Knittypants

My Son, the Hobo

The third, and last, Surprise Jacket. This one for my oldest son. Doesn't he look like a shivering urchin in this picture?

We had fun taking the pictures, he was being so silly and goofy and not holding still, so I asked him to pretend he was really sad, and these are the pictures I got. My guy has a flare for the dramatic.

This is my least favorite of the trio of Surprise Jackets. I knit the yarn at a loose gauge to get it to fit a 5 year old, and it's a bit floppy for my taste. I was planning to rip it and make Jarvis something different, but he loves it. He has actually worn in of his own accord several times! I guess this one ends up being successful after all.

I used Noro Silver Thaw color 09 for this, took less than 2 skeins. I started with a provisional cast on again, and knit the sleeves down for extra length. I cast off with i-cord (my new favorite cast off) and used a three needle bindoff for the shoulders. Found some mother of pearl buttons in the button stash and I was done.

I love this pattern, I think it will be my go to patten for new babies, it's just so easy and cute, but  looks different from what you usually see. Plus, it's great for using up oddments of yarn.

Jarvis asked me the other day what happened when you planted a bullet. He has a bit of a lisp and I asked him to repeat himself.

"Mommy, what happens when you plant a bullet, do you get a bomb?"

He's been learning a lot about plants lately, but this question made me laugh, he was so sincere and perplexed when I explained that bullets weren't seeds.

He's also been asking me to get him a doll like these ones, when I asked him why, he said, "So I can love it and take care of it."

I'm thinking this would be a fun project for us to make together, so I've planned it for the New Year.

Fiona's Turn

Alright, now it's time for Fiona's Surprise Jacket.

I am surprised I like this one as much as I do, I was trying to stashbust and use up a shade of Cascade 220 I didn't like. I ended up pairing it with a shade of Noro that made me swoon. The 220 was a little thin when knit with the Kureyon so I double stranded it with a lace weight that I had in my stash. It seems to work. Of course, now I can't find the tags, and can't tell you which shade of 220 or Kureyon I used. My knitting is a jumbled mess right now.

I love how these jackets look from the back. Even though I used a provisional cast on for this jacket, I didn't end up lengthening the sleeves. I ran out of Kureyon so they stayed short. I used an I-cord bind off again for the button band and also put I-cord around the sleeves and neckline. I found buttons in my stash, Yay! Little silvery ones.

I don't think this picture means Fiona likes the jacket, she was wearing her kitty shoes through all these pictures, and they are her true love!

We are going to a carol service at our church this morning, tomorrow I'm baking cookies with the kids and finishing the gift wrapping. It will be a nice, relaxed Christmas at our house that I am really looking forward to.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Simon's Hat

So you remember all those leftovers, here is what became of them.

A crazy little hat for Simon.

Just a simple roll brim hat, I aimed for a gauge of about 16 stitches over 4 inches, paired different blue yarns at random and just knitted a stripe or two and then grabbed something new. It knit up quick and was fun, the ends were a bit picky to weave in, but not too bad. I quickly skimmed them under the yarn, this hat only has to last a season not forever.

I've received the most compliments on a knit object ever with this hat. I took Simon on a little yarn crawl after it was made and everyone kept asking what yarn I used, it was a nice boost to my knitting ego :-)

This here is Peter's first Christmas sock. The second has been started. They are the Log Cabin Socks from Handknit Holidays. Hurts my hands to knit them, but they are quick.

Fiona was begging me to take a picture of her, I said ok, but she had to hold still. She said I'll put my arms up mommy. ??? I'm not sure what that has to do with holding still, but she's pretty cute.

Today was a good day, I was up early and had a head start on the kiddos, we were done school early, made brownies and did some major cleaning in the basement. It's amazing how good I feel when I'm productive, I would like to try and make a habit of it.

Also, thanks for all the encouragement about my feeling stretched thin. It means a lot to me and it's nice to know I'm not alone :)

PS I just notice Vogue Knitting has their Winter preview up. I'm not so sure about the patterns shown, but sometimes Vogue just has to grow on me.

Simon's Surprise Jacket

 

I think you'll know how much I love this sweater from the amount of pictures in this post.

Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Jacket, a perfect pattern. I can see why so many have made this.

 

I've actually made 3 so far, and each one was a thoroughly enjoyable knit, and I am one who doesn't really like to reknit a pattern.

 

The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Chocolate and Juniper. This yarn is just right for baby things, I love how soft it is against Simon's skin.

I used a provisional cast on so I could add length to the arms. Also, I finished up with i-cord trim, I think the trim really makes a nice finish.

I think he likes the sweater, who can really tell with babies, his preference is nekkid.

I have a few more finished knits to show. I think my next few posts will be dedicated to getting them blogged. Things never feel truly finished until I've been blogged them.

I've been pretty busy lately, life sometimes turns into a whirlwind and keeps me caught up in it for longer than I would like. I keep hoping that things will slow down, but  truthfully, I think that having 4 children and the homeschooling just means I will be whirling about for a while.

I'm trying to find routines that work for our family and keep everyone happy and things running smoothly, but it's definitely a learning process. As soon as I think I have found something that works, one of my kids grows out of a nap or starts to potty train, or starts growing a new tooth or for my older two they need more one on one and time with mom than they used to.

I feel stretched a bit thin, not really in a bad way, more of a this is the season of life that I am in kind of way. I love my kids and wouldn't change things for anything, but sometimes life feels like I'm just trying to get through it, and I want to make sure I am enjoying it because kids grow up way too fast!