Monday FO: Shurt'gal Socks (modified)

My first selfish knit of 2014:  Shurtugal Dragon Socks for me.  The yarn is Knit Picks in, I think, a Stroll Multi.  It came from the stash and I didn't even think to check the label before I tossed it in the trash.  I've been meaning to make a pair of socks that matched the spring palette in my winter/spring wardrobe for quite some time, so it's great to have gotten these done.  It took me about 8 days for the pair, but I must admit that I did spend quite a bit of time on them on Saturday when I realized that I was only 4 inches from the finish line.

The last pair of Shurtugal socks that I made was last spring for my mother, and I turned those into a pair of cool-weather pedicure socks.  I really liked the pattern so I broke away from the usual ribbed sock, and I'm so glad that I did!

I was really quite concerned at the beginning about the pooling affecting how well the pattern shows up, but I think it all worked out okay in the end. I changed the heel and just did a straight stocking stitch v-heel instead of the slip-stitch that the pattern suggested.  I'm not really into ridges on my heels.

Of course, as soon as I was finished with these, I got orders from the family for more socks for them.  So far I'm 3 pair deep before I can knit another pair for myself.  It's a good thing that the Farmers' Almanac says the we have at least one more very cold month ahead.  Maybe I'll still be able to get another pair in for myself before winter ends.

Basic Raglan Baby Cardigan Sweater

As promised, here are pics of the finished newborn sweater that I was working on Monday. (It's even more adorable in person!)

This particular sweater is now available for purchase in my Etsy shop. Of course, I will also knit up a custom order if you send me a message on Etsy.

And, as promised, here's the pattern:  Basic Raglan Baby Cardigan Sweater.  It's sized from 0-3 mos., 3-6 mos., and 6-12 mos.  If you go to the Craft Yarn Council, you can get measurements for additional ages and, really, if you keep gauge in mind, you can alter this pattern to produce larger sizes as needed.  I'm giving it to you for free, so if you want a larger size than what I've offered, please do the math yourself.  Of course, there are a zillion other free raglan top-down patterns on Etsy, too. This pattern is simply what I've worked out over the years for my own knitting purposes.

Monday FOs: Baby Cardi Central

I think I mentioned in the last post that I was knitting up a baby cardi, the Puerperium Cardigan, for a baby shower this past weekend, and promised pictures of the finished project. (One sleeve looks longer, I know, but that's just the angle.  They measure to exactly the same size.)

Well, that little number knit up so quickly that I had time for a second, more involved cardigan.

This one is just a basic top-down raglan that anyone with a good raglan worksheet and a few standard body measurements can whip up.  The stripes are just a matter of one knit row and one purl row, which is pretty easy since a top-down cardigan is basically knit flat, with the working yarn carried up the right side selvedge. The yarn is 100% DK weight organic merino (kettle dyed pea pod green and hand painted ash grey). There are probably a gazillion photos on Ravelry just like it, but that doesn't make it any less adorable!

I plan to share the instructions with you in my free patterns section of this blog, but that will be at a later date.  Today, I'm just feeling under the weather.  Although I was beyond thrilled to see friends at yesterday's baby shower that I haven't seen in ages, some in almost 2 years, I think too much talk of "school" has done me in for a few days.  By the time I left, I had a serious eye twitch that lasted well into the wee hours of the morning and, after a night of miserable "school" dreams, my stomach problems that caused me to leave teaching in the first place are in full swing today.   So patterns for another day, though I promise to give you a few sizes to work with when I do.

Not even whipping up a new cardi (I think I'm on a baby cardi jag), which I began yesterday morning and will probably finish this evening, or spending a good chunk of my morning at knitting club where no one talks "school" has been able to relax me.  This cardigan is done in a fingering weight 100% merino in natural, undyed cream and kettle-dyed cobalt blue. I promise better pics when it's been blocked and finished.

You can find this newest cardi (0-3 mos.) in my Cedar Hill Farm Company Etsy shop later this week.  I'm also happy to do custom orders; just drop me a line.