Knitting Bags for Vacation 2018

In 2017 one of my instagram friends from Seattle sent me a pattern she'd designed for bags.  It's a darling bucket bag and I made a few of them for Christmas gifts in 2017.  But then - I got inspired - see both of my girls knit.  I, personally, never get on an airplane or in the car for a long trip without at least 2 projects with me.  Seriously! 

So - I did what any self-respecting sewist would do 2 days before leaving on vacation - I decided to cut out and make 3 uptown bags!  I had shrunk the pattern just a little bit so it was the perfect size for a single skein shawl project or a pair of socks.  While there is no way to close this bag, it's also big enough to drop your phone & wallet into so you only need one bag with you. 

The outside of the bags are all the same, black background with knitting sheep on it.  The inside of two of them are pink and the third one is red.  The openings are bound with premade bias binding in red, pink or white. 

The girls had no idea they were getting these bags - which are great scrap busters (the lining - or reverse side, because they are totally reversible - is scraps from Christmas pants 2015).  Jessica chose her bag first and she picked the red lining - you can see her beautiful shawl coming out of the bag.  Krystle then picked the bag with pink lining and pink binding - she was busy knitting Eleanor's first birthday sweater!  My bag is in the middle and I was working on a pair of socks for the Christmas box - Christmas 2018 that is! 

I love that this is a hobby we share.  I also love having a knitting bag that is in so many of my holiday photos.  I think of the vacation when ever I pick the bag up to work on something - I hope that my girls have the same vacation memories when they use their knitting bags.  

Apparently - I'm into the behind the scenes photos right now!

Vintersol

I am not a sweater wearer - I mean I love a good cardigan, but pullover - no way!  What do you do when you have a hot flash?!

Eleanor and I both wearing "Made by GiGi"

Once again, my LYS Lancaster Yarn Shop decided to have a knit along.  Okay!  So I'm a joiner - sue me.  A customer had knit a beautifl fair isle yoked sweater and it was on display.  Everyone wanted their own.  So, I picked colors and knit it up - thinking if I didn't like it - I'd gift it for Christmas or steek it into a cardigan that could easily be taken off! 

I selected Kenzie for the main body of my sweater.  The color is "seal" and it's a light gray with navy tweed speckles.  I then choose Malbec (Navy with lilac tweed) for the contrast and Lilac Prairie Spun for the yoke background. 

This sweater has what's called a hybrid construction.  You start at the yoke 'seam' with a provisional cast on, knit the yoke - which was fun!  Do an iCord bind off, then take out the cast on picking up the live stitches and knit your way to the hem.  It's pretty cool! 

Stats:
Cast On:  September 3, 2018
Cast Off:  October 25, 2018
Yarn:  7 balls seal, 2 balls malbec, 1 hank lilac - 1696 yards total
Needles:  US6s
Mods:  omit second set of short rows to create length in the back.

I am honestly surprised how much I wear this sweater and that it goes with everything.  So far, I haven't had to take it off because I'm too hot.  I might even knit another sweater - soon! 

BeeKeeper Cardigan

Summer 2018 Marie Greene of Olive Knits hosted her second 4-Day KAL.  This year the pattern was the Beekeeper Cardigan.  And it was very fun to knit!

Being the joiner that I am, I knit this baby up.  Not only that - but I talked to my LYS about hosting a cast-on party and got a bunch of people to knit along with me.

While I didn't finish my sweater in 4 days it took me closer to 6 weeks, but finish it I did.

Stats:
Cast On:  July 2
Cast Off:  August 13
Yarn:  4.2 skeins of Brown Sheep Prairie Spun in the honeycomb colorway
Needles:  US7
Mods:  4 sets of waist decreases and 6 sets of increases for my hips.  3x1 ribbing at the neckband, cuffs & front bands to match the hem.

I did not add buttonholes in the bands and I'm so glad I didn't.  While the sweater does close around me, I wear it open - All.The.Time!  I'm so glad I made this sweater and I want to make another using the pattern lines with a cabled design. 

Similar But Different

Every year since I can't remember when, I have knit JB and the girls a new pair of socks for Christmas.  Historically, they are the first things I knit each year - because I like knowing they are done.  

Sometime last Summer, Wendy at Lancaster Yarn Shop {which is also my LYS} got a pretty new color of Crazy Zauberball Malerwinkel and thought - wouldn't it be fun to make the girls socks out of the same yarn?  

So, I bought 2 balls, 1 ball is enough for a pair of socks, and then promptly put it away.  The one rule to #christmassocksforall is that they have to be knit in the year they are gifted.  

At some point between purchasing the yarn and starting knitting, Wendy and I had a conversation about knitting socks with zauberball and she mentioned a striped pair she had made.  Well, that planted a seed, but in 2018 I'm not spending my money on silly little things like patterns - not when I know how to knit a pair of socks AND have stitch dictionaries on my shelves.  

So - first things first - I caked my 2 matching dye lot balls of Malerwinkel into pretty yarn cakes.  Next, I pulled out the stitch dictionaries because there is absolutely nothing that will bore me faster than a plain stockinette sock, except maybe 1x1 rib.  UGH.  

Because I was using both yarn cakes on each sock, I didn't want to knit 2 at a time, but I still did them on my circular needles, and toe up.  To keep the stripes uninterrupted and balance out the yarn cake usage, I used cake A for the toe, heel, and ribbing of socks 1 & 3 and cake B in the same places on socks 2 & 4.  

With lots of numbers in my head, I grabbed US1 {2.25mm} circular needles and got started.  I started with a 72 stitch sock and worked 2 repeats of the stitch pattern on either side of the foot.  Put the heels on waste yarn, worked up the leg, then did 3 repeats of the pattern all around for a cuff.  Finished with a tiny, tiny bit of ribbing and bound off.  Quickly knit an afterthought heel and sock 1 was done in 3 days!  There are very, very detailed notes on my ravelry project page so that I could repeat for sock 2.  

First Pair Done!

I forgot how quick it is to knit single socks.  It took me about 3 days per sock to knit these.  Back in my bus commute days it would take 2 weeks to knit a pair of socks.  I'm also happy to report that these socks are the same size - there were no gauge changes between sock 1 and 2.  

Second Pair - Similar, but Different

With the first pair complete it was time to start the second.  I knew that a 72 stitch sock would be too big, so this time I only did a 60 stitch sock.  I tried something new when starting the second pair.  There is a technique I learned from knitting top down socks where the decreases go all around the toe.  I wanted to try recreating that from the top up and it worked!  

It Worked!

This time, I worked the ribbed lace up the entirety of the leg as well as along the edges of the foot.  

Side By Side

Pile of Socks

With the leftover malerwinkel I've been knitting "similar but different" socks Eleanor.  Sadly there is a gauge issue between her first and second sock, but I don't care - she's a baby and won't wear them for long - that is if they aren't lost first ;)

It feels good to have these done and in the Christmas Box reading for gifting already.  

Ursula - the First

I am a knitter as well as a person who sews her own clothes.  In this grand cross country, life changing move, I am very blessed to have found an incredible LYS.  The Lancaster Yarn Shop is everything I could want in a shop - the owner is knowledgeable, friendly, and incredibly helpful - not only in the realm of knitting.  She often tells JB & I about things to do, places that have to be seen along with sharing great produce stands and restaurants.  

In January of this year, I signed up for her 4 week class to knit Ursula by Kate Davies.  This had several items on my knitting bucket list that I wanted to try - stranded colorwork and steeking.  Steeking is scary stuff, my friends, scary stuff!  I bought all the yarn to make a darker colored version of this sweater and then I fell in love with a stranded colorwork hat in the shop and had to have a sweater in those colors.  If you look closely you'll see my hair matches the colors in the sweater.  

I learned a lot of things making this sweater.  First - swatch, swatch, swatch and then try on.  Multiple times.  Because even though you've got gauge with your swatch, you might relax as you carry on.  

While I like this sweater a lot, I'm not sure I love it.  On me, to me - it feels a bit frumpy.  I know it doesnt look that way to others (or else the knit night ladies are all just being kind). It could also be how I styled it.  We had been at an industry conference and I was over it by the time I wore this outfit.  We had also spent 2 hours in the car coming home. 

It looks good from the back.  

In the future, I would add the ribbon to the button bands, but I would not actually add buttons.  I would use snaps - possibly magnetic ones.  This sweater will get worn - just not as much as I had hoped after all the work that went into it.  

I have enough yarn left over to make Eleanor a similar, but different sweater.  AND I still have enough yarn to make another version of this sweater.  

Eleanor's First Stocking

Oh Gosh - I still haven't introduced you all to E yet.  The Princess and The Sports Writer had a beautiful baby girl on January 23, 2017.  She is just the most perfect thing ever.  I strongly advise everyone to have grand kids.  :D

E wearing a dress her Mommy wore as a baby.

Ravelry says that back in 2009 - I decided to knit new Christmas stockings for our family of 4. Everyone picked their favorite color - JB chose Eagles Green; The Musical One = purple; The Princess = hot pink; and I got lime.  The 4 original stockings are the same.

The Princess, JB, Mine & The Musical One's stockings

Then, The Princess got married. So, it only seemed right that The Sports Writer got a stocking. His stocking is slightly different than The Princess' and the rest of the family. Similar but different. This was gifted to The Sports Writer in 2014, after the wedding.

Leg of The Princess' Sock

Leg of The Sports Writer's Sock

We picked a soft pink and white for E's First Christmas Stocking - I say first, because as she grows up, she might want a different color and I'm okay with that.  As you can see - E's sock is similar but different from the others.  I really love the striped instep on this one.  I love the way the stripes look and the snowflakes across the top of the foot.

E's First Stocking

My favorite photo of The Princess & Little E

Cardigan

This was truly a case of what came first - the Cardigan or the dress.

I made both - this post is about the cardigan - because it came first.

There is a group on Ravelry, called Free Pattern Testers.  Every once in a while I will troll through the posts and find something stunning!  This was such a case.

Jennifer Wood was asking for testers for her Beautiful Liana, here's a link to her blogpost.  Jennifer is quite a prolific designer and I love her designs.  

I didn't pause when throwing my hat in the ring for this lovely design.  I only hesitate over my yarn choice.  I knit this with Malabrigo lace - which I love.  The yarn is soft and cushy and make incredible fabric.  I've knit several shawls from it, Mal Lace is truly one of my favorites to knit with.  

It doesn't show very well in these photos, but this cardigan is full of twisted stitches, cables, twisted rib and lace!  I used 4 full hanks of yarn and just barely dipped into the 5th.  I knit on US 1.5 (2.5mm) needles and magic looped the sleeves.  This sweater was started on March 8th and finished in Spain on May 1.  Thank goodness we were given an extension of time to finish!

The fabric for the dress just happened to be sitting on my ironing board one day while I was winding another hank of the yarn.  I noticed how well they went together.  I didn't make the dress I had originally planned, but I'm quite happy with the one I did make.  I'll tell you about the dress next time!

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?  

Donated Shawl

 I work at a big 4 accounting firm.  Every year we do a gianormous United Way Fund drive.  The first year I was there - the OMP's EA (yep, we talk like that at work!) sent an email asking for donations for the United Way Raffle.  I didn't realize it was only for the partners.  That first year - I donated a blanket that I had made to sample circle shawls for The Princess' Wedding Shawl.  It earned $100 for United Way!  I was happy.






This year - I decided to knit a mystery shawl pattern.  This one is Through the Loops Mystery Shawl '14 - I loved the 2013 mystery shawl and figured I couldn't go wrong with this one.


Strange knitting fact about me - sometimes, I only need to knit the object - I don't need to end up with it.  I can count on one hand the number of finished knits I wanted to keep.  This one was half-way there.  I will make one for myself at some point.  

The yarn is Anzula's Nebula.  I think the name is called "Sand".  I actually waited until I found out who won it to make it.  I had bought this colorway, but I was really looking for a light grey.  I ordered some yarn called elephant online and let the winner decide which color they wanted.

Nebula is amazing yarn - it's wool with a lurex thread running through it to add sparkle.  It's soft and easy to knit with and blocks beautifully.  This shawl earned $275 for United Way and the yarn was right around $50 - not too bad.  Most likely - next year I'll donate something to the raffle as well - it's a good thing.  The young lady who won this made a point of showing me she was wearing it to the holiday party.  I think she mostly wears it in that trendy, bunched up, scarf-life way that the young kids do - but it looks great like that as well!

The Bride's Shawl

The knitting started with a request from The Princess - she wanted a large - large round shawl.  We both trolled Ravelry trying to find a pattern and ultimately she settled on Girasole by Jared Flood.  Actually - let's back up - it all started because of that award winning shawl I knit for a bride last summer.  I honestly don't remember if The Princess was even engaged when I knit that shawl, but once engaged, once of the first things she asked for was a shawl.  Next - I reached out to my friend Gyspy Knits who is an amazing dyer, but isn't really dying yarn any longer and asked if she'd be interested in dying the yarn for the shawls.  She was and did.  We sent her a sample of the bridesmaids colors and asked for ghost colors.  GyspyKnits did an amazing job.

The Princess asked for a few things - she specified a pattern and asked that the shawl be huge.  I knit my shawl which was also round, to work out construction and bought the Elizabeth Zimmerman book to figure out Pi Shawl construction.  I also reached out to the Jared Flood team to see if there was a way to make it even bigger.  Oh and I stalked each and every girasole made on Ravelry and read the notes for everyone who made theirs bigger. 

 I knit the center exactly as written.  There really was no way to increase in the center.  I knit as many extra repeats of Chart E as I could, knit 3 repeats of Chart F, then I knit as many increases of Chart G as I could until I had to repeat again.  Then I knit 3 repeats of Chart H and honestly I was worried I was going to run out of yarn.  The Princess was home in late August and I had her choose between the edging pattern called for in the pattern, or the same edging used on all the bridesmaids' shawls.  She (of course) chose the matching edging - of course it was the more difficult and complex edging.  I think there was 1600 stitches around in the last 18 rounds.  The edging took 2 rows to bind off a single stitch.  I honestly thought I was going to the wedding nekkid because I did not start my dress until this shawl was finished!

Once the shawl was completely finished - the decision was made not to block it.  Blocking would open the lace up in the center a lot more, but as you can see when the shawl is draped over my coffee table - the sunflower in the center stands out.  The shawl is quite large without being blocked - The Princess is almost 5'11" and folded in half, the shawl stretches from finger tip to finger tip and hangs down past her knees.  What was done instead of blocking was the edging was just steamed out to open it up without really making it any bigger.  

I think The Princess liked it and it was exactly what she wanted.  I don't know how she'll use it from her on out - but I expect to someday get a photo of a baby wrapped in this shawl.

Why?

Carolyn said in the comments to the last post "Honestly I wonder why you strive to fit a sheath dress when these flare skirted dresses look sooooooo beautiful on you!"

I've been thinking about this since she posted that comment.  And the truth is - a sheath dress seems grown up to me.  More office appropriate.  I think it gives the impression that you know what you are doing.  I'm not sure that a grown woman wearing a pink ditsy print floral full skirted dress can really be taken seriously.  Am I wrong? 

I have, however, given up on the New Look dress for the moment.  I needed to make something I could wear out of the house.  So, today I'm sharing the second dress I made last weekend - yes, I made 2 dresses in just over 2 days.  The second dress started with pattern #4 from Ottobre Woman May 2013.  I'm sure Angie could figure out how to get the line drawing in here - but I can not.

Next - I grabbed some solid (yes Carolyn - solid) ponte knit I bought this summer.  In a nice, boring grey.  If the dress didn't work out I still wanted to have my red ponte available.  And I traced the pattern about going blind.  I did my normal blending of sizes.  Serged the shoulder raglan seams and then basted everything else.  The Musical One is getting lessons in fitting - whether she wants to learn or not.  It's the price you pay for still eating dinner at Mom's most Sunday's when you're almost 30!  So, she pinned the side seams in and pinned darts in the back.

I decided that the boring grey dress was the perfect back drop for my beach glass modern quilt wrap.  And this is what I wore to work today. 

One I got over feeling exposed because of how close fitting this dress is - I was very comfortable all day.  I have a piece of blue and white striped patterned ponte from Girl Charlie that may be my next make. 

It's a knit sheath dress!  As one of my co-workers pointed out - it skims my curves.

I received loads of unsoliciations on the scarf.
The dress provided the perfect backdrop for it.

feeling a bit sassy!

I d love this wrap!  It's so much fun and incredibly warm.
But - because it's patterned, it doesn't get worn often.

 

My Entry in the County Fair

This year, I entered something in the county fair.
Not the Puyallup Fair - if you are from around here, but the Monroe Fair.

I entered the shawl I knit for that sweet bride back in May.
I borrowed the shawl from her to enter it.

and I won!  Not one - but 3 ribbons!
I was thrilled to death - first place, crafter's choice and Grand Champion! 
(the ribbons have been crammed in a bag - really, what am I going to do with them?)

Grand Champion!  It doesn't get any better than this.
I don't need to ever enter another item in the Fair.
Did as good as I could on my first try.