Owlet complete!

I wasn't sure if I would like this, or if it would be a little cheesy.  I was so wrong, its too cute!  I knit the 9 month size with a smaller needle size and a lighter weight yarn, but size-wise it still ended up being about the dimensions of the 9 month.  It also look more yarn than the pattern called for, probably a skein and a half of the vintage, but luckily I always buy more than enough.  There was a tiny color variation in it I noticed after the fact, but I changed skeins about 2 or 3 rows into the owls, so its not noticeable!

This was a really fast knit, I completed it within a week including blocking, weaving in ends, finding 'eyes' and sewing them on.  Close to a personal record actually finishing the knitting AND finishing soon after.

 I used madelinetosh vintage and after blocking, I think it was a good choice.  I was a little concerned I should have picked a heavier weight like the pattern calls for, but vintage was close enough. 

Instead of buttons I used some wooden beads for the eyes.  Because I made such a small size, I just wasn't seeing small enough buttons that didn't look like overkill.

Rolled cuffs are a nice touch.

 

I completed the sweater and after casting off was really uncertain whether the neck hole was wide enough.  I ribbed it back to the beginning of the ribbing and added a button hole.  I think this helped and will make it plenty wide, without much difference in the look.

I'm not sure how well it will hold, but I used three of the beads together instead of a separate button.  It seems to hold when I tug on it a bit, but not sure if as the button hole stretches with time, if that will make these 'buttons' useless.  Hopefully baby will have grown out of it by then!

The best cowl EVER.

Okay, so I've only made two styles of cowls, so perhaps I'm jumping to conclusions thinking this is the best cowl ever, BUT, I'm pretty sure I'm on to something.  The 'burberry inspired cowl' is a quick knit and with the placement of the cables, it lays perfectly cowl-ly.

I've used madelinetosh vintage and definitely think its a fantastic yarn for this project.  It really holds the stitch pattern and once blocked, it almost poofs up a bit and gets softer and softer.

madelinetosh vintage - colorway 'water well' I think

This silver/gray was made out of an alpaca blend making it quite soft, but a little scratchy on the skin.  I made it a little longer (well wider) but it definitely doesn't 'lay' as well nor hold the folds as well as the madelinetosh. 

Snowbird....Finally a grown up sweater...

I recently decided it was time to invest in and stopped being scared of making an adult sweater.  I think I've created a monster, considering that I now have 3 (maybe 4??) sweaters currently on the needles.  More about those to follow.  

'Snowbird' is turning out to be the one I have the most interest in and have been making good progress on.  I wanted a nice, long, basic open sweater/cardigan that I could use some great marled yarn - Purelife British Sheep Breeds DK in blue faced Leiceister.  Crossing my fingers that it's an acceptable substitute, its looking pretty good so far.  

I've decided to add some button holes, I am envisioning toggle buttons on this, but who knows.  Pictures of my progress to follow.... 

  I am counting on the fact that it will block out much better than its looking now.

The inside of the cardigan in stockinette.  I definitely like the look of st st as opposed to the reverse stockinette.  Oh well, next time.  

In love with andalusia

I recently discovered the sweet little Andalusia pattern by Teresa Cole, and have already made 2 with more yarn on hand for another and more projects on deck in my head.  Its an easy knit that has plenty of interest to keep you entertained, yet not so complicated to get frustrated.  I LOVE how its turned out in MadelineTosh Merino:

Although probably not the most practical of yarns for a baby sweater (this is a 12 mth-ish size), the texture of the yarn along with the style gives it a vintage sort of feel. 

I still haven't found the perfect buttons for it yet, though, but I'm still hunting.  The yarn also gives it a good thickness and this yarn gets SOOOO soft and smooshy when blocked.  

I also made a larger version (a 2T size I believe) in MadelineTosh Vintage for my nephew.  The vintage, even after blocking was a great yarn for this as well - it has a bit of a sheen to it (that may fade with time/washing as it had with other projects I've done with it) and its a little bit lighter than the merino.  I love the asymmetry of the front and the way it makes the collar fall.  

This shows the 'sheen' the yarn has - although the lighting is a little funky in this picture, its a little more true to the actual color of the yarn. 

I found these great leather buttons that really worked well with the color, and added to the 'style' of the sweater.   And below you can see the differing stitch patterns that add great detail to a kid's sweater. 

And the finished project on Joaquin!  So its really big, which was what I wanted - I know he can wear it for a long time, and considering they live in San Diego, it needed to be a little lighter in weight to have any chance of getting worn!  It makes me think of a little old man!

The ribbed baby jacket

One of my go-to knits as of late as been the Debbie Bliss Ribbed Baby Jacket.  First time I made it I stuck directly to the pattern and although I liked the finished look, it needed some tweaking to make it more wearable, especially on a little boy.  This was made for my nephew, Joaquin, in a 12-24 mth size, but it did NOT turn out that large. 

I used Dream In Color classy - cocoa kiss and loved the color variations and the depth.  It was fall when I made it, so that probably  had something to do with it.  I added a looped button closure because it seemed weird for a little boy to not have a closure, the big button looked 'manly' to me I guess!! 




Once it was on him though, it definitely needed some tweaking when I made it again.  This time I added about 20 rows (a couple of inches) in length.  

I decided the collar needed to be widened and because of the added length, another button needed to be added as well. I placed the buttons on the outside of the ribbed collar, so there would be no extra ribbing sticking out when buttoned. 

 The overlap and weight of the yarn made me paranoid it would sag in the middle, so I added a snap on the inside towards the top so it would stay up when closed.  This made a huge difference - I could see even adding another, lower, if you make it any longer. 





 I've made several more of these in multiple colors using these modifications for the most part.  I've stuck with using Dream In Color, I like the hand painted color variations, gives a little character to the relative plainness of the pattern.

Sabina, my little model.  I got very few pictures that were in focus, the hardest part of trying to photograph kids in the finished projects!!

On this I used a button made from coconut, a great texture and worked well with the orange.

Colors didn't turn out quite right, but this is actually a rich, bright blue/purple and lime green button one. 

I made another one with this same yarn color and great toggle buttons, but the dog, Burton, decided to have his way with the sweater and buttons and alas, it wasn't salvageable. 

Baby booties?

My latest go-to baby gift has been baby booties - its a great way to use up leftover yarn and let's be honest, they are so stinking cute.  The ones i have been making have a i-cord tie, and I have heard from pleased recipients that the ties are the way to go so they can't wiggle out of them.  I've been using dream in color yarn, which is washable wool, so they are actually wearable.

Some of my favorites...

 

 

I love the bright colors, a nice change from the typical pastels that a lot of baby stuff is made out of.  These are about 6 to 9 mth size, using size 3 or 4s and worsted weight (DIC classy).  The orange were a HUGE hit.




I discovered they are also a good use of leftover sock yarn, you can make a nice little newborn size using fingering weight (I made the larger size and used smaller needles -2s I think).  My absolute favorite, I'm jealous of the little baby that got to rock these!

 






I was concerned on this combo that the colors in a striped sweater version wouldn't work, but I LOVE how this turned out - it makes me think of Charlie Brown.

 
Anya, the recipient of the green and blue booties.  She wears them well!!

First baby sweater ever made, and matching booties.  I think of this as my Dr. Seuss 'yipes, stripes' sweater

Welcome!

Please find a variety of my finished knitted treasures, made especially for little ones.  See my Etsy page www.pitterpatterpdx.etsy.com for available items for purchase.  I also do custom orders and can tailor a project to the color, size and perfection desired.    Use my projects posted as inspiration or find your own inspiration and allow me to make it a reality.

Thank you for stopping by!