knitwit1965

Here is the detail of the corner of the cuff of the Baby Surprise Sweater as of 1/21.

Here is the knitalong sweater progress as of 1/21. I have reached the 3 rows of knitting with no decrease or increase. I have made 2 increase rows. I think I will continue with the color insertions. I have several other worsted weight yarns in my stash that will fit in nicely.

I am still having fun with this project. I have also picked up a sweater project for myself, in an adult size, using a ribbon yarn which has lived in my stash for 4 years.

This is the yarn I mentioned to friends today. I plan to use it to make a baby sweater that calls for 2 st per inch. My knitting buddy and I think it will make up into a striking sweater for an infant.....

Elizabeth Zimmerman originally published this pattern in the Knitting Workshop book.

Local libraries often have her books... I would check there too.

I love this hat... click to see more comments. In fact, click any photo to see more comments on that photo.....

More cat curiosity - this project he actually, ahem, played with while it was underway... more than once.

Two tone baby sweater. I admit, I started it for someone else's baby, but 1) ran out of appropriate yarn and it took too long to find a substitute so I made something else for her; and 2) the amount of work this sweater took... more than I was willing to give away at the time....

UFO - Un-Finished Object... This one is on its way to permanently unfinished status....

Simple hat, easy to make, quick work.

What happens when Momma Cat is taking photos of knitted items on the floor......

See what happens when you take 9 months to finish a sweater? You start talking about charging $2000 to sell it... no takers yet....

Pretty cool, eh?

Here is the detail of the decreases for where the first short side meets the long side after about 8 decreases. I like my pinstriping so much, placed randomly, that I continued doing it more in the next inch. Stripes are done by starting knitting with the other color at the start of the right side row (see the marker marking the right side?), knitting the row with decreases, knitting a second row, then picking up the main color for the next row.

Got it?

Well, two of my friends joining me in this knitalong have read the pattern and begun asking questions.

One question is when EZ says "sl1, k2tog, psso" how does this work and why? My answer is she wants us to decrease 2 stitches every time we do this - k2tog makes a decrease, sl1/psso makes a second decrease, so if you sl1, THEN k2tog, then PSSO you decrease 2 stitches, one is a left leaning decrease, the other is a right leaning decrease. Fun stuff.

The safety pins she recommends putting into the work at the decrease points (see first row directions) both mark the Front of the work, and remind you to do the decreases on that side at that point.

I started this yesterday, using Lion Brand Superwash, and US8 needles to get the 5 st per inch to make a sweater for a 1 year old. I am doing it in Dark Grey (no standard baby clothes colors for me) with stripes of lighter grey and purple. Straight knitting (garter stitch) is very quick for me so I have 2 inches done with 2 stripes (haphazardly placed).

I am figuring out how to post pictures... it is NOT straightforward from the Mac.

So, I decided to use yarn from my stash. Superwash, Worsted Weight, from Lion Brand. On US8 needles this gives me 5 st per inch. So I am making a sweater for a 1 year old.... good enough for me. I suspect I would be able to put this on MY baby (due 6/15 in Campbell, CA - no sweaters for the first 5 months of life) with the sleeves rolled up before the kidlet is a year old. Or I can send it to my cousin-in-law who lives in Maryland and is having a kid in June as well.

See? Such choices.

The pattern for this is available from http://www.schoolhousepress.com/ a company founded by Elizabeth Zimmerman, for $3.

Photos within a couple of days from now.....

For anyone joining me in the Baby Surprise Jacket knitalong, HERE YOU ARE!

I have not started it yet... just planning stages right now, but will have started after I finish tacking down petals on my falling leaves hat (pattern by Knitwits, no relation). Photo soon.