Yarn Along: victory lap

I finished both Sebastian's baptismal gown and Emily's Quest this week.  Lucy and I blocked it yesterday. She is a master at the salad spinner stage of the process.  Now to wait for it to dry and sew on the buttons.

In the flush of victory that followed binding off, I decided to use the leftover yarn to make a matching hat.  I'm using Thorpe, Kirsten Kapur's free pattern, as inspiration. It calls for bulky yarn and is meant for adults, but I think my worsted weight yarn will yield an infant-sized hat with the same numbers.  If not, it is knit top-down, so I can easily make adjustments.

I attempted I knit this pattern years ago but gave up after struggling with the cast on. It's very fiddly to cast on 4 stitches on DPNs and join them to knit in the round. It feels really good to have conquered this technique, especially now, as I am sleep-deprived and not feeling especially capable in general.  I watched a video that really helped, but I just had to buckle down and try a few times in the end. It isn't perfect, but I am looking forward to using this technique again when my deadline isn't so tight.

Speaking of which, I am struggling to come up with a concrete plan for what to read and knit next.  I have a giant squishy skein of Miss Babs and some matching ceramic buttons that are clamoring to be made into a cardigan for Lucy.  Any pattern ideas?

Yarn Along: Knitting Wrathfully

This week I finished both Lucy's Rhinebeck sweater and Emily Climbs.  There was a fabulous passage in it about Aunt Elizabeth knitting wrathfully--while Emily wishes she had her knitting too because, "It was nasty to sit there, unoccupied, and wonder what was coming."  Haven't we all been there--in both their shoes--at some point or other?

I've gone back to working on Sebastian's baptismal gown. It's nearly to his feet now.  And I'm already halfway through the final book in the Emily of New Moon series--Emily's Quest. Has anyone seen the miniseries based on the books?  Is it worth tracking down?

Yarn Along: Knit 2 Together

I'm still enjoying Emily Climbs and knitting away on Sebastian's baptismal gown and Lucy's Rhinebeck sweater.  Unbelievably, they are not only knit from the same pattern but also from the same set of numbers.  These two projects are great examples of the versatility of this particular pattern.  It is a blank canvas that really lets your yarn and button choices shine.

I had so much knitting time this weekend.  We drove down to visit my family in New Jersey, by which I mean Pete drove and I knit for over four hours.  Heaven!  

We arrived in New Jersey, where there were so many loving arms waiting for us--ready to hold Sebastian and play with Lucy and cook and hug endlessly.  So I knit still more--sometimes next to my mother, who was casting on her second Shale Baby Blanket.  

Her first one, in lovely soft grey, is snuggled around Sebastian in this photo.  Her current work in progress, in golden yellow, is for his cousin who is due in January.  Incidentally, Juliana also caved to peer pressure and cast on for a simple hat while we were there--in spite of her aversion to knitting in general.  I may have gloated just a little.

Yarn Along: Progress!

I'm reading Emily Climbs, even though Dean is making me suuuuper uncomfy as he bides his time waiting for fourteen year old Emily to come of age.  As my dear friend who recommended the books to me pointed out, L.M. Montgomery understands human nature so well!  His manipulative and overbearing behavior is common even today.  Put in that light, I think I can get past those passages that bother me and just see how true to life that character is.  I do love how Emily becomes indignant whenever he gets possessive of her.

I have made so much progress on Sebastian's baptismal gown.  I finished both sleeves and knit down to his belly.  I couldn't resist trying it on him a couple of days ago.

Speaking of which, here he is in the sweater I made for him to wear home from the hospital.  I couldn't resist pairing it with plaid and posting it for the Outlander KAL on Instagram.  He will probably kilt me when he grows up, but it will be worth it…