Archives for October 2007

Boo! (and Bjork and booties and basses and Baby Surprise Jackets)

This is the first time, in sixteen years of motherhood, that I haven’t made Halloween costumes for my kids.  I wish I’d known last year that Bjork was to be my swan song.  (Sorry, how could I pass up that line?)  Today marks the end of an era for me.  It used to be that October was the busiest month of the year.  Oh, sure I would grumble about the amount of work that those three elaborately sewn costumes would take.   But there is nothing quite like the feeling of satisfaction when they would put them on and my children were transformed into an elephant, white tiger, cow, Dorothy, the Tin Man, a unicorn, a dragon, a "pretty witch", a fairy,  an alchemist, an Elizabethan lady of the court or a lovely pair of kimono clad Japanese girls.  To mention a few.

 

I guess this leaves me time to knit for future trick or treaters.  The Baby Surprise Jacket is done, along with a matching pair of Saartje’s Booties.  If there is time I may make a mini Zeebee.

Sorry for the picture heavy post.  I had a little too much fun taking photographs of these diminutive items.  I love how tiny the booties are on the bass.

To think that my sweet son was once small enough to fit into these little shoes.  Now he manages the giant bass with confidence and ease.   It is all a bit much for a nostalgic mother reminiscing of Halloweens past.

I’m really pleased with the way the shell buttons pick up the colors of the yarn.

The stretchy garter stitch of the BSJ will accommodate a chubby baby belly quite nicely.

Baby Surprise Jacket

Pattern:  BSJ by the Talented Mrs.  Zimmermann of course.
Yarn:  Zitron Life  Style, Color 1864, 2 balls (I’ve got the third ball left over, does anyone want to swap something for it?)
Needles:  Addi Lace US size 4 (3.5 mm)

Saartje’s Booties

Pattern:  Saartje’s Booties available for free here.
Yarn:  Blue Moon Fiber Arts, Socks That Rock Medium Weight, Color: Blue Moonstone
Needles:  Addi Lace, 2.5mm

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

When your mother is a knitter, and you happen to mention that you like handknit hats, you may eventually begin to feel like a certain Dr. Seuss character. 

If this knitting mother has a few hours, while she’s sitting in a Long Island amusement park listening to your sister sing, she might just grab some yarn and needles and make you another hat.   This will only serve to heighten the feeling that you live in the Kingdom of Didd.

Given your abundance of hats, you might get a little pouty because your school’s dress code doesn’t let you wear your hats all day long.  Some of those classrooms are a little chilly in the morning, you know.

Links Hat

Yarn:  Autunno Di.Ve, 100% Merino, Color #31208 & 34048  – Purchased at Modern Yarn.
I cannot sing the praises of this yarn loudly enough.  It is just about the softest thing I’ve knit with, and the colors are gorgeous.  I don’t think the photos shows it very well but the colors very subtly change, from light to dark, warm to cool.

Pattern:  None, I made it up as I went along.  I didn’t have any graph paper with me, so this one was really knit on the fly.  I cast on 80 stitches.

Needles:  Addi Turbo, US 9 (5.5 mm)

Thanks for all of your kind comments on the photo of myself in the last post.  I wasn’t really looking for compliments, but it sure was nice. 

The above photo beautifully illustrates why I always have my daughters model.  Ugh!  The hair so overdue for a cut and color, the day-glow zit on the chin, and my posture which makes me look pregnant, not a bit of this is good.  (The lump in the front is the belt and not my stomach!) Hopefully I can distract you from the uglies with my new Turbulent Indigo.  Doesn’t it look nice with my coat?

It is much better posed with the leaves.

Or a closeup where you can’t see my nastiness.

Turbulent Marble

Pattern:  Turbulent Indigo (go to Ravelry for the pattern)
Yarn:  Noro Silk Garden, Color #269, 3 skeins
Needles:  US 9 (5.5mm)  Knitpicks Options with a 60″ cable
Notes:  I added 4 extra repeats of the stitch pattern, that fact along with the heavier gauge of the Silk Garden made this scarf much longer than the original.  I love wrapping it around and around my neck.  My new scarf will keep me really warm this winter.

I just can’t resist.  These guys are so very, very cute. . .

And him.

I wanted to take this fella home with me.

So I had to satisfy myself with a bit of fiber.

I didn’t buy a single yard of yarn.  Just lots and lots of the fluffy stuff.
My girls spent the day looking for angora rabbits, begging me to buy one for them,  and eating cotton candy while giggling about how much it looked like roving.

My mom wants to learn to spin now.  She even bought her first roving.
A good time was had by all.

On an unrelated topic, I finished my second Turbulent Indigo in the Noro from my last post.  It is currently pinned out on my bedroom floor.  Once it dries I’ll post photos. 

A reader found an error in the Turbulent Indigo pattern.  (Thanks Carol)  I have corrected it so if you downloaded the pattern before today you may want to get the new copy.  And speaking of errors, there were two typos in the title of my last post.  Sheesh!  I guess I’d better stop getting up at 5:30 to knit.  I may be a little sleep deprived. . .