Pattern: Koolhaas
Designer: Jared Flood
Materials: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes (worsted)
Amount: (1) 50g ball 'Lake Ice' Heathered plus a tiny bit more
Needles: US5 Options Zephyr Acrylics 24" circulars and US7 16" Addi Turbo circulars
Cost: $2.19/ball approx. $4.40
Size: Knit per instructions (4 pattern repeats) except with one size smaller needles and lighter weight yarn. Finished size fit a 2 year old average head
Start Date: Oct. 29, 2009
Finish Date: Nov. 7, 2009
I really wanted to knit a little winter cap for my little boy. He's out of hats that fit and the one new one I bought for him through the Land's End catalog was too big and immediately snatched up by monkey pants.
I thought Jared's Koolhaas pattern would be perfect. I thoughtfully looked for a color that would go with his navy winter jacket as well as other outerwear. I wanted to stay neutral, so he could wear whatever colorful shirts underneath without clashing, but I still wanted an interesting enough color that would contrast with his jacket and brown hair/brown eyes complexion. I love, love, love the variagated look of the Malabrigo yarn often shown on brooklyntweed, but I don't think it's sold anywhere locally and it looks to be too expensive for me right now anyway. So I found the perfect compromise at KnitPicks, this light heathered gray color in 100% Peruvian Highland wool. I would have prefered merino wool, but there were no heathered colors available in that line. This wool yarn is a bit rough but knit up fine. It did wear on my fingers a bit.
The only thing I wasn't too happy with was that the crossing knit stitches look kind of uneven, some little, some big. I don't know if that's my poor knitting skill or the yarn. I'm choosing to blame it mostly on the yarn but I won't know for sure until I make another one with a different yarn.
I was so excited to make this hat for my little boy that I didn't even finish my fingerless mittens that were almost done in order to cast on and get this project underway. For days, I couldn't even figure out how to adapt the pattern to make this hat smaller for my two year old. Not to mention, I didn't know how to read the chart or interpret most of the abbreviations. Really, it would have been nice to have just a couple of lines of explanations for beginner/intermediate knitters and a tiny glossary section. I guess, I chose to ignore the intermediate/advanced skill level required for this pattern. But really, once you gain an understanding of these things, which only requires that someone tell you, the hat is not hard to knit at all. It's totally doable for an intermediate knitter.
Tips:
When knitting in the round, chart is to be read from Right to Left on every row, so that each stitch is seen the way the knitting is seen on the needles.
When moving on to next row, you will always be knitting knit stitches, and purling purl stitches throughout the pattern. It's only when you get to the end of the final crown decreases that this may no longer be true
Although, there are explanations for the symbols used in the chart, as a beginner, I would have found it helpful to have everything spelled out --
sl = slip
cn = cable needle
k1tbl = knit 1 through back loop
k2tbl = knit 2 stitches through back loop one at a time (not a decrease)
k2tog = knit 2 stitches together (to form a decrease)
psso = pass slipped stitch over
ssk = slip slip knit (knitting these 2 stitches together to decrease)
When working decreasing rounds and no longer following chart, remember to refer to chart explanations for the cabled stitch abbreviations
 I tried to knit up a swatch, but since I was reading the chart completely the wrong way, the stitches were all messed up and it was pretty worthless. So I decided to just get started and use the trial and error method which I wound up using more times than I would have liked. I think in total, I started this project over four times. The first time, I was using US4 and US6 needles casting on 88 stitches and it was clearly too small.
The second time, I used US4 and US7 needles casting on 96 stitches, thought I was following the pattern correctly, but clearly shouldn't have been knitting while watching TV. Sadly, after who knows how many hours of knitting, I discovered I had failed to cross some stitches further below. I slaved so much to get to this point, I didn't want to unravel it so I tried to get my Mom to fix the messed up stitches for me without unraveling the whole thing (I think there's a term for this but I don't know what it is). She tried, she really did, and I thought she was successful. I went home to continue, only to realize, there were still issues. So I unraveled to the rib and started the pattern over.
That was the third time. With just three pattern repeats, I finished the hat this time only to realize it was way too small. On the bright side, it's my first baby knit for my new baby coming in February. Hopefully this wool is not too scratchy for a newborn.
So, if you are interested in making this hat as a baby beanie, here's what to do:
Use US4 needles for the rib, US6 (I used 7, but 6 would look better for a baby) for the pattern.
Cast on 96 stitches
Use a lighter weight worsted yarn
Fourth time is the charm, right. On my last one I cast on the full 104 stitches, used US5 needles for the rib and US 7 on the pattern. I also, broke down and purchased the correct 16" Addi Turbo circulars at a local yarn store which cost me a lot, but I just closed my eyes and paid. Trying to maneuver the 24" circulars (there's probably a term for this too and I don't know what it is) from my brand new KnitPick Options set, was only making things harder and the 16" circulars made it SO much easier. SO MUCH EASIER.
This time, I really got the pattern in my head, except for maybe when you have to move the marker for the beginning of the row at certain points which is still a bit cloudy. The final hat took me just three days to make, but I was knitting morning, noon, and night. Happily, the hat fits perfectly, my little guy looks adorable, and I was very pleased with the result.
Of course, monkey pants wants a hat just like it, and now my husband does too. And really, I do want to make it for them, and probably everyone I know, but although I've mastered the chart, the stitiches, and the pattern, it's still very labor intensive. So I'm moving on to other projects on my list for now.
Pattern: Reversible Fingerless Gloves
Designer: Cotton & Cloud
Materials: Knit Picks Merino Style
Amount: (1) 50g ball 'Nutmeg', (1) 'Fedora' (dark brown) and assorted colors
Needles: US6 bamboo DPNS
Cost: $2.79/ball approx. $5.60 plus assorted colors for stripes
Size: small
Start Date: Oct. 21, 2009
Finish Date: Nov. 4, 2009
I would have been done much sooner, but started on the Koolhaas pattern when I had the second mitt completely knit minus the thumb and grafting. I was too excited to get started and I really should have finished the mitts first.
This was a fun project. You knit up two mitts that are stuck together at the wrist and then turn one in so they are double sided and there are no seams. The pattern has an adorable flower embroidered on the solid side. Mine has nothing because these are going to be for a guy. I intend to make an accompanying girl's pair with the flower.
The crochet cast on was a new technique for me and the tip for using a contrasting color really makes it easier later on when you take the cast on stitches out in order to pick up stitches for the other side of the glove.
 The instructions for these mittens are well worth the money. They have incredibly good detailed instructions with color photos, illustrations, and even video links that show you how to do each technique. So if you haven't attempted these techniques before, this is a great way to learn them. I wasn't sure which size of needle to use, so I e-mailed the designer, Kyoko, and she was very helpful. I did find a few typos in the instructions and I've been meaning to send her an e-mail on those.
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PG 1 Needles: "4mm (US5)" my double pointed bamboo needles say 4mm = US 6 and Kyoko clarified that US 6 was probably the right size
PG 2
Figure 4: MIL says "inserting the left needle through the back" instead of "through the front"
On last "On next row" it says you'll end up with "38" sts for the small size instead of 36 (this messed me up the first time and I actually unravelled it without thinking because I thought I had done something wrong).
PG 4 ABBREVIATIONS:
ssk says "as supposed to k2tog" instead of "as opposed to k2tog"
tbl "through back loop" is not included (I forget what that means sometimes)
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This is the grafting which is the final step to join and finish the top edges of the glove.
These mittens are really quite clever. My only issue (not with the pattern) was that my dark brown yarn knit up quite a bit bigger. I used the whole skein. But the nutmeg color didn't. So my dark brown is a bit wrinkly when turned in to the inside of the mitt, but it doesn't really matter. If you have small hands like me, you might try a smaller needle if you want them to be a little more fitted.
 With so many planned knitting projects, I finally had a justification to get this circular knitting needle set.
I also finally set up an account on Ravelry (LolaT). What an organizational treat. I don't know why I've never gone on there before. It's going to take me a while to set up all my projects and things but I had no idea there were so many photos of finished projects. If you're new to knitting or just didn't know about this site, it's great.
We are coming out of a bout with the flu, the infamous H1N1, but I plan to start posting some knitting soon.
 [pattern photo from oliver + s]Because I really enjoyed the Jump Rope dress pattern from oliver + s, I decided to get another one, the Sailboat Top, Skirt & Pants pattern to complete an outfit I got at Gymboree for monkey pants. As monkey pants gets older, I'm not drawn to Gymboree's matchy-matchy lines as much but I couldn't resist this adorable panda top and black short sleeve cardigan. I was shopping with coupons so that was all I was going to get. The pants didn't appeal to me that much anyway. There was a cute black denim mini skirt but it also had a panda face on it and I thought that would be a bit much.  [I have to admit, the panda looks a little scary in these pictures. My camera was spazzing out with all the white and black contrast and the white is overexposed and in your face.] Looking in monkey pants's closet, I realized she has nothing that is red or black so I figured I could make a couple of cute little skirts to go with the outfit. I picked this oliver + s pattern because of it's timeless and classic design of course, even in a non-nautical look.  This skirt got cut and sewn up in a matter of a couple of hours which I find very satisfying. I made size four which fit really well around the waist and hips but I found to be maybe a little shorter than I expected. I think I would have preferred it to be just over the knee. I could have skimped on the folding back for the hem to make it a bit longer, but I wanted to preserve the way it was hemmed so I settled for the mini skirt look. I can always make lots and lots more of these. Also, it has a cute little pleat in the back (ignore the strangely positioned hand; that really is the back).  I was able to make them with 3/4 yards for about $5 each plus buttons. I used black denim for the first one and red corduroy on the second one because this is kind of a wintery outfit. I'm not too excited about my button selection but the buttons had to be black or red to go with the outfit and frankly there just wasn't anything better. (Light aqua or yellow buttons on the black denim would have been super cute). Sadly, I paid about $1.79 for four 3/4" buttons at JoAnns (which visiting, as I've mentioned many times before, leaves me needing to be medicated) and then I found the exact same buttons, different brand, at Walmart for a mere $.69 cents. I know I'll get a lot of use out of this pattern as it goes up to a size 8. I can see making the skirt and matching top outfits for the Spring.
Pattern: George
Book: Jaeger JB29
Materials: Knit Picks City Tweed DK
Amount: (4) 50g balls 'Splash'
Needles: US3 and US6 bamboo
Cost: $3.99/ball approx. $16.00
Notions: Buttons (Walmart .79 cents)
Size: 12-24 month. My swatch came out bigger so I knit a smaller size than what my son measured (he just turned two and was maybe one centimeter smaller than the 2-3T size measurements. However, I knit to the lengths for the 2-3T size. I made the button border following the smaller size and the collar following the bigger size. I'm not sure why, but it seems to have worked out.
Start Date: Oct. 3, 2009
Finish Date: Oct. 12, 2009
I've never knit anything this fast before. I guess the combination of Fall, being pregnant, and watching too much TV is very complimentary to knitting.
As I went along, I started worrying that the cardigan was turning out too small, but it is very fitted in the book picture so I trusted that it would come out OK. It fits perfectly, but I don't think it has any room to grow, so it may not be wearable in the Spring. On the other hand, my son is tiny and isn't growing too quickly so it might be OK. After looking at the pictures of him wearing it, I realized he looks like he has no shoulders. I guess that's what happens when your body is in the 5th percentile for weight and your head is in the 50th percentile for size -poor little fellow. Anyway, I think he looks quite cute.
 
The pockets were easy enough to knit up but when I was done with them, I realized I didn't really know how to sew them on the sweater. I wasn't even sure if I should use regular thread or yarn. I decided to just go for it. I lined them up using the eyeball method and pinned them. I attached them using yarn with a simple stitch going right through the top border of the pocket which you can't really see. Seems to have worked out. I did steam the pockets before and I steamed the collar at the end as well to get it laying down and stretched out nicely.
I'm glad I followed by Brooklyn Tweed inspiration and went for the tweed yarn on this. It makes him look so scholarly and kind of like a grandpa at the same time. I love it. The cables were easy and the rest of the cardigan is just stockinette stitch. I think it makes a pretty cute manly cardigan and the knitting is fairly simple. Perfect for the Fall.
Progress on the "George" cardigan has been super fast, super fast for my standards anyway. Finishing in the same year would be fast. Anything above and beyond that, I would consider "super fast".
It did take me several tries to get the right number of stitches added on to the front for the button border, though. It's kind of tricky to get them equally spaced apart and to end up with the right amount by the time you get to the end. I don't know if there's a more organized way to do this. Perhaps you're supposed to count up the number of rows and perform some kind of mathematical formula, but I just used the frustrating and time consuming method of trial and error.
Before this, I had to do the blocking. A term with which I'm only vaguely familiar as I've only done it twice before and with enough years in between to really be a novice at it every time I try. I followed the pattern instructions and did it with the steam iron. Which is probably not the best, especially with cables. Because although it seems fairly fast and efficient at doing the job, it kind of flattens out the cables. I did come to the realization afterwards though, that when the instructions tell you to use a steam iron, they probably mean to just use the steam from the iron and not to actually compress the knitting by putting the iron directly on it which is what I did.
 
I don't know if true knitting experts would be horrified with this method, but this is what I did. I used pins somewhat sparingly, I guess, and put the pieces wrong side up on the ironing board. I put a damp flannel receiving blanket on top and used the steam iron, gently placing it on top, picking it up, repositioning it to cover the whole piece. It was fast. I re-pinned the piece usually one more time to get the edge nice and straight without the poking and steamed again. I used the tape measure to make sure the arms where ending up the same and the two fronts.
Once, I was done with this, I started piecing everything together. It's been a while, so had to re-learn how to do the mattress stitch. What seemed like a good effort at first, left me with an invisible flat seem on the inside but with three rows of the little braid stockinette stitch on the outside. So I started over and quickly got it figured out.
Now, I just need to finish the collar and pockets.
 I'm planning on making a few knitted gifts for Christmas again this year so I was forced to make a plan for a few projects so I could make a large enough order from KnitPicks to get free shipping. I picked my colors from the catalog this time and ignored the pictures on the website. Hopefully I'll have better luck.
 In my search for fingerless gloves patterns, I found the cutest knitting website blog and shop, Cotton & Cloud. They have patterns, kits, notions and delicious photos that will make you want to knit everything there. She also has video tutorials and the PDF instructions are super detailed with amazing illustrations and photos.
[photos from Cotton & Cloud]
My project list may be a little too ambitious and I don't know how far I'll get but here's my plan even if I don't get all of these done by Christmas, I know I'll want to make them eventually.
I've been making good progress on the "George" cardigan despite having to unravel and almost start all over the first sleeve due to size alterations gone awry, so I'm hopeful my momentum will stick.
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I tried to knit up a swatch, but since I was reading the chart completely the wrong way, the stitches were all messed up and it was pretty worthless. So I decided to just get started and use the trial and error method which I wound up using more times than I would have liked. I think in total, I started this project over four times. The first time, I was using US4 and US6 needles casting on 88 stitches and it was clearly too small.
