Feeling Better and Knitting!

Yay! I'm blogging! I wondered if I would ever make it back. I guess technically it hasn't been that long, but I love to write and I sure have missed it.

A few days after getting back from our weekend trip to Tuscaloosa, I got sick with a virus. It was not fun and it took me a little over a week to get better. The last week or so I have been trying to catch up with things and get back into our routine while at the same time taking care of my husband, who is now getting over being sick. I have so much to write, but will have to spread it out over several posts. :)

I have been knitting, though of course not as much as I would like to. I have about 4 projects going right now, and a list of them to start. So many patterns to knit! :D I have found the best time for me to knit is when Cosette is eating her breakfast, and sometime after she has gone to bed. Then I am all about patterns, and Ravelry, and Ebay, and, oh yeah, knitting! ;)

Finished Project: Cabled Baby Bib

I finished the cabled baby bib recently! (See picture at top of post.) I have not sewn on the button yet, but otherwise it is done. I am tickled with the results. The cable looks great, and as far as I can tell, I didn't make any mistakes. (Shocking!)

This project was a great refresher for me on cabling. I also got to learn the seed stitch, which is very fun to knit. (Knit, purl, knit, purl across the row.) Wonderful purling practice. This was a really fun project with a simple cable that anyone could knit. It was a great project to usher me out of my dishcloth world, into the exciting world of other knitted projects! :)


During Cosette's breakfast I finished up a small washcloth I have been knitting to match the bib. Yes, yes, even though I am braving the new world of other patterns, I will continue to make these cloths. They are such great gifts!

Note: The bib pattern is "Modern Cabled Baby Bib" by Andrea Pomerantz, and the pattern states that it is her variation of the "Simple Baby Bib" by Colleen Kadleck.


A Bunny for Cosette

I just started a little bunny for Cosette the other day! I am really excited about this project. It will be my first knitted toy. It is a Jean Greenhowe pattern, and it is so cute. It is supposed to be a little over 6 inches when it is finished, so I think it will be the perfect size for Cosette, who just started toting little stuffed animals all around the house recently.

The Pattern

The pattern is the bunny in Jean Greenhowe's Knitted Animals. You can see the pattern on Jean Greenhowe's website: http://www.jeangreenhowe.com/animals.html. My Mom has a stack of Jean Greenhowe pattern books, which I love. They are not difficult at all, and are extremely adorable.

Yarn for Bunny

I am knitting the bunny rabbit in Vanna's Choice acrylic yarn. The color is "linen." Even though it is acrylic yarn, it is really soft. The reason I chose acrylic is because it is difficult for me to afford luxury yarn right now, plus, I wanted something washable since an almost-2-year-old will be carrying it around. I am really excited that there is some nice, soft acrylic yarn out there! (I tried regular Red Heart recently and couldn't take it.) I am already spoiled! Thanks Mom! ;)

Needles for Bunny

I am knitting the bunny on size 2 needles, which are much smaller than the size 6 that I am used to. I knitted a small swatch and thought that I may need to move down to a size one needle. When I tried to use them, though, it was almost laughable. I felt like I was knitting with toothpicks! I was afraid that I might even bend them. :D So, I moved back to size 2. The size 2 are pretty fun to knit with, actually.

Memories of a Knitted Bunny Named Ritz

I can't tell you how exciting it is for me to knit Cosette a doll. When I was a child, my Mom knitted and crocheted me all kinds of dolls, toys, and Barbie clothes; and I loved them all. She knitted a stuffed bunny for me, which I named "Ritz," and he quickly became my favorite stuffed animal of all time. Recently my Mom told me he was the first stuffed animal that she made, and that she didn't do a very good job. She said she would have ripped him out and started all over, but that I would not have let her. I can actually remember when she was making him, and I think I probably bugged her to death asking when he would be finished. Finally the day came where she sewed his nose and mouth, attached "google" eyes, and gave him to me to hug for the first time. To me, Ritz was perfect.

After that, it was all over for my other dolls. Ritz was my bunny, and I had to have him in order to go to bed at night. My Dad would tuck me in, and he would tease me by calling Ritz, "Fritz." It used to drive me nuts! I would say, "it's not Fritz, it's Ritz!" :) My Dad was great for teasing us, and he loved teasing me about Ritz even after I became an adult. And it still bugged me! :D Now the torch has been passed on to my husband who kids me in the exact same way that my Dad did. I guess I will forever be teased about my Ritz! (Secretly I love it.)

This is Ritz (knitted by my Mom)!

Ritz was made from the following pattern: "Snow Bunny" designed by Michele Wilcox. I think it was in a magazine, but I will have to ask my Mom which one.

While the bunny I am knitting is from a different pattern than Ritz, I have hopes that he will at least become one of my daughter's favorite dolls. I am waiting to make her a Ritz doll when she is a little older and can appreciate a larger stuffed animal. Plus, I wanted to start out with a small toy. I am still a beginner afterall! ;)

Have fun knitting!
Faith