Warm Fuzzies

Lacy Skirt with Bows

I've always admired Kat Coyle's patterns for knitted skirts...they are all so stylish, wearable, and altogether lovely.  I had been plotting (yes, plotting) to knit up a skirt all summer...and now that it's fall (I'm just tickled pink with the fact that my knitting projects and seasonal weather never quite match up), I found myself casting on for Ms. Coyle's Lacy Skirt with Bows from Greetings from Knit Cafe.

I substituted Queensland Collection's Kathmandu DK for the recommended Twisted Sisters' Daktari yarn after reading about issues regarding inconsistency in dye saturation that others have experienced with the Daktari yarn.  I also went down a needle size to size 4 and 5 needles, mainly because my 6's seem to have gone where many of my socks go after they're washed in the machine.  I highly recommend the substitution of Kathmandu yarn, which is a blend of merino, cashmere, and silk, for the Daktari.  Kathmandu has a similar texture to slubbed cotton, feels great against bare skin, and has consistent coloring.

Since the colorway I chose is a warm tan with purplish tweedy flecks in it, I decided to accent the warm tones of the skirt with a purple ribbon.  I kind of splurged a little on the ribbon...it's hand-dyed silk in what the artist calls "Stormy Monday."  I purchased and used exactly 3 yards of ribbon and 4 balls of yarn...I didn't even have any yarn or ribbon leftover to use as a drawstring for the top of the skirt.  But I've been wearing it out anyway.

It is a little loose on top, so I'll have to fix the drawstring problem somehow.  I could pray to the knitting gods, cross my fingers, and hope that someone out there has a few extra yards of Kathmandu DK in the same colorway, but I think I may just plunk down the cash for another ball of yarn to knit the i-cord drawstring, and knit a hat or something with the leftover yarn.

Baby, it's (going to be) cold outside

My boss's daughter recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, so naturally, I took the time to make a little something for the new baby.  By chance, as I was sorting through my craft supplies, I came across two skeins of Lion Brand Homespun that my mother had sent to me when I first started to knit.  It would produce an easy-care, machine washable garment...perfect for a new mom who'll be too busy (and sleep deprived) to worry about hand-washing.

I did a quick search on Ravelry to see what baby garments other people whipped up using the yarn.  Baby, it's cold outside was a pretty popular pattern, and the original yarn called for by the designer was Homespun.  I was able to put two and two together.

The finished baby jacket is thick and plush; it will definitely do a good job of insulating the little one from the winter cold in 4-6 months.

I decided not to go with the option of making crochet buttons; I went to the M&J Trimming store and spent a long time browsing the buttons.  I was about to give up when I caught a glimplse of these gorgeous purple and black square buttons out of the corner of my eye.  Yay.  I love it when everything works out.  (Btw, this is totally unrelated, but I think I'm developing a "thing" for buttons.  Looking at all the styles makes me so happy.)

I still had some purple yarn left over, so I decided to crochet a matching hat.  I basically followed this pattern for a baby derby hat, omitting the popcorn stitches on top and starting with a 10 dc ring instead of 15.  For the extra little girly touch, I whipped up a quick little flower to decorate the band.

So when winter comes, however cold it may be outside, baby Olivia will be prepared.