Bella Knitting

Mushbrain

Sarah

I have a serious case of mushbrain. It's terrible -- I try to play sudoku, and it's taking me about twice as long as usual to finish a puzzle (when I can finish them). I try to read through my blogs (over 130 in my Bloglines, and counting) and I can barely focus. Normally I am a regular commenter, but lately the effort of even putting together a coherent sentence as simple as "nice socks!" has eluded me.

The project above is a Bella non-garter Log Cabin baby blanket -- the Honey Comb stitch version in three colors (cream, sky blue, and navy.) I started it thinking it might make good "hospital knitting" for while I'm in labor, but now I'm starting to think I might finish it before I even go into labor. It's perfect mushbrain knitting -- there's enough going on to keep me interested, but it's still simple enough that my hands can work on autopilot most of the time. It's about all I can handle right now, and it's perfect.

The mushbrain, I believe, is all little dude's fault. He is smugly comfortable right where he is, and he is not going to budge anytime soon. In the meantime, I am getting very little sleep, and even less quality sleep. I know, I know, this is supposed to be some sort of hazing ritual so that I will be prepared for the interrupted nights when little dude actually arrives, but I will happily trade this pre-baby sleep for post-baby sleep -- at least being awakened by a crying baby isn't physically painful. Being awakened by intense "practice" contractions, leg cramps, backaches, and heartburn is.

Overall, I'm not nervous about labor and delivery -- not because I am expecting it to be easy, but because I know it will be difficult. I can deal with that. One thing I'm a little concerned about, however, is just how "little" little dude is going to end up being. A quick look at family history suggests he'll be at least an 8-pounder. Jason was 8lbs at birth, I was 8lbs 13oz, and -- just to get a sense of what the upper limit might be -- my brother weighed a staggering 10lbs, 10oz. Any guesses? Leave yours in the comments -- just as with the due date guesses, I'll award whoever is closest with a gift of something nifty from my stash.

Next on the Needles

Laura

Knitters, like yarn, come in all shapes and sizes. While our styles and skills are as varied as we are, it is our approach to knitting that fascinates me this day. What is it that attracts us to our next project? With so many choices where do we start and how do we decide? While difficulty of this decision leads many of us down that deep dark path to excess stash, we do somehow manage to put that next project on needles.

Although at times we may choose to savor the decision process, your well-trained brain is capable of sorting through many factors in the blink of an eye. Are you driven by style or comfort, things trendy or classic, inspired first by yarn or pattern, everyday items or those for special occasions, in colors that are bright or subtle, stitches that are intricate or simple, gifts for others or for yourself, the hottest trend or something unique, hand dyed or uniform, using new skills or recurring favorites, finishing with speed or with patience.  Finally, is your project functional or whimsical? It there true purpose to your knitting or it the process itself enough?

The wonderful thing about knitting is that we can change the criteria from project to project depending on our mood, time allowed or our own growth as a knitter.  And should our initial decision lead us astray, we can even (with a sigh, a deep breath and nice glass of wine) frog our entire project and transform it into something completely different.

Take a minute to reflect on what it is that attracts you to a project. Are you consistent or do you make different choices for each project? How happy are your with your decisions in the past and how might you change them for tomorrow’s projects? What kind of knitter are you?

This definitely whimsical tiny beaded purse is a generous gift from our friend Robin.

Baby Pants Pattern

Sarah

*Update* If you like these baby pants, you will be happy to know that we have created a new version of the pattern with more sizes, directions for an optional picot edging, a schematic, and handy tips. This new version is available here in the Bella store, where you can purchase the pattern alone, or as a complete project. We have two great yarn options for the project: Cascade Pima Tencel, a super-soft cotton with a slight sheen, or Karabella Aurora 8, a plump and squooshy washable wool available in a plethora of beautiful shades.

Pattern

You will need approximately 200 yards of any soft yarn you like which makes a nice squooshy fabric when knit at 5 stitches to the inch. (I used yarns labeled as "aran" weight and knit them a little tighter than the gauge on the label, which was around 4.5 st/1" for each of the yarns I used.) I've put in lots of links to helpful tutorials in case you haven't come across some of these techniques  before, or if you might just need a refresher.

Size: approximately 16" circumference at waist, 10" long
Gauge: 5 st/1" on size 5 needles or size needed to get gauge
Needles: set of 5 DPNs in size needed to get gauge

These pants are worked in the round, with a folded hem at the top for a drawstring closure and shaping across the backside to make room for the diaper. The cuffs of the pants are also worked with a folded hem, to match the top of the pants. The pocket is worked separately, then sewn on later.

Hem
CO 80 st using waste yarn and provisional crochet cast on (our tutorial is here), change to main yarn. Join to work in the round. Round begins at side of waist.
Knit 6 rounds
Purl 1 round (turning round)
Knit 2 rounds
Knit 17, yo, ssk, k2, k2tog, yo, knit to end of round. (This forms the eyelets you will later pull the drawstring through.)
Knit 2 rounds
“Unzip” provisional cast on, holding live stitches on a smaller circular needle or flexible holders, then fold over the hem at the purl ridge and join the sides of the hem together in the next round by knitting together one stitch from each needle until all stitches have been worked (because of the nature of the knit stitch, there may be only 79 live stitches from the provisional cast-on side – this is fine, if this is the case simply knit the last stitch plain.) The eyelets will be at the center of the front of the pants.

Waist
Continue in stockinette stitch (knit every round) for 5 rounds, then work increase round as follows:
Knit across 40 stitches (front of pants), k1, M1, k to 1 stitch from end of round, M1, k1.  Repeat this increase round every 6th round 3 more times for a total of four increase rounds (88 stitches.) Continue in st st until work measures 5" from turning round (purl round) of hem, then work decrease round as follows: Knit across 40 stitches (front of pants), ssk, k to 2 st from end of round, k2tog. Repeat this decrease round every round a further 3 times for a total of four decrease rounds (80 st). Knit 20 stitches, place next 40 stitches on a holder. You are now ready to begin working the first pant leg.

Legs
40 of your stitches are on a holder. The other 40 live stitches will be used to work the first (right) leg. Using the working yarn, which should be at the center front of your work (remember, the eyelets are at the center front) CO 4 stitches using the backwards loop method, and join to work the 44 live stitches in the round (the 4 stitches you have just cast on will form the crotch seam). Continue in stockinette stitch in the round (knit every round) for 4 ½” or desired length of leg. Purl one round (this is the turning round for the cuff of the pant leg) then work a further 5 rounds in stockinette stitch. Bind off using the suspended bind off method. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail for seaming the hem of the leg.

To work the second (left) leg, rejoin the yarn at the center front of the work. (If you leave a long tail, you can use it to sew the crotch seam later.) Knit 40 stitches, then CO 4 stitches using the backwards loop method and join to work these 44 live stitches in the round. Continue to match first leg.

Drawstring
Using two of your DPNs or a single circular needle, CO 3 stitches and work an i-cord long enough to thread through hem and tie at waist, about 32" or desired length. (To work an i-cord, knit your stitches, then -- never turning your work -- slide them down the needle to knit them on the following row, pulling the yarn tight across the back. Repeat ad infinitum.)

Pocket
CO 12 stitches. Work in st st for 12 rows, then bind off. Sew three sides of pocket to pant leg. To work pocket flap, pick up 12 stitches (Knitty tutorial here) above pocket.
Row 1 (WS) k2, p8, k2
Row 2 (RS) k across       
Repeat these two rows to close to desired length of flap, knit 3 rows (garter stitch), bind off. You may wish to tack down the top of the sides of the flap, so that it will appear to lay flat over the pocket.

Finishing
Fold down seams on pant cuffs at purl ridge. Whip stitch hem to inside of pant cuffs. Thread drawstring through eyelets on waist hem (the easiest way to do this is to thread a tapestry needle or large safety pin onto one of the yarn tails on the i-cord, then push this through an eyelet and around the hem.) Sew crotch seam. Weave in all ends. Block if desired.

More pictures here! Making a pair? We'd love to see a photo! Email completed project photos to laura@bellaknitting.com and we'll put them in our blog gallery.

Settling In

Laura

How long can you say you are "new" to an area? We are about to pass our fourth year here in California, so I can’t really say “we just moved here” any longer, although it still feels like it. Roads, towns and even entire areas are still unknown to me.  As you spend longer periods of time it becomes more difficult to answer the question "where are you from?” I still say New York, but I found it interesting that my kid’s response recently changed from Chicago to California.

The look back prompted me to review my knitting history as it related to the various moves.

Connecticut: I was living in Stamford when I first started knitting again, influenced by my friend Frances and new mother and grandmother-in laws, both of whom knit. The concept of a LYS was completely foreign. If there was a knitting store in our area I certainly did not know about it.

Chicago:  Knitting took the back seat for a year or two after our move “out west” (that’s a New Yorker’s view of Chicago!) with a 1 month and 18 month old – I’m sure you can understand why. I can still remember the true feeling of homecoming I felt when walking into my very first knitting store in downtown Naperville one blustery Midwest day. I truly felt more at peace just walking in the door. I bought a Minnow Knits pattern for Jaclyn that I promptly revised (see photos). Sweaters in those days were the name of the game. Not too many scarves, and the idea of a novelty yarn was still in the future.

California: Moving disrupted my knitting a bit, but stash held me over. After several months I heard about store on a yet-unexplored side street right in my new hometown! My joy was immense. I stayed for three hours my first visit and only left because school was getting out. This store was the true incarnation of the Local Yarn Shop – friendly, informative, full of luscious yarn and knitting customers. This community of knitters is definitely my favorite find in California.

Notes on the sweater:
This unknown cotton yarn was a big change for me after all that mohair. As a cross stitcher I wanted to play with color and texture. I used Garter and Seed stitches and experimented with the impact of twisted stitches (knit through back loop) in the body and at the shoulder. The fish was duplicate stitched and was an interesting endeavor since I did not yet understand the variation in stitch and row gauge. You might also notice the issues related to intartia and garter stitch. C'est la vie. My daughter loved it and I had fun.

Baby Pants Rock

Sarah

The baby pants have become a bit of an obsession. After making the first pair (far left), I bought a couple balls of yarn for a second pair at an LYS, where I ran into Nona, who made some baby pants herself recently. I told her my idea for a "cargo pants" version with a little pocket, and promised I'd show her how they came out (center). I am as surprised as anyone that I moved this quickly from concept to execution, but when a knitting obsession hits me, it hits hard.

The third pair (right) on the needles is coming out nicely. I bought the yarn for those on a little LYS jaunt this weekend with Jennifer. This was the first time I met Jennifer in "real life" and we had a great time hanging out -- we even bought the same yarn for the same project at Amazing Yarns. The shop is tucked away up in the hills, in a gorgeous house in a very pretty, woodsy neighborhood. They carry all sorts of yarns and fiber from small-production spinners and dyers -- stuff you just don't see anywhere else. The yarn we bought (for a really cute fitted jacket designed by one of the shop's owners) is a beautiful marled alpaca -- Jennifer got some in a beautiful varigated purple, and I got the same stuff in brown. I'll be sure to post a picture when I wind it -- it's lovely.

In the meantime, I'll be knitting away on more baby pants. Here is a more detailed shot of the tan "cargo pants." I'm refining the design as I knit the third pair (it's been hard to decide the best way to shape the pants to make room for diapers), but when I'm done in a couple of days I'll share it as a free pattern.

As I knit, I keep mentioning to Jason how SOFT and CUTE these pants are, and how much little dude will JUST LOVE wearing them. I'm hoping little dude will overhear these conversations, become curious about these wonderful pants he's heard so much about, and decide it's time to come on out so he can try them on. So far, no luck -- but if you want to guess little dude's birthday-to-be, you can do so here. I'm hoping it will be soon. After all, I need someone to model these pants!

Get Stitchy Bathmat 5: Finished Object!

Laura

Look what’s hanging out in my bathroom! I really had fun with this project and am glad that all the planning worked out. Pretty much anyway. The finished size is 15” x 23”.

So what is this ‘stitch’? It’s another one of our Tunisian Knitting projects. You may have first seen this technique when Sarah took photos of her pillow. We love Tunisian Knitting a.k.a. Tunisian Crochet. It combines the two crafts and doesn’t look like either. It’s fun and easy to learn. I think it may be the perfect first craft for young crafters. Even my non-knitting daughter Jaclyn is trying a scarf in her school colors.

The original purpose of Tunisian Knitting was as a base for Victorian cross stitch - so that's just what I did. It even gave me the chance to teach Jaclyn cross stitch; she did the 'H'. As always click on the photo for a better look.

It should not be a surprise to anyone that has seen our knit purses that I lined the back of the bathmat too. What can I say - I like structure. In this case it was to prevent slipping. Latch hook rug mesh gave the mat some nice shape and weight  but was still slippery so I added a bit of shelf liner rubber as well; a bit unconventional but really practical. I like the contemporary twist on this traditional craft.

Personally, I vote 'thumbs up' on making this a Bella project. Good idea? My mind is already racing ahead...  fish, foot prints, a small rug for my mother-in-law's D-O-G, .... looks like we'll need some test knitters then we can get it up on the web.

Empty Nest Syndrome

Laura

No I haven’t shipped the kids off to boarding school. I have mailed my camera to the Canon Factory Repair Center to see if it can be fixed. Thanks to those who made comments on warranty – I would have probably just written the whole thing off. I'm still not sure it is covered by the 'limited' warranty but it is worth a shot. It was surprisingly hard for me to pack up the camera – I use it just about every day for family and blog items and it does still take photos as long as I keep it on automatic - but that is what got me into the "no depth of field" issue in the first place, so off it went. I will have two long weeks without it... not sure how I will survive.

As an example of how the camera was operating, here are some shots of my finished Get Stitchy bathmat. I set the camera on manual and tried to guess how much light was needed. This one is to little, this one is too much and this one is just right – oh sorry, the 'just right' photo is for Monday’s post, so you will just have to wait and see!

A New Addition to the Family

Sarah

No, the title of this post is not referring to the little dude -- he remains reluctant to make an appearance. The addition I'm referring to is a new car! Jason and I have been talking about getting a new car for a while, as part of our preparations for Operation Impending Baby, and we finally got around to it.

Maybe it's a little weird, but I gave my old car a name -- Conrad (after the author Joseph Conrad) -- and I decided that I'm going to name the new Prius "Zim." No literary allusions this time, instead, I'm going to name my car after a cartoon character. I could say something about how the slightly futuristic look of the car made me think of this odd little cartoon alien invader, but mainly it's just a fun name to say. (Try it: "Ziiiiim!" Fun, huh?)

Even though I've been having fun playing with the car, I've also found some time to knit -- and I finally ended my baby-knitting hiatus. Robin gave me several balls of Debbie Bliss cotton denim aran a while back, and I decided to use it to make some cute little baby pants.

I was in the mood for something simple, so I cast on and winged it, and things worked out perfectly. I even added some short rows to the backside to add a little extra room for a diaper. Aside from the short rows and the garter stitch cuffs, this was all stockinette in the round -- it doesn't get much simpler than that.

The 10th Commandment

Laura

Thou shalt not covet:
1.    your neighbor’s stash
2.    your friend’s new hand died sock wool
3.    the cashmere in your LYS
4.    the perfect tension of other knitters
5.    your partner’s new camera.

I couldn’t decide on the title of this post… “be careful what your wish for” was the other option. I had best explain the whole sorry story.

I love a beautiful photograph and consider Sarah’s pictures one of my favorite parts of this blog. I feel that if I concentrated hard enough I could reach in and touch her images . I have mentioned previously the hierarchy of our photography skills, my lamentable lack of “depth of field” and yes, sometimes even . . .  overexposure. There I said it. And so, I confess, I found myself envious of Sarah’s camera, the bond she formed with her new lens, and the beautiful photos she takes.  I try not to sigh when I compare her photo of spring flowers to mine.

Just maybe, I thought to myself, if a new driver can fix my husband’s golf swing then a new camera could improve my pictures! I even joked over Easter vacation that I would let my kids use my camera so I could blame them if it broke and mommy ‘had to’ buy a new one. Don’t worry, I didn’t. My camera is only four months old after all.  And if, as parents, we are going to set boundaries and establish priorities for our kids we need to be able to lead by example.  Right?  Right.  And so I thought only of the benefits of my lightweight, functional and perfectly capable camera as I took vacation photos all week.  This picture may not be of yarn but it was a big influence on the project I am now test knitting.  It's at the beach in Del Mar on a very windy day.

This morning when I took the camera out of my carry on bag and turned it on there was a big black blob in the middle of the viewing window and jagged cracks emanating out from the center of said black splotch. At first I thought one of the kids took a picture of a weird spider.  It was only on closer inspection that I realized the ugly truth – somehow, without any conscience effort or intentional ill-will, I broke the very camera I had just promised to love, honor and cherish until death or new technology do us part. 

The camera will still take pictures; I just can not see what I am taking. That may be proper penance because now I have to practice the virtue of patience before I invest in a new camera.  Let’s just see if I do better than I did with the sock yarn.

Anytime Now...

Sarah

Dear Mr. Fetus,

This is an eviction notice. Please vacate the premises within 30 days. Thank you for your cooperation,

The Management

I'm really, really ready to have the little dude. Anytime now. Sure, my actual due date is in a couple of weeks, but anytime now would be fine. I'm ready. Jason is ready. We've got a car seat, a stroller, a crib, a changing table, and many wonderful baby gifts from family and friends. (This cute little bunny was a gift from my mother-in-law, knit from a Debbie Bliss pattern.)

The thing is, Jason and I were each about three weeks late (sorry, mom!), and our siblings were all a couple of weeks late as well, so I have very little hope that little dude will take the eviction notice to heart.

Any guesses as to when I'll deliver? Give me a date and time in the comments. Tell you what...if your guess is the closest, I'll send you something spiffy from my stash. And if you are the sort of person who tends to have good luck in contests like these...please, please, for my sake, guess that he'll be here soon!