Even though the description on the pattern suggested that I would finish in 5 hours, I took my time. It actually took me five evenings to finish this project.
Front view of jacket. I used a vintage button from my mother’s collection.
Back View
It really was a delightful knit. I am so thrilled that the yarn combination created an interesting and sturdy fabric. I held two yarns together to achieve the look.
Now there are two less balls of yarn in my stash. With the ball of yellow yarn remaining, I plan to knit some baby beanies.
Anyone out there in Blogville have some patterns to suggest?
It’s cast-on Monday. Having finished my latest knit project, I am ready to continue the stash reduction campaign by starting something new. The acrylic section of the stash is pretty well depleted since I finished up the Abstract Rainbow lap blanket. Left behind is a giant ball of yellow sport-weight yarn, intended for a baby blanket I suppose. I was given it along with a few bits and pieces of pale blue and pale variegated yarns. The pale yellow doesn’t inspire me.
….and there’s so much of it! The skein is about 150 grams.
But wait – I came across a pattern for a baby jacket that requires two strands held double. It is written by Franklin Habit, a designer with impeccable taste and reliable patterns. This baby jacket can be knit quickly. And it’s a free download.
But wait – what if I hold the pale blue yarn with the pale yellow yarn?
Suddenly an interesting texture and color appears. The blue is warmed by the yellow and the yellow cooled by the blue.
I like what I see, so let’s cast on.
I even see a suggestion of green emerging in the fabric.
5-Hour Baby Jacket is sized for a newborn and is knit from the top down in one piece. It is a soothing knit that makes for a peaceful morning, as copious amounts of rain fall from above. The sound of drops on the skylight is mesmerizing. Maybe I will sit here and knit all day long.
It’s Christmas in July, based on the appearance of this toddler jacket. Because there were only two skeins of green yarn, I was forced to make contrasting cuffs and collar using cream colored yarn. The result is a garment that might be found on one of Santa’s elves.
Thankfully, toddlers are rarely fussy about clothing. I feel confident the jacket will be deemed acceptable by my two-year-old granddaughter.
Detail of cuff and pleats.
It was a fun and a quick knit. Here is a link to the pattern:
Now I can turn my attention to socks. I have these yummy yarns from Knit pick
The Capretta is a cashmere blend that is incredibly soft. This will be made into socks for hubby. I haven’t yet decided who will get the socks made from the Felici self-striping yarn. Perhaps someone in my daughter’s family.
Everyone deserves to have a least one pair of custom-knitted wool socks. It is one of the secret luxuries of life not easily available to most people, and totally appreciated by those fortunate enough to be loved by a knitter.
A jacket in the style of Santa’s elves? Well, you must have a strong fashion sense to pull off that look.
About a week ago, my friend Kathy suggested we visit a church garage sale because she knew there would be yarn. After perusing the options, I chose these.
There were two skeins of the green Vanna’s Choice and one of the cream color Bernat cotton blend. $1 each. I had been looking for some bulky yarn to use in making this funky toddler coat.
Pretty cute. It is offered by Megan Jones of littlenutmegproductions.com.
Since the green did not have enough yardage to complete the size 2T version, I plan to use the Bernat yarn for cuffs and collar. Here is what I have knit so far:
Does this color combination suggest anything to you? To me, it looks like the beginnings of a Christmas elf costume.
While I’m not sure how I feel about that, I will continue knitting. It amuses me to think of my granddaughter as an elf.
So far, the hardest part was pleating the lower edge. The rest of the coat will be knit up with a raglan sleeve-yoke construction. The collar is picked up and knit down from the neckline. I should be able to finish within the next week.
This time of year I frequently find myself diving into my yarn stash. The goal is to USE it, and to use it in projects that are comfortable for the knitter to make on hot summer days and nights. Today I have three items that fit in this category.
First up is this quirky little hat.
Earlier this year my daughter gave me the small, beat-up hat you see on the right side of this photo. She had inherited it from another mom. Our baby really liked wearing it, but now it was too small and full of holes. I dove into my stash and found plenty of yarns that almost matched, color-for-color, the hues of the original hat. De-coding the pattern was quite simple, since it was a classic shape and used only stockinette with a few purl rounds. The only challenge was working the decreases at the top, to reproduce the “stem.”
During my stash dive I discovered several sock yarn skeins, some of which have enough yardage for a pair of socks. This deep blue yarn was left over from a sweater I made for myself a few years ago.
Love this Color.
The sock pattern comes from a book by one of my favorite knitting writers, Clara Parkes. The Knitter’s Book of Socks is quite good. It includes twenty sock patterns, each by a different designer. She also writes about the characteristics of different yarn fibers, and how these might match up with the qualities required by socks: elasticity, strength and absorption. I highly recommend this book for knitters who like making socks.
This pattern is Firefly, by Jennifer Hagan. The two by two cables are all right-leaning. She has them spaced out along the leg of the sock in such a way that they are easy to make.
My last stash buster started out as a pass-along yarn. Knitting friend Kathy gave me several skeins of Peruvian sock weight yarn in a so-so shade of blue. The blend includes alpaca and wool, but also 50% acrylic. In my stash I found a pale blue tweedy sock yarn bought on sale that had not inspired me. But by knitting them held together, these two yarns worked harmoniously. There was just enough for the skirt of a toddler dress.
When the pale blue ran out, I continued on up the bodice with the alpaca blend held double. The yoke includes a small pattern using strands of Cascade 220.
The dress design is mine, but the stranded design comes from a traditional Faroese Kettunøsin pattern. They are little dog heads.
While I sit here indoors, out my window it is raining heavily. This downpour is quite welcome, since it is the first rain since May. Gardening is out for the day, but knitting, quilting, writing and painting will keep me busy until dark.
Daily Fiber 
