Baby sweaters ... completed!

Here are the baby sweaters I knitted, I think they are absolutely adorable!  They are each only about 10 inches across, with six inch sleeves, not really tiny, but ... size newborn to three months.  The blue sweater is from a pattern called Bamboozle Bambino Sweater, designed by Sandi Rosner.  I just love the little double-breasted look.  I wasn't thrilled about having six buttons (hard to see in the pictures, but there are six), but it was so cute I put them all on.  For yarn, I used Baby Bee Little Britches, in teddybear.  It is mostly blue (obviously!), with little flecks of other color.  Nice and soft and really sweet!

The pink sweater is a modification of "to bobble or not to bobble", a pattern from the book "The Yarn Girls' Guide to Kid Knits" (GREAT book, simple patterns that lend themselves well to creative use of color).  The original pattern has bobbles on the cuffs and has a collar that also has bobbles.  I figured a newborn would end up with cuff/collar bobbles in it's mouth, so I left them off.  The yarn is heavier than the Little Britches (I think it is a Vanna White blend), but with the daisy flower buttons I think it also turned out really well.


So, with the sweaters done and delivered, today I started knitting mittens for my daughter.  I knitted a scarf for her for Christmas, and she mentioned she needed mittens as well.  I thought, sure, why not?, mittens are a fast knit.  Well, they are if they are just knitted, but I found a really cool pattern (lots of really cool patterns, actually, but I picked this one) called Chevalier Mittens.  (Link:   http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/chevalier-mittens)  Really cool!   

 

2012 - A New Year ...

Time to move on to the New Year!

Plans for this year?  Well, I have sewing plans, knitting plans, and quilting plans.  Plus plans for organizing our finances and giving more attention to housecleaning.  Plus cooking and baking.  Too many plans!!

First, though, I have some unfinished Christmas gifts that need to get finished.  I have LOTS of fleece pieces leftover from making boxer dog jackets, and so I planned on making sweatshirts/tops/jackets out of them for my grandchildren (ages 4, 2, and 2).  Easy enough, but to go with the jackets (kind of bolero style) I am also making jumpers for the two girls.  One jacket and one jumper are complete, and one jumper is cut out.  They are cute; I might keep them for birthday gifts (since they will most likely be too big for them right now anyway), but ... they still need to get completed.  I also started sofa quilts for my two daughters-in-law at various times last year, and they also need to be done for Christmas 2012 (since it is too late for Christmas 2011!).   And, I have two other quilt tops to quilt, and one quilt all cut out waiting to be sewn up.  Plus a sweater waiting for a front panel, and TONS of yarn waiting for any project at all!  That is probably not all of my UFOs, but ... it is enough to list for now!

Before I finish them, I am knitting two newborn baby sweaters for my mom.  No, she is not having twins, but she did ask for the sweaters.  Her church is completing layettes, and, since my mom doesn't knit, she asked if I would knit for her.  Of course!!  I love to knit, and baby sweaters are adorable and fast!  Mom's birthday is in two days, so I am planning on presenting the two sweaters to her at that time.  I will post a picture when they are done.

And, once I start knitting ... I would like to knit a sweater for my grandson, who will be two in three weeks.  His fleece sweatshirt can wait, I think;  he really wants a sweater, I'm sure!  (Did I mention the TONS of yarn just waiting to be used?!)

That should get me to the end of January, and then the project list is wide open!