Knitted sweater

I finished knitting this sweater for Sasha about a month ago but apparently it has the magic ability to transform my toddler into a rocket. Every time I try to photograph her in it, she runs around like I lit her fuse and I just can not get her on film.
So after about 2342837423974238974 unsuccessful shots of this darned sweater, we have a few semi-workable pictures (click to enlarge). Here we go:



Never mind the chocolate ice cream on her face. And she has her beloved toy wrench in her hand and uses it as an occasional pretend telephone.
As for the sweater, the pattern I used was Helena from Knitty.com. I had a lot of fun making the body part of it. (The sleeves were a chore. I hate sleeves.) I added some extra length to the body by adding an extra lace repeat, since my little girl tends to the long and skinny side. I made it a bit big so it will last a while, relatively speaking since she's growing like a weed lately.

I just learned that the designer of the Helena sweater came out with an adult sized pattern too. Oh oh!

Knitting- New Sweater

It's taken me a while, but I finished knitting a warm sweater for Sasha, and I have another sweater that is almost done.
This purple sweater is hand knit, made with a raglan top-down pattern out of Cascade 220 Superwash wool. It is very warm and machine washable.
We got some cute buttons for it. Sasha exclaims "buttons!" every time she sees the sweater. They're very bright, cheerful, and glittery buttons.

Like I said, I have another, really cute sweater that is almost done. Sasha's been "helping" me with that project. Here I have a picture of her helping me out and trying it on for size. (you can see the knitting needles in her hands if you look closely)

That sweater isn't ready yet. It's made from the top down, so it can be tried on for size as we go.
Sasha likes to grab my knitting projects and click the needles together while saying "nitting! nitting! Mama's nitting!" It took me a few days to undo some of the "help" she gave me on this pink sweater. She made a bit of a mess of it but I was able to recover and get it going again. I'm sure it'll be ready to wear by the end of the week if I put my mind to it.
Then I'll start working on some scarves and stuff for the family for the winter. Now that it's getting cooler outside, it's about time to start making the warmer stuff.

Little Model

Late update but I've been slacking with posting lately. I finally got some buttons on a sweater that I made for Sasha. Watermelon buttons! Now she is finally able to wear the sweater. When the weather was nicer, we used it as a jacket and it fit perfectly. Although if she grows any, she will outgrow it. Which is fine. I can pass it on to her younger cousin when she outgrows it.
I love these pictures as I like the way her eyes photographed in natural light. It was one of the first mild weather days of the year, so Sasha loves any excuse to get out on the balcony.

While I'm talking about knitting, here's a dress I made for Sasha:

I haven't had any pictures taken of her wearing it yet, but I'll post it when I get some.
I also have another sweater finished:

Sasha likes wearing the pink one as a jacket and tries to put it on all by herself.

Making a sweater

Well I've been knitting up a storm lately. My latest fun project is a baby jacket/sweater for Sasha. This is what it is supposed to look like when it's done:

I'm about half done and it's going well so far! Can't wait to see it on my little girl.

UPDATE: Sweater is done!

Just needs some buttons. It was nice and easy. I really like the way it turned out. The body fits perfectly on Sasha, however the hood is too small. If I make another, which is likely, I'll have to find a way to make the hood bigger.
I'll add a pic of my little model wearing it when I get a chance.

Knitting lessons

Cassie's knitting lessons

Once upon a time, before there was Walmart, there was the local yarn store. Some still exist today, and they are wonderful places for a knitter or crocheter to go. They do a lot more than sell yarn. They offer lessons and are a great resource for help or advice with yarn projects. Not only that, but you can often find a congregation of crafty women who dispense advice not only on knitting but on life.
While looking for a pair of hard to find knitting needles, I found a classic local yarn shop. Cassie and I fell in love with the place. Sure they've got tons of gorgeous and inspiring yarns and patterns and supplies. They've also got tables and chairs for you to bring in your knitting work, sit down, and knit with the gals. The shop is normally just full of older ladies who sit and knit while they trade advice, patterns, and gossip.
The shop offered "Learn how to Knit" lessons. While I've knit since I was a kid, but I've had a hard time teaching Cassie. It's something I wanted her to know how to do so I decided to let her take some knitting lessons from the gals at the yarn store.
Best decision ever.
Cassie has been taking knitting lessons for about two weeks now. She thinks the little old ladies at the knit shop are really cool. I think she's learning a lot more than just knitting from those old gals. She especially loves to hear them gossip about other customers. She thinks it is so amusing to hear the old ladies make fun of people.
We had another knitting lesson today. I had to bring Sasha, and I couldn't just let her run amok in the yarn store so that was a challenge. Cassie gave me a big thank you for the lessons, but I'm so glad to see her enjoy them.

Speaking of Cassie, she's so over her ex-boyfriend. She's now got a crush on a new guy, and she actually gave this one her phone number. She missed a call from him yesterday because she forgot her phone was on silent; but she has been checking her cell phone every few minutes today to make sure she doesn't miss his next one. So cute!

Knit Leggings 2

I made some baby leggings and thought I'd share what I did. This is my second pair of leggings that I've made so far.
I got some nifty new Addi Turbo knitting needles and a book on knitting in the round on 2 circular needles.

Here they are in progress, and then completed.

And here they are on my little model:

Baby Legs

I made a try at knitting some baby leggings.
I made a test swatch with the needles and yarn that I was going to use to try to get gauge. Gauge is the number of stitches per inch, and also the number of rows in an inch. I determined that my lavender Pound-O-Yarn with size two double-point needles, I knitted approximately 8 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch.
Next, I had to measure my baby. At the highest, fattest top part of her thigh, I measured a circumference of 11 inches. So I determined that my fabric had to at least stretch to 11 inches, but I didn't think it would actually have to be an 11 inch circumference. I figured 8 or 9 inches would work due to the stretchiness of knitted 'fabric'. So I calculated that a 9 inch circumference would be about 72 stitches. That was a nice number as it would divide by three evenly, perfect for dividing my stitches up on three double-point needles so I could knit in the round. That gave me 24 stitches on each of my needles.

So, I cast on 72 stitches. As I was knitting my k1p1 ribbing, it looked too big. After about 10 rows, my ribbing rows measured an inch and I switched to stockinette stitch. Of course, the gauge decreased and it really started to look wide. I kept thinking to myself there's no way this is going to fit a baby leg. But I kept measuring Sasha's thigh circumference and depending on how squirmy she was, it came out to about 10 inches. The circumference of the legging at its widest point was 9 inches so it SHOULD be okay, it just looked huge.
After 14 rows of stockinette stitch, I decreased one stitches off each needle by knitting two stitches together at the beginning of the needle (decreased from 72 total stitches to 69 stitches). This gave me 23 stitches on each needle.
Every 6 rows, I did another decrease round. I did a total of 6 decrease rounds until eventually I was left with 54 stitches, or 18 stitches on each needle.
I then continued with 54 stitches for the rest of the work. I continued until the stockinette portion of the work measured 7 inches.
I switched back to k1p1 ribbing for 1 inch to finish the legging.
The legging turned out very shapely. Very nice looking. I tried it on Sasha and it could use some more length. I am thinking of ripping back the ribbing and adding some more length to it. Other than the length issue, it turned out perfect! Baby thighs are nice and chunky, so the shaping is nearly perfect.

EDIT: I did go back and rip the bottom ribbing, then added an extra 3 inches in length. I almost wish I had added more. The finished pair of leggings look great! They are shaped perfectly for my toddler's thighs. Next pair, I'll probably add an additional 3 inches in length maybe up at the top.
I'll add a picture of the completed project when I get a chance. So far Sasha has worn these leggings multiple times and they match one of her dresses perfectly.