Wednesday, September 29, 2010

pulled just a little

I feel like I am fairly decent knitter.  My mere 3 1/2 years of knitting has taken me far beyond the dilapidated scarf that was my first attempt.  The poor thing was twice it's size in only 20 rows!  I am good at taking a pattern and changing the stitches or the gauge to get what I need.  Which is why I love knitting baby wear.  I love making something for a new baby that can be played in and yet passed down to the next generation.  I love the gratification of finishing a product quickly.  But I especially love how easy it is to change things is a pattern to make it mine.  With a baby pattern, I am only working with small numbers of stitches and the math is fairly easy.

But I want to do more.

I have decided that just messing with someone's pattern isn't enough for me.  I want to design my own stuff.  So, almost a year ago, I ordered this book for 5 little pages.  But I have a feeling they are going to be well worth the $20 or so I spent on it.  Those pages teach you how to build a sweater.  The math that is involved.

Then I freaked out because of my fear of failure and my obsession with perfection (thank you first born syndrome).  So, the book has sat, unused.  It's wealth of knowledge only pondered over, never explored.

Until now.

My dear friend Bethany is preggo.  She is a fantastic photographer and takes our family pictures every year.    This year we had her drive AAAALLLLL the way out to our new town to take pictures of our family at the county fair.  You can see them here.  It was a long drive and a long evening for the poor mommy-to-be.  So, I told her I would knit her something or a few things as props or for the baby.  She asked me to knit her this.  Super cute and I totally thought that I would be able to find a similar pattern, fudge the gauge to make it 0-3 months, and possible have to change the edging.

Boy was I wrong.

I have searched, and searched, and searched ravelry.com to try and find something similar, to no avail.

So, I have finally pulled out the forgotten book and I am now going to start the process of designing a pattern for Bethany's baby.  It will be my first totally original pattern and I have promised to name it after the baby, which means it won't have a name until the end of February when she has the baby.

I plan on posting my progress and my finished product.  Hopefully I can put pics up here of little baby in it as well.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

just for inspiration

Found this site on accident.  Fell in love with this guy's photos.  I would love to have an eye and a perspective like his.
Here is one of my favorites:

http://inphotos.org/boy-all-alone-on-the-street/

Thursday, September 23, 2010

a little something for me!

Spent some time (too much time really) the last two days searching Ravelry for a gauntlet and cowl combo to knit for myself for this fall/winter.  I decided that when I finish the sweater for Baby M, finish Jer's sweater, and finish re-casting off the cuffs on the sweater I made for him last year, I may just have time for a little something for myself.  That is, if I can squeeze it in before the next round of baby knitting (and yes, pun intended).

Anyway, here are my two patterns of choice, for now . . . 

Cabled Fingerless Gloves - gotta love the cute little beads!  I have the perfect little silvery-white seed beads to use for these.


AND

Fresco Basket Whip Cowl - I already plan on having to make this longer, I want the "hood" look to be higher on my head.


I am thinking that I am going to use the Naturally Caron Country yarn I picked up at Hobby Lobby, on clearance for 2 bucks a skein.  Can't walk away from that!  I have 3 or 4 skeins in a very sultry and elegant Claret.  I am in love with this yarn, even though it is flawed and I get frustrated every time I use it.  It is splitty, but the sheen and colors and softness are scrumptious.

My biggest feat to overcome?  Pulling off wearing both . . . .

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

a beginning

The first post is always hard.  I tried a blog over a year ago and didn't succeed.  Realized that I didn't want or need the whole world looking inside my brain. 

So, this blog is going to follow the tips of my needles. 
I want to post things I am knitting. 
Things I am creating. 
Things the Creator is creating in my heart.
Enjoy!