Getting back in the groove . . .

Johnny is now officially one month old, and I think that means it's time to get started on some original designs! While pregnant, I had very sore hands and deadlines to meet, so I pretty much just sketched ideas and left them at that. Now I finally have the energy to make some of those sketches into sweaters!


That wee little swatch is the beginning of the first design I'm focusing on. I decided to start small with a Leo-sized garment, and the yarn is a wool/cotton blend which is just right for this time of year. I'd love to have the pattern finished and ready to be purchased by the beginning of April, but we'll see. Stay tuned!

An almost victory.

I never was much of an athlete.

With the Ravelympics beginning just days after our second son was born, I chose a very simple project to work on this year. My mission? Finish Johnny's Baby Surprise Jacket. I didn't think that was too much to aspire to; I merely had to complete seven rows, seam the shoulders and add cuffs and buttons.


I almost made it, but Johnny still doesn't have any buttons on his BSJ. Which I suppose is just as well, since he's too little to button them anyway.

Yarn: Dale of Norway Baby Ull
Pattern: Baby Surprise Jacket
Needles: US size 4

I think Johnny is pretty happy with his sweater.

New baby in a new hat.

Since this is supposed to be a knitting blog, I suppose it's time I actually show you some knitting! With my secret projects mailed and my hands no longer aching, I have been able to squeeze in some stitching between taking care of the little guys.


I cast on for this Little Boy Blue Ribbed Baby Hat when I had to go to the hospital the Tuesday before Johnny was born. I was admitted for high blood pressure and needed some nervous-energy knitting to distract me. Though I didn't knit too many rows then, I did pick it back up when I was induced on Saturday. I knit all through early labor (and received many comments from the nursing staff; some of whom were also knitters) and continued working on the hat after Johnny was born. The yarn is Spud & Chloe Sweater on US #7 needles. (Aside: the Spud & Chloe website is probably one of the cutest yarn websites I've ever seen - if you haven't visited, check it out!)

If you'd like to see more pictures of Johnny, check out today's post on the Knit Nook blog. Kristin came over last night and was able to meet the little man. And of course, look for more Johnny and Leo on this page - I'm in the mood for cute baby and little boy knits!

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Housekeeping: due to tons and tons of spam, I had to delete the posts "Standard Abbreviations" and "Guest Blogger: Kristi Porter talks about Knitting in the Sun." Since I feel these were both valuable posts, I plan to repost a version of them in the future.

Johnny.

Who's that peeking out from under that blanket?

John Bingham Wagner arrived on Saturday, February 6 at 3:19 P.M. He weighed 7 pounds, 13.7 ounces and was 20 inches long. It's been a busy couple of weeks, but everyone in the Wagner household is thrilled with the new addition. It took me two weeks to upload the photos of him from the hospital, but we're getting back in the swing of things and I hope to have more pictures of Johnny (including some wearing some lovingly knit hats & sweaters) quite soon.

Epitome now part of Help for Haiti

We all know about the terrible earthquake that struck Haiti last week.

I have been very impressed with the Help for Haiti efforts on Ravelry. If you're unfamiliar with what's happening, many designers have decided to donate a portion of their proceeds from certain patterns to a charity that will benefit Haitians.


I have to admit that my pattern sales are pretty slim, with only one for-sale pattern. But this morning, I heard about the horrible aftershock that hit the already devastated area and decided that any contribution is better than no contribution. From now through February 14, 2010, I will be donating 50% of profits from my Epitome pattern to Doctors Without Borders. I have just updated the pattern to change the recommended yarn and it now includes an additional size for adults with larger noggins. If you decide that Epitome isn't the hat for you, please consider purchasing any of the patterns on the Ravelry list.

Click the button below to purchase the pattern for $5.

Christmas gifts revealed: Icing Swirl Hat.

Another Ysolda hat for Christmas! This time, I made the Icing Swirl Hat for my niece, Hillary. My photo isn't the best (again, I forgot to take a shot of the hat on a person), but Ysolda has photos of herself wearing the hat on her blog that illustrate how nicely the hat slouches.

I knit the hat using Rowan Cocoon in Seascape. I wanted to make something with Cocoon since it arrived at the Knit Nook, and I decided to cross my fingers that my niece doesn't have a mohair sensitivity and use it for her hat.

Is it just me, or does this hat remind anyone else of Elizabeth Zimmermann's Snail Hat [rav link]? The shape is somewhat similar, but since it isn't in a super-bulky yarn it is definitely slouchier.

This is another hat to add to the hats-I'd-enjoy-knitting-again list!

Christmas gifts revealed: Estella.

It's time for the great Christmas gift reveal. Some of these presents were knit far in advance, some are still not finished, and none of them have been featured on my blog to date.

First up, Estella. The pattern is by Ysolda Teague, who is one of my favorite knitwear designers. I decided to knit Estella in one color and chose a bright blue shade of Cascade 220 (#9467, I do believe), since my little sister has beautiful blue eyes.

I forgot to take modeled photos of pretty much every present I knit, but thanks to Facebook I can do things like steal shots from my sister's page.


My sister is clearly better at self portraits than I am; here's what happened when I tried to get a shot of Estella before wrapping it.


I am a huge fan of slouchy hats (especially Ysolda's!), so I had a hard time giving this one away. A nice little detail is the star on the crown of the hat.


I think I may (y'know, after I finish all of the other things I must do, and in between taking care of two children under the age of three) knit a two-color Estella at some point. It was certainly a fun hat to knit and I'm glad my sister likes it!