So knitting time was limited last weekend,
and this weekend I was up to other things, but I did get the chance to start on a little something. A very little something actually. Because I like sets, and because I think it’s the garment least likely to be thrown up on (Baby Cashmere is unfortunately not machine washable) I’m making a bonnet to match the socks.
All the stockinette is done, and now I’m on to sewing the thing together. Which brings me to my point: I really like seaming. Having done my fair share of knit blog lurking, I suspect that this makes me kinda odd in the knitting world. Maybe not though, maybe the “I hate seaming! Blegh!” crowd is just more vocal than the “Hey, seaming’s alright.” crowd? Odd or not, the way two flabby, floppy edges come together into one neat join always fascinates me.
I mean lookit! I turned a weird stockinette T-shaped thing
into what my mom referred to as a “sorta Amish hat.”
What could be better?
31 Jul 07 | 4:31 am
When I was still a semi-beginer, knitting wise, my oldest friend announced she was gonna have a kid. She was the very first of my friends to do so and visions of smooshy blankets, little cardigans, tiny hats, and most adorably, booties that can fit in the palm of your hand, danced in my head. I bought this book and picked out a basic bootie pattern. I also bought some yarn, it might have been called Softee Sweetee Cloud for Angel Baybees, or something. Anyway, it was light blue, it came from a big ol’ craft store and it was acrylic.
The pattern really was ok, clearly written, error free - all that good stuff. It was just a little too adventurous for a knitter who up until then had a pretty monogamous relationship with scarves, perhaps occasionally cheating with a hat or two. The foot/toe junction was awkward, confusing and required a fair bit of blind faith on my part. Finishing was worse: one regular straight seam (no problem there) one between two pieces of curved seed stitch (scary) and some grafting (scarier.) None of this made any easier by my yarn choice. However, between The Big Book of Knitting, the internet, and my own willingness to do the same tedious thing a couple times over, I got through it. And I even ended up with one fairly cute, honest-to-god baby bootie. But that’s it, just one. I was so over it that I have never ventured into bootieland again, not even to finish the pair.
Little tiny feet are undeniably cute though, as are little knitted garments to keep them warm. So when another favorite couple announced their big news I decided to make these:
Besides I like making socks, socks are fun.
Pattern: Better-than-booties baby socks by Ann Budd. Free from Interweave.
Yarn: Elann Peruvian Baby Cashmere in cashmere blue, less than one ball.
Needles: 2 mm/US 0
Man I love a picot hem. No matter how fussy it is to k2tog off eight tiny needles, I always think the end result is charming.
I also really like the zig-zag bind off. It sorta mirrors the picot hem and makes a functional element decorative. Plus I’d never seen it before. I don’t know when my attitude changed, but nowadays coming across an unfamiliar knitting technique is thrilling, not scary.
My one mod was to replace the the chevron lace with a row of 9st diamonds I unvented in the interest of gender neutrality. I realize that the idea of a picot sock with lacy diamonds being less girl-specific than a picot sock with lacy chevrons is silly, and if I had truly been committed on the whole gender neutrality issue I would have made some plain ribbed socks, but these were more fun.
21 Jul 07 | 6:21 am
