Week 1- A week of SNOW!

Well, our first "big" snowstorm of 2011. A full 12-15 inches of snow. It wouldn't be complete without one incident of getting stuck in the snow by me on my way home from work last night and then getting bailed out by my husband, friendly neighbor and dad:) The kids had a great time this morning! It is so nice to be forced to remember how much fun it is to be so young and be able to just enjoy all of this snow with no worries. So in a blog of handmade things, I think it is only right to include Frosty the jolly snowman!


This week I had a realization...that the Apricot Jacket was not all it was cracked up to be for me. It was started at a time in my life (when C had just been born) in which I was just getting back into knitting. Apricot Jacket was a WONDERFUL journey for me in the sense that it brought back so many techniques and got me back into the knitting world. For this, it was all worth it.
However, when picking it back up to seam it, it was clear that after seaming together the first sleeve and shoulder that it wasn't going fit this body at all. In fact, I wasn't super happy with the way things were coming together. I made the tough decision to frog it. In a time in which I have so many projects to finish...it wasn't worth it to continue :(
So goodbye friend!


Now onto my handmade item of the week. I decided that to work on some baby bibs for all of those wonderful beings that are about to enter this world! We are super excited for so many of our friends to add to their families! This item is a work in progress, these are the beginning results!
The pattern is based off of on from ChickPea Studio with some tweaking, including enlarging the bib a little and changing the neck hole a bit. Loved the idea! I chose terry cloth for the back but I think I would stick to flannel in the future. I also would choose less of a pattern for the front so the embroidery shows up a little better. I know it is hard to see, but it says "I am a material girl" (just like my mom). This bib happens to be for a friend that is a fellow sewer. I LOVED embroidering and hope to to tons more with it. I am again super lucky to have my mom as the expert as some of the things that she has done are AMAZING!!! (I will try to get pictures later) I also have tons of ideas for these bibs, so be on the lookout for future bib creations....

So Its Been a Long Time...Lots To Do

All right, so it has been forever since I posted. A lot has been going on. Baby C started solids last week, she stopped breastfeeding, I started working again, and I have a ton of knitting projects to work on.
First and foremost, Apricot Jacket. I have finished the back, one sleeve, and the left front. Here she is so far:There a couple of flaws, but I think it is more of my own perfectionism and really unnoticeable. I have been jotting down some comments about the pattern, so I will post them when I finish. I have started the right front and so then I will only have a sleeve left. I do have to say that it is a really quick knit. I can't wait to finish it.

The other project I worked on was a sweater that I began knitting for Baby C almost a year ago. It was supposed to be the sweater she came home from the hospital....BUT...I never finished it in time and good thing because it never would have fit her. Now it is done and it fits. I think we will have a few more cool days that she can wear it. Here it is:

Pattern: Cashmere Sweater from Simple Knits for Cherished
Babies by Erika Knight
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran
Needle Size: 8
Start to Finish: You don't want to know

Next project is a pair of socks that I started with a mock cable pattern and Tofutsies yarn. It is a soy silk yarn and I am in love with it.
I also just received Knitting Without Tears and Knitter's Almanac in the mail the other day and I am so excited to start the February Baby Sweater. I just love reading Elizabeth Zimmerman. I have to admit, I have never been the best at figuring things out on my own and I am hoping that by trying these Elizabeth patterns will help me to really learn the art of knitting. Don't get me wrong...I feel like I can conquer just about any pattern, but, I want to really know what I am doing and why I am doing it. That being said, I was at The Lamb's Wool today for the first time in a long time. I bought a bunch much to my husband's dismay. For the February Baby Sweater, I bought Reynold's Soft Sea Wool in a rose color. It feels so nice knit up. I also bought a couple skeins of this for a pair of socks. Then I bought some bamboo to make a combination knit/fabric dress for Baby C. Also, some Stork yarn to make a cardigan for Baby C's baptism gown for May 27th...better get on that. So, I continued my bad habit...to buy much more than I can chew.

To the back...

So, I finished sleeve one and the ribbing on the back and now I am to the pattern. I know, I know, it has been slow. My only excuse is the fact that my 3 month old daughter still wakes up 7-8 times a night and I am now and anxious wreck and exhausted which makes it hard for me to concentrate. So there it is, my pity party. I am done now. The sleeve went well. I am enjoying the yarn for the most part. I can't wait to put it on to see the fit. I think that it will be a nice weight for spring/summer if it ever gets here (it has been 40 degrees the last couple of days and things aren't looking up). The back is going well too. My camera is downloading pics right now to add to the 800 we already have of our daughter, haha, so I will put a picure up when it is finished.
The other new is that I think I am going to start the sweater on the front of the Interweave Knits Spring issue soon. I have decided to use Shine from Knitpicks. I got a color card of them the other day and it feels super nice, so I can't wait to knit with it. I am hoping the sweater looks as good on me as on the model although I am sure it won't work out that way, that is why they are models right?

Apricot Jacket...the first night

So, I have finished the first night of the Apricot Sweater. It did not go as smoothly as I would have liked. Mostly because I have a 3 month old baby who doesn't take naps anywhere but my arms and doesn't sleep for more than 2 hours at a time at night. Any suggestions? I am pretty exhausted. Anyway, I finished a little bit of the sleeve:

It isn't too bad. I am sure that it isn't perfect, but I like the feel of the yarn. I am knitting in Cotton Fleece on size 7 needles. I decided to do a sleeve first (thanks to Goodkarma) so I could get the diagonal pattern down. I am glad I did because I definitley started over once or twice. I also took down the amount of ribbing...I am pretty short, so I am just assuming that the sleeves will be way to long. Well, I am happy with it so far. It seems like it will be a pretty quick knit. I am liking the pattern, it keeps it interesting. Now I just have to finish it in time to wear it for spring.

The Start of the Apricot Jacket...dun dun dun

All right, so I have started the Apricot Jacket. I know that I am a little behind on this craze, but I have seen the FO on so many blogs and it looks just gorgeous on everyone and seems like a bit of a challenge. Well, I got my Rebecca 27 magazine from Yarnmarket the other day in the mail. I had some Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in cream in my yarn stash from years ago that wants so badly to be used and so now I am ready to go. Everything that I have read about the pattern says that it is quite confusing so I have decided to do my research before jumping in. So, thanks to all of the knitting blogs who have posted their hints, they are certainly coming in handy. I started one of the sleeves last night and I think that I have already messed up the pattern, so I am heading for the graph paper to map it out. I will keep you posted. Here I go!