Lining for a Knit Baby Sweater?

Melissa, a regular reader of this little blog, has a question for fellow Fearless Knitters. She's just finished all the pieces for a blue cardigan sweater for her one-year old granddaughter. Because it's the third sweater she's knit for this precious human and because she's an adventuresome knitter (among other qualities), she'd like to try …

WIP Wednesday: Log Cabin Throw

I've got two projects for babies-to-be going at the moment and am this close to casting on a new pair of socks with some lovely yarn that I got at the knitting guild yard sale. But baby knits have deadlines, so the socks shall wait. As would be expected with bulky yarn, the log cabin …

Patching it Together

Once I realized that my self-striping sock yarn wouldn't work for a top-down baby sweater -- because the body would be too large for the colored sections to become stripes -- I searched for a new pattern. As usual, I spent a long time down the rabbit hole that is Ravelry but eventually found a …

Starting Over with Stripes

Since I loved the Blue Striped Rag self-striping sock yarn so much, I figured I'd use it for a little sweater for a Baby-to-Be coming in a couple months. Lesson learned: self-striping sock yarn really is intended for socks (or maybe sleeves on a baby sweater ) At first, all seemed to be going well …

What Babies Do

Now that December is upon us and gift-giving holidays are fast approaching (Chanukah begins tomorrow evening), many knitters have projects on the needles and are facing deadlines. I've heard that some are freaking out beginning to fret about whether they'll finish in time -- knitting a big of anxiety into each stitch ;-) Giving a …

Baby Blues

I thoroughly enjoyed making a Baby Vertebrae sweater for a friend's Baby-to-Be. The name is a bit puzzling. My brother asked, "what's up with that baby spine sweater?" The pattern gets its name (I presume) because the sweater covers the baby's back and not its front - an open front makes better snuggling and less …

Duo of Finished Objects

I try not to set too many knitting goals for myself, but sometimes a knitter has to do what she has to do. And I must admit that I'm quite pleased to have achieved my vacation knitting goal of completing two projects. Since they had a true deadline -- birthdays are exact dates after all …

Fiddly Sticks

I'm a big fan and regular user of double-pointed needles (DPNs), especially for socks because then I don't need stitch markers, but I completely understand how daunting they can appear to knitters and non-knitters alike. "Fiddly" is the word I use when explaining DPN use to my knitting students. To be sure I'm using it …

Diagnosis: Second Sock Syndrome

The sock is done and looks quite nice. It's a bit big for my foot, but it's not meant for me. I don't know the eventual recipient yet, but I know it's not me. That's not a problem. Here's the problem: I've come down with Second Sock Syndrome. Instead of casting on this sock's mate, …

Good Day for a Baby Sweater

I haven't knit anything baby-ish in a while, but the Gidday Baby sweater (Tosh DK in Leopard and Maple Leaf) and reminds me how enjoyable such projects can be. Starting with the first few rows of garter stitch in alternating colors, I was hooked. My recent spate of travels gave me lots of opportunities to …

Knits for a New Life

There's a new person our street, a baby girl born last month, and that is a cause for celebration! And how does (this) one celebrate a new life? By knitting something small that isn't a pair of socks. I showed what I consider remarkable fortitude by searching through my stash for yarn with which to …

Knitting Class: Small but Fierce

After several years of having 6 to 8 knitters around the table at each knitting class, I find myself with two very small sessions this fall. I don't know what accounts for the change, and I'm not taking the lack of enrollment personally (at least most of the time!). What these regular Fearless Knitters lack …

Treasures from Knitting Class

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I love teaching knitting. One of the best parts is watching a knitter, novice or one with experience, work through a project -- deciphering a pattern, fixing the inevitable mistakes, and finally finishing. First up, Debbie, a beginner whose patience, good humor, and perseverance are remarkable. …

A Lesson in Seaming

Fearless Knitter Gillan arrived at class Tuesday morning with her Flared Baby Sweater nearly finished. She'd ripped out the button bands after her first attempt and had re-knit to her satisfaction. But she wasn't happy with her seams, which were bumpy and looked inside out. "What did I do wrong?" she asked.  Turns out she …

Baby Steps Complete

There are few life events better than becoming a grandparent. At least, that's what new grandparents tell me. It's not a transition I expect to be making anytime soon. My dear friend Pat is justifiably besotted with her first granddaughter, a lovely, bright-eyed sprite born in mid-May to Pat's son and his sweet wife. As Pat's own …

Baby Sweater in the Bath

I'm a proponent of full immersion blocking. In my mind, steam or a spritz just doesn't give yarn the chance to "bloom" in the way that a good soak does. After binding off the Baby Steps Cardigan yesterday, I plopped it into a big mixing bowl that I'd filled with tepid water and a few drops …

The Best Container for Love

"Knitting is still the best container for love" -- Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka the Yarn Harlot I can't remember what I used to give as baby gifts before knitting. As soon as I learn that a friend, colleague, neighbor, or family member is expecting, I immediately begin to think of what I can knit for the …

THAT doesn’t look right…

When my children were first learning to skate, I took them to a community rink for a lesson. They spent the entire first lesson falling onto the ice, flopping onto the ice, protected by their snowpants and jackets, and learning to get up.  "On your hands and knees and bark like a dog," the teacher …

Baby Stripes

I got a new neighbor just before the New Year when young Parker arrived into the world. What perfect timing since I'd finished my quick and sparkly scarf and was on the look out for a new project. I'm a sucker for babies and a cleverly designed knit. This one fit the bill. It's knit …