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Category: Knitting

Sixth Birthday Rainbow Sweater // 2

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I ripped out this sweater and knit this dress up using no particular pattern for Sunny’s sixth birthday. It was a nice way to repurpose the rainbow yarn she’d picked out in Fall of 2013 since that dress no longer fit.

 

Sixth Birthday Rainbow Sweater // 1

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Ravelry details

Sock Obsession

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I’ve been on a sock knitting kick of late (which is def not my usual style as I’m an instant gratification kind of gal. Not just in knitting. But in life. So perhaps this new obsession is a sign of maturity? Maybe? Question mark?)

I have done a poor job of documenting my sock creations, but this is the fifth pair I’ve made. My first three pairs were top down (I followed this pattern), and then I learned the wonders of toe up knitting AND knitting both socks simultaneously, and my life has been forever changed. This pattern taught me how to knit toe-up on two circular needles, and this pattern taught me how to knit two socks at a time (what a joy to finish the pair together! No more second sock syndrome for this lass!) My mother received a pair for her birthday in April, my fairy godmother a pair just because I adore her, and then this purple pair is in the spirit of all things Williams (as I gear up for my crazy Reunion season). Courtland selected the yarn and it is a delicious cashmere, which means no machine washing (I tend to lean toward machine washable yarn for socks, because, ya know, the stink. But I couldn’t resist the purple-loving demands of my three-year old).

I finished these socks last week and have already begun another pair. They just seem like such a meaningful, personal gift – but also a useful one – you can guess what I’ll be doing this holiday season for all my loved ones!

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Details about this pattern and yarn in my Ravelry projects.

Graham’s Sweater

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Sweet baby Graham turns one this month! To mark the occasion I knit up a beloved pattern from Kaki’s babyhood with my favorite sweater yarn. Details in my Ravelry projects. And I’ve been knitting away for the Cart household’s May baby as well. Pictures soon. I can hardly believe that she’ll be turning SIX!

More Cardigans

Because I cannot get enough of this pattern.

We spent Sunny’s April school vacation in South Carolina with one of my dearest friends from college, Sunny’s Fairy Godmother, and her family. She is expecting a baby girl this summer, so I used the scrap yarn from a cardigan I made for her son this fall to create these two itty bitty baby cardigans. They’re in their beloved Michigan colors, but can be used fairly universally throughout the early months of baby girl’s life. Seriously, I could do this pattern in my sleep, I love it so.

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Details in my Ravelry projects

St. Onge Sweaters

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The snow days preceding my trip to Seattle and then my cross country travels gave me ample time to finish these two sweaters for one of my oldest and dearest friend’s daughters. I find knitting to be a (relatively) relaxing and (definitely) rewarding activity during these cold winter months. I tend to retire my needles once the days lengthen and I can spend my time playing outdoors, but I love to hunker down and knit for those I love during these dark days of winter. It’s a time consuming activity, but I get so much joy from gifting handmade items that I’ve been able to carefully construct and personalize.

I’ve been meaning to make something for these sweet sisters for some time, and Clara’s 1st birthday was the perfect occasion. I love this little cardigan pattern so much – not only because it is a breeze to make, but because it fits for years and can be used during all the seasons. I worked with Spud and Chloe’s Sweater Yarn (holy amazing! I don’t think I’ll ever knit another baby/kid’s sweater in any other yarn) in Splash because the color reminded me of the color of Lydia’s little sailboat growing up. A huge part of our friendship is rooted in the sea, and we spent our childhoods sailing side by side. I loved finding a color that hinted at that history. I then couldn’t resist sourcing the buttons from Danforth Pewter, a Vermont company. Given that I now live in VT and Lydia went to College in VT, we both hold this state in high regard. And, I went with sea-themed buttons, opting for sand dollars that remind me of sunny summer days diving off the edge of boats into the sea to collect them from the sand bar and scallops that lined the shores of our beaches growing up.

I knit a size 18 months for the 1 year old and a size 5 for the 3 year old, and hope that they’ll enjoy them for years to come.

The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.

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For details visit my Ravelry project here

Katy’s Sweater

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My big “goals” of our vacation in South Carolina included finishing this month’s book club novel (The Peripheral by William Gibson – Sci-fi isn’t usually my thing, but I enjoyed the wild ride of this story, despite being completely confused for the first 100 pages) and completing this baby sweater for a friend’s daughter’s 1st birthday party the day after our return. With the extra yarn, I whipped up another gnome hat, and finally caught some images of the hat on a child to showcase the adorableness of the pattern. It’s a gudun.

Katy’s family has two kitty cats, so I couldn’t resist using these two cat buttons from my grandmother’s stash of buttons for her cardigan. My girls love their cardigans from Ann Mae, so I decided to give the pattern a try in two tones of purple (perfect for her Eph/Eph parents). I’ll definitely be making this sweater again. It’s a simple, top-down design and can be worn for years (while it gets shorter, we’ve found it makes a great extra layer through all seasons). Admittedly, working it two colors made it trickier (and the inside looks a hot mess because of it), but I love how it made the details pop.

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Details about the gnome hat and the cardigan on my Ravelry.

Cowls

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While I’ve been knitting away, my talented friends have been similarly engaged. The girls were ecstatic to open these cozy cowl hoods made with love by my gal Ann Mae (Here is 2013’s Christmas creations and 2012’s). Sunny’s in her signature rainbow, and Kaki’s in her favorite purples and blues. Courtland is particularly enamored of hers and was quite the hit at the grocery store the other day while rocking her new look.

I am so fortunate to have such a talented tribe of women in my life. And my girls are particularly fortunate to so often be on the receiving end of these talents.

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Pattern for the Canyon Cowl here

Elias’ Sweater

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FGM Dellie made my Sunday with an email filled with pictures of Elias rocking his Michigan-inspired cardigan. I love this pattern and have made it a number of times now. It’s a top down knit, seamless, and selecting buttons for it is always such fun. I went with these farm-animal themed buttons again thanks to Danforth Pewter (an aptly VT-based company).

It looks like there’s room for him to grow, so I hope that I’ll get to see him wearing it in person one day. Thanks, Dells!

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Details on my Ravelry project here.

Jack’s Sweater

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I spent most of last week knitting, tearing apart, knitting, tearing apart, and finally knitting this baby sweater for my dear friend’s son’s 1st birthday. Third time was indeed a charm. I fell in love with these puppy buttons as they reminded me of Jack’s two Puggles, Peanut and Butter, and I’d be itching to try this sweater pattern (the pattern Kaki’s FGM used to make Courtland’s 1st Christmas present.) My knitting process tends to involve lots of knitting and redoing and knitting and redoing when I’m learning or adapting a new pattern, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that this particular process was rather lengthy.

I’ve been in the knitting zone, having finished a Michigan-themed version of this sweater for Sunny’s FGP’s son’s Hanukkah gift (I failed to snap photos of it before dropping it in the mail, but Dellie’s handy with a camera, so I’m sure they’ll be documentation of it) and two of these adorable gnome hats for Kaki’s FGP’s daughters (I have now made a whole bunch of these hats and have yet to photograph them. It’s a fabulous little pattern, and a quick knit. I highly recommend and will try to document one the next time I do it). I’m now working on a purple sweater for Courtland, as I knit Sunny a rainbow dress last Christmas, so it’s my second born’s turn for a little hand knit love from mama.

But for now, Jack’s puppy sweater in his signature orange and camo-green.

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