Picky . . . picky . . . picky!

"Zip Neck Sweater"
Patons (Booklet 3328)
Knit Picks -- Wool of the Andes (color discontinued)
19 (50 gram balls
Needle size:  US 7 and US 9

Several years ago, my son, Hunter returned from an adventure in Eastern Africa with a few handknit sweaters.  The sweaters were well-knit and warm, and he wore them often.  I was really surprised, because he had always told me that he hated wearing sweaters.  Soon after his return, he asked me to knit him a sweater.  I was really excited about this change, and allowed him to choose the pattern and yarn color.

This half-zip pullover is what he chose, BUT . . . this is not him wearing it.  This is my Son-in-law, Trever.

After I gave the sweater to Hunter for Christmas, I didn't ever see him wearing it. 

When I asked him if he ever wore it at school (Southern Utah State University in Cedar City, UT), he said he had only ever worn it to an "Ugly Sweater" party. 

I was appalled, and vowed to never knit for him again!  I'm not really sure if he felt the color was too bright, or pattern too busy, or if he had just gained a few pounds and felt it was too tight.  Last year I discovered a fabulous new book:  Knits Men Want, written by Bruce Weinstein, with photography by Jared Flood.  I learned a lot about how men view knitted clothing, and the things they like and don't like.  In addition to these tips for selecting items to knit for the men in your life, Bruce told many personal stories about his Grandmother, who knit for him and his brother, as children.  He said they always loved the simple sweaters she would knit in muted colors.  I was so excited, that I ran straight to Hunter, forgeting my vow to "never knit for him again".  He liked almost every design in the book, and asked me to knit this one in a dark charcoal grey.

"Raglan Sleeved Henley" designed by Bruce Weinstein (Knits Men Want) 

Caron County - microdenier acrylic/merino wool (Charcoal)

Size 54 = 12 skeins (1780 yards)

Needle size:  US 7

Hunter loves this sweater, and wears it often.  The buttons are made from deer horn, for a more masculine look, and a simple stockinette stitch is used throughout.  There is a turn-back hem, neckband and cuffs, adding to the loose feel, and the raglan sleeve eliminates any binding at the shoulder, where Hunter is extremely broad.

My husband, Steve recently asked me to knit him a hat.  He wanted something warm, but fine gauge, so he could wear it under his hardhat.  I found the pattern for this Jacques Cousteau Hat, as a free pattern on http://ravelry.com/  

"Jacques Cousteau - Hat"
Free pattern at:  http://ravelry.com/
Caron Country - microdenier acrylic/merino wool (Charcoal)
100 grams or 234 yards
Needle size:  US 4 round & US 4 double points

I had a little more than a skein of the yarn left from Hunter's sweater, so I knit the hat up in that.  When Hunter came home for a visit, he saw it on the front seat of Steve's truck, and it was quickly confiscated.  Steve didn't let him get away with it, though, so I probably should knit up another one for him.

I love the way the crown decreases are placed in the hat.  It really does look just like the hat Jacques Cousteau is always wearing in his National Geographic specials.  Happy Knitting . . .

Shawl Collared Vest

"Shawl-Collared Vest" designed by Meg Swansen
(Handknitting with Meg Swansen)
Patons - Shetland Chunky Tweed (6 skeins/Sea Ice)
Needles:  Size US 7

This vest is a classic.  I made my first out of this same yarn in a brown tweed.  It was for my Father.  He has loved it, and comments regularly on how warm it is.  He has even had all the ladies at the Sr. Center giving it, and him, I'm sure, the "once over".  He liked it so much, that I decided to make one for me.

This is my daughter, Alex, doing the modeling.  Originally, I thought the vest was too masculine-looking to be made for a woman.  But, when I turned the page of Meg's book, there was a picture of her wearing it.  She made it look very feminine and cozy, all snuggled up to her cat.

I planned to wear it in-doors, on those chilly evenings, when I am knitting in front of my favorite television shows ("Survivor" or "Project Runway" . . . okay so I like reality shows), or when I was decorating the Christmas tree or baking cookies.

It has been great to keep me warm all winter, even on those Saturday morning bagel runs, and it is great for driving.  It keeps the cold air off your chest, but doesn't restrict your arms when making quick turns or eating a quick bagel, or two, before you get home and have to share the rest.  The color works great with blue jeans, and any color underneath works, because there are flecks of all colors in the tweed.

My husband, Steve, made the buttons from deer horn.  I thought they really added to the country charm of the vest. The vest was knit entirely "in-the-round", and steeking was used to cut slits for the armholes and to open the front. The front plackets were picked-up and knit in conjunction with the collar.  I was a little afraid to cut through the stitches, but Meg's technique (machine sewing on both sides of the cut stitches) worked beautifully. The looped buttonholes were another great thing to learn, and the I-Chord bind-offs along the front-placket, collar edging and armholes, finished it off rather nicely. Happy Knitting . . .

Robin Hood Jacket

"Robin Hood Jacket" designed by Zoe Mellor (Adorable Knits for Tots)
Rowan -- Cork (Orange Delight 040)
Lions Brand Vanna's Choice (Deep Wine/Fibrant Apply Green)
Knit Picks -- Shine (Marmalade)

When my first grand-daughter was turning 4 years old, I ran across the pattern for this great little hooded sweater.  Some fast and furious bidding on eBay brought me the needed skiens of Rowan Cork, in the discontinued color (Orange Delight).  The sweater was knit and delivered on her birthday.  She wore it a lot, and it even came up missing for a short time.  As it turned out, her little cousin had been wearing it, when she returned to her home in Atlanta.  Needless to say, it was returned, and has had a lot of love ever since.  No one has loved that sweater like my Grandson Easton. 

These pictures of that original sweater, were taken at my Son's wedding.  It was a rainy evening, and Easton couldn't resist chasing the little bunnies around outside.  The wedding party was all outside too, in a gazebo.  You can see that the sweater has had a lot of love, as it is full of holes and has even torn through several of the buttonholes.  However, the hood worked nicely during the downpour.  There really was never any hope for his hair, as he has cowlicks all over his head.

My youngest daughter, Alex was the next one to request a Robin Hood Sweater.  Since the pattern was written for toddler sizes, some revamping was necessary to make it fit.

She is always saying, "poor baby", when I attach a tassel to the hood of a baby sweater (to be seen in a future post), so I couldn't resist attaching a "poor baby tassel" to the hood of her sweater.

When my new daughter-in-law, Laura saw Easton in his sweater in her wedding pictures, she asked me to make her one too.

Since I couldn't get the Rowan - Cork, like the original, I knit this one in Knit Picks - Shine.  The color is a little darker, but she was very happy to receive her sweater as a Christmas gift.

Alex and Laura are about the same age.  Aren't they cute together?

Easton even got a replacement, for Easter, last year.  When he saw me knitting it, he said, "Grandma - - don't you know that I hate green?" 

Since I had a green and pink sweater on the needles at the same time, I didn't really think I could give my grand-daughter's pink sweater to him . . . so he has had to tollerate the green.  Note the little wooden rolling pins as the buttons.  My husband drilled holes in the doll size rolling pins found at the craft store.

Now that Easton knows his Grandpa's favorite color is green, or maybe because his Mom has thrown the original orange one away, he is wearing the sweater more often.  Happy Knitting!

"PROVENCE" (flowers & strawberries)

"Provence" designed by Celest Pinheiro
(Canoe by Classic Elite Yarns)
Classic Elite 100% mercerized Egyptian cotton (size XL/9 skeins/4 French Red, 2 Zinnia Flower, 2 Peony Pink, 1 Rose Rugosa)
Needle size: US4 and US6 (3.5 and 4 mm)

This sweater was knit back in 2006, when I was undergoing chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer.  I was feeling rather down (stoned is probably more like it), and the bright colors of this sweater helped the days to pass.  The color and lacework pattern reminded me of flowers and strawberries.

The mercerized cotton yarn was a dream to knit with.  It was tightly twisted, so I didn't have to watch for separated plies, missed with my needles.  Some added shaping in the front would have been a welcome addition, as the front buttonbands are rather narrow and allow for too much gapping between buttons.

The bracelet length sleeves are nice, unless you have my arms.  I should have knit

the sleeves a few inches longer, to hide my chubby wrists.

The sweater pairs nicely with each of the colors in the flowers, or even with a polk-a-dot or small print in the same hues. 

 It is definitely a pick-me-up, after a long, cold winter.  I am sooooo ready for Spring.  Getting this sweater out of the closet, has motivated me to start planning my flowerbeds and deck pots for planting.  I know it is still too early, but I'm going to be ready this year, so I don't miss out on the early delivery of bedding plants at the nursery.  I think I'll look for some hot pink Vicas, just like those seen on this sweater.  And I plan to start a new garden box, filled exclusively with strawberries.  Happy knitting!

I recently became an official "Great-Aunt".  This is my nephew Casey, and his wife Anna.  The cute one is Baby Sofia, and the pix were taken by their photographer friend Jen.  Isn't Sofia the cutest baby ever?  She is the first grandchild of my sister, Annette.

Casey & Sofia

Cropped Cardigan

"Cropped Cardigan" designed by Martin Storey
(Vogue Knitting International - Fall 2008/pg 102) 
Lions Brand -- Vanna's Choice (Size XL/9 skeins/Deep Wine)
Needle size:  US 7 and US 8 (4.5 and 5mm)
In 2008, when I was planning to spend a week in Park City, Utah, with my sisters and their daughters, I purchased a copy of Vogue Knitting Magazine.  As we were driving to see the 2002 Winter Olympics Ski Jumping venue, I looked through it.  I was thrilled to find patterns for at least 5 sweaters I really wanted to knit.  In the past, I had always felt that one exciting pattern per magazine was the most I could expect.  This cardigan was first of the designs in this issue of Vogue Knitting, that I made.

The cardigan was lengthened, thus making it an "uncropped cardigan", but felt the length would be much better on my body type.  I fell in love with the color of this yarn and thought it was a good choice for a sweater that would get a lot of wear, and would need to be machine washed.  What a mistake,  acrylic yarns have a strange, plastic look to them.

Fearing that wool would be too scratchy, I soon discovered this sweater to be hot and uncomfortable.  However, the fit was perfect, and clear lucite buttons finished the look off nicely.  I still love the color, but having lost weight, I don't wear it much anymore.

This intricate cabling was really fun to knit, and easy to keep track of, and the intermitant cabling in the bottom ribbing and button band gave great interest at the neck, and prevented gapping at the bustline.

This is definitely a "make again" cardigan.  Hopefully, I'll be able to find this color again, in a more natural fiber, that will be better to wear.  No more worrying about machine washing.  Cold water hand washing and shaping flat to dry, is a much better way to go.  Perhaps making better yarn choices will lessen the heighth of my knitting mishaps pile.  But, then again . . . yarn choice is not the worst of my mistakes.  Fit always seems to be the biggest issue.  I have been studying though, and I believe my fitting techniques are really improving.  Occasionally I'll ask one of my daughters why they don't ever wear a particular sweater I had knit for them.  The answer is generally, "oh you know, Mom, you made that sweater when you were in your "wierd sweater phase". However, they continue to have requests for knitted items they want me to knit, so I must have grown out of my "wierd sweater phase".



I haven't finished the other patterns from this issue of Vogue Knitting, having put them away to complete Christmas gifts, or birthday gifts, or baby gifts.  But it is my goal to finish up some of the half-done projects in my drawer . . . this year!  Hopefully, they will still fit.

Knitting Take-Alongs

I like to take my knitting along, everywhere I go.  Over the years I have purchased many different kinds of containers for this purpose, purses, bags, plastic storage containers, Ziploc bags, etc. They never last, because I can't find things in their darkness; or they tip over, spilling their contents in the car; or they are too large, or too small; or the handle isn't comfortable.  Lots of money spent on containers that were donated to re-sale shops.

Two years ago, I found the perfect knitting container.  I was attending the Mountain Man Rendezvous in Ft. Bridger, Wyoming, when I spotted the perfect, hand-woven basket.  It is the perfect size, with 2 hinged handles and a flat bottom.  Light spills in through the weave, making it easy to see those things lurking in the bottom.  It holds the perfect amount of yarn, my Kindle, my glasses, my cell phone, and a wallet for my regular week-long trips to visit my daughter in Idaho, or to our houseboat on Lake Powell. I love it!  My husband loves it too, because it only cost $10 and I have continued to carry my knitting around in it for 2 whole years.  The only problem I found with it, is that double-pointed needles can easily slip through the cracks.  Have a look at it.  You may want to find a similar basket for your travelling knitting projects.

Now my husband just has to keep an eye on my purses, which I continue to purchase on a regular basis . . . oh yeh, and all of the yarn.  I have so many knitting projects in my head, but my hands just don't knit fast enough.

I have also paired down the knitting tools that I take along with me.  I usually keep a magnetic chart board, my reading glasses, a clip-on flash light (for night-time car knitting) and a small container of tools in the basket at all time.  I found a great little plastic container, that looks like an eyeglass case, which works just perfect.  I can push it down between the seat cushions in the car, or on the couch, and have easy access to any tool I might need, as I knit along.  The container currently holds, a small ruler/needle gauge, small tape measure, two stitch holders, small scissors, stitch markers, a nail file, 3 different size crochet hooks, yarn needles and a row counter. A yarn cutter is tied on a ribbon around one of the handles.  What more could you need?

Emily's Leg Warmers

My daughter, Emily, was a talented dancer in her childhood through her high school and college years.  She started dancing in the 80's, during the height of the "leg warmer craze".  She had many pairs and always wore them to dance class.  I was rather surprised, when she asked me to knit some for her recently.  I thought she was planning to wear them with her expensive Italian high-shaft boots, as a protection of the nice leather, but that was not the case.  Emily is a hair stylist, and was planning to wear them with her high-heeled shoes.  Hours of standing on her feet in 4-inch heels and cold legs, always leads to night-time leg cramps.  She has been wearing them, nearly non-stop, in this cold Utah winter weather, and I was surprised to find that leg warmers were really trending again on the fashion scene.

I had trouble finding a simple pattern for the leg warmers, so I created my own.  Go to the following link to print off a copy of this free pattern. http://www.scribd.com/doc/49799545

Emily's leg warmers were knit two-at-a-time, on two short circular needles (size 3), with 3 skeins of Caron Country (Black).  They are a simple stockinette stitch, which, when knit-in-the-round only uses the "knit" stitch.  Emily, generally, always wears "black", so it wasn't possible to add any creativity, but they would be really cute in a multi-colored stripe.  Perhaps my next pair will be for my grand-daughter.  She isn't as concerned with clothing items that might make her legs look "fat".  Her legs -- look just like two sticks, anyway.

(see - - stick legs)