A Knitting Renaissance

I'm back! And I'm so glad to say that I have been knitting away!  As you already know, I have been sick for quite a while with morning sickness.  It was about 2 1/2 months of feeling nauseated all day, everyday.  Thankfully, that passed.  Unfortunately, though, we started getting virus after virus in our house.  One time I even got bronchitis.  Well, we are all well now and are greatly anticipating the arrival of our new baby boy in August!  We can hardly wait!

I have been doing tons of things around the house to get organized for our new baby.  We have the crib set up and I have been doing a LOT of reorganization and work around the house.  Nesting at its finest.  Now I am at a point where I can just gradually finish things up over the next couple of months.  This week is a recoup week for me from all the work.  And I have been knitting,  knitting,  knitting!  It has been like a knitting renaissance for me and I am loving it!  It's not that I have been spending tons of time knitting, but I have been able to add it in here and there and even finish some projects.  I can't wait to share all my finished objects as well as new projects with you!

Cosette's Sweater

Last month I finally finished Cosette's sweater, which is the "embroidered jacket" by Debbie Bliss!  I am so glad that I have one of Debbie Bliss's books to learn from.  She gave wonderful instructions for finishing her knitted garments.  Now I am happy to reveal it to you!  Tada!

I was so glad that I found the Peter Rabbit buttons at Hancock fabric.  They are really the perfect buttons for this sweater.  I think that my little boy may even be able to wear this when he gets big enough.

I learned a lot while knitting this sweater:  

1. Moss stitch is beautiful, but takes a long time to complete.  

2. Wool yarn is wonderful!

3. How to knit and sew together a sweater (this is my first!).

4. How to wash a wool sweater, and block it (though all the pictures above were taken before I blocked it, except the one of my daughter wearing the sweater).

5. If you have to sew something up, just bite the bullet and do it and it will go quickly.  It is actually fun, too.

The biggest mistake I made was forgetting to add a buttonhole at the very top.  I think it worked out okay, though, and I still like the way it looks.

Baby Bib and Baby Blanket

I knitted a little baby bib, which I have knitted before.  It went more quickly this time, and was pretty easy.  It is the "modern cabled baby bib" by Andrea Pomerantz and is available for free on Ravelry.

(Picture coming soon.)

Next, I decided I wanted to make a rainbow baby blanket.  I found a super easy garter stitch pattern on Ravelry called, "Super Easy Baby Blanket," by Purl Soho.  I pulled different types and brands of yarn from my stash in all the rainbow colors, and bought the yellow specifically for this project.  Since they are all different brands and blends of wool,  I decided to knit a swatch first to see how they would all knit together and wash up.  The swatch contains all the colors, and I knitted it big enough so that it could be a baby doll blanket for my daughter.  I am very pleased with how it came out, and I plan on starting the actual baby blanket soon.  If you are interested in the pattern, which really is super easy, it is available for free here:  http://www.purlbee.com/super-easy-baby-blanket/

Baby Cocoon

The last project I finished recently I actually started and finished in the same day.  It is the, "Laurel Love Cocoon," by Melissa Riley.  It is adorable!!!  It is basically a little knitted sack for newborns to snuggle and sleep in.   I used some of the thick and thin Cherry Treehill yarn that I bought at Stitches South.  It is a wool and silk blend yarn and the color is called, "mint."  Since it is a thick and thin yarn, it looks a little different than the original.  I knitted it on size 13 double pointed needles (instead of using the magic loop method that the pattern calls for).  I actually knit the whole thing in 4 hours!  I could hardly believe it!  I have never knit anything so quickly.  (It was my first time to knit with bulky yarn on such a large sized needles.)  I will definitely be making more of these!

You can find the pattern here:  http://mrsmissymuffet.blogspot.com/2010/02/laurel-love-cocoon.html.One of the neat things about this pattern is that the designer will allow people to sell their finished object for charity or for WAHM use (WAHM=Work at Home Mom). How wonderful!

Cinderella

I have also started knitting Jean Grennhowe's topsy turvy Cinderella doll for my daughter.  She is really into Cinderella right now, and I am in such a mood to knit toys.  I will put up pictures when it is finished.  Who knows, at the rate I'm going, that could be really soon!

I hope you all have a wonderful week and a very Happy Easter!  Praise the Lord that He died for us that we might live!!!!

Remembering His Sacrifice,

Faith