shrug it up...

I just posted on raverly my finished Briar Rose Bolero by Ysolda Teague. It came out super cute and I love the style of it, except...it came out a little bit bigger than I wanted it to. Although in my defense, I have recently lost a cup size (bye bye breastfeeding), so I'm not too broken up about it. 

It was a challenging knit, but I  loved it! You can check it out at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/briar-rose-bolero to purchase and read up on how other knitters conquered this seamless shrug.

The seamless join

Two separate pieces united!

did someone say wool sweater?

Gotta love President Day Sales. Went to Joann’s and bought 5 skeins of Patons 100% new wool for $20. I’m so not kidding. So what does one do with so much bulky yarn you ask? Well, you get on raverly.com and peruse the hundreds of fun patterns to get inspired. In my case, I found Oatmeal Pullover by Jane Richmond and literally debated about whether or not to purchase it or just do my own version. I mean really, it’s a top-down raglan sweater, not the human genome project. But alas, my sheer laziness won out and I figured how can I not support a fellow designer. So off we go…

When I read the gauge that the pattern called for in US 10.5, I thought it was off, and sure enough, it was. By a lot. Unless you’re a REALLY loose knitter, you are not going to get that gauge. I did 3 gauge swatches before I casted on: US 10, US 11, and US 13. I settled on the US 11 - yeah, I’m a loose knitter.

Casted on late evening on February 19th, and by bedtime, I had already knitted 1 skein and finished all the raglan increases and connected the body. Talk about an incredibly fast knit. No joke. If I keep this up I might be done in less than two days. I have to say, so far this is the perfect 1st sweater project for someone hip & young who wants to knit something quickly for themselves and be proud to wear it (aka, all you hipsters out there).

Oh, and a PS about this yarn: It’s soft, lofty, yet holds together very nicely and doesn’t split while knitting as far as a roving yarn goes. I’m actually very surprised and super happy with it considering it was only $20. Score!

I did end up finishing the sweater last night. The only reason it took me longer than it should have to finish is 1) it’s been unseasonably warm in LA the past few weeks - it was 90 degrees on Sunday and who wants to knit heavy, chunky wool in that weather and 2) I’m notorious for knitting one sleeve and then not having the motivation to knit the second. Shame on me.

I made the following modifications:

On the body I knit about 7” from the underarm and began some body shaping by decreasing 4 stitches every other row for 4 rows and then increased back. As for the sleeves, after reading everyone’s comments on the arm area being tight, I picked up 14 stitches. I have lots of room. Next time I might pick up 12 stitches instead. We’ll see. I also lengthened the sleeves and added 8” of ribbing.

My only concern is the raglan increase. I’ve never increased a sweater the way the pattern called for. I understand why (so that it’s tight fitting), but it can look a little weird to a person who knows about knitting.

Overall, I really like this sweater. For the amount of time it does take to knit up it is awesome. Perfect first sweater project for sure ;)

hansel & gretel...

I've just put the pattern out for my 'Hansel & Gretel' hat at my raverly store! It's super cute and has a Latvian Braid in the front, so it's perfect for all those knitters who want a little more of a challenge besides the usual knit/purl combo for a pixie hat. Plus, it's a really fast knit since I use bulky yarn and you can always mix & match colors! Oh, and the hat size I made is for a newborn, which clearly Callie is no longer, but she wanted to wear it anyway. Check it out at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hansel--gretel-3 and buy the pattern now!

awww...

My dear friend Stephanie Bennink took these beautiful pictures of these adorable babies using my hats as props. She's amazing (as you can see), so click here or her button on the right to sign-up for a regular photo session or one of her "Minis" which is a great deal! You won't regret it :)

foxy time...

First of all...Happy New Year!

Here's a sneak peek of MB's Foxy Stole that I knitted up for her. I got the pattern from Yarn Forward magazine which was sold in the UK, but you can find and buy this fun and easy pattern from tiny owl knits thru raverly. Here is the link my foxy friends: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mr-fox-stole-my-heart--mini-fox

The details...
This was a super fast knit (I actually knitted up a "test" fox in 2 days with cheap yarn before knitting MB's just to see if I needed to change anything). Great thing about that is that now Callie has a fox to play with :)

I used Cascade 128 Superwash yarn for the body & head and Mirasol Sulka yarn for the chin, tail, ears, and feet. I loved working with the Cascade, and although the Sulka has a great feel, it wasn't as much fun to knit with after using the Cascade. Then again, it was very little I had to use so it was worth it.

It's a gift, so I lined it with some super silky fabric and added a magnet to clip the head and tail together. It took some time after knitting, blocking, and sewing, but it was well worth it for my sister-in-law.

hats, hats, & more hats...

As always, I forget to take pictures of my recent fun knits. However, I did mange to get a few pictures of some fun hats I knitted up for a recent order. My dear friend Michelle let me have some freedom with the designs and colors which is always a most welcomed treat! I'm planning on selling the patterns soon at natandcallie.com, so stay tuned!

i see the lighthouse...

A dear friend of mine bought me this pattern as a ‘thank you’ and gave it to me on Turkey Day. It's from tiny owl knits and it's appropriately called 'ships & seaside'. I have to say, the actual cowl looks way more complicated than how it's actually knitted and plus, I ♥ the stripey pattern!

And since I couldn’t wait to get started and use beautiful, happy yarn, I’m using all this Lion Brand Wool-Ease yarn that I got on a SUPER sale a while back (I mean like $1.50 a skein. Right?). So I busted it out and began knitting away that same night. So far, so good. I’ve never done a kitchener stitch, but I’m so not worried about it. That’s what YouTube is for ;)

Update Dec. 6 
Finished and it’s so super cute! Yeah, even with the Lion Brand Wool-Ease yarn. Who knew. Kitchener stitch was pretty easy, especially once I got into the groove. I need to block it, but it’s been so cold in Los Angeles (first the winds, now our night time temp is at 32 degrees!), that I might wear it to work tomorrow. You know, to break it in ;)