Updated patterns!

I'm in the process of updating my old patterns, particularly the bibs, to include charts. I'm rewriting some of the directions to make the patterns even easier and including alternative methods for beginning the bibs and for making the ties. Look for these patterns in the sidebar to see which ones have been added. It's a slow process, but eventually, they'll all be there!



Thursday, July 9, 2009

What I did on my vacation..

Okay, so it really wasn't a real vacation. My son had to have surgery and since he's a bachelor, he needed some assistance. A whole week in Rhode Island, sounds lovely, doesn't it? It might have been, except for this incessant rain here in New England. I wonder if we'll have any summer at all? In any event, it was perfect weather for just sitting and knitting. I decided to make some shorties for Marty. This little green pair was done with Lamb's Pride in Christmas Green. I love cables, but they tend to cling a little too much, so I decided to space them out with plain stockinette panels.

For those of you who are familiar with soakers, you know that it's always a good idea to add short rows to the bum to accomodate the diaper. Unfortunately, with cables that's difficult to do. I solved this though by picking up an extra purl stitch across the backside in between the cables. I started after about three cable crossings and then when I got to the split for the legs, I just decreased all those extra stitches. As a result, there is plenty of room. I didn't really use a specific pattern. Since I knit so many of these, I know how many stitches to cast on for his size and I just sort of winged it. You could easily adapt this to your own favorite pattern. Just make sure the cast on is divisible by eight.

I also attempted another pair of Melanie's Sideways Britches. This is a test pattern that hasn't been published yet. It's a little more difficult than your average shorties pattern, but since the first pair I made fit so well, I decided to make another. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying as close attention as I should have been (blame it on the 47" high definition television!) and when I was almost done, I realized that I completely messed up the decreases across the bum! It was too complicated to try to figure out where I went wrong exactly, so I just started them from the beginning!

These are also done in Lamb's Pride in Sandy Heather. It's a nice color that should go with everything, including dirt from the sandbox! I might try another pair, but only because I took extensive notes, so I won't make the same mistake again!

I also managed to make a pair of socks for Marty. This is one of my favorite patterns. It's called "Swirling Confetti" . I used Plymouth Yarns Happy Feet with a U.S. size 2 needle and it came out a perfect size. I knit it exactly as written, except I used a 3 st. garter stitch heel flap. This is my favorite new way to make a heel flap as I really like the way the socks look, plus it's easy to pick up the stitches.

Finally, I finished another pair of socks that I was working on for Micah (with the huge feet). This time I used Cascade Fixation with a U.S. size 6 needle and the same pattern, except it has a plain heel flap.

They really aren't this orange. The yarn is more like terra cotta, but my camera just didn't want to pick up the right color. I used the same number of stitches for both pair of socks and you can see what a difference the yarn and needles make.

Next time I go to Rhode Island though, I hope to do a little more sightseeing and a little less knitting. It's a pretty little state and I spotted a lovely little yarn shop not too far away. I'm sure that qualifies as a tourist attraction!

2 comments:

Kathy... said...

Boy! You've been busy! All such cute things...as always.

Hope your son is doing well. I have never been to the New England states. I imagine it is a beautiful part of the country.

susanmark said...

HI Elaine,

You've been very busy. I am glad you are having a good time. Hope you are getting some rest,too, and that you are feeling much better now.

HUGS
Susan