Wool Free and Lovin' Knit

Dahlias and Denim Wristwarmers

(Dinner Plate Dahlias, "Otto's Thrill")

Well, the 13 window boxes that surround my roofdeck are planted.  I promise to show you pictures of all of them next month when the flowers have had a chance to fill out.  In the meantime, I'll show you the dahlias  along with a pair of wrist- warmers I've just finished in Rowan denim yarn?   

The wrist-warmers were a total impulse knit.  I was looking for something else and I happened upon a bag of Rowan denim left-overs from the Picnic Blanket I knit a few years ago.  The next thing I knew the yarn was on #4mm needles and then voila, I had a new pair of fingerless gloves.  

It was a great opportunity to practice the 2-color garter slip stitch pattern which is a new love of mine.

I knit them a little longer in each section to compensate for the shrinkage (which is less than an inch total on a piece this size) and then I tossed them in the washer and dryer. 

Trying to decide if I'll gift them or keep them for myself -- gotta say I'm leaning toward making them mine, all mine!

 

The Log Cabin Disaster

I've had my share of knitting disasters and I try to remind myself that the pain eases with time.  But this latest one is pretty disappointing. 

You remember the lovely log cabin blanket I started for my youngest nephew?  

(note the stunning bright yellow yarn)

I was using Nashua Creative Focus Worsted -- a combination of pre-dyed silk yarn along with the navy blue  yarn I had dyed myself.  I suspected that my navy yarn would bleed a bit so when I put it in the machine yesterday  I carefully inserted 4 sheets of Shout color-catchers just to be on the safe side. I used a cold water, handwash cycle. 

The navy color ran into the color catcher sheets to be sure -- but it also ran into all the other colors.  The lovely yellow stripes turned to the color of mud.

Is your heart sinking as you look at all that lovely knitting gone to ruin? Don't you just feel sick about it?  Oh, or is that just me?

To add insult to injury, I mustn't have picked up enough stitches along one of the very early rows or I knit the corner too tightly or something -- the blanket won't stretch out quite square -- it puckers a little on one side although it might relax when dried.  

Knitting this  blanket WAS fun.  Washing and blocking it?  Not so much.

What's Black and White and Too Cute all over?

My latest pair of stripy booties (50 Baby Bootees to Knit ).   

 

I got invited to another baby boy shower (is nobody having girls anymore?) so whipped up another pair of these stripy booties  which have become my go-to bootie pattern.  They not only look adorable, but they have a snug cuff that helps them stay on wiggly little toes .

This is a young, fashion savvy mom so I thought she might appreciate a black/white version.  I used a mercerized cotton dk (Tahki Classic for the white, RYC for the black). 

I'm thinking about knitting up a black and white hat to go with them -- what baby hat pattern do you think would be the best match for these shoes? 

Hand-dyed, Hand-knit baby sweater

I knit the 5 hour baby boy sweater for my upcoming nephew using the Nashua Creative Focus Silk Worsted yarn that I hand-dyed last summer.  It's a soft shade of turquoise and  I love how looks knitted up. 

Sadly this yarn has been discontinued.  Anyone have another brand of worsted weight silk you'd recommend?

Scalene Scarf modeled

I promised to show you the Scalene scarf after I had blocked it and figured out what to wear it with. 

It's a great match for this teal sweater set I have and I wore it to Good Friday service this morning.  

The linen is so soft now that it's beeen washed and drapes so nicely.

 

Stripy Booties

These stripy booties, 50 Baby Bootees to Knit  by Zoe Mellor, have been in the works for awhile now.  I knit the first bootie three times before I got it right,  but the pattern itself is clearly written and very easy to execute if you are paying proper attention. 

I used Creative Focus Cotton DK yarn in a bright orange and white. I think these colors work for either a boy or girl, don't you? 

I made a couple of modifications.  For starters, one of my early mistakes was not changing back to the main color when joining the picot edge. As a result I ended up with white "top stitching" along the top of the sole and I found it to be such a happy mistake that I purposely knit it that way in the final version.  I think it gives the bootie a sportier vibe. 

I also added some faux lace ties to complete that running shoe look.

One word of caution: These knit up large.  I did the 6-9 month size and I suspect they'll fit the average 12 month old.   If I were to knit them again with a baby in mind, I'd definitely choose the 3-6 month size. 

So, what's on or just off your needles this weekend? 

Scalene Scarf is off the needles

I cast off the Scalene scarf today -- it still needs blocking but I love the color combo and this garter stitch project was a very easy knit. I worked on it all the way to Rio and back, then enroute to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic , and finished the last few rows on the beach here.

It needs blocking yet and I'm expecting that the linen will soften and become more drapey with washing.

The yarn is La Droguerie Lin (linen) in a Dk weight. Unwashed the yarn feels almost spongey in texture and a little stiff but the beauty of linen is post washing and I'm sure that will change the feel of this yarn a lot. Definitely a great choice for knitting in a hot climate -- not at all sticky!

This is scarf will definitely remind me of the Caribbean Sea!

 

The Joy Is In The Details

One of the things I love about the patterns from Mary Jane's TeaRoom is the delightful detail that Susan includes in every design.  She really brings these animals to life.

The Sweet Sweater of Success!

At the end of last year I set out on a quest to figure out how to knit a sweater that would suit me and survive washing and wearing.  This is much more of a challenge for wool-free knitters I can assure you because plant fibers are, for the most part, not too elastic.   

I found a great yarn, Kollage Riveting (a recycled denim yarn that actually shrinks, rather than grows when you wash it). 

I found a pattern with lovely waist shaping.  I chose the RIGHT size for my measurements. I cast on and I knit, and I knit, and I knit, and I knit. 

And then I washed it.  And here's the best part, it fits, it flatters, it's EVERYTHING I'd hoped for in a cardigan.  Relaxed, easy care, comfortable, but still fresh, and with the ruffled collar, a little bit "enchanting".   SIGH -- it feels SO GOOD.  

 PORTRAIT  BY SANDI ROSNER, KOLLAGE RIVETING, FOREST DENIM.

I gave my husband the camera while we went for a quick walk around the neighborhood with the dog.  It wasn't quite sweater weather, but I had to have photos and LOTS of them. I  wanted to show you this sweater from every angle. 

On the Home Stretch

Yesterday I knit the front bands of  my  Portrait Cardigan and I went shopping for buttons at Windsor Button.  

I like how the antique tin goes with the recycled denim and I heart the heart!  What do you think, good choice? 

Just the collar left to knit (no small feat) and the final seaming -- we're on the home stretch!