Socks

i really haven't been knitting that much lately, but finally finished something and thought i would share:



pattern- mince pie mayhem
yarn - malabrigo sock in color turner
needles - size #1.5  circular

didn't make any mods. knit in magic loop.  nice pair of socks - just in time for summer, oops.


what i have been busy with is putting together an organization business.  i'd really like to be able to help busy moms organize their homes and families.  you can check out my new venture at www.simplyorganizednyc.com - and shoot me an email to set up an appointment!

May The Tooth Be With You

h is now in first grade and most of his friends have started to lose their teeth.  h has not and that has led to many meltdowns... to try to make him feel better, i made him the ultimate star wars fan tooth pillow so he would be all set when he finally does lose that tooth!





may the tooth be with you
yarn: imperial stock ranch tracie in black for the base and cream for the millennium falcon
needles: size 4 for the base and side 5 for the ship


first i knit two 14 inch squares in the black and then knit the basic shape for the millennium falcon out of the cream going up one size in needles.  i used a picture of a cookie millennium from pottery barn - they had already simplified the details and i figured why not take the easy way out!





i then sewed the ship on the pillow, added the details and then sewed the whole thing together and stuffed it with a 14 inch pillow form.  for the tooth pocket, i just knit a simple oval shape.





here's hoping he loses a tooth soon!

Who Is The Fairest Of Them All

at the same time h asked for a yoda sweater, e asked for a snow white sweater...





pattern: my own snow white
yarn: imperial yarn tracie 2 ply sport weight in light blue, dark blue, red, yellow, white
needles: size 4 for the body and size 2 for the collar


i had been thinking about the construction of this sweater all summer and spent a lot of time planning - especially the sleeves.  this is what i ended up doing:


i started the sweater with the yellow ruffle on the bottom to represent snow's skirt. then k2tog all the way around and switched to the dark blue.  knit in the round up to the armholes where it was then split for the front and back.  made a square neckline and added a touch of shoulder shaping.  after sewing the shoulder seams together i worked a 1x1 rib around the neck line, mitering the corners and leaving the back open for enough room to get her head in.





now for the tricky sleeves... the best solution i came up with for them was to knit them horizontally around as opposed to from the bottom up as a normal sleeve.  this allowed me to work short rows in the red yarn to represent the pleats in snow's dress.  there was a ton of math involved to come up with the exact amount of rows to fit into the armhole to allow a gathered look.  after sewing in the sleeves, i gathered the bottoms of them and knit in a 1x1 rib in the yellow yarn for a bit.





i thought the sleeves would be the trickiest but that turned out to be the collar.  i knit and ripped it out 3 times.  working each side of the neck, i picked up stitches from the front neck edges and the back with a size 2 needles.  then knitting back and forth adding a mitered corner between the front and back to allow the collar to stand up.  after knitting 1 1/2 inches i decreased a stitch every right side row at the front to make a curved edge.  i then worked a 1x1 rib around the outer edge.  lastly, i crocheted and attached 3 button loops on the back of the neck.  


i took very detailed notes so maybe one day i'll write up the pattern...


she hasn't taken the sweater off in 2 days so i haven't been able to get any detailed pictures but i think it is worth it :)

May The Force Be With You

every year, i give my kids a chance to pick a sweater for me to knit them.  this year my son requested a sweater that looks like yoda's jacket.





pattern: my own
yarn: imperial yarn tracie - 2ply sport weight, 2 skeins + a little more
needles: size #4 circular


this sweater was knit with the same construction as the sunset cardi and e's little pink sweater.  was so simple i don't really have much to say about it.  the only changes from those two sweaters are 1) it is very long.  yoda's jacket goes down to his feet but i didn't really think that was very practical... 



2) this sweater is not asymmetrical - the opening in straight in the center 



3) there is a huge hood.  what would a yoda sweater be without a huge hood that covers your eyes!!!



he loves it and has been wearing it everyday!

A New Coat

my daughter happens to be very picky about what she will wear.  it normally has to be very pink and twirly and not pants!!!  even though i am very aware of this, i still decided to make her a structured trench coat out of "gasp" mostly yellow corduroy. - with pink pokka dot trim...





it is the softest corduroy from brooklyn general.  i purchased it a few years ago but they still have some left.  i strongly suggest picking some up if you can!  the pattern is from a japanese pattern book.  not being able to read japanese is normally not a problem, you can just follow the picture instructions like a piece of ikea furniture.  this one was a little tricky but i was able to figure it out.  





however, the trickiest part of this project was getting e to wear something that isn't all pink and doesn't twirl.  it wasn't going so well and i thought this adorable coat would wind up in the never worn pile. the tide turned one day at brooklyn general.  we went to pick out the buttons and heather the great asked e if she could see the coat on.  she made such a big deal about how beautiful it looked on her that e fell in love - with the coat and heather! 





the pattern calls for four buttons to form a double breasted closure.  even though pink buttons were picked out - e decided she didn't want them.  since she decided she loves it and wants to wear it all the time, i wasn't going to push it...

The Summer Of No Knitting

this has definitely been the summer of no knitting. my family and i spend most of the summer at the beach and even though i packed a ton of yarn, it was just too darn hot!

i only managed to complete one project and it was probably because it was a lace weight silk!

copper raglan

pattern: elizabeth zimmerman's seamless raglan

yarn: habu textiles a-1, 2/17 tsumugi and habu textiles copper

needles: size 5, circular

i am giving credit to elizabeth zimmerman for the pattern but the truth is i just knit to my own measurements. i also added in some waist shaping since the copper would take away some of the stretch. love, love, love the copper!!! i wish the one sweater and blog post for a while could be more exciting but alas it is not.

i am working on two more exciting projects right now so until next time...

Stainless Rock

i made a pact with myself to only knit original designs for the rest of this year - but already broke it!

stainless rock

pattern: rock island shawl by jared flood

yarn: habu xs-45 20/3 bamboo in color number 1 and habu stainless steel filament held together

needles: #5 circular

i spent an awesome day with a good friend at habu recently where we both bought some of this bamboo and stainless figuring we'd get to it sometime. but then i realized another great friend had a birthday coming up and i really wanted to make something for her. i just knew she would appreciate something handmade and especially something made out of such a funky material. the rock island shawl seemed like the perfect companion for the stainless - such an open lace that could use something to really hold the shape.

to be honest, i didn't love the pattern - i found starting with the edging to be a little boring and if it wasn't for a present a week away i probably would have put it away.

i definitely loved the effect of the metal thread through out and now have some good ideas about how to use all the other stainless and copper i bought - so stay tuned :)