EZ Shorties

I finished another pair of shorties for T Tuesday night while watching the Pistons (and dang it, they lost again!). I may have to forego knitting while watching tonight's game or I'll probably forget what I'm doing and have to frog it. Anyway . . . this brings the count to three new pairs of summer woolies.



Pattern: Baby Leggings from Knitter's Almanac (Gotta love EZ!)
Yarn: Patons Classic Merino in camel
Needles: US size 5 circs
Gauge: Between 5 and 5 1/5 stitches per inch
Unstretched measurements: 16" waist, 21" hip (widest part, at last increase), 20" rise. It fits my 14-month-old son perfectly (but with not a whole lot of room to grow, so it would probably fit a younger baby as well).
Mods: Increased the number of stitches set aside for the crotch to 14 front and back; 5 stitches just doesn't seem like enough for an active toddler. Also did just 7 rows of ribbing after dividing for the legs to make shorties instead of longies.

The rise is indeed long, as I've read elsewhere, but I decided to just knit the pattern as written (with the exception of the mods mentioned above) the first time just to see how it turns out. It's really not that long after blocking, and since I used merino, I know it'll shorten some with the felting from regular wear anyway, so I'll probably be thankful for the extra length down the road.

This was a fun and easy pattern, and it turned out really cute. So far I give it a thumbs up, but T hasn't worn it yet. I'm interested to see how it fits and behaves on a babe in action.

Next up: Ottobre in bulky wool (probably for overnight), perhaps a pair of Ladybugz shorties in merino (I had the sudden urge to try something crocheted and bought the pattern last night--we'll see how that goes), and maybe another pair of EZ shorties in merino if I like how this pair fits. I'd also love to do another Curly Purly soaker, and the Tickle Turdle Wrap caught my eye last night. So . . . I have some decisions to make.

Elvish Leaves Dishcloth

The lace pattern of this cloth makes me think of the leaves of Lorien from Lord of the Rings (I'll have to make some cloths in green!). I was tempted to call it the Leaves of Lorien Dishcloth, but the leaves of Lorien in the movies are a slightly different shape (they're lobed instead of ovate). I think this lace looks elvish nonetheless.



Materials
Worsted weight 100% cotton yarn, approximately 2 oz.
US size 7 knitting needles

Finished size: approximately 9" x 9"

Stitches
K=knit
P=purl
YO=yarn over
K2tog=knit 2 stitches together
PSSO=pass slipped stitch over

Cast on 39.

Rows 1–6: Knit across.
Rows 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27: K3, P33, K3.
Row 8: K5, YO, K1, slip 1, K1, PSSO, K3, K2tog, K1, * YO, K1, YO, K1, slip 1, K1, PSSO, K3, K2tog, K1. Repeat from * across to last 5 stitches. YO, K5.
Row 10: K6, * YO, K1, slip 1, K1, PSSO, K1, K2tog, K1, YO, K3. Repeat from * across to last 3 stitches. K3.
Row 12: K7, YO, K1, slip 1, K2tog, PSSO, K1, * YO K5, YO, K1, slip 1, K2tog, PSSO, K1. Repeat from * across to last 7 stitches. YO, K7.
Row 14: K5, K2tog, K1, YO, K3, YO, K1, slip 1, K1, PSSO, * K1, K2tog, K1, YO, K3, YO, K1, slip 1, K1, PSSO. Repeat from * across to last 5 stitches. K5.
Row 16: K4, slip 1, K1, PSSO, K2, YO, K3, YO, K2, * slip 1, K2tog, PSSO, K2, YO, K3, YO, K2. Repeat from * across to last 6 stitches. K2tog, K4.
Row 18: K6, * K2tog, K1, YO, K1, YO, K1, slip 1, K1, PSSO, K3. Repeat from * across to last 3 stitches. K3.
Row 20: K5, K2tog, K1, YO, K3, YO, K1, slip 1, K1, PSSO, * K1, K2tog, K1, YO, K3, YO, K1, slip 1, K1, PSSO. Repeat from * across to last 5 stitches. K5.
Row 22: K4, slip 1, K1, PSSO, K1, YO, K5, YO, K1 * slip 1, K2tog, PSSO, K1, YO, K5, YO, K1. Repeat from * across to last 6 stitches. K2tog, K4.
Row 24: K6, * YO, K1, slip 1, K1, PSSO, K1, K2tog, K1, YO, K3. Repeat from * across to last 3 stitches. K3.
Row 26: K6, *YO, K2, slip 1, K2tog, PSSO, K2, YO, K3. Repeat from * across to last 3 stitches. K3.
Rows 28–47: Repeat rows 8–27.
Rows 48–53: Repeat rows 8–13.
Rows 54–59: Knit across.

Bind off knitwise.

Admire your beautiful new dishcloth and get scrubbing!

© 2007. This pattern is for noncommercial use only. Please do not sell the pattern. Do not post the pattern on the Internet. (You may link to this blog post.)

This is my first attempt at creating a pattern. I hope you enjoy it! (And please let me know if you find any errors--I've knitted it three times as written, but you never know . . .)

EDITED 8/29/07 to correct typos in last 3 lines of pattern.

Shortypants--a bit more detail

At Erin's request, here are a couple of close-ups that show the gusset on the Curly Purly shorties. For some reason, the gusset on these shorties didn't turn out quite as neat as usual. They work fine, so I just try not to look at the gusset too closely. *grin*

Little Angel

I just finished my first project for PAKM. It's a wee burial wrap. I've heard that some people find it too difficult to make burial items for preemies, but for whatever reason, this is something I can do. I did get to me a little when I saw just how tiny the finished wrap is (see the bottom picture with my hand for scale). Once it's folded up it's about eight inches from top to bottom. I can't imagine a baby that tiny.

It's my first attempt, and it's far from perfect, but I hope it will be a blessing to someone who needs it.







Pattern: combo of knit and crochet angel wraps by Aunt B
Yarn: baby acrylic (sport weight) from my charity stash
Needles: US size 8 and crochet hook size G
Mods: knit the wrap and crocheted the head and wings

Ripple Mania

UPDATE: Photo of actual progress as of 5-19-07 (color is more accurate in the photo below)



I've officially jumped on the crochet bandwagon. I'm a joiner, what can I say? (There is some absolutely gorgeous crochet going on out there! Have you seen this and this and this?) Actually, I'm more experienced with crochet than with knitting, so it's kind of fun to get back into it (though I am most certainly a knitting addict now and would definitely call myself a knitter rather than a crocheter).

A while ago, someone gave me a stash of rather hideous acrylic to use for my charity crafting. I've decided to make it into a ripple blanket and donate it to The Snuggles Project. It will be 36" square when it's done--just right for the largest size snuggle (large doggy size, I think). I'm having fun with it, even if the colors are a little funky and some of the yarn is downright gross (man, acrylic was even worse a few decades than it is now--scratchy and plasticky and probably radioactive LOL).

It's gotten quite a bit bigger since I took this picture, but I'm too lazy right now to take a new one. Soon . . .

Dishcloths for Mom

Now that Mother's Day has come and gone, I can post the cloths I made for my mum and mum-in-law.


smariek's Vine Lace Cloth


Rhonda White's DW Cloth


Another DW Cloth


Rhonda White's Three Crosses Cloth

I think they liked them. But will they use them . . .? We'll find out!

Finally Some Finished Items to Share!

I finally have some finished objects that I can share. I've been knitting up a storm lately, but most of it has been for baby gifts or knitting exchanges, so I've been sitting on the pictures until the gifts were given and the exchanges were sent.



Pattern: Baby Bib O Love from Mason Dixon Knitting
Yarn: Sugar and Cream cotton, cream
Needles: US size 4 (two sizes down from pattern recommendation)
Modifications: knit one long strap that buttons at the front




Patterns: Easy Baby Cardigan (pdf) and North Country Cotton Baby Socks (pdf)
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft Shadows, dark moss (it's actually a slightly darker green than the photos show--poor lighting for photography here lately). I'm not crazy about acrylic and usually avoid it, but I just loved this color! I think it will be great whether the baby is a boy or a girl.
Needles: US size 7 circs for the sweater; US size 3 DPNs for the socks
Mods: None for the socks. For the sweater, I knit buttonholes into the edging on the front and sewed on buttons instead of doing ties as the pattern instructs. I also used a provisional cast on for the top of the hood and came back and kitchener grafted the hood together instead of seaming the top. (I would knit both of these patterns again. Love 'em!)
Other comments: The socks seem to run very large. I knit the baby size on size 3 needles (two sizes smaller than recommended), and they still fit my 13-month old son. The sweater should fit around 6-9 months, just in time for cooler weather next fall/winter. Perhaps the baby will have large feet. :-) I figure that even if the socks don't fit at the same time as the sweater, they'll still be cute to wear with another outfit somewhere down the line.



Pattern: Tranquility spa set from Rhonda White's "Spa and Bath Sets to Knit"
Yarn: Sugar and Cream cotton, cream
Needles: US size 5 and 7
Mods: none



Pattern: my own (my first attempt at designing a dishcloth)
Yarn: Sugar and Cream cotton, cream
Needles: US Size 7
Mods: none (since I made up the pattern, I didn't need to modify :-)

Phew! That felt good.

Sockapalooza!

I've started on my Sockapalooza 4 socks. I thought my pal would enjoy some summer-weight socks in fun colors with just a bit of texture. I'm planning a cuff down sock (obviously) with a heel flap and a standard toe. I got the idea for the textured rib here (though I'm making up my own pattern rather than following her pattern, which is toe up with short row heel and toe). I'm using Knitpicks Dancing and US size 0 DPNs. This yarn is knitting up at between 9.5 and10 spi, so it's a good thing I'm getting a jump start. Lots of tiny stitches to knit between now and August!

One Down, One to Go

It fits! It fits!



And the top view . . .



And a closeup of the non-hideousness of the toe:



All I had to do to make it fit was frog my previous attempt and reknit it on size 1 DPNs instead of size 2s. (Yep, I ended up frogging the entire thing--and I'm glad I did.) I like the fabric the 1s make much better too. I'm very happy! Now it just needs a mate, but first I must get a good start on my Sockapalooza 4 socks.

Added 5/4/07:
A few more details on the sock, for those who may be wondering about fit: It's knit over 64 stitches at 8.5 stitches per inch (measured on stockinette), and it fits my size 8 foot, which has an 8.5 inch circumference.

Curly Purly

With warm weather coming, T needs some new soakers, since the soakers I knit him for last summer are now too small. Here's the first of (I hope) six:



Pattern: Curly Purly Soaker (Love it! Wish I hadn't waited till now to try it!)
Needles: US size 3, 5, and 7 circs and DPNs
Yarn: Peace Fleece, sheplova mushroom
Mods: Added one extra short row an inch below the pleated section.