I love to knit and crochet baby sweaters, hats, booties and everything else that make perfect baby shower or new baby gifts. They are so quick to make and always turn out so cute. I usually try to make at least two pieces that coordinate and so when a friend asked if I could make a cute sweater for her new goddaughter, I agreed and dug into my stash for just the right yarn. I settled on Sesia Bimbo. This is a yarn from Italy that is 100% cotton in a fingering weight. It comes in some fun prints that stripe into almost a fair-isle pattern. It was the perfect yarn for the job and I loved working with it. It flowed smoothly on my needles, had no extra joins, did not split and washed up into a cuddly, soft texture.

The pattern I chose was Marianna Mel's Short-Sleeved Perfect Boy or Girl Top Down Jacket. I had knit this pattern before as a shop sample for Quintessential Knits and loved how quick this project was to make. I believe it took me about two - three days of casual knitting to complete and was fairly simple to make. I originally had a few issues keeping track of where I was on each row, since the number of stitches worked between increases is repeated multiple times on each row, however as soon as I started using markers to mark the increases (one before the first increase and one after the second increase of each section), the sweater just flew off the needles. It is worked from the neckline down with a round yoke, adding the button band as you go. The sweater is seamless construction with you placing the sleeve stitches on waste yarn while you finish the sweater and then picking them back up to knit the sleeves in the round. The sweater is also very versatile to a variety of yarn weights and so you could easily increase the size of the sweater by working it with larger yarn and needles. As I had a bit of yarn left after completing the sweater, I cast on some stitches and made the cute tassel cornered hat to go with it. The yardage in one skein was the perfect amount to complete the sweater and the hat with the tassels.

My friend loved the finished results and couldn't wait to see her goddaughter in it. I wish them both a lot of joy and happiness in the sun.

A few months ago, I entered a contest on Facebook that was hosted by Jimmy Beans Wool. They were promoting their Beans for Brains scholarship, so for each share on Facebook and Twitter, you received an entry into the contest. I won one of the prizes and received a box full of yarn in the mail. One of the types of yarn in the box was Adriafil Kimera. This is a 100% Egyptian mercerized cotton, DK weight yarn in a variety of fun variegated prints. The balls of yarn look very unusual with their speckled sections of color, but oh did it knit up in a wonderful way.

Last week I had the opportunity to work up the Dangling Conversation by Mindy Ross. This pattern is a delightful, asymmetrical shawl that is worked end to end. You cast on just a few stitches, work until it is as large as you wish or have yarn for and then bind off. The shawl has optional bead instructions and is a simple stockinette pattern with eyelet rows at decreasing intervals, perfect for watching TV or those times where you don't want to have to concentrate heavily on the pattern. It was a fairly well written pattern and was very easy to follow. The pattern includes both written and chart instructions and therefore will appeal to a wide variety of knitters.

I worked this pattern with a new, to me, yarn by Cedar House Yarns, Sapling Sock in a gorgeous light blue color. The yarn was an absolute delight to work with. I had no issues with it splitting on me and there were no irregularity in the hank of yarn that I worked with. It washed up well, with just a little bit of dye bleeding out into the water (hardly noticeable). The shawl blocked out well, is super soft and drapes well.

I made a few adjustments to the pattern, as I really like having a slip stitch selvage stitch on the edges of my shawls whenever possible. You can find the exact adjustments on my project page at Ravelry. If you would like to see the finished shawl, it will be on display as a shop sample at Quintessential Knits in Duvall, WA.

    I am often my own worst enemy, procrastinating projects that I'm not confident about. In August, RainCity Fiber Arts asked if I would design a pair of fingerless mitts for her Pilchuk Chunky yarn. She wasn't in a rush, so I did not make a priority of the project. Other projects have come and gone and the yarn still sat on my shelf, patiently awaiting my attention. Yesterday, I had a horrific headache and wasn't up to doing much more than laying in bed, watching Netflix, so I decided I would be a bit productive. The challenge was to use as much of the 82 yd hank as possible, without going over. Success! Using my scale to check my remaining yarn at key points of the first mitt, I successfully completed it with just a hair less than 1/2 of the yarn used. I cast on and worked the second mitt and found I ended with approximately 3.5 yards remaining. PERFECT! I will be writing the pattern up (officially today), then just need to get some great photos. The pattern will be available from RainCity Fiber Arts and perhaps on my Ravelry store as well. We haven't hashed out all of the selling details yet.

Pilchuk Mitts
Yarn: RainCity Fiber Arts Pilchuk Chunky (82 yds/100 g)
Needles: S-M 10.5 (6.5 mm); M-L 11 (8.0 mm)

Short-cuff fingerless mitts with thumb gusset.