Mommy with Jakob at 36 weeks.

I finished some knitting! As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m one of the test knitters for one of Anny’s new Jujube and Lolo designs, the Hickory Dickory Dot sweater. I finished it today, and it’s so cute!

There was an odd glitch or two with the pattern, mostly just a note or something overlooked, and all in all I’m sure this is going to be a pattern that knitters are going to love! The lap-shouldered construction is great for little ones, and I’m only slightly miffed that Anny put her pattern out before I got around to designing something with that shoulder myself, as I do have a bunch of sketches with lap shoulders. But she beat me to it! 🙂

I didn’t really enjoy seaming the pocket on, but I really do like how it looks. I’m not an uber-perfectionist, but I’m too much of one to just place the pocket somewhere that “looks good” and just sew, so I had to spend time counting stitches in from each end to make sure it was perfectly centered, then seaming a little here…a little there…to make sure it was lining up straight and even. (Actually…I think I was a little off on the rounded edge but I can live with that).

The sweater pattern comes with the pattern for this really cute mouse toy. Earlier I had finished the mouse with only the ears left to attach, when Jakob woke up in his crib and started to cry. When I got back to the couch after calming him down I couldn’t find the mouse anywhere. I finally found it on the floor under the couch! I guess Sam likes it too! Looks like some catnip-filled versions will be getting knit up around here pretty soon…

Details:

I’m going from memory here ‘cus the yarn and needles are downstairs. The yarn is Bernat Soy from Walmart, in pink, white and tan. I forget which needle size I used but I’m pretty sure it was the one called for in the pattern. I got gauge, in any case. I knit the 12 month size which should have used 3 balls of pink Soy but I didn’t even finish the 2nd ball.

I tried to stay as faithful to the pattern as I could since I was doing it as a test knit. I did make 2 minor alterations though – sorry Anny! After working a marathon seaming session, sewing down the white icord that lines the neck, then the sleeve and side seams, then finagling the pocket into place, I couldn’t bear the thought of any more seaming. Thus, even though the mouse pattern is supposed to be done flat, I did the mouse in the round. Because I did it magic-looped I was able to follow the pattern exactly as written working one mouse chart on each needle. My only other modification was to sew the two mouse ears onto the flat side of the mouse (as in the photos above). The pattern and provided photo have the mouse ears sewn on either side of the seam (making a taller, skinnier mouse instead of a wider, flatter one).

As soon as it is dry I will be sending it off to the intended recipient. 🙂

Now that (one set) of my needles were empty I was free to cast on for something else! Maaike and I decided to work a little Noro into our lives (who doesn’t need a little Noro in their lives?) and cast on for a little striped scarf knitalong. I have to admit that our scarves were completely inspired by the fun scarf and breathtaking photography on Jared’s blog. (I’m name-dropping like I know him. I don’t know him from a hole in the wall. An amazing knitter/designer/photographer hole in the wall). You can see the scarf that got us drooling here.

I’m using Noro Silk Garden, 1 ball each of 4 colors- 8, 251, 258 and 264. The scarf is a simple 1×1 rib done working 2 rows from one ball, 2 rows from a second ball, repeat until the first two balls are done then move on to the next two. I made my color choice easily- I bought one of each of the Silk Garden colors that Robyn carried (excluding the white one).

I’m copying Jared’s slip stitch edging too. At first I thought I could just work a regular “slip the first stitch of every row” edging and didn’t know why he decided to slip the first and last stitches of the 2nd row of each color change. I told Maaike I’d swatch it up and see, when it hit me. If you slip the first stitch of every row you DO get the same chained edging, with one big difference- you will be pulling the contrasting color up into the next row which will be of a different color. Not sure if I typed that properly but it’s late and there’s a hot NeoCitran calling my name. Long story short- he’s right and I’m copying.

I started it but ripped back right away. I did a tubular set up for 1×1 rib cast on, and had planned to do the cast on with a 4.5mm then switch to a 5mm for the body of the scarf. What you see here is 29 sts wide using a 4.5mm needle. It looked wide enough originally but the stitches were way too loose, even on the 4.5mm. Also, when I took it off the needles to unravel, the ribbing sprang together and I saw it really was too narrow. I’ve since cast on again with 41 sts and a 4mm needle, and will try to work a few inches tomorrow and see what kind of a fabric I get.