March is the New February

I just couldn't resist finishing one more February project, even though it bled over into March. This, of course, made me behind on the March project, but more about that later. For now: Longies! 

Knit with Filatura Di Crosa Zarina. Usually I don’t choose varigated colors like this, but the yarn was so soft and squishy I was temporarily blinded. I ran out of the yarn on the longies and the store didn’t have any of the same dyelot, so I chose a pink varigation that matched the green of the blue/purple varigation, and used them in stripes on the legs and straight pink on the feet.

with matching BSJ

 The feet turned out really huge, but I think she’ll grow into them (given the genetic evidence).

like a little easter bunny

All in all, I liked many qualities of the yarn. It's soft and smooth, mega squishy and springy. It stretches to accomodate huge diaper butt. The color I chose is just a little loud.

February Episode 1: The Moth Menace

I had less time to knit this month than anticipated... well, perhaps I should have anticipated that...

There were a lot of little projects in the February chapter of The Knitter's Almanac. I skipped the double knitting project (which is suggested as an exercise in double knitting, with possible products being a pot holder, baby changing pad, or cozy baby bag.) I opted not to do this one, because I thought it was only marginally interesting. I was going to pick it up if I ended the month with knitting time left over. Which, of course, I didn't.

First I started with the pants project. EZ calls them longies, but I made three "shortie" versions to act as diaper covers. Late last year as I brought out the long-stored baby things, I made a harsh discovery: my nice wool diaper covers had been invaded and chewed up by the evilest of little buggers. I actually had to throw away four covers, and repaired a few others. Surprisingly, our japanese wool wraps were untouched.

The purple pair was actually knit back in December -- cheater, I know. Yarn: Campolmi R. Filati Tundra bought at Sofie's new store. Nice and thick, but the wool had to be relanolized. Overall, I liked the pattern, but I felt the short row shaping in the butt was not wholely adequate, and not nicely executed. EZ says just knit 5, turn, knit 10, turn, knit 15, turn, etc, which leaves little hiccups in the fabric. If I had to do it again, I would do the nice wrap-and-turn method.

 

The next two were knit from Leine Merino lanolicious yarn, bought at my first ever visit to the Oslo Husfliden. The smaller one has a plucky little cable on the side, but is sort of thin and small. Perfect for the newborn, but at one month old, she's already outgrown it. The larger one was knit with the yarn held double and never lets a leak through. I neglected the eyelets because I don't really like having a drawstring, but I wish I'd knit it in 1x1 rib instead of 2x2. 

I had plans to knit the full Longie pattern, in the same yarn as the BSJ at the beginning of this post, but it has not yet come to fruition. I'll keep knitting on it while I contemplate yarn for the March project.

coming up next: February Episode 2: Attack of the Blankie

Little Boy Blue

A dear friend of mine is expecting her second little boy, and it took me the better part of her pregnancy to decide what to knit for her. I finally decided the project should have two special elements: 1) it was to be my first Baby Surprise Jacket (truly a milestone) and 2) it would be knit from yarn that I bought while I was with her, so long ago, before either of us were considering having babies (more than in an abstract sense anyway).

I bought the yarn in Munich, not even at a proper yarn store, because I was not even enough of a knitter to seek one out. It was a department store in Muenchner Freiheit... I can't even remember the name it was so long ago! The yarn was intended to be my first pair of socks (having already knit 1.5 socks, I thought I was ready for two!). The pattern was beautiful but ill-fated as a sock, not stretchy. I had to frog it off of my foot after the first time I tried it on. So I hope this is a better fate for the yarn.

And, knitting the BSJ for the first time... it reminds me of the first time I ate a mango. I couldn't stop. And I could not get enough (indeed BSJ #2 is en route right now). A truly delightful experience.

There's a third special aspect about this project. I've had two wonderful birth experiences, both at home in the water. The same midwives attended both births. During my second birth, the senior midwife was knitting through most of it. It felt so serene... just right somehow... like "just another normal birth, nothing to get excited about, I guess I'll just knit". It gave me confidence to feel she was so relaxed that she could knit! Two days later, she gave us the finished product: a perfectly beautiful BSJ. The first time I'd ever seen one, and I knew it was a special pattern right away. It turned me on to Elizabeth Zimmermann, and started me on the path to being a better knitter.

Glutton for Noro

Who could get enough?