And how is the knit wearing?

When I saw how large Linus is on Miss T, I started thinking about all the other things I knitted for her.
Some are getting a lot of wear, while others are buried in the back of her wardrobe.
I tend to knit cardigans because I think they are easier to take on and off. But she will keep a sweater on while a cardigan is sometimes soon ditched somewhere.
Betty (ravlery link) knit in Mission Falls 1824 Cotton has seen a lot of wear. She likes wearing the jumper and it's nice and warm. In the winter for inside and in Spring/ Autumn as outerwear.
Betty was knit in size 24 months. I would say a great result. Size wise, wearing wise and washing.

The Debbie Bliss Ballet Top (ravelry link) is knit in Baby Cashmerino. The size is supposed to be 6-9months.
The only short thing are the sleeves.
Otherwise it finally fits her. I would put this top on her occasionally and it would not sit right on her. We always ended up taking it off. Maybe now she can finally wear it, maybe over a summer dress. I have washed it a few times and it still looks great.
Frou Frou (Ravelry Link) is another knit done in ballet style. I love dressing her in this. But it's another thing she tends to take off soon.
Maybe I like the ballet style more than she does. This on was done in 18-24months and I think there is still some growing room. Hopefully she will get more wear out of this in the summer. This too has seen a lot of washing and is looking great.
The Pinwheel (ravelry link) has been buried and forgotten in the wardrobe.
She has never worn it until today.
It was way to big on her when I knit it. To much bulk under her arms and the sleeves had to be almost doubled up.
It's a perfect fit. Shame it has been forgotten, I can only hope she will love it and wear it a lot from today.
She was really happy to use my kilt pin (from my Lara). So far she is wearing it and loving it.
Miss T has greatly enjoyed doing a little fashion show. There was a lot of silly posing.
Other knits that have seen a lot of wear and some tear are both knit blankets. One cardigan that has seen lots of wear is Stripes (Ravelry link). It has seen a lot of wear and has washed very well. It has reached the end and can't be given to another child. I have given a lot of her hand knits away to younger girls.
I have three things on the needles at the moment. Two are for Miss N. I am really happy she wants me to knit for her. The third is my own design. But I think by the time it's finished, it will be for somebody else.

Linus

Linus is done.
It looks stunning in real life.
I had bought the kit at the Knitting and Stitching show way back in October 2009.
The pattern is written for three sizes 1-2 years, 4years and 6years.
Miss T was almost 2 1/2 years old when I bought the kit.
Her age was the main reason for not starting this earlier.
The knitting was started in September 2010, I needed a nice easy project to take on a weekend away.
What could be easier than just garter stitch.


The construction did take me a while to figure out. The jacket is knit in one go but in two halves.
It starts with the middle back, bottom left sides border and button band. Yes all in one go. Almost 300 stitches.
Not exactly easy knitting in the car. I don't know who long it took me to cast on. And count and count the stitches.
Once I got the hang of the pattern, it really is an easy knit. The yarn is a very thin Shetland yarn, which is also very scratchy.
I washed the finished jacket and it has become a lot softer. I really hope she will wear it, once it is going to fit her properly. Maybe in a year or two.
I did run into troubles with the pattern. I believe there is a mistake in the pattern. With the stripe sequence. To keep the stitch count correct, I had to knit more stripes than the pattern tells me.
It would also have been better with an extra button hole at the bottom. I can see myself knitting this again with different yarn. I now know how it's done.

Another small project

What to you get somebody who's just had a baby, if you only know them a little bit?
Right, something small and hand knit.
I still have a lot of Lang yarns Bebe in my stash. It's all leftover yarn I did not use when I was knitting for my Miss T.
I had a lot of projects I wanted to knit for her and in the end I only did one jumper.
That heart jumper has seen a lot of wear. It may even still fit her. She wore it a lot last winter.
It has survived a lot of washes and is wearing well.
The Bebe yarn is a Swiss classic. It does seem very thin, thinner than regular 4ply. It is super wash - a perfect choice for a busy Mum.
The pattern is from a Lang pattern book I had bought some time back in 1994.
I have never knitted a pair of traditional baby booties. The pattern has some flowers on it, but I knit them just in one colour. They are for a little baby boy.
The pattern is written in three languages, German, French and English. I was following both German and English instructions but then was wondering if there are differences. In the end I stuck to German.
At the moment I am busy finishing Linus and planning my next project for Miss N. I have not knit something for her in a long time.
It will be part of 12in2011. I have taken the 9 balls of Jaeger Matchmaker Chunky and the Debbie Bliss Glen book out. The husband really likes the yarn but he doesn't wear wool. Anyway, 9 balls would never be enough to knit something for him.

More last years knitting

I have been thinking, what did I knit the last few months?
I know that I knit on my own design until we went on holiday end of October and alternated that with Linus.
I knit an Iphone cover in one afternoon. It's in constant use since then.
I started a pair of socks on Holiday. It's the only knitting I took with us to Florida.

The socks were finally finished yesterday. I knit almost one sock in Florida, the second sock was done in Switzerland. Silly me had forgotten the book and I could not remember how I did the cast off.
It's my first successful pair of socks knit from the toe up.
I used the book by Wendy D. Johnson and her plain sock pattern.
The yarn is from my LYS, it's Regia Kaffe Fassett
in colour Exoctic Pool.
While in Switzerland I had to kit Miss T out in a new coat, winter boots etc. She has actually grown and last years coat(s) are all to small.
I visited my friend in her home town and she took me to her local supermarket. I could not believe my eyes when she showed me the yarn section. I knew the department store has yarn but was surprised to find it in the supermarket.
Well I bought some lovely red yarn and some matching fancy yarn to knit a scarf to go with the new coat. I got her a fleece hat with it. It was cold and I wanted her head covered.
The yarn is a lovely DK Merino. I really liked knitting with it. Somebody seems to have issues with itchiness. Sometimes she will wear the scarf other times she won't.
I did finish the baby blanket. Hopefully my friend Johanne will have her baby in the next few days. I really hope all goes well and we will meet her baby soon.

Last season

As my first project for 12in2011 is a gift I feel I should not blog about it.
A little look back is in order, way back in 2009, Miss T and I visited Ally Pally in October.
I bought the Hanne Falkenberg Linus kit there.
I started knitting on this in Sept. 2010. It is all knit in Garter stitch. The whole garment is done almost in one piece. It has taken me a while to get to grips with the pattern. I still believe that there is a mistake somewhere with the stripe sequence.
I am knitting it for age 4. We have put half the garment (left side) on Miss T and it is huge on her. All there is left to knit is the right sleeve and collar. Have a look at all the other Linus's on Ravelry.
My Christmas Knitting for 2010 was reduced to three scarfs.
My local yarn store is selling Rico Yarns now.


I saw the owner knit a scarf in store. I bought one ball and got knitting. It is not the easiest of knits. Somehow it did not agree with my continental style of knitting and I had to knit the English way. There is great instruction video on YouTube.
I first knit the purple, then the gray and the green one last.
All three ladies are very pleased with their gift. Most could not believe it's a handknit.
I put myself in a bit of a deadline. I gave the purple and gray one to friends in Switzerland and had to finish the gray one in time before going home. Otherwise I would have had to post it back to Switzerland.
I am holding a bit of a destash on ebay. So far I managed to put one item on.

12 in 2012

Happy New Year!!!!

This morning I came across another blog. I had a closer look on ravelry and thought it's a great idea.
Why not decide now on 12 projects for 2011.
Surely after a bad year like 2010 even I can knit and finish 12 projects using stash yarn.
I also like the look of the ravelry group dedicated to 12 in 2011.
My first project is one I started about a week ago. It's a blanket. I won't say more at the moment. My friends baby is due in about 3-4 weeks and the blanket should be ready by then. The yarn is my favourite baby yarn, Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. Of course also the pattern is by her.


Next up, in no particular order.
6 Balls of Louisa Harding DK yarn, I want to knit something for Miss T. I am sure I have enough yarn and will find a pattern soon.
Then there are 6 balls of Rowan Denim. It was a free gift a few years ago. I want to design a jacket for Miss T. I have something in mind, but I don't know if it will work.
I have 9 balls of Jaeger Matchmaker Chunky. I originally wanted to knit a cowl with it. But the one I have in mind only needs 6 balls. I may look at patterns again. Or knit the cowl plus matching mitts.
The Cotton Ease yarn has been bought to knit Them Apples.

There are three projects earmarked for myself. One is Claude knit with 10 balls of Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora. Year ago I bought 15 balls of Rowan 4ply Cotton to knit Martha with beads. There could be enough yarn to knit 2!
In the last July sales I splashed out for 15 balls of Rowan Classic Cashsoft Aran. I want to knit Nantucket with it, but I hope I have enough yarn to knit longer sleeves.
My three skeins of lovely sock yarn are waiting to be knit up into Ishbel or even a pair of socks.

Last up are my four skeins of Lamb's Pride worsted. Originally this was bought to knit something for Miss N, well as there are only four it will have to be knit for Miss T. I want to knit an Aran but I have not come found an ideal pattern.
Anybody got some ideas?

All this yarn should keep me busy in 2011.
I have great hopes that this new year will be a better one.
Husband will find a job and earn some money - again. It has been nice to have him around, but I think even he is ready to get back to work.
Our biggest worry at the moment is his Mum and my Dad, both have been diagnosed with cancer. Both are receiving treatment and we have high hopes that both will be around for a long time.
Both our daughters are growing up fast. Miss N has just turned 13. She is now officially a teenager. We have now become parents that stay up late to go and pick up their teenager from parties or school do's.
Miss T is getting bigger, she still has her dairy allergy. I think we have it under control. We are always looking for new recipes.