Completed Norman

I actually knitted a whole jumper!

That might not sound too amazing to a lot of you, but I have actually never started and finished a jumper knitting project yet (and there are a lot on the half done pile!) so I am feeling very proud of myself right now.

Not too proud though, I started this jumper 9 months before my nephews 2nd birthday as part of his birthday gift. He is now 2 years and 11 months and I completed it this week! Oops! Safe to say its not going to fit him now, but at least I know I will have a little boy who will grow into it. I will just need to find a new knitting project for my nephew.

The pattern is from 'Just Baby' by Rowan and is called Norton, I'm not 100% sure I didn't pick this pattern because the child is so cute! I loved the colours though so knitted it in the exact same wool as the pattern. Its very boyish but still not dull and too babyish.

The pattern was really easy to follow and not actually too arduous to knit, I just put it down and didn't pick it back up again. I have got half a mind to knit it in a smaller size and some different colours now, but I think I should give some other baby patterns a go. I do like a baby knit though, they come together really quickly and I really think I have picked up a bit of the knitting bug now.

I really like the button panel on the front of this jumper. It was probably the most awkward part to knit up but it gives a nice little detail to the front and will make taking it on and off the little man really easy. 

Keep your eyes peeled for what will come next....

Do you have any really good baby knitting patterns you like to know? I would love to hear your recommendations.

It's a Boy!

Yes, that's right, it looks like we will be having a little boy join our family at the end of the year. It's so strange, the whole thing feels a lot more real now that he is our son rather than just baby. So now I get to craft and shop with focus! Very exciting.

I have immediately cast on this adorable little jumper. It's actually something I intended to knit for my nephew, but I obviously didn't finish it, and now he is bigger than my knitting so at least I have a reason to start again (in a smaller size so it's quicker to complete!). The pattern is from they Rowan just baby book which I purchased a couple of years ago. As you can see I am knitting it in the exact same colour way, but the colours are just gorgeous for a boy.

I am already racking up my baby boy craft projects in my mind so hopefully we will be seeing a few more projects and a few less life updates. I did try to make a maternity skirt, but it just went monumentally wrong... Twice! So I gave up on that as a bad job and will have another crack at it next week. 

Have lovely weekend everybody whatever you are up too. 

And so knit begins...

...I'm so sorry for that!

Last week I put up some of my small, but hopefully achievable, resolutions for 2014 and one of those is to knit a jumper, and one that I will hopefully wear. Well there is no time like the present, and knowing how long it takes me to finish a knitting project I have jumped straight in.

One of my Christmas gifts was a copy of Kim Hargreaves Enchanted and the sweater I plan to knit from this is Longing. I have a slightly scary obsession with Kim Hargreaves knitting books and I own about 5 or 6 of them (see I have lost count). I have also NEVER completed a knitting project from any of them. That's quiet bad really isn't it, but I am just drawn to these books. The pictures are so enticing and the quality of the books is amazing. On top of that the patterns are all items which you could actually wear on a day to day basis. They are classic but also stylish at the same time. I also have a bit of an obsession in that I would always rather knit in Rowan than anything else. Maybe that makes me a yarn snob i'm not sure? I will tell you something though, it does make any project a very expensive one. The Kim Hargreaves patterns all use Rowan, though you can of course substitute for other yarns as long as you check your gauge.

So I purchased some wool for the project, 5 balls of Kid Classic in Rose, and 3 balls of Kidsilk Haze in Blushes. It turns out blushes was a lot darker than I expected, and as this pattern calls for you to knit two strands together I was not sure, but after knitting up a swatch I actually like the way this makes the kid classic a bit more of a deep dusky pink than a candy type pink.

So I have made a start and cast on the back, mostly knitting this in the kitchen at work during my lunch break. I really really hope that some point this year I can turn this into my first successful completed sweater from a Kim Hargreaves book. Fingers crossed, and I will keep you updated on its progress.

Finally on a couple of side notes: my Ravelry ID is Monstermagic if you would like to add me, and isn't the heart fabric gorgeous! It's a scarf that I was gifted for Christmas from my mother in law. I love the colours, so pretty. 
 

Knitted Fingerless Gloves for Mummy

My mum put on her Christmas list that she would like a pair of knitted gloves for Christmas so I really want to knit them myself because it was the perfect stash buster idea, and so meant think could be an inexpensive 'extra' gift for her to open on Christmas morning.

I started off using my favourite go-to fingerless glove pattern: Cherry Red Handwarmers by Creative Yarn

I love this pattern, it can be made up in almost any wool and because they are open lacework (which is a really simple repeat) they are flattering, an easy fit, and very quick to make. However on this occasion I tried them on a friend with normal sized hands and she thought they were a little bit on the small side.

So I searched for another pattern using 3.25 double pointed needles (the only set I have) and Aran weight yarn to stash bust some Kid classic that I have. I found this pattern: Optimistic Mitt Pattern by For Makers Sake. They are a little longer than I wanted to so made a few alterations to the pattern. I knitted just 10 repeats of the bottom rib, and 6 for the top. I also added the stripe pattern and omitted the cuff button. I am really pleased with how these came out, and were my first attempt at a thumb hole and so I am very proud of myself. They do feel a little big on my hands, but not too uncomfortably, and I do have children's midget hands so hopefully they will have a good fit on a normal person.

I really hope she likes them! I am off to wrap them up ready for tomorrow, and the bonus, I get to keep the grey pair!

I am now going to chill out with Mr Fox, so I wish you all a wonderfully Merry Christmas.