpns and crochet hook size G

Gauge: 6 sts = 1”

Size : to fit 12oz paper cup

This pattern has only been test knit by me so if you find an error, please let me know in the comments!

Directions:

Cast on 36 stitches. (If you would like the bottom crocheted edge to be the same color as the cast on, leave a 20ish inch tail that you can use for the crocheted finishing.) Divide evenly between 4 needles – 9 stitches each.

Join in the round and mark beginning of round. Knit 2 rows.

Row 1.* k6, k2tog, yo, k1 repeat from * 3 more times.
2. (And all even rows) Knit
3. Increase row. Needle 1 – k7, yo, k2 (10 sts) Needle 2 – k5, k2tog, yo, k2 (9 sts) Repeat needle 1 for needle 3 and needle 2 for needle 4. 38 sts total.
5. Needle 1 – k5, k2tog, yo, k3 Needle 2 – k4, k2tog, yo, k3 Repeat needle 1 for 3, 2 for 4
7. Increase row. Needle 1 – k4, k2tog, yo, k4 Needle 2 – k5, yo, k4 Repeat 1 for 3, 2 for 4. 40 sts total.
9. *k3, k2tog, yo, k5 Repeat from * 3 more times.
11. Increases row. Needle 1 – k4, yo, k6 Needle 2 – k2, k2tog, yo, k6 Repeat 1 for 3, 2 for 4. 42 sts.
13. Needle 1 – k2, k2tog, yo, k7 Needle 2 – k1, k2tog, yo, k7 Repeat 1 for 3, 2 for 4.
15. Increase row. Needle 1 – k1, k2tog, yo, k8 Needle 2 – k2, yo, k8 Repeat 1 for 3, 2 for 4. 44 sts.
17. * k2tog, yo, k9 Repeat from * 3 more times.
NOTE: Row 18 (knit) – As you finish working the stitches on each needle, knit on 2 more stitches from the next needle. For needle 4, knit on 2 stitches from needle 1. 11 stitches per needle. Now the pattern should be starting from the left again. Move stitch marker to reestablish beginning of round.
19. Increase row. Needle 1 – k10, yo, k1 Needle 2 – k8, k2tog, yo, k1 Repeat 1 for 3, 2 for 4. 46 sts.
21. Needle 1 – k8, k2tog, yo, k2 Needle 2 – k7, k2tog, yo, k2 Repeat 1 for 3, 2 for 4.
23. Increase row. Needle 1 – k7, k2tog, yo, k3 Needle 2 – k8, yo, k3 Repeat 1 for 3, 2 for 4. 48 sts.
25. *k6, k2tog, yo, k4 Repeat from * 3 more times.
27. Increase row. Needle 1 - k7, yo, k5 Needle 2 – k5, k2tog, yo, k5 Repeat 1 for 3, 2 for 4. 50 sts.
29. Needle 1 – k5, k2 tog, yo, k6 Needle 2 – k4, k2tog, yo, k6 Repeat 1 for 3, 2 for 4.
31. Increases row. Needle 1 – k4, k2tog, yo, k7 Needle 2 – k5, yo, k7 Repeat 1 for 3, 2 for 4. 52 sts.
32. Knit.
33. Knit.

Bind off . Do not cut yarn. Continue with a row of single crochet along top edge, and then work a row of single row of crochet on bottom edge. Weave in ends.

After all that work, I believe you deserve a beverage. Coffee, anyone?

Copyright © 2008 by Annie Knits http://annie-knits.blogspot.com

Excuse Me While I Whip This Out

I was determined to attend the NYC Ravelry Bobmas Eve party and I was determined to bring the requested donation of a handknit hat for Christmas at Sea. I grabbed some Cascade 220 Superwash from the stash, snagged a pattern from Hila's queue and whipped this out in a couple of days. I was going to be late for the party because I had to wait for Hotty Hubby to come home from work to do the baby trade off but before leaving, I managed to snap a few craptastic pics for posterity. Of course I promptly left the hat on my couch as I took off for the party. Figures.


The pattern is the Classic Ribbed Hat by Frugal Knitting Haus. For my purposes, I have renamed it the Seaman's Cap and you can make all the jokes you want about "ribbed" and "seaman". Oh, and 10 points if you name the movie. (And no more explanation than that, you either get it or you don't. Chemgrrl, I'm counting on you!)

Spring is in the Air

A friend of mine had a baby girl February 1st. I thought it was very fitting to make her little bundle of joy the February Sweater by Elizabeth Zimmermann. The sweater sized out to be about 6 months which will be perfect for walks in the park in the spring.


The pattern was pretty easy to follow once you get the hang of the EZ way to do things. My only modifications were to put three buttons on the yoke and to knit the arms in the round. Otherwise I followed the pattern. Well, as much as the pattern was written! The yarn is Rowan Wool Cotton and the buttons are from Tender Buttons.


My friend is a wedding dress stylist. Fabrics and textures and all the details that go with them are her thing, so it was much fun for me to work on something so detail oriented. It was beyond the knitting for this one. The dress, the shoes...


Nothing is ever too pink when it comes to baby girls, me thinks! This is probably one of my favorite baby gifts yet. I just may have to make a February Sweater for Cashew. She's grown out of all her sweaters. What's a knitter to do?!?

"Rear Naked Choke" Makes Me Giggle Like A School Girl

At last, my GSP socks are done. Yes GSP. Georges St. Pierre. These socks are named after Georges St. Pierre. Even Yarn Harlot commented on that photo! And yes, I am clutching my hands to keep from "accidental groping". Hotty Hubby was right there. I had to behave. It was very difficult when Hotty Hubby and his coworker kept saying "How about another picture? Let's take another one! Just Annie and GSP! Stand closer! Ok, another one!" Yep, that IS a shit eating grin on my face.


Oh the socks, right right right. Widdershins with these modifications. Austermann Step yarn. Too big, a bit bulky at the heel corners, nice clean gusset. Can we go back to GSP now?

click to enlarge

Hee hee hee hee hee. Hee hee hee hee hee hee. Hee hee hee hee hee. Hee hee hee hee hee hee. Hee hee hee hee. Hee hee hee hee hee. Hee hee hee hee. Hee hee.

Sometimes it's really fun to be a fan.

I Shouldn't Be Surprised

With all my UFO's of '07, I find it hilarious that my first FO of '08 was started in '08. I present to you the Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann. Yarn is Brooks Farm Acero which I purchased at NYS Sheep & Wool Festival, aka RHINEBECK.

I admit, the first time I saw a BSJ, I though "eh." The second time I saw one I thought "hmmmm." And then the third time..."I wanna! I wanna!" To be honest, there are a lot of, shall I say, interesting yarn choices used for the BSJ. Since it is a very popular pattern, there's a whole lot of ugly out there. Thanks to Ravelry, I found myself coming around to this little sweater. It's all about the yarn! And the sweater looks adorable on. And now my friends, there is no turning back. I want to make more!!! Next on my list, a BSJ that will fit a baby.


It all started with my brother announcing that he and his wife were expecting. This little surprise came not so surprisingly early. Woulda, coulda, shoulda made this sweater in December as we all figured this baby would come early since their other two did. My niece arrived a few short days before Christmas, 2 weeks before her due date. But who am I kidding, the holidays were crazy and although this sweater took roughly a week to make, I could barely finish (and still haven't finished) Cashew's Christmas stocking in time for Christmas. Since my niece was born at a healthy 5lbs, I figured that whipping out a little sweater after she was born would be no problem. I had never made a BSJ before and as many of you know, there's no real sizing with this thing. I was slightly under gauge (first clue, duh) but I really thought it would be ok. (Denial.) Cashew stayed at a NB size for the first 2 months and she was 7 1/2 lbs at birth. Surely a 5lb baby would fit in this sweater even if my gauge was off a smidge. So I knit a little this way...knit a little that way, bada bing, badda boom I had a surprise jacket for a surprise baby.

Except one thing. My niece gained 3 pounds in a month. Woulda, coulda, shoulda remembered that all my sis-in-laws babies have gained weight right quick. This sweater fit like, last week. So. The Annie Knits BSJ remains a display piece for now and will perhaps someday be worn by another brand spankin' new baby. Or Cashew's doll. Whichever comes first.