Friday Moment

Inspired by Soulamama's {this moment}.

Sometimes Brown is Grey

Sometimes you set out to knit a brown sweater with a blue stripe for a four-year-old and miraculously find yourself holding a grey sweater with a blue stripe for a three-year-old. The truth is out. But no matter, I still love this sweater, thoroughly enjoyed making it, am so pleased I got to gift it, and (as usual) learned a ton in the process.

This is the second sweater I've made following Elizabeth Zimmerman's raglan technique found in Knitting without Tears. The first one was a success. My main mistake here was trying to surprise Peanut at Christmas. That meant making it without having him try it on during the process. And here I shake my head at myself. What was I thinking?! Next time, no knitted sweater surprises! I'm not entirely happy with how I planned the stripes either (not much at all). Better planning would have probably put the color jogs under the arm instead of up front. Next time, I also think I'll start the cuff a bit larger than Elizabeth recommends. Styles have changed just a wee bit since 1973 and I think a slightly wider sleeve with a nice snug k2p2 cuff to keep it out of the jam would be just fine.

There were a lot of things to love about this project. The pattern itself - the seamless raglan - is so fun to make that it's addictive. Once you get the arms joined and start decreasing, it's just too exciting to go to bed at a decent hour. This was also my first project with Garnstudio's new Big Merino. I like Garnstudio because they make a reasonably priced yarn and it doesn't pill. While we were in Chicago, I tried a couple of more economical wool yarns from the US (Knitpicks varieties and Cascade 220) and found that they all pilled like crazy. Not cool. My Garstudio Merino projects (including my favorite Peanut hat and a cutie vest) haven't pilled at all. They are also super soft and have great stitch definition. There are two downsides. The yarn can split while knitting and there aren't enough colors in the Big Merino. It's new this year, though, so I'll wait until next season and see what they do!

Here's a link to my Ravelry project page for knitters.

So yes, sometimes brown is grey and large is small, but knitting is always one of my favorite things to do!

Made in 2012

I have a thing for lists - lots of lists for reason and no reason, all the time. My favorite lists are the ones that are the dream lists. Books to read, places to go, things to do, things to make. In 2012, I had a "Make 2012" list. It was a long list and it kept growing. Let me count - 51 items. All sewing or knitting projects. Many for kids, some for me, some for others. It doesn't cover everything I actually made, but here are the items I got to cross off this year:

• Scarf for Peanut (match papa's) this one got lost recently, poo
• Wool pants (lined) for peanut
• Patchwork bags (games)
• Dolls from old sheets for D (5!)
• Skirt for me (Sew U pattern)
• T-shirt pattern for me
• Apron for Peanut
• Pants for Pumpkin
• Sweater for Pumpkin
• Pajama pants for Peanut
• Bibs (TAA)
• Pencil roll
• Pumpkin pillow
• Button pillow
• Peanut sweater
• Peanut socks
• Sweet baby cap for Miss. C
• Apron for Pumpkin
• Apron for Miss Z
• Apron for Peanut (yup - two in one year)
• Pajama pants for Peanut
• Clothes bag for school
• Bag for card game

That's a tidy list. With a few ravelry links and links to older posts for the very curious. I'll be working on the Make 2013 list soon.
What did you make in 2012? What are your dreams for 2013?

And we begin...

Dear 2013,

The past few weeks have been a flurry of travel (to grandma and grandpa in North Carolina), holidays, friends, and lots of walks by the creek. It's been so very exciting and fun. Tomorrow we are going home and great adventures await us there, too.

I've got plans for you, my friendly new year. You see, this is post 300 on this little blog about not blogging (at least so the title claims). 300 is a big number. That is a lot of tip typing away, sharing pictures, and wondering who's out there. It has been so very interesting.

I'm not sure about you, but I'm ready for more. I'm not sure just yet what kind of more, how it's going to happen or when or where, but oh boy, oh boy oh am I pondering on it. You see, there's an old dream of mine that looks like it just may be starting to emerge into reality and I didn't even realize we were heading down that road.

I can't wait to share more details with you. In the meantime, I'm trying to take little moments to reflect and knit amidst all this excitement. Those moments are more plentiful than it seems if you're really looking for them.

Welcome. It's good to meet you. We are going to have a grand old time together!

Friday Moment

Inspired by Soulamama's {this moment}.

Snowy Retreat

It snowed last week. It's mostly gone now, but oh my it was beautiful. I love snow. Fresh snow looks so clean, pure - and full of promise. It's exciting! My special treat this weekend was a retreat, 24 hours to think, read, write, imagine, relax. I loved it. In the spring, I'll be out again, looking for snowdrops and crocuses.

Friday Moment

Inspired by Soulamama's {this moment}.