Marble Sweater Progress

I decided to knit the sweater in the Workbasket magazine ( Sept. 1981) shown on the cover.
This is all I have managed to get knitted even though it goes quickly on size 9 needles BUT of course I'm working on other projects in between! This is a pic of the back and both sleeves, I should finish the back today and begin the right and left fronts. I have just started the 2nd ball of this marble yarn and I really like it!

By the way, if you click on any of my pictures you can see a larger image, I keep forgetting to mention that!!

not much knitting!

After a busy weekend, this is all I have accomplished since Friday. Working on the Precious Layette design, changing it to be a size 2 like the pink one in my August 29th post. I like the Red heart TLC Essentials yarn, it's nice and soft.




This is one of my next projects, I found this yarn at AC Moore and I am considering knitting another Little Lillies's sweater or the sweater shown on the cover of the September 1981 issue of Workbasket. I made that same sweater using the yarn in the color they show for my oldest
daughter when she was 3 or 4. ( she's now 23, okay where did the time go?)

It calls for Lion Brand Unique yarn, an acrylic worsted weight which they no longer make! I think the James C. Brett Marble will be a nice substitute.....

Day 4 & Lillie's Little Sweater is a completed project!!

WOW, I had a chance to knit for 4 hours yesterday afternoon and into the evening allowing me to finish the sweater!!!
If you love top down knitting I highly recommend this pattern from Cottage
Creations! I did the 12 months size and it's just right!


Here is a picture of the back.









and here is a close up of the daisy buttons I used. If you double click on the pictures you can get a closer view, check out the neat edge along the front garter stitch bands. The pattern tells you to slip the first stitch purlwise of every row, yarn to back and finish knitting. This creates a nice, neat finished edge, I had never heard of this technique and plan to use it again on other sweaters!

Day 3 Lillie's Little Sweater!

I finished the sleeves and did 2 rows on the body section before I fell asleep! I wasn't happy with the coloring or " pooling " in the sleeves, it doesn't quite match the rest of the sweater. I guess it works out that way with only 39 stitches in the sleeves you can't avoid the striping. I just started the 3rd ball of Paton's Canadiana so that should be enough to finish this lovely little sweater!!

I already have my 3 buttons picked out from "Dress It Up". I bought 3 packages knowing I could use them for sweaters, I like the bright colors!
here they are:

Day 2 of Lillie's Little Sweater

I worked on the sweater last night, finished the yoke and divided the stitches for the sleeves which I have decided to knit first seperately before knitting the body. The main pattern suggests knitting the body part first but I read further in the book and Joan
who helped design the pattern gave the instructions to knit the sleeves before the body. I have done sweaters similiar to this before and I prefer to knit the sleeves first. Sometimes it can be tricky meaning TIGHT getting that first row knit on the sleeves. I have enjoyed this design so far!! Already thinking of what yarn to use for the next one, heaven knows there's plenty in my stash.....

my newest project!

I received my pattern ( Lillies Little Sweater-- by Cottage Creations) in the mail yesterday from The Naked Sheep http://www.nakedsheep.com . I ordered this pattern on Thursday Sept. 14th and rec'd it Monday the 18th, WOW fast service!!! I'm impressed and will definitely order from them again. Oh, and the shipping and handling are always free!! Take a peek and see what they have! I'm not affiliated with them, just a very satisfied customer!

Just a note too, the pattern comes in a little book form as you can see 24 pages in all and color photos inside.

So, I started this in the evening last night( while watching the Yankees game) , look how far I got!!! The Paton's Canadiana is a nice soft acrylic, the color is pastel parade. I am making the 12 months size and the pattern states I will need 460 yards of worsted weight yarn, using size 7 needles. The pattern ranges from 0-3 months, 6, 12, 24 and 36 months. It starts with the hood, down to the ribbing at neckline is where I'm at, then on to the raglan shaping, all top down!! YEAH!! I think I'm going to like this one!!

my design sweater idea is done!

here is the sweater itself, this is my design, the pattern stitches I call "sea shells". Now this is only my prototype, I hope to re-do the number of stitches in the body to make it a little fuller, also I again forgot buttonholes!!! so i will work those in as I re-write the pattern. For this I used Caron CuddleSoft 3 ply almost a fingering weight so I held 2 strands together. The yoke and sleeves are knitted with size 5's and the body sea shell section with a size 7. I did not use double pointed needles for the sleeves, I placed everything else on holders and knitted the sleeves using regular needles and then seamed them.

here is the matching hat.....

My sweater design!!

Lately I have been designing in my mind a baby sweater so here is what I am working on...... this little yellow sweater, a top down and making it my own design, sort of scallop shells across the body portion, also I have added a collar. I'm planning on doing a little hat to match too!

more later!

And another one!

All this needs is to finish the one sleeve, of course on double pointed needles which I don't like! I worked a few rows last night trying to make myself finish the set. See, the booties are all done, I have must have made those first, why i don't know, I must have been in a knit bootie mode!

The sweater pattern can be found here:http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/babysweyokecard.htm

The yarn I bought from Smiley's a few years ago, it's a yucky acrylic by Phentex sport wt. Color is apricot and not very soft! Maybe I better wash it before giving it away, hopefully that will soften it. Could be why I stopped working on it too! I don't like the yarn. Glad that one ball is all I have left.

Finished this set too!

This is another of Suzanne's matinee jacket from the yahoo group babysweaters. I had the sweater done and started the bonnet, got that knitted up yesterday and sewed on the button for the jacket. This is Lion Brand's Babysoft yarn, the bonnet looks small to me but is very stretchy!
I love this pattern too! I found another one I had started in yellow, I'll post of pic of that soon! I'm busy knitting on it today in between laundry and cooking.

Pink Set is done!

I finished this the other day, YEAH!
I changed the pattern a bit and added an extra stitch under the sleeves, so instead of casting on 2 on each end, I cast on 3 stitches. I think it looks better and is a little bit fuller giving baby more room to be comfortable! I also didn't thread the drawstring for the bonnet thru the eyelets, I attached crocheted chains to each side instead.

trying to finish this next!

Mary Thomas top down pattern in the American School of Needlework book "First Steps in Knitting", again I took out the eyelet rows and am just doing plain knit and adding 3 buttonholes along the way. This is Red Heart TLC Lustre ( a 4 ply soft yarn that is no longer available) it was in my stash. I have the booties and hat all done, why I knitted those first is beyond me, I usually don't work patterns that way! So all I need to do is finish knitting the body portion.

SEE I really am trying to finish up those old projects! AND I have few more to get done, just found another bag of goodies last night, funny how you can get so excited about a project, start it and then get bored with it, start something else and before you know it--- nothing is getting completed!!!

But I know I'm not alone!

Small Baby Surprise Jacket

I finally took a picture of this ( actually I loaned it to a friend so she could follow along with the pattern and she just gave it back to me). It's the Elizabeth Zimmerman small version of her Baby Surprise Jacket, I used 4 ply soft yarn and size 4 or 5 needles, quick to knit and I have another one going in my knitting basket.

2nd Precious Layette for a boy, size 2

I have started it and this is how far I have gotten, not far!! I got sidelined with other projects but I will get this finished soon! I am using TLC Essentials yarn by Red Heart in shaded denim, it is a very soft yarn and I love the coloring, great for a boy!
I am making notes as I go along so hopefully I can share the pattern.