A Little Bit of Crochet: A Newborn Jacket

I tried my hand at a little summer crochet jacket for Mini SockPixie. I found this great pattern: Bombay Love.
I thought it would be perfect for the early fall days, when it is a little colder, but not yet cold enough for wool.

I used some left over Cotton Fleece yarn I had sitting in my stash. Boy! Crochet is fast! I was done with the little jacket in a few hours. The whole project was so easy and relaxed, and the best part is, it is all in one piece. No seams!

For the button, I used a small wooden toggle. And look what I found at JP Knit and Stitch! A fun fabric that will make perfect little pants!

I have decided to have fun with this baby boy, and make colorful clothing for him. And who knows, maybe the love of color will stay with him when he grows up!

The American Girl Doll Sweater: Photo Time!

I am putting the final touches on the pattern making sure that it is as clear as possible and typo free. Mr. SockPixie is doing the editing for me and Miss SockPixie is re-reading it. Three pairs of eyes are always better than one!

For the time being, I want to share the pictures with you.

To model the sweaters, I chose Kit and Emily. Kit is wearing the coral red sweater knit with the KnitPicks Palette, and Emily is wearing the green sweater knit in the Jamieson's Spindrift.



I am, as you know, fond of buttons, and here they are glowing like little jewels on the clean folded buttonband.



The bottom edges are a simple rib.



The shoulders are attached with a 3 needle bind off, and the sleeves set in.



I am not promising the pattern will be ready tomorrow, but I am hoping... I can't wait to share this pattern with you!

American Girl Doll Sweater

Just a quick update to let you know that I am still working on the pattern for the American Girl Doll Sweater. I will be uploading the pdf tomorrow.
For now, it's back to work...

Relaxing Crochet

I am making real progress on the American Girl Doll Sweater pattern . The pattern is written and is being tested before a final editing. I expect the pattern will be ready sometime over the coming weekend. I am going to pick buttons tomorrow, and I am going to spend some time brushing the hair of the dolls, and playing with different outfits...of course the only reason I am "playing" with the doll is for the pictures! ;)

My knitting has been so focused lately that I needed a relaxed easy project. Crochet granny squares are exactly what I need when the knitting gets intense. I can just crochet a couple a day, and eventually I will have enough for a blanket!

I found the cutest pattern for floral granny squares on the beautiful blog Rosehip.

I had some Cornucopia yarn by Kollage in my stash, in bright cheerful colors. So there we go, here are the first 3 squares...



These little flowery squares make me smile. I think they could cheer up anybody's day, don't you?

Progress on the American Girl Doll Sweater

Progress on the American Girl Doll Sweater? Need I say more?

Progress on the American Girl Doll Sweater

I started reknitting the American Girl Doll Sweater today using Jamieson's Spindrift in the Moorgrass colorway.

So far, everything is progressing beautifully. The colors are scrumptious, and the pattern looks so beautiful in this yarn.



I have reworked the pattern for the main body of the sweater so that it is knit in one piece (except for the sleeves.) No seams at the sides means a little less bulk under the arms, and of course a little less finishing. I am also going to replace the shoulder seams with a 3 needle bind off for a nice clean look.

The work on the Pam Allen's Indian Floral Vest was halted for the day. I always feel odd working on 2 projects at once. I feel guilty half the time and even find myself worrying that one project will become jealous of the other! Do you ever feel that way?

American Girl Doll Sweater

I will be writing a pattern for the American Girl Doll Sweater. When I knit the sweater, I used Jaeger's 4 Ply Matchmaker which is no longer available.

I have spent some time this morning doing research on the possible replacements. I want to knit the sweater over again, and make any necessary changes in the pattern to accommodate the new yarn.

Here are my choices so far. (Ignore the colors.) I hope you will give me some feedback and if you have a suggestion I would really appreciate it.

Debbie Bliss Rialto 4 ply:



PLUS: very close in terms of gauge, machine washable, good stitch definition
MINUS: Limited color choice

Rowan 4 ply Scottish Tweed:



PLUS: Great color choices, interesting texture (but will it be too much?)
MINUS: Hand wash


Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine:



PLUS: Machine washable, readily available, nice heathers
MINUS: A little finer gauge, will the fuzz hide the pattern?

Knitpicks Palette:



PLUS: Great Color choices, nice stitch definition, great price point
MINUS: a little too fine maybe, handwash

So what do you think?