Sneak Peek

Dear Knitters Who Love to Knit for Babies,

I have a little something to show you. I have been agonizing over how to do this embroidery, and it was so scary to me that I had to practice on a pair of soaker pants first. (These were some pants I attempted to dye for Sebastian much earlier. I still make him wear them and they are slightly less hideous when they're on him than when they're just lying there... but they're ugly enough I don't feel bad if I accidentally make them uglier).

Here is the sleeve detail on the sweater I'm making (for the same cousin as the little hat). The neckline of the sweater will also be embellished and will have leaves to match the hat.


Without flash, I like this one better:


The original pattern for baby's kaftan (from Debbie Bliss' The Baby Knits Book) called for flowers but the parents have elected to be surprised... so I can't put flowers on it. Or anything too boyish either. Please tell me that it is stunningly obvious what the central motifs are supposed to be!

Anyways, I have finished the central motif on the other cuff but not the vine yet. It could be a while before I have any new content to show you.

Until then!
Lystessa

Innovation for Soakers!

Dear Knitters who also use Cloth Diapers,

I found a wonderfully simple way to rejuvenate soakers that have lost their staying power. Thanks to Knit In Your Pants for her nifty "No Strings Attached (TM)" waistband augmentation.

Okay, see the pic?


They're staying up, above the diaper level, because of this neato, "oops, maybe I should have done something different for the waistband," afterthought kind of fix. Although I guess you could plan to do it on purpose...


Hooked on Duplicate stitch,
Lystessa

Hat for my Cousin

Dear Blog-addicted Knitters,

I made a hat for my cousin's soon-to-be baby. <:^) I have finally remembered to share it with you.

I'm also making a sweater, and I'm going to try and coordinate it by embroidering it with the green that I used for this hat.

I've actually been done with this hat since the trip to the mountains, I just kept forgetting to post a picture. I've been knitting on other stuff, but they're bigger projects than my usual (legwarmers for my munchkin and a baby sweater instead of, uh, hats, heh).




With flash:


The pattern is one I've knitted before, so the link is already on the sidebar. (It's "Leaf Edge Hat" under "Recent Entries").


Happy Father's Day Weekend, Everybody!
Lystessa

The Spindle Wasn't Working Out

Dear Knitter Types That Occasionally Spin,

This is what I have to contend with whenever I try to accomplish anything. I have come to cherish his naps, and not only because he is so cuddly to hold.



This continued for at least 15 minutes. That's a long time for a toddler to pay attention to any one thing.

Edited to add:
P.S. - That's not armpit hair, it's the end of the wool. Just thought I would clear that up in case anyone was wondering.

Lystessa

When Knitting Terms... Disturb?

Dear Knitters Who Might Try To Make Gloves Or Toe Socks,

Don't ever google the word "fourchette" without adding "knitting" to it. No matter how impatient you are, or how valuable your keystrokes (because of that baby in your lap)... Just trust me. Wow.


Lystessa

Why I'm Definitely Not Mopey Anymore

Dear Everyone,

While on our trip, my dear FIL bought me the best present ever. EVER. The kind of present that makes me feel like a princess out of a fairy tale. Where I wake up in the middle of the night thinking "Oh wow, that was such a great dream... WAIT! It's REAL!"

So, I won't keep you guessing any longer. This is my new toy:




I love it. Love love love love love it. It spins as good or better than any other wheel I've gotten to play with, and it looks as good as it works!

And here are a couple of yarns I've made on it:


Some yummy "midnight" superwash wool, from The Yarn Circle:


A closeup, this is the effect I was aiming for - squiggly:



I navajo-plied the leftover thinner strand:



I plied a strand of black wool with a strand of silk, and then plied that with another single of silk for this one:



Thank you for viewing, and my deepest apologies if I made anyone painfully jealous (but trust me, I've been there too).

Au revoir,
Lystessa

The Lilies

Dear Knitters Who Also Love Their Gardens,

I know I mentioned I had recently returned from a trip to the mountains a couple of posts back. We stayed for a week. On the day that we were to leave, my lilies finally started to bloom. Well, one of the plants did anyway.

This is what I was presented with on the morning of departure:


Good, right? No!!! I had been waiting for months for those fat little buds to finally open, and they wait until the exact day I'm leaving on a week-long trip?!

But it was okay. Because this is what I got to see the day I got home:


The two flowers from the first photo had already dropped, of course, but almost all the rest were in full bloom.

TTYL!
Lystessa

My handspun hat

Dear Knitting Fiends,

I finally made myself a hat, plus I got to use up my favorite handspun. You saw my yarn earlier, it looked all pretty and tie-dyed. I shouldn't have made this hat pattern with it though, or at least I should have changed the gauge. My yarn was thicker than it looked and I really hate insanely tight knitting. My hands were hurting by the time I finished this... but I do really like the dense feel of it.


Front View:



Back View:


I rather think it looks like a swimming cap. My husband said it looked "rasta" with my hair hanging out of it. (I think we're too white to use words like rasta without sounding stupid, but I didn't tell him that).

Loopy like always,
Lystessa

Yay for Yoga Socks!

Dear knitting addicts,

I'm thinking about trying out a bit of a letter format. Do you like it so far?

I've had some pics sitting on the camera for a while (and now there are more waiting, heh) so here is the backlog. We just got back from visiting family in the mountains and I have lots of stuff to catch up on this here blog.

First and foremost, finished for over two weeks (maybe pushing three now?), are the wonderful Yoga Socks from Just Jussi. I will link this pattern in the sidebar as usual.

I don't actually do yoga. But if my ankles get cold, regardless of how hot I am anywhere else, it makes my knees hurt. I wanted ankle warmers! These do the job nicely and I feel like a gymnast every time I look at my feet.










Don't they just look so spiffy?

Yours truly,
Lystessa