Yes, I am knee-deep in baby sweaters! I’m just knitting them one after another and happily doing so. I think this is the 5th(?) baby sweater I’ve made this year. It just gives me so much joy and satisfaction to be able to give something special that I’ve made by hand.

This was a new pattern I decided to try, Presto Chango (I know it’s “change-oh” but I keep wanting to say “chang-go“!) by Valerie Wallis, published at Jimmy Bean’s Wool. It’s a FREE pattern by the way! Such a nice and quick knit, and the leaf pattern in the front is so delicate and so pretty.

I took the liberty of improvising a hat to go with the sweater – just did leaf panels in multiples of 16, then decreased in multiples of 8. Easy and fun!

The yarn used is di.Vé Zenith in Mariner’s Green, and I found THE perfect bright red vintage buttons to go with them at one of my frequent flea marketing trips. These two bright colors are meant to be together. :)

I’m currently knitting another Presto Chango, but in a much muted color. Hope it turns out just as cute as this one!

Yes, another February Baby Sweater! I have been getting good practice with my gull pattern thanks to my friends/family who are having babies! So far I have made six of them, four for girls and two for boys. Everyone just loves these so much!

One thing I love about knitting in lace patterns how different it looks from the average stockinette. It makes a garment look so much more special. And if you have made this sweater, you know the instructions are really just two paragraphs!

I have to say, Elizabeth Zimmermann was a genius :)

Yarn used is Rowan RYC Cashsoft Baby DK (Microfiber, Cashmere, Wool) in Cloud. It really is so very soft! Buttons are vintage.

And of course, the pattern is from Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitter’s Almanac.

I’m currently working on the Bamboo Diamond Shell from Boutique Knits by Laura Irwin. This is one of the best knitting books I have purchased in the past year – the patterns are wonderful and all the pieces are unique and beautiful.

I had trouble with counting my CO stitches and kept ending up with too many or too few. After taking it apart 4 times I’m finally on the right track! The bamboo cotton blend is Southwick by Valley Yarns – it’s nice and “bouncy,” really nice to work with and the subtle sheen is lovely. I’m about 3/4 through the bodice now and will be separating the sleeves soon. The diamond pattern is really easy as I got the hang of it too.

I decided to work the bodice longer so it’s something more wearable for me. I love how it looked in the book, hopefully it will look just as nice with a longer bodice.

(Image from LionBrand.com)

I saw this scarf in the Winter 2009 Lion Brand catalog and knew I had to make it for my friend Winnie. The colors of the yarn used (Lion Brand’s LB Collection Superwash Merino in mulberry & mahogany) are so fantastic together!

The gorgeous cityscape-like pattern is created by knitting short rows with the mulberry and the rich brown as the base. Using size 4 needles, this was a really fun knit. I finished it just in time for Winnie’s birthday in March and was so glad she loved it.

As luck would have it, I found this vintage button at the antique fair just a few weeks before I finished the scarf. In the same shade as the mulberry, it was the perfect color and size. Is that the perfect button or what?

The pattern is free and can be downloaded here (you need to sign up with Lion Brand). It is classified as “Intermediate” but I think it should really be for the “Advanced Beginner.” All it involves is the knit stitch, decreasing, short rows (this version is really simple and sounds harder than it is. No “wrapping” involved), and making a buttonhole. I was able to do it and I’m definitely not an intermediate knitter. Knitting with two colors and doing short rows kept it interesting while not frustrating at all. If you like knitting with smaller needles, this is a perfect project with a big impact.

I fell in love with this pattern when I saw it in the December 2009 issue of Vogue Knitting. I wanted to knit this adorable dress for my niece, but the sizes available go from 6 months to 24 months. She just turned two, so I wanted to make it just a little bigger. Rather than use the DK/sz 6 needles the pattern called for, I decided to upsize the yarn to aran, and used size 8 needles. I used the 6 month size numbers as a guide and eyeballed the rest so it’d look proportional. I love the Madiera lace pattern! I also really like the yarn I’m using, Valley Yarns Valley Superwash in Misty Lilac. Personally, I like using “non-baby” colors to knit baby garments. I’m not a big fan of baby blue, pink, mint green, etc.

After blocking the pieces (thank goodness for KnitPicks’ great blocking boards), the lace pattern opened up and looked so pretty. I usually dislike seaming A LOT, but I figured this is a toddler-size dress so it shouldn’t be too much of a headache. Thankfully, it turned out okay. I still dislike seaming though. :P

Here is the finished product. I happen to have some 1/2″ wide velvet ribbon in dark burgundy that goes with it perfectly. I hope it’ll fit my niece. I’m thinking of making a Blythe-size version now!

Last winter, I asked my Mom if she wanted anything knitted for Christmas. I gave her a feather & fan scarf a few years ago and she really loved it. She said, “A vest!” And so I decided to give it a go.

The pattern I found online (Pretty in Pink on freepatterns.com) on was very easy to follow and the cable looked fairly easy to do. I had never done cabling before this, so I figured this might as well be my chance to use a cable needle for the first time! Plus it’s knitted in the round and doesn’t require seaming! I used Valley Yarns Valley Superwash from Yarn.com and it’s lovely to work with! It’s so cozy and warm, with great stitch definition that really made the cables stand out.

Needless to say, my Mom loved it. She gave me a big hug and asked, “How did you know it would fit so perfectly?”

I call it beginner’s luck! :)

There are a few of my favorite knitting projects from 2009. Some are still WIP and will extend into 2010. I have SO many projects I want to start, but I will try my best to finish some first!

I feel like I’ve improved as a knitter in 2009. I did more lace work, beginning with Elizabeth Zimmermann’s February baby sweater (hats & sweaters), started on a leafy lace cardigan, made a few sweaters as gifts, and finally started cables in December on a vest for my mom. I’ve discovered that I really don’t like seaming so raglan is the way to go for now. Maybe I won’t mind it a few years from now!

I haven’t been posting any in-progress photos because I didn’t want to ruin holiday surprises for the people receiving knitting items for Christmas. Now that everyone has gotten their gifts, I will be posting more photos in 2010 :)

Happy new year & happy knitting!