lulubeans

(most of) my knitting in '08

looking at this at first, i was thinking that there has to be more.

there is! there is more that i never got around to photographing.

and then there's the heap of random stuff in progress. mostly baby stuff that is sitting, waiting (fairly patiently) for baby.

and the embarrassing amount of that which was frogged. to paraphrase big pun -i'm not a player, i just frog a lot. one of my goals for '09 is to swatch more, and lose patience less.

and poor february lady (#10) - she's finished- in fact i am wearing her right now- but was never properly photographed. i think that once the year ends it's too late- time for fresh starts!

my hopes for '09 involve some ambitious putting-of-dents into my ravelry queue but that might be dumb, seeing as how i am apparently going to have a small infant to nuzzle, nurse, etc. any day now.

thank you for visiting my blog over the past year. i am always so encouraged and heartened by the kind comments people leave here! wishing each of you a peaceful and joy-filled new year. i hope you get to spend lots of time in the new year making things that bring you happiness, and lots of time near the people you love.

woolly merry-making

on the needles:

and from the dyepots:





wishing you and yours a merry and peaceful holiday season, be it woolly or otherwise!
xo

happy solstice

today's projects:
tin can lanterns
a crockpot full of lentil soup
gingerbread cookies with natasha and a buddy
a little fleece washing
making a cast of my belly
watching this wild, windy snowstorm build outside our windows
feeling cozy (not really a project, but it's figured prominently into the day)

FO: natasha's shrug

this was supposed to be a birthday gift.  it came off the needles just a tiny bit late, but i think it still counts.  miss 7 is really pleased, although she thinks that the 3/4 length sleeves that she requested are too long,   i could go back and shorten them, but i don't think i will. 

pattern:  after N raided our growing pile of baby cardigans for months, it finally dawned on us both that maybe she would like a shrug type sweater of her own instead.  we spent some time together on ravelry and after some debate, we both agreed to rebecca webster's  gg shrug, at least as our starting point.  (ravelry link.)  
as you can see, we both had some ideas of our own, and i added a garter stitch border, a little length, some sleeves (i think they are 3/4 quarter length, don't you?), a button closure instead of a tie, and a little bobble flower bouquet on the back, just for fun.   lots of changes!

N thinks that i should have also incorporated a pocket somewhere, but jeez, enough is enough!

yarn: elann.com's peruvian sierra aran, in hyacinth.  this is a great soft but sturdy (and affordable!) yarn.  there are some great color choices available too!

needles: US 8. 

i love really love the process of making something for my daughter.  we are both really determined, especially when we have specific ideas about how we want things, so this kind of process gives us a nice opportunity to work problems out as a team. (it's one of those cheesy life/knitting metaphors!)   we kind of designed this together- she got to decide on the basic idea of the pattern itself, picked the yarn and the colorway, and we talked a lot about all the particulars.  button picking with her can be a stressful last step- i knew what i had in mind, but usually she steers toward something flashy and plastic and sparkly.  when i got out the button drawer this time, i kind of held my breath, and we both decided, pretty much right away- on this old shell button.  it was exactly what i had envisioned. 

next up, i have received the request for some knitted pants. i'm totally game! anyone know of a pattern that would wrok for 5T-ish size? it seems like most of what is out there is either baby or grown up.

a little bit of a shop update

taking a break from showing you socks because i have a few new yarns that i am really excited about.
you can click on the pictures to go straight to the shop listings.

unless we go way over dates, this will be the last pre-baby shop update, and it is kind of a mini one. however, i am really happy with these yarns and was eager to share. i hope you love them too!

FO: monkey socks

pattern: monkey by that super smarty pants cookie a
yarn: lulubeans handpainted, fingering weight.
needles: US 1

i had so much fun with this pattern! that cookie a. knows how to show a girl a good time.   the repeats were pretty easy to memorize and had a nice rhythm to them.  the socks knit up quickly too, which was super gratifying.

i feel totally dorky about how my colorway choice looks an awful lot like the colorway in the pattern pictures.  i like how the repeating Vs looked in the lush greens though, and i like that the pattern is not so lacy or complicated that it gets lost in the variegated yarn. 

these are going to be gifts, but i'd love to make a pair for myself at some point down the line. i think i would make these a bit taller next time. they'd make awfully pretty knee socks.

train case above is from the very talented meg. i love it meg! :)

FO: gentleman's fancy sock

pattern: gentleman's fancy sock from my favorite standby, nancy bush's knitting vintage socks
yarn: lulubeans handpainted, fingering weight
needles: US 1

i know that i have said this before, but it bears repeating: i genuinely love nancy bush and i adore this book. 

i love how such a simple knit and purl variation can create a very organic looking texture.  it reminds me of a tortoise's shell.  i wanted to make these in a fairly solid colorway, and one with an earthy feel.  i am really happy with my yarn choice.

these are the first socks i have made that involved ankle shaping, and now i'm kind of having a hard time knitting socks without these reductions.  it just makes so much sense! i loved this added element of structure.
these are going to be a gift, (and not for a gentleman- these are lady size) but i would love to keep them for myself!

ravelry link!

i'm wishing i could play with wool all day today. here's some evidence that i have indeed accomplished some knitting recently. more on the specifics later. hope you have a great monday!

whirlwind

i'm having the toughest time keeping up with december.

so far this month:

natasha turned 7 (!)

there was sushi, fried ice cream, the biggest (and most fun!) kid party we have had to date, and lots of family getting together. it was so busy and good. 

joe and i celebrated our anniversary. we even had a real grown up date, something that we don't do nearly enough.

baby has turned from this super uncomfortable (for me at least- she seemed very happy with it) sideways position that she had been in forever. she now has her head down. ready for birth. i feel 500x better than i have in a few months, but also really ready and excited to meet her. we will be at the magic 37 week mark tomorrow.

there has been some obsessive sock knitting going on. from sizes newborn to big girl to grown up. i will try for some photos this week.

and then there is all this holiday stuff too. it's going to be simple and mellow this year. i don't see myself getting my act together in time to bake too many cookies or do any real crafting or even send out cards, which kind of bums me out.

today's goals: blocking socks, helping my girl with her thank you notes, a round or two of sorry, and hopefully a little fiber dyeing. sounds festive enough for me.  i think we will make some paper snowflakes too.  (i am totally inspired by the snowflake curtains that heidi made!)

oh, and i did make a new banner too!