Halcyone's First Sweater!

I started this sweater for Halcyone last Tuesday and finished sewing up the seams today! I love the way it turned out! I picked up the free pattern a little over a year ago at Ben Franklin when I saw the one they had made with some of my favorite yarn. While looking through my stash of yarn last week, I re-found my yellow Lion Brand Recycled Cotton yarn and decided to give it a try. You can still get the Nature Baby Kimono pattern free at Ben Franklin in Redmond, or download it here with a free account.

This is one of the easiest non-scarf knitting patterns I've ever done. The whole thing is made with basic knit and purl stitches, a few easy "make-1" stitches (knit one in front and one in back of the same loop), and knit 2 together stitches. I made the smallest size of the 4 given in the pattern using size 8 straight needles. This took 2 skeins of yarn (didn't use much of the 2nd skein). I think if someone used a smaller size needle for a newborn size that 1 skein would be enough.

Local Yarn Shop Tour 2010

This past Thursday through Sunday was the yarn shop hop in Western Washington. I participated last year, making it to 13 stores. This year, Baby Luce wasn't as excited about visiting yarn shops as I was, even though I promised to find things to make for him/her. I managed to make it to 4 on Thursday, and Tom drove me to 3 more before church on Sunday. There were a few more I would like have made it to, but they were all a significant drive. Making it to my favorite local ones ended up working well! The patterns the shops gave out this year (each shop creates a free one skein project and discounts the yarn they use) were not as impressive as last year. However, I did end up with a super cute crocheted scarf pattern to try.

I found a few projects to start working on in the near future. I'll post again as I finish them, but for now here are the ideas.

This yarn is for a little baby hat. If Baby Luce is a boy, then this hat will have to be a gift for someone else.

I've also recently started following the Spud & Chloë blog and keeping an eye out for their cute patterns and yarn. Hilltop Yarns East in Bellevue happened to have them! The yarn was even their project discounted variety. I picked out this cute polar bear pattern and some blue yarn to make the middle sized teddy out of.

Main Street Yarn in Mill Creek had quite a few samples of baby sweaters knit and displayed around their shop. One of my favorites is found in Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac, which I bought for a good deal.

Lastly I found this un-spun wool at Acorn Street Yarn in Seattle. I've been looking for some for a while to use with Wool Pets, a book my sister got me for Christmas!

Ellie-phant

I made this cute little guy for a cousin of Tom's who is having a baby. I found the pattern on Etsy.com for a very reasonable price and set to work on him! This is one of the faster projects I've knitted recently. I started 2 weeks ago while waiting for my surgery to start (I had to check in about 4 hours early) and finished exactly one week later! It's knit in the round with very basic knit, purl, and increase stitches. I'm already contemplating a color combination for the next one, and have noted a few ways to improve the pattern.

Knitted Newsboy Hat

I bought the pattern for this hat (Hannah Newsboy Hat) on etsy about 2 1/2 months ago. A friend I used to work with at a coffee stand has started her own business creating knitting patterns and knitting hats, mittens, etc. for people. She also recycles yarn and resells it! You should check out her shop, Pepperberry Knits!

I started working on my first hat from this pattern (beanie with scalloped band) a few weeks after purchasing the pattern, but got discouraged after a bad TSA experience. The first time I flew to Virginia with Tom for his job, I got a TSA gal who treated me horribly because I wear an insulin pump. She decided she needed to go through all my bags, testing for explosives. In the process she pulled all 4 needles out of the hat I was working on, and grabbed through the part I'd knitted so far. I took out quite a few rows on the following flight, but didn't pick it up again after that for a couple weeks. I tend to hop around from one project to another rather than just working completely through something. Now it's finished, and I love it!

What Not to Knit... Seriously

So many of you probably know that I'm a sucker for sock monkeys. I searched "sock monkeys" on google images today in an effort to find cute ideas, and thought I'd share some of the funnier pictures that popped up. They made Tom and I double over laughing, so be warned...

Don't worry. I promise never to make either of these!

First Yarn Shop Hop Project

I just finished my first project purchased on the yarn shop hop last week! This was a fairly simple knitting project. It was supposed to be a stockinette knit stitch worked flat and sewn up at the end, but I really don't like purl stitches if I can help it! I used the pattern, but just did it in the round with 4 needles all in a basic knit stitch, and it worked! 

Yarn Shop Hop

Today I visited 9 Seattle area yarn shops as part of the 2009 Local Yarn Shop Hop! I started out close to home in Lake Forest Park, wandered through Seattle, and then back to the Eastside for Bellevue and Issaquah. In the process I explored Phinney Ridge, Wallingford Center, and the Madison Park area; all places I'd never been! It was a challenge to read directions and try to drive at the same time, but it ended well. 

At each participating shop (there are 23!) I received a free crochet and/or knitting pattern for a one skein project. The shops had the yarn they used for their projects on sale, along with daily drawings in each shop. It was fun to see the variety of projects and familiarize myself with some new favorite stores! The free patterns I brought home include, a felted tea cozy (I always thought they were cheesy until I saw this one), several scarves, fingerless mittens, a stuffed octopus, a child's side button sweater, a market bag, and a beret. I think I'm going back to get the yarn for the tea pot cozy tomorrow, and I bought the yarn for the fingerless mittens. 

These bright yarns are for this scarf pattern. 

This is the yarn and tiny #2 sized needles for the fingerless mittens (pattern from Cultured Purls in Issaquah).

I got this yarn to make a baby hat with for an upcoming baby shower.

Here are the shops I visited and my thoughts on them:

1. Village Tea & Yarn, Shoreline - I loved this shop! It was elegant and cheery, plus they serve tea!
2. The Fiber Gallery, Phinney Ridge - This store didn't float my boat. It was a little to homespun and cold for me. 
3. Full Circle Yarn, Ballard - Probably the bottom on my list. Cluttery and old patterns. 
4. Bad Woman Yarn, Wallingford - Loved this one! It was packed full of great yarns and patterns, and the folks running the shop were very helpful and cheery. Lots of crochet patterns.
5. The Weaving Works, U District - Didn't love it or hate it. A large portion of their shop is dedicated to weaving, spinning, and dyeing. 
6. Acorn Street Shop, Ravenna - Didn't love or hate this one either. They have a lot of yarn, and quite a few patterns, but not much for crocheters. 
7. Tricoter Knitting Specialists, Madison Park - This was a nice shop, but very pricey. Most of their yarns were in the $15 - $60 range! Again, not much for someone who crochets.
8. Hilltop Yarn East, Bellevue - I still love this shop! They have a good price range in yarns, and their market bag pattern looks amazing!
9. Cultured Purls, Issaquah - This was also a nice shop, however not many crochet patterns.