Category Archive for ‘baby’ at adam knits!

Archive for the 'baby' Category

Tiny Stripes = Cute 04 Apr 08

ETA (4/5): I upgraded my blog software and comments quit working! Oops! They’re all fixed now :)

I know some of you might still be waiting with baited breath, and yes, I did receive my mitten kit. It. is. glorious.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to cast on yet. In fact, I haven’t been able to knit very much these past 2 weeks at all. I’ve been a bit busy getting 100+ skeins of yarn dyed up for The Loopy Ewe.

So if you want to get your hands on some 900 MHz Merino, be sure to keep an eye on The Loopy Ewe, for one of Sheri’s infamous sneak ups. I’m also working on a shop update for the Yarn Nerd store, featuring my 3 new base yarns: 1200 MHz Merino (Sport), 1700 MHz Merino (Superwash DK) and 2400 MHz Merino (Worsted). That should be ready within a week or two, and I must warn you, these new bases are heavenly. The 1700 MHz Merino is especially squishy, and is the perfect weight for about any project.

Despite my inability to knit more than 5 rounds on my overdue Project Spectrum Fire socks these past few weeks, I do have a finished object to show off. One that I’m quite proud of.

Isn’t it adorable? I knit it as a gift for Georgia’s brand new addition, sweet little H. I actually bought the yarn when I was in Seattle over the summer, in a yarn shop that Georgia took me to. She didn’t know if it was a boy or girl at that point, so I picked some colors and crossed my fingers. Thankfully, I got lucky!

pattern: wonderful wallaby, by cottage creations
yarn: blue sky alpacas dyed cotton: azul light blue (1 skein) / caribbean (1 skein) / pickle (1 skein)
needles/gauge: US #8 / 4.5 stitches per inch
size: 2 Years
mods: I striped two of the colors (pickle & caribbean), and then used the remaining one for the yoke and hood. I also worked seed stitch for the cuffs, and did a stockinette hood with a garter stitch border.

I really loved the Wallaby pattern, it was so easy to knit, and there’s endless room for customization. Plus, being a small size, it actually knit up in just a few weeks! And at the rate H is growing, he’ll be ready to wear it around in no time, right Georgia? ;)

After all that instant knitting gratification, I feel like tackling some more baby knits. Are there anymore expecting Moms out there? ;)

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Adam

in baby, dyeing, finished objects, gifts, knitting, shop, sweaters and yarn nerd

Jolly Good Old Chap 30 May 07

19 Comments

Not too much to report here, I’m just cruising along in full summer mode. There’s been yarn dyeing, grass mowing, rose bush pruning, book reading and even sock knitting. It’s really quite lovely.

On the sock knitting front, I’ve been itching to cast on Anne’s hand-spun, and I finally snagged a copy of Knitting Vintage Socks to help in picking a pattern. I had looked through this book once before, and was a bit scared of it since I hadn’t knitted socks at that point, but wanted to give it a second try. Well, why didn’t I do that sooner? Cause this book is amazing. I think it’s possibly the best compilation of stylish men’s sock patterns that I’ve ever found. There’s not a single pattern in the book that I don’t want to make either for myself or as a gift.

vintage socks + handspun = I'm an Englishman

I love this book so much in fact, that it makes me fancy myself an Englishman, wearing fine suits and sipping tea, all whilst wearing some very fine looking socks. Then all I’d have to do is get into trouble and hire a butler, and I could very well star in a remake of Jeeves and Wooster! That would be quite fanciful, don’t you say old boy?

Needless to say, I think that the Gentleman’s Sock with Lozenge Pattern will look great with the handspun, don’t you think? I haven’t even gotten to the leg yet and I’m already in love. The simplicity and texture of the purl bumps on top of the ribbing is just genius. Absolute genius. The handspun is soft and squishy, with a wonderful sweet smell (what did you wash it in Anne?). I’m enjoying every stitch, and know that I’ll be very sad when it’s no longer on my needles. (Although it will be on my feet!)

In dog news, Dallas and Emma now refuse to talk to me without their agent present, because they now insist that they are internet celebrities. See, I submitted their baby hat photos to Meg at Cute Overload, and lo and behold, the pictures were accepted! If you don’t know what Cute Overload is, you should check it out…it’s most definitely the Slashdot of all things cute. (If you don’t know what /. is, then I’m afraid I have no other analogies. You’re on your own.) So if you’re now a reader because of Cute Overload, thanks for stopping by! Hopefully I’ll finish contract negotiations with the dogs soon, so that I can use their tremendous modeling skills for future knit related photo shoots.

Speaking of baby hat wearing dogs, I have some pictures of the actual baby hats in their new environment. Here are the hats, being modeled by little Samuel and his older sister Lucy. Aren’t they adorable?

In fact, this baby knitting thing is so satisfying, I think I might be doing it more often for my friends. Just don’t tell my Mom ok? She’ll give me the “you need to give me Grandchildren!” speech if she knows I have baby knitting fever! __Haha, just kidding Mom, don’t hurt me!__

Published

Adam

in baby, gifts, knitting, patterns and socks

Obsession is Normal. 24 May 07

37 Comments

My neighbors must think I’m a loon. Actually, they might not be too far off. If you were in my neighborhood yesterday, you might have been taken aback as well. So what on earth was I doing?

Well let’s just say that I had a little dog photo shoot involving baby knits…

No Schnauzers were physically harmed during this photoshoot, although emotional damage may have occurred.

"did you say treat? you better deliver!"

I better get a freaking treat out of this.

"Arrrr! shiver me timbers, I’ll get you for this! Arrrr, dArrrrr, dΘ"

I would explain, but there’s really nothing to explain. Some good friends of mine just had their second baby, and seeing as I have had lots of time, I cranked out a few hats for their adorable new son. I wanted to get some pictures of the hats before I gifted them, but wanted something more than an ordinary lightbox shot. I thought about using a comforter (like brooklyntweed does for baby knits) to model the hats, but then I realized that I had something even better. Live models with furry little heads. Next thing I knew, I was laying in the grass, saying “Treat!” over and over, trying to get my poor humiliated dogs to look at the camera. The things I do for the blog…

You have to admit though, these pictures are darn cute.

Dallas is wearing a very lovely Top Down Bonnet in some red Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky. I loved this pattern, but I wasn’t paying attention and increased too much, so I ended up making the child size instead of the baby size. It’s all good though, because I promised my friends a hat for their daughter over a year ago, and now I can finally deliver on that promise! Sorry it’s taken so long guys!

Emma is wearing a Children’s Cotton Hat, from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, knitted up with less than 1/2 of a skein of Patagonia Nature Cotton. It was leftovers from another baby hat, and I didn’t have too much, so this hat turned out to be more of a baby skull cap. I also knitted another one with some Manos Cotton Stria, but it wouldn’t stay on Emma’s head. I really like that hat pattern, it’s quick and simple, and makes a very cool looking baby knit.

So congrats on the new baby Sam and Rosemary, he’s absolutely adorable! Hopefully there’s not dog hair on the hats, but Schnauzers don’t shed, so they should be hair free! ;)

In other news, the yarn for my Seamless Hybrid came yesterday. It came in a USPS shoe box, which prompted me to wonder why I was receiving shoes that I hadn’t ordered, until I opened it and was greeted with the sweet smell of wool. Ahhh, Cascade 220, how I love thee. This color is so great too, it looks like a mixture of coffee and red wine, with a bit of chocolate thrown in. I’m planning to use the olive green to do the sleeve hems, and possibly the neckband too. I can’t wait to get started on this!

one of these things is not like the others

I also wound up my Tree Scum Handspun, to begin the project planning phase. I’m such a planner when I knit, and I want to be especially conscientious with this yarn since it’s so nice. The project planning phase (or PPP) usually involves making a swatch or two with different needle sizes, washing and blocking those swatches, then measuring them to get accurate gauge. Of course, this all gets written down in my yarn notebook, so that if I ever use a particular yarn again, I can just "check my notes". Then I pick a pattern, and usually adapt it in some form to suit what I’m looking for. Then I can finally cast-on! There’s also obsessive amounts of trying on and measuring during the knitting phase, to ensure that the item comes out perfectly.

tree scum handspun - waiting for the cast on

I know my process is a bit obsessive, but _what else would you expect from an engineer?_ And one benefit is that I can almost always guarantee that my knitted objects will fit well. The few times I have strayed from this process are the few times where things have gone horribly wrong. So I take comfort in perfecting my art through the use of my calculator, ruler and notebook. Someday I hope to pass the knitting bug onto my kids, and leave them all of my notebooks so they can know what a weirdo their Dad was. As if the dogs in hats pictures aren’t proof enough ;)

So what’s your process? Are you like me, or do you prefer to be a bit more free form? No judgment here, I’m just interested to know if there’s other obsessive knitters out there! Besides Grumperina of course, because she totally rocks the math skills too.

Oh, and if you have any pattern ideas for my handspun, please toss them into the hat! I’m thinking something Nancy Bush, or Anne’s Smokin’ Socks, but I’m open to suggestions!

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Adam