Once Upon a Time...

...There was a Baby Blanket.

This baby blanket was knitted for a very special baby.


Her mommy was selected as one of the very first ravelers on Ravelry to test out the pattern for designer Caitlyn French, long before it was reviewed and added to the site's database.

We're talking pattern instructions sketched out in pencil, sent via PDF. Fabulous.

Designer Caitlyn French knit the actual blanket for the ABC TV series "Once Upon a Time". Fans of the show will recognize it as Emma's blanket. However I added a pink ribbon in lieu of the purple one ;)

For materials, I used:

Needle            US 15 - 10.0 mm

Yarn

Sirdar Big Softie

Stash 

490.0 yards in stash

How much?

10 skeins = 490.0 yards (448.1m)

Colorway

330 Meringue

Dye lot

127761

In my test knit, I made some variations to the pattern. Instead of picking up the stitches and knitting on each side for the fan and feather, I used a circular and joined in the round to do so. I added some yo's at the corners to eliminate the edge curl so that it would lay flat when blocked.

Using circulars was much faster in my opinion. The only thing to remember is that if you do opt to do the edging in the round, you'll need to remember to knit row 2 instead of purling :)

The pillow in this picture was embroidered by Marquita Zimmern, my MIL. :) I love to photograph the two together, they look good as a duo!

Corner to Corner Seed Stitch Blanket

I saw this yarn in Walmart, and at $2/skein, I wanted to try it out. It's bulky, squishy, and has that soft and cozy feeling - pefect for a baby as it is machine washable and dryable.

So that I didn't have to dream up a pattern, or go searching for one that would work with this yarn, I decided to use the pattern that was suggested on the inner yarn label which is the Bernat Corner to Corner Seed Stitch Blanket.  (If anyone's interested, this pattern is free and can be found in Ravelry's database - here's the link).

I wanted a pattern that was really easy and sort of monotonous, meaning, I wouldn't have to look up any pattern definitions or learn new stitches. I just wanted to work with the yarn to get a feel for it without having to dedicate much concentration.

I got exactly what I wished for, a really BORING pattern! You can't get more boring than this. I actually messed up the pattern a few times as a result. Seed stitch is boring in general if you have to do a lot of it, so it really shouldn't have surprised me.

For materials, I used:

Needle

US 11 - 8.0 mm

Yarn

Bernat Baby Blanket (new version)

How much?

4.5 skeins = 387.0 yards (353.9m)

Colorway

Pink/Blue

The pattern calls for about 6 skeins of yarn, and I purchased 6,  but honestly, there's absolutely no need to buy this much. 4 1/2 skeins worked fine for me, and I had a completed blanket.

Would I knit this again? Nope. I'm not in love with the
pattern, the way the colors knitted up together, or the quality of the blanket in general. I think the seed stitch makes the blanket look messy and unfinished in a way. I absolutley wouldn't knit this as a gift. What I might do is use the basic concept, and instead of knitting seed stitch, I might knit the blanket using stockinette stitch - if I had to knit this again. That might look cleaner.

Anyways...when it comes down to it, it's a baby blanket. It's knit to serve a function. If it's warm and comfy, a baby will like it, regardless of stitch or color. Good thing babies aren't as picky or meticulous as me!!

Update 8/20/13: Charlotte loves this blanket. I like to place it on the couch, and she falls asleep on it after drinking her milk. She likes to run her fingers around and touch the soft yarn! Here's a pic:

Raspberry Surprise Hat

I really like the way this one turned out:

I saw this in a store and was immediately inspired. I thought, "I can do that." With a little help from the The Knitter's Handy book of Patterns, I was able to determine gauge, needle size and fiber type that I needed for this project. 

For the yarn, I used 100% cotton Lily Sugar n' Cream in hot green and hot pink. Michael's was having a sale the other day, and I got both of these skeins for $1.39 ea. That's a pretty good deal!!!

After I finished the top of the hat, I knit an i-cord to add some interest to the top. The bobbles and leaf accents are from Susan Anderson's book, itty-bitty nursery, from the Garden Mice Mobile pattern. 

Needles used:

US 3

US 5

US 7

Method used:

Magic Loop

I would still like to knit a few more bobbles and leaves, so that there are four raspberry/leaf combinations placed strategically around the hat. I'd also like to try to make some matching booties. 

The most frustrating part of this was the bobbles/leafs. They are small and it took me a awhile to position them exactly the fall I wanted to on the hat. I'm hoping now that I've done one side, the other three will go faster!! I'll post another pic when I have all sides secured.

Notes: Next time I make this, I might add 8 more stitches. I had initially started with 64 sts, and as it was working up, thought it looked too large, so I ripped and started over with 56. Now that I see the finished product, I think the extra 8 would have been fine. If I make another hat with this yarn, I will go with CO 64. I think that would put the hat at a 0-6 month size, which is more forgiving depending on the size of baby!

Introducing...

The Amethyst Rose Hat. The sweetest little baby hat! It's a combination of two knitting patterns.

More to come later :)

Inspiration

Happy New Year!

I haven't posted in a while, but one of my new year's resolutions is to knit more, blog more, do more!!

In keeping with that promise, I will soon be revamping and updating this blog. It's going to get a look and feel for 2013, along with new content and ideas to keep you going...

In the meantime....