Baby Time

My cousin is expecting a 4th baby. At the news, I dropped everything I was working on, and started designing something for the baby. I love knitting the tiny little newborn clothes. I actually like knitting the newborn size, because I remember when I had my babies, and all I had to dress them were these gargantuan clothes in which they got lost. So for this little baby, I am knitting something newborn, out of cotton, because the baby will be born in July in Jerusalem. I chose the loveliest cotton, Mango, by Bouton D'or . Mango is a 50% cotton, 50% Modal, and is a fine gauge yarn perfect for delicate babies. This cotton is fabulous because it does not split as you knit. The colors I chose are Melon, and Plume (feather). I chose to knit slippers and a tiny T.

I am done with the slippers. I was carrying them in my hand on the train, going to Windsor Button for a matching ribbon, and every person that saw them stopped me to ask me about them. Maybe I should just have another baby so that I have an excuse to knit more of them! You know in all possible colorways... I am now working on the tiny T in the same colors, and stitch pattern.

I'll post both patterns to the blog as soon as they are ready. For the time being, here is a picture of the Mango delight.

Socks, Socks, Socks...

I know it has been days since my last post. Birthdays have kept me busy knitting socks. My mother loved her Mother's Day slippers, I had also made a matching wash mitt for her. I had to take care of getting passports for 2 of the children. My parents are taking them to France for a month, and they are leaving today.
I am very much like a mother hen, constantly counting my brood, and I hate missing any of them. I am happy they get to visit our family, and see beautiful Normandy, but these trips are always a little hard for me.
This summer, however, I will be busy. I am in the final phases of preparing for the new business and I should be ready by the end of the week.
I told you the business would have everything to do with knitting. What I did not tell you is that it has everything to do with yarn, hand-dyed yarn in particular, and of course socks. This picture will give an idea of what is to come.
I got so busy that the rose garden socks were put on hold temporarily, and I still have to work on the Harry Potter socks...

18" Doll Summer Fun Ensemble (Free Pattern)

Here is a lovely pattern for stylish 18" dolls. I had a lot of fun designing it, and it was so wonderful to see my little pixie's joy when I gave her the outfit for her doll. It fits an American Girl Doll perfectly. Kit, the American Girl Doll, is modeling it for us. The pattern is easy. Pants and shirt are knit mostly in the round. The ballerina shoes are felted. Simple crochet skills are used to edge the pieces. For those of you who do not want to crochet, you can pick up stitches along the edges and knit a couple of rows in garter stitch.



PANTS and SHIRT SET:

MATERIALS for both pants and shirt:
Frog tree cotton, US 5 needle dpts or circulars.
Gauge: 6 1/2 stitches per inch.

PANTS:

Pants are knit in st st except where otherwise noted.
Cast on 40 stitches. Join round. Knit 5 rounds.
Eyelet round: "K2, YO, K2TOG*. Repeat from * to *.
Knit 5 rounds. In this last round place a marker after 20 stitches.
Increase round: K1f&b, knit to the last 2 stitches before marker, K1f&b, K1, slip marker, K1f&b, knit to last 2 stitches before beginning of round k1f&b, K1.
Knit 5 rounds even.
Repeat increase round one more time.
Continue knitting even until leg is 4 1/2 inches.
Put first leg on holders, and knit a second leg.
When second leg is finished, knit second leg up to marker, knit first leg all the way around, then remaining stitches of second leg, and continue knitting in the round until the seat section of the pants is 3 1/2 inches high.
Decrease round: *K2TOG, K1* Repeat from * to* for one round.
Continue knitting in K1P1 rib until ribbed section is 1".
BO loosely. Weave in ends, close little hole at base of seat.
Single crochet 2 rounds around the bottom edge of the legs.
Insert a ribbon through the eyelets, and tie a bow.


SHIRT:

Night shirt is knit in sts st until otherwise noted.
Cast on 100 stitches. Join round. Knit even for 3 1/2 inches.
Decrease round: *K3, K2TOG* Repeat from * to * for 1 round.
K 1 round.
*K6, K2TOG* Repeat from * to * for 1 round.
K5 rounds
Eyelet round: *K5, YO, K2TOG* Repeat from * to * for one round.
Knit 10 rounds even.
Separate stitches into 2 groups of 35 stitches each. Put one set on holder. Work on second set.
BO 2 stitches at beginning of next 2 rows. You should be on a purl row, purl 1 row.
R1 (RS): K2, K2TOG knit till end of row, K2TOG, K2
R2 (WS): Purl
Repeat R1 and R2 twice.
K5 rows in st st.
Neck shaping:
K11, BO5, K11. Work each side of neck separately.
(RS): BO2, knit to end.
Continue in st st even until shoulder piece is 1 3/4".
BO loosely. Repeat same for other shoulder reversing shaping.
Place back stitches back on needle. Rejoin yarn.
BO 2 stitches at beginning of next 2 rows.
(RS): K2, K2TOG, K11, BO1, K11, K2TOG, K2.
Work each side separately.
Purl 1 row.
Knit to last 4 stitches, K2TOG, K2.
Knit until piece is 1 3/4" high.
BO 2 at the beginning of every right side row twice. Continue even for 1/2 ". BO.
Rejoin yarn for other side, and do same as above, reversing shaping.

Gently steam iron piece. Seam shoulders.

Sleeves: Pick up and knit 28 stitches. Join round and knit even for 1/2".
Knit 3 rows in K1 P1 rib. BO loosely.
Do same for second sleeve.
Single crochet 2 rows around bottom edge of shirt, and around neck and back opening. Sew little button on back, and crochet a little button loop.
Weave in all ends. Inserts ribbon through eyelet holes. Bow should be tied slightly off center.

FELTED BALLERINAS:
Materials: Pastaza
U 8 needles.
Gauge: 4 1/2 stitches per inch.

Make 2 slippers.
Slippers are knit in st st.

Sole:
Cast on 3. K 2 rows in st st.
Increase at beginning and end of every other row until you have 7 sts.
Knit even until piece is 1.8".
Increase at the beginning and end of next row, (9 stitches total).
Continue even until piece is 3.5".
Decrease: K1, K2TOG knit to last 3 stitches, K2TOG, K1.
Purl 1 row.
BO.

Top of shoe:
Cast on 7. K 1row. Purl 1 row.
Increase at beginning and end of every other row until you have 11 stitches total.
Knit even until piece is 1 1/2".
K5, BO, K5.
Work each side separately. Knit even until each side is long enough to reach to the center of the end of the bottom piece, following the edges of the bottom pieces. BO.
Seam slippers.
Add 2 rows of single crochet along the center edge of the slippers.
Felt slippers.
Shape and stuff slippers to shape. Let dry. Sew little bows on top of slippers.

Pattern is for personal use only, and may not be reproduced or used for commercial purposes. Copyright, Caroline Dlugy-Hegwer, 2007.

Knitting Archeology

I did get back to knitting the Rose Garden Socks yesterday, but along the way something else caught my attention. I really put things away in my room for the first time since we moved. I actually felt like I was an archeologist, digging through layers of history, and felt almost excited at the thought of unearthing a treasure! At one point, I saw the edge of a paper bag buried in the back of the closet. I dug, careful not to upset the content of the mystery bag. In it was an almost forgotten knitting project!

Before we moved, I had worked at designing an outfit for Skye's American Girl Doll, Kit. I knit the project with Frog Tree's Sport weight cotton in a cream color. The slippers were knit with a cream Pastaza by Cascade yarns and felted. The slippers were finished a while ago, but the outfit was not quite done. The pants needed to have the ends woven in, and the shirt needed to have its sleeves, and crochet edging.

So that's exactly what I did. I finished the project with little ribbons, in a beautiful lemongrass color. Where have I seen these colors?! Oh, yes, the Mother's Day Cotton Slippers! Once I get obsessed with a color, it shows up everywhere in my life! Let's just blame on the gorgeous New England spring.

I plan on making this pattern available as a free pattern, but I have to first review my Ancient Greek, as at the moment this is what my notes look like to me. Boy, do I love being an archeologist!
In the mean time you can enjoy the picture.

Mother's Day Cotton Slippers (Free Pattern)

Here is my Mother's Day idea. These cute slippers are made of Mission falls 1824 cotton, which makes them super soft, and adds a lovely texture. The worsted weight of the cotton, makes this project a really fast knit, so you will be ready on time. I added a decorative stitch, a lattice, to the top of the slippers. The lattice pattern was borrowed form Barbara Walker's Treasury of knitting Patterns. The slipper directions fit US sizes 7 to 9. You may wish to shorten the foot, or lenghten it. You can do so when knitting the center parts of the slipper.

Materials:
Mission Falls 1824 cotton, 1 ball cream, a ball lemon grass. 1 16 inch size US 6 needle.
Gauge: 4 1/2 stitches per inch
Throughout the pattern, lemon grass will be referred to as B, and cream as A.

SOLES: Make 2.

With B, cast on 10.
Knit 1 row, purl 1 row.
Then increase at the beginning and end of each right side row until you have 20 stitches. (You can place the increases 2 stitches away fom the edge.) Continue without increasing in stockinette stitch for 5 inches (not including the increase rows.) (You may adjust the length of the slipper at this point by knitting more than 5 inches or less than 5 inches.)
Decrease 1 stitch by knitting 2 tog at the beginning and end of each right side row until you are back to 10 stitches ( you may place the decreases 2 stitches away from the edge.)
Purl 1 row. BO on knit side.

TOPS:Make 2

With A cast on 10. Knit 1 row. Purl 1 row. Then increase at the beginning and end of each right side row until you have 20 stitches (you may place the increases 2 stitches away from each edge.)
You should be starting a wrong side row. Knit this wrong side row.
Then follow the lattice pattern:
R1: You will be on the right side. With B, K1, sl1 wyib, *K4, sl2 wyib*. Reapeat from * to *, end K4, sl1 wyib, K1.
R2: With B, P1, sl1 wyif, *P4, sl2 wyif, *. Repeat from * to *. End P4, sl1 wyif, P1.
R3: With A, repeat row 1
R4: With A, K1, sl1 wyif, *K4, sl2 wyif*. Repeat from * to *. End K4, sl1 wyif, K1.
R5: With B, K3, *sl2 wyib, K4* Repeat from * to *. End sl2 wyib, K3.
R6: With B, P3, *sl2 wyif, P4* Repeat from * to *. End sl2 wyif, P3.
R7: With A, repeat row 5.
R8: With A, K3, *sl2 wyif, K4*. Repeat from * to *. End Ss2 wyif, K3.

Repeat Rows (1 to 8) 1 more time.
The rest of the slipper is knit with A.
So with A, K6, BO 8, K6.
Knit each side of the top separately in stockinette stitch until each little side strip is five inches not including the front part of the slipper. (If you decided to shorten or lengthen the sole, you need to match the size of the strips. So if you knit a 4 inch center section for the sole, the strips should be 4 inches.)
On knit side rejoin the two strips as follows: K6, CO8, K6.
Pur 1 row. Knit 1 row. P1 row.
Decrease at the beginnning and end of each right side row until you are back to 10 stitches. Purl 1 row. BO on knit side.

Now with B, starting at he center of the heel, pick up and knit 60 stitches along the inside hole of the top part of the slipper(if you altered the lenght of the center sections, you need to adjust the number of stitches picked up. You should pick up 1 stitch for every other hole along the side strips. For example if you shortened the center section by 1 inch, you will pick up and knit a total of 52 stitches). Pay particular attention when picking up the stitches right above the lattice pattern, be sure not to grab the garter stitches. Knit in the round, in garter stitch (knit 1 round, purl 1 round), for a total of 4 rounds. BO loosely.

Seam top of slipper and sole, weave in ends.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Pattern is for private use only, and may not be reproduced nor used for commercial purposes. Copyright, Caroline Dlugy-Hegwer, 2007.

Of writing, Boston, Petaluma, and Paris

It is sometimes hard to walk the blog line. Should you be personal, or should you not? Should your blog be purely a technical resource? I have often asked myself these questions. I enjoy reading blogs of both styles, from the Yarn Harlot, to See Eunny Knit.
Blogs are like books, they fall into certain genre categories, and all genres have merit.
I do not seem to follow one genre in particular, but rather pick from one and the other. At times I may be personal, at times purely focused on knitting. The beauty of the blog, is that you are free to write as you wish, not bound by a publisher's style, and that through your writing you may, everyday, throw yourself into the world.

I write in the early morning hours, and I often have no idea what I will be writing about, unless I have the daunting task of trasnscribing my gloomy working notes into a clear pattern. I get up, talk with Rolfe while he eats his breakfast, prepare his lunch, give him a kiss good-bye. I grab a cup of coffee, that I probably will partially spill, as I do every morning, and go back to our room, turn on the computer and start writing in front of the open window. And I usually have no idea at that point, what I am going to be writing about. What will it be today? My life is not full of fantastic adventures, it is a rather quiet life. My babies are not in diapers any more. My life is focused on homeschooling, the children, Rolfe, knitting and working around the house. So I just sit there, in front of the computer screen, my fingers ready, and I start typing. The first thought that comes to my mind becomes my first sentence.

This morning, I guess, I thought about why I write, and what I write.

Today is going to be another very hot day here in Boston. We went from wearing layers of clothing to wearing practically none! It was 90 degrees yesterday with stunningly blue skies. We slept with the windows open! And you know what was funny about this? I had forgotten, even though I knew it, that seasons could be so drastically different. Living in Petaluma, a small northern California town, I learned that one day is pretty much like another day, and who needs the weather channel over there. For about 9 months of the year, you know that it will be blue skies, and heat, and then for the reamining 3 months intermittent rains, that can at times get heavy.
Out here, in Boston, it is so much of a challenge, the change of seasons even catches you off guard. And within the seasons there is so much variety... Can you tell I like New England weather so far?
Maybe it is because it resembles the weather I grew up with in Paris...
Boston is very much like Paris, but the only difference is that in Paris I would not be spending my free hours today staining the deck and doing yard work. There are no wooden decks, and gardens there. In Paris, you get the true city experience! My friends, I tell you, I am definitely not a country girl! My mother once came back from visiting relatives who live on a tropical island. She was walking on Place de la Republique, and she caught herself breathing in deeply, happy, as she stood next to the only tree there, surrounded by the thousands of smoking cars stuck in traffic! The wildest animals I ever saw in Paris, were pigeons and French men, but that's a whole other topic!

Knitting Queue and Mole Work

Yesterday turned out as nice as the day before, warm and sunny, and it is supposed to be around 80 degrees today. I did some gardening yesterday, and am planning on doing some today. I am going to satin the deck this afternoon, but shush, that's a surprise for Rolfe.

Knittingwise, things are going great. I did knit for a few hours yesterday while at the Knitsmiths group, so part one of the Mother's Day gift is finished. I'll work on part two today, and I might do a part three. Here is a picture on the lovely Mission Falls cotton I am using for the project in ivory and lemon grass colors. The rose garden sock is on hold for the moment. The Harry Potter socks are third in the knitting queue.

I did find the perfect yarn for the Harry Potter socks at A Good Yarn in Brookline . The store has a great selection of fine gauge yarns that can be used for all kinds of socks! My son, Paul-Hugo has flute lesson close by every week, so every week we visit the store, and there always seems to be something new for me to knit! It did take quite a bit of searching to find the perfect yarn for the H. P. socks, but I am so happy with what I found, that it was definitely worth the effort.

You have no idea how hard it is to find a gold and a maroon in the same gauge. If a company makes a maroon then they don't make the gold, and vice versa. Then you think you've got it, you've found the colors, you look for another ball of the maroon so that you don't run out, and there are none left... Knittting is only 1/3 knitting, the other 2/3 are really mole work, as when you blindly reach deep inside cubbies and baskets, tunneling to find the right ball of yarn!