Swatchless

This evening I treated myself to a night out at the theatre to see “Office Hours”, an intriguing play that weaves different perspectives of the same plot together in six different scenes.  It kept me thinking, and laughing while I was knitting for two hours.  I used this time to finish the mittens that I started at New Moon.  These are mittens knit on a deadline (something that I prefer to avoid).  They will be auctioned off for an environmental charity next week.

Pattern:  Fox and Geese {Ravelink}

Size: Adult small

Yarn: 100% Wool from Topsy Farm Amherst Island (bought at the Farmer’s market on Queen’s Campus) They also sell online.

These mittens have a nice long cuff that fits snugly to the wrist to keep hands warm, and keep the snow away.  I tried them on to take these pictures, and could feel that they will be very warm.  The pattern is knit carrying two colours so there are always short floats on the inside of the mitten.  This extra layer is what causes the mitten to be so warm.

The yarn feels very natural, as if there is still lanolin in it.  It will be a great to soothe chapped hands.

I literally was tying up loose ends and weaving them in to complete these mittens.  Next I will tie up loose ends to catch you up with some of my knitting that has traveled to far corners of the world recently.  It seems that most of my family members and friends here own something that I have knit for them.  I’m now starting to spread the love further afield.  When you receive a knitted gift you must realize that you are getting more than a garment, it is a gift of time and attention, thoughtfulness, and warmth.

I made this Baby Surprise Jacket {Ravelink} for a friend in Germany who just had her first baby.  She’s a knitter herself, but I don’t know if she’s ever tried this pattern.  It sure is a fun one to knit up.  I recommend it to brave knitters everywhere!

I made a Totoro bonnet {Ravelink} for a friend in Japan who has just had her second baby.  The ears don’t show up so well in the picture, but they are there.  A very nice pattern for a baby hat, with or without the ears and face.

Isn't she the cutest?

A pair of mittens made their way to Amman Jordan for a friend I stayed with on a recent vacation.  She tells me that she will have use for them, as Jordan gets a little snow most winters.   I think I’d need a photo to prove it, Amman will always be over 30 C in my imagination!

The mittens were made from patterns found in Folk Knitting in Estonia by Nancy Bush, using wool from Topsy Farms.  I love that colour red.

There are more projects currently in the mail (but their future recipients may read this blog, so I will not discuss that further).  I look forward to hearing of their safe arrival.  Getting packages in the mail is such a novelty these days.

Have a happy Thanksgiving to those in the USA, and a happy Eid for all who are celebrating.

So many of my friends and colleagues are having babies these days!  I have been enjoying knitting teensy tiny baby things and mailing them off to various locations.  One of my favourite patterns is the Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ) {Ravelink} by Elizabeth Zimmerman.  The pattern (originally published in 1968) can be found in Zimmerman’s books “The Opinionated Knitter” and “Knitting Workshop” or can be ordered separately from School House Press, and it will be mailed to you.

The sweater seen below was made for a dear friend in Japan who became a father over the summer to baby Kouki.  It is knit with blue-green sock yarn (Lana Grossa Mega Boots Stretch) that has a gradual colour change, punctuated with black stripes of Kroy.

Baby Surprise Jacket

The sweater is cast on around the cuffs and across the back, and knit with mitered corners until you reach the button band and bottom edge of the sweater.  It is knit in one piece and has only one seam to sew up (I HATE sewing up seams and weaving in ends!).  There are infinite possibilities of stripes and colours, and it is a great way to use up scraps from your stash.

Baby Surprise Jacket

Different sizes are achieved by using different needles and wool combinations.  Zimmerman’s philosophy is that babies come in all sizes, so what you knit is sure to fit someone’s child.  I knit by that philosophy most of the time!

The first time I knit this sweater was for baby Rachel.  I was a bit nervous.  The pattern is written in a very conversational style…with warnings that what you are creating will not look like a sweater, but to stick with it until the end when all will be revealed.  When I cast off, I had this oddly shaped creation–my first Baby Surprise Jacket, knit from stash yarn of varying compostition.

Finished the knitting.....is this really a sweater?

I followed the folding instructions as drawn out on the pattern page, and it is remarkable to see how this can become a sweater.  I passed it around to my family members and friends, and had fun watching them struggle to figure out what it was supposed to be.

now it's a sweater!

I made several more BSJs with stash yarn, and I’m impressed at how different each sweater looks!  It is fun to plan out crazy colour combinations.

BSJ for baby Paxton

Baby Surprise Jacket from Stash Yarn

I wanted to try this pattern with self patterning yarn to see how well the stripes would show with the garter stitch, and the variation in row length.  The following two sweaters are the results of that experimentation.  I think it turned out very nicely, and had far fewer ends to weave in!

baby surprise jackets

So, if you are looking for an interesting knitting project that will let you showcase your colour sense, and creativity give this one a try!  People will definitely ask you what you’re making.