mr. monkeysuit

dying yarn, simple style

An unexpected (ahem) day off from school (that would be Columbus Day. So not really unexpected unless after seven years of living here you still forget about it.) led us to this project.

 

I read about it in the latest Living Crafts issue and was instantly taken with the simplicity of it, so at a local fiber festival I picked up a skein of Dye For Me Happy Feet with this very day in mind.

 

A day when my two little ones needed to get out all the food coloring and pipettes and get to work on an experiment. They did indeed love dying the yarn and the instructions seem pretty fool proof.

 

We ended up with a skein like this and yes, yes, I do realize now I should have heeded the advice about restricting color choice but they were just having so much fun with it.

 

I wound it into this and knit up a small swatch.

Pretty, pretty colorful.

The plan is to make two pairs of socks with it. Not for me.

But for four little happy feet. I think they'll dig some rainbow socks.

new socks can make you happy

Roll around kick your feet in the air happy. 

Who knew?

everybody's talking about it

Yes, indeed. It's fall. The crisp mornings, cool evenings, loamy scented gardens. Love fall! LOVE IT! Have I mention that before? It is hands down my favorite season.

I always associate this season with change. Two of the biggest moves I've made happened in the fall. I moved to England, from Bermuda when I was fourteen. And seven years ago I moved from England to the USA...guess when? Yup in the fall.

This season more than any other, even spring, speaks to me of renewal and regeneration. Just at the very time everything around me is bedding down for a cold, cold winter I think of new starts.

This year is no different. There are some pretty big changes going on here, including our very own kindergartner starting school. My sweet boy, the one who'll give his little sister the last pancake on his plate, is at school now. I am not really down with it, I miss him. He, however, LOVES IT! He announced after his first day that it was better than his birthday. Love my sunny boy!

With the arrival of fall comes the inevitable return to knitting (another reason to love it). Here's the first finished knit of the season. For Cissie, because (shock, horror) Floyd says my hand knits are too itchy. If you can call cashmerino, or Sublime itchy then, yes...he has a point. Not. 

 

Road testing the cardigan.

 

Loving these colors together.

 

I hand sewed some ribbon on the inside seams. I love cute details like that...hidden away, as a little surprise every time you notice them.

 

Just like her, full of cute surprises. I love spending time with her so much and am glad she isn't starting school too.

That might be more change in one season than a mama could take.

magic baby

I've been waiting for a new baby. A magic one. 2 weeks late and counting...send a little wish to Claire she's trying everything to jog the mystical one along.
I thought if I started posting some of the things I've made for Merlin (the current in utero name) it might help.
Item 1: kicking bag for baby

Made from rainbow sock yarn, and yes I did tell her it was going to be very, very colorful she said she would use it anyway.

A  label.

A model.

I made shoulder straps, but they look a little long on "Bob Edwards"
It could be the fault of the model or me. But Claire's a pretty dab hand at knitting now so she'll be able to figure it out.

Come on baby!
We are all waiting to meet you and love you...and call you Merlin.

not one to be deterred

It is true, as my mother says and as my daughter reflects, I have a stubborn streak a mile wide.

Before you lies another sock. Yes even after, or perhaps because of, my recent debacle I cast on another sock. This time for Cissie and this time with two circular needles rather than double points.

One of the ladies in my knitting group was very convincing in her argument to try it this way and so far so good. In fact so far, very good. It has been so much quicker this way. I am just at the point of turning the heel so I'm going in to my weekly knitting group tomorrow for tea and sympathy and hopefully some help.
Have any of you tried socks this way or using the magic loop technique? What do you find easier? I had a hard time choosing which way to go with. One thing I can say about this way is that it helps to have two different kinds of needles i.e. one wood and one metal...you're less likely to make mistakes.

Also, because a few of you asked about the chair I am posting a couple of shots of the newly re-upholstered thrift store find.

Chair $3, fabric three yards $45, re-upholstering and refinishing $150... the dink that  my children have already put in the wood....priceless.

2 year-old socks

Nope, not for my two year-old.

Not making any claims about the longevity of these socks either.

It took me 2 years to make these socks.

They call me Speedy.

They were supposed to be for Andy but happily I made them too small. This is the second pair of socks I've ever made, not surprising when you think how long they take.

 

Now I have finished them, I am not really sure why they took so long. They spent quite a while languishing in my unfinished projects basket. I just never felt the urge and I really needed help with turning the heel and finishing the toes. Luckily, I have a very patient knitting teacher.

But now they are done, I love them. While I was making them, not so much.
Here they are on my feet; cozy, soft, very warm and finished.

details
yarn:: Noro silk garden colorway 272 (I think) FYI : you can wash and dry this yarn in with your normal laundry and it just keeps getting softer.
pattern:: Ann Norling adult socks

rockin' it with the knitted gifts

Hot on the heels of finishing Floyd's new sweater I whipped up this for Cissie.

Super quick and easy to knit, it was done in a few hours. The hat was knit in the round with a rolled edge and the scarf is a simple 2 x 2 rib (32 stitches wide). I used Mountain Colors hand- painted yarn, Twizzle, in Ruby River colorway. It's 85% Merino and 15% silk and so soft and yummy. These photos do not do it justice because the color is a much deeper red, almost burgundy and not half as orange as it appears here.

Of course I had to make some more knitted flowers because they are so cute and easy and they use up all those little bits of yarn to big to throw away.
I put the pattern for the flowers in this older post.

So now Floyd and Cis will each have a little knitted something under the tree. Cool.

Back to the kitchen for more cookie baking!

things I've been doing

Well, you know I had to be doing something seeing as how I haven't been blogging. It has been a very busy month but I am officially finished for the holidays! Hurray.

Here are a few of the things that are making me happy:

::Orange spice shortbread baked in my brown bag shortbread pan. Pretty cookies taste nicer. Well known fact.

::Working my way through my Casey's Wood order. I have a few projects lined up for Christmas presents and I am steadily completing them. That feels good.

::Finishing this sweater for Floyd. Feels so good to have this one off the needles. The bug-bear with this one was sewing the neckline...just couldn't quite get there.....until now.

Knit with Sublime extra fine merino wool DK. Yum. Just thinking about that yarn is making me happy. It knits up like a dream. I've asked my LYS to forget about stocking anything else and just fill their shop with this stuff. The pattern is from the Sublime children's double knitting book. The sweater is called smuggler which is doubly great because Floyd is crazy into pirates right now. And here's a little label that I think finishes it off perfectly...

::Unpacking my craft show stuff and tidying my sewing room. Love that feeling. Now I am ready to finish up some old projects and tackle some ones.

:: watching these guys snuggle up in front of a fire and even better joining them.

Hope you are finding some joy in the holiday season too.

a week of knits:: Cissie

 

This is hot off the needles for Cissie. Well actually that's a lie. I finished knitting it about a month ago....

 

...but then it took me those four weeks to sew on the button. Nothing tricky about it. Just a button.

I'm not alone in this procrastination about finishing things am I? Somehow starting new projects just seems more fun.

This week I am encouraging (ahem) myself to finish some of my knits. So though it is already Tuesday, I am dubbing this the week of knits. Please feel free to join in, just think how satisfying it will be if at the end of this week there are finished projects...buttons on, ends weaved, blocked out, finished projects.

 

This FINISHED sweater is by Knitting Pure and Simple, it's the children's neck-down bolero and you know, it was simple and quick and I love the whole bolero thing for Cissie because it is warm without being bulky but unfortunately I can't tell you what yarn I used.

It was so long ago, I forgot.

sweater-ing up

A new little sweater for Cissie. The pattern is Lottie, from my favorite kids knits book, Rowan Junior.

I love this book because there are so many great patterns and they come in a really wide range of sizes, so I have consistently used this book for the last three years. I like to get some bang for my buck when it comes to buying knitting books.

I used Manos Silk Blend yarn colorway 3113. I don't normally go for these multi-colored yarns but this one looked like raspberry crush. These pictures don't capture the subtlety of the colors very well but it is so beautiful and a joy to knit with. It is 30% silk, 70% extra fine merino and it is so soft but is quite forgiving...my favorite kind of yarn.

Here's Cissie checking out the button. And no, I wouldn't usually pair that dress and that sweater together but for the sake of a quick photo there was no way I was going to change her.

I tried making my own labels with twill tape and transferable printer paper. They came out ok but I am not sure how well they will wash.I'll report back on that.

Next on my knitting list.

Another one of these for Floyd. (scroll down to the botton, last one on the right)

And I this one for Cissie which I first saw here.

And maybe, just maybe something for me.

On a seperate note :: I am so excited for Vicki who has had her twins. Please stop by to wish her well as she embarks into parenthood. Congratulations on getting through one of the longest, hardest pregnancies. I can't wait to pop round and give those gorgeous babies a cuddle.

she takes forever and then when she gets round to it....

....it's for the wrong season.

So, it is baking hot here. I mean really.....pretty hot now. Naturally I decided to pick up my knitting again. Wool, of course.

I started this little sweater for Cissie way back in colder weather and just got so tired of looking at it unfinished that I found a cool spot in the house and just got on with it.

I know pretty well what I am like about knitting now so I made sure to choose a bigger size so it will fit her right through the winter. I have to give myself a bit of wiggle room with knitting. Sometimes I am all over it, you know? And then other times it takes me months to finish one small project.  But I always have something on my needles because I never know when the mood is going to strike. Like say for instance right in the dead heat of the summer.

Things I have NOT been in the mood for lately::

::Posting on mr.monkeysuit. Sorry for the long unexplained gap. I'm a bit like that.

::Replying to emails. Sorry for that also, I know there are some way overdue ones.

::Cleaning the house. I just reached a limit and I simply couldn't do it any more. Like I physically couldn't bring myself to clean up one more time. Solved that by hiring a cleaner and embracing the chaos.

::Cooking. Other than jam. Andy has taken over cooking for the summer, with unexpected results. Good...mostly.

Hopefully I will be back soon with a list of things that I am in the mood for.

Cleaning won't have moved onto that list by then...guaranteed.

short but cute

 

A very nice Esty customer purchased the boy's version of one of these hats. Then decided she liked it so much she commissioned a girl's one. Then decided that it should be a family affair and ordered one for the mum and one for the dad. The photo is of the mum and dad's hats. Can you imagine how cute this family is going to look strolling around Sydney, Australia in matching hats. I would love to see a picture of that.

The winner of last week's mini prize is, Irene from Mushroom Villagers. Congratulations Irene! I am excited for you to try them out and let me know the verdict.

One last note:: A few of you mentioned the labels I used. They are not my own design, they are by Sukie and are available through Amazon. Check out the Sukie website for the full array of amazing stationery. I could become a serious collector of this stuff.

Hope your week is starting sunny.

liberty and crochet

Hope you all had a lovely long weekend. We got our fair share of good weather and thanks to good friends I didn't cook a single meal all weekend. Memorial Day itself was pretty overcast which I didn't mind one bit because it gave me a reason to be inside and finish this blanket.

As usual there is a bit of a story behind this blanket. It wasn't always a blanket. It started out life as a whole bag full of lovely cotton yarn balls. Eventually it made it's way into being as a sweater for Andy. A beautiful, lovingly hand-knit sweater, made by me, for him.  My husband took away, praised it and thanked me.

Days passed I noticed he hadn't worn it. Weeks passed. Still no dice. So I ask him, "Love, I notice you haven't been wearing the sweater I made you." He replies, "I will it's just that....well...it might be a bit um short." I persuade him to try it on for me.


Ladies, well let's just say...men and midriffs...NOT SO HOT.

So here it is now, re-purposed into a baby blanket. Crocheted and painstakingly bound (and I mean painstakingly, it took *forever*) in Liberty of London scraps. So much more beautiful and useful than in its previous incarnation. All I need to do now is find a baby to give it to and hope it fits.

coming up with a plan

  Look at those fat little fingers and that fat little wrist. Ahh babies. Though really she is not so much of a baby anymore, 20 months now.



I knit up this little sweater, for her, from bits and pieces but clearly I was having a moment when I forgot that I don't actually like purple that much. Really. Though it was strangely present in my wedding. So I don't think I would put this color combination together in any sane moment but actually the sweater looks so cute on her. That's the thing about babies, isn't it? They make almost anything look cute. Except tattoos.

 

Cissie is doing a fine job of modeling a new book I bought for Floyd the other day. I really love this book. T is for tugboats is such a great ABC book for any child interested in boats (Floyd's interest centers around pirate ships in particular, and this book does not disappoint).

Thank you for all your great advice about blogging. Not only is it interesting to hear what you've got to say about your own blogging practices but I also got some good ideas and tips on how to keep it flowing a bit more easily. So here it is;

MY NEW BLOG PLAN.

1. I am going to try and post at least 3 times a week, but more if I can.

2. When things aren't going so great, you can expect a few photo only posts.

3. I am keeping a little journal to jot down all the crazy thoughts that fly through my head. Of course now it will be you lucky readers who get to read all that craziness so you may regret helping me out.

4. I going to forgive myself in advance if I break any and all of these new rules.

Hurrah! What do you think? Do you think it sounds reasonable? I am hopeful I can make this plan stick but who knows I am so flim-flam-y these days.
I hope you'll help me out with this and feel free to send me a virtual slap on the hand if I slack off.

Oh, I nearly forgot. The sweater pattern is a top down raglan and is one of my own. I have it in sizes 3- 24 months and I am happy to share it if anyone wants it. I might actually try and put a copy up here and that would conveniently count as another post. Sweet.

red bolero

A pretty quick knit from Erika Knights, Simple Knits for Little Cherubs (book listed on the side bar). Of course it is red and of course it is for Cissie. I know I've said it before but red is really her color. The pattern does have an error so if your planning on giving this one a go email me first.

I used Debbie Bliss baby Cashmerino. I just love that yarn, normally I am all about completely natural fibers but I have to make an exception for this blended yarn. It just knits up so nicely, keeps it shape well and wears well too. Much better, in my opinion, than the Rowan equivalent Cashsoft but the colors that Rowan come in totally rock.
Have you seen this new craft magazine? Living Crafts. I am so in love with it, I just ordered the first back issue and a subscription. Crazy cool crafts like the flower child that I am currently making for our spring table. It seems to have the perfect balance of crafts for kids and adults, great lists of suppliers and the projects are just at my ability level. It is a brand new magazine so if you are one of those 'collector types' (ahem) you can still get the first ever issue and then you'll have a complete set....you know...if you like that kind of thing.
Did I mention there are links to all kinds of blog crafts and tutorials too?
Alrighty then.
One last thing. If you are determined to feel some spring loving despite the weather then  Martha's Easter Workshop  is up and running with some amazing spring crafts.

Have to, *HAVE TO* make this basket, complete with mohair chicks.

And I *so* want to have a go at making these chocolate eggs inside real egg shells. It gives directions on how to sterilize them but am I the only one who would be a little squeamish about giving these to kids?
And just in case you suffer from the same compulsions as me...
real moss and pre-blown real eggs
Happy Spring?

for a friend I've never met

 

A few days ago Floyd came back from a playgroup and I asked him who was there. He mentioned a couple
of names that I knew and then he said, "and there were some other friends there that I didn't know."
I thought that was so sweet. "friends you don't know", in his world everyone is a friend even if he has never met them before. It got me to thinking about this blog and all of you who take the time to comment and share. All the blogs I love to read and how I kind of visit you each week. I think of all of you as friends I have never met. Ain't that swell? This whole community filled with people talking, sharing ideas, swapping out gifts. All these little networks and links criss-crossing the world...most of us have never met and still there is a strong sense of community. So thank you for coming over to see me and letting me share in your blogs too.

On that note I made this long overdue present for another blogger, another 'friend I've never met'.

 

It is a Debbie Bliss pattern, called 'first coat' and for some reason, I can't put my hands on the book its from but if you really want to know, send me an email and I will try and dig through the mess that is my study and find it.

And I haven't forgotten the aforementioned prize, I didn't get it finished for last week but this week, I promise!

hey ho

Here's a little dress I knit up for Cissie, ok well actually I knit this particular dress twice, well alright three times if you include the other one I made.

Here is the first one I made. It was a breeze, knit up so quickly using Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino nice easy pattern from the same book as this sweater. This was Cissie's christening dress so I used some ribbon and a button from my wedding dress.

Here is the second one I made...let me tell you about the second one.

I knit the back. I knit the front. They didn't match. Not only did they not match each other, neither of them matched anything in the pattern, not the measurements, not the number of stitches...nothing. I. Don't. Know. That's all I'm sayin' about it.

I knit this one using Mondial Giada silk/wool yarn. Thank goodness this yarn is so forgiving. We all know why, let's not go over it again.

ding dong merrily on high

I'm so feelin' the Christmas spirit. It is all cold, cold, cold here and this weekend we are definitely cracking out the Christmas decorations. I can't help it, I just love this holiday more than any other.
I finished a sweater this week for Mr. Floyd.

I used Louisa Harding Kasmir Aran which is really very soft and nice to knit with. I also made Cissie's cardigan with the same yarn (scroll down a couple of posts). It knits up at a nice fat gauge, so if I hadn't missed one of the stripes out of the front of the sweater and didn't notice until about 2 rows from the end thus causing me to rip it all out, it would have been finished quite quickly.

The pattern is from this Debbie Bliss book which I have used and used, there are so many great patterns. In other news, we really had a most wonderful Thanksgiving. Our friends hosted a lovely party and there were so many kids, Floyd and Cissie just loved it. Thanksgiving, is not a holiday we traditionally celebrate but increasingly I really enjoy it. This year was by far our best one. I love that it is a low key event all about family and friends and this year, more than any other, I have so much to be thankful for and it felt good to celebrate that.
Now bring on Christmas, man oh man I have got to get making some of these and if I am super quick about it this too. Oh, and one last thing I am so excited about Bella Dia's new project - Christmas books, * with activities * I can hardly stand it. ding dong!

pink cardigan with brown flower and cute buttons

A cute little pink cardigan (just kind of made up the pattern as I went along - I have to admit to knitting quite a lot of this style).

I got the buttons from Ferdinand a while back and it looks like they don't have them anymore now. Then I made a little brown flower for the side. A lady from my knitting class showed me the pattern. It is so simple and they look so cute. I don't know where she learned to make them but it seems like quite a generic pattern so I am going to share it with you here.

Flowers - Cast on 36 sts. K1, cast off four, repeat until then end where you should have 12 sts left. Break yarn and use that tail to thread through the remain stitches and cinch them all together. So easy and ingenious. I used a couple of french knots in a contrasting yarn in the middle of the flower to fasten it onto the sweater.

This book, Nicky Epstein's Knitted Flowers has definitely gone on my amazon wish list now. (There are a load of pictures from the book here).

I am loving all the amazing tutorials out in blog-land for the upcoming holidays but I have seen so many things online now that I want to make I am beginning to get crafters paralysis.I just can't decided which ones to make first and so I have been sitting here reading The Superficial. Very productive.

pink and gray mushrooms

This headed out a little while ago bound for one of Floyd's very cute little friends.

A very simple pink and gray cardigan with some appliquéd felt mushrooms. It is the kind of thing I would love to have, so it felt good to give.  And sure enough they loved it too.
I must have knit dozens of this raglan style cardigan now and I just never seem to get bored of it. It seems to work for boys and girls and I love the way it looks on. In fact I *may* even have another one on my needles now for a certain chubby cheek little birdie.
Speaking of which, that is one of Cissie's first few words, 'birdie'. She learned to say it because the aforementioned birds hang directly above her changing table and she likes me to get them down for her to play with. But now she uses it for everything, the toast I was eating this morning 'birdie', the spaghetti squash I cut up for dinner 'birdie', her doll's bottle 'birdie'....you get the idea.
I love this age, I remember just falling head-over-heels in love with Floyd when he started walking and talking. It is the most amazing thing watching them grow into their personalities and their little idiosyncrasies. It feels like pure magic and I know that this is one of the best times in my life.

brown baby bolero

Love this pattern. So easy and quick (a bolero is only half the size of a sweater and looks just as cute which means I can crank one out in a few evenings. sweet)

The pattern is from Sirdar Baby Knits booklet which I bought from here.

This is the next one I plan on trying.

Have a good weekend. We are hoping for a bit of warm sunny weather here. Hoping, hoping, hoping......

baby surprise

Don't worry  buddy I'm not pregnant, though it is always fun to freak you out first thing in the morning. The title refers to the name of this very cute little cardigan.

It is made using the 'baby surprise' pattern by Elizabeth Zimmerman and is available here .

The neat thing about this pattern is that it is knit entirely in one piece. Sleeves, front and back all in one. It is so cool the way it works out and folds into a cardigan, you never think it is going to work until it is actually finished.

I have knit quite a few of these for my own and for friends' babies and I always love the opportunity to knit it again. This one is for a very special baby, Boo who will also be getting one of these. I adore Jill Bliss stuff and everyone should have to craft something for their baby, even if it only involves cutting out.

elevark and aardephant

Big - Look at this point I am not even sure what we are supposed to be, am I an elephant or an aardvark ? And what are you ?

Little - Me ? Well isn't it obvious ?
Big - Uh no, not really.
Little - Well I am a smaller lighter grey version of you.

Big - I don't know about you but I think we should get out of this crazy place, but look she has made me so badly my legs don't even hold me up.
Little - Come on big guy you can make it. Look our chariot awaits.

Big - Let's go before she makes any more of us.
Little - Hah, yeah right or like... enters us in the Softie Awards.

Too late guys, too late.

cutie patotie bootie

Little booties modeled by Miss Cissy.

Look at that adorable fat little hand with those tiny fat fingers. I love that little hand so much even when it is pulling at my hair so hard tears come to my eyes.
This pattern is from the same Erika Knight book I mentioned in my last post and these particular booties are knitted up with Baby Ull.  The pattern calls for silk but with a little adjustment you can use this (though the gauge is a bit smaller). I have made them with silk before and think the wool has a bit more stretch which keeps them on better. I also added a strap across the top of the foot for the same reason.
They are headed off to 'a not quite here yet' baby along with a couple of other bits and pieces.
Finally, check out this tiny version of the mabel dress that is next on my list of Erika Knight knits. Way cute!

simple knits

A little knitted top for Cissy.

The pattern is from Erika Knight's, Simple Knits for Cherished Babies. (isbn 1 85585 926 2) It has lots of lovely projects and patterns like this one which I knit for Mr. Floyd,

I would include the photo of the one I made but it is currently residing with Floyd in the land of nod and you know what they say about sleeping dogs and babies.

'mabel dress'

I think this will be my next project from the book but hopefully I will get to it before she outgrows it. I am not sure the little blue top will fit. In an unprecedented growth spurt Cis has decided that 3-6 month clothes were cool, but 6- 9 months is for suckers and she just went straight for 12 months. The top is size 3-6 months so there is going to be some pretty snug fitting knit wear in our house this week.

farmyard cuteness

my good friend from the elmwood yarn shop lent me this adorable book (ages ago, ahem)The Knitted Farmyard by Hannelore Wernhard ISBN 0-85532-576-3 which i just love.

i want to make this so much but can not commit to the time it will take. i think this is one of those 'it took me 10 years to finish by which time my kids were to old to play with it project'. mind you not that i think i would let the kids play with something this cute....they'd only mess it up and they wouldn't put the animals in the right place and i'd have to be looming over them all the time telling  them how to put it right....no no it's definitely not for them.

little teal things i have been working on

i have been working on this sweater for a little while now and i think i am finally happy with it.

Until i started to design my own patterns i never realised quite how much work went into designing something that you really, really liked. i must have knit this sweater about 10 times and made little alterations with each new one and that doesn't include how long it took me to be satisfied with the elephant.

the other little green thing i have been working on is mr. monkeysuit's easter present. the pattern came from hillary at wee wonderfuls and i just love it. so simple to make and so flippin' cute. given how long it took me to create a pattern for the sweater i can't imagine how long it must take to design something three-dimensional. i tried and failed...someday i will post my knitted elephant.

also i found this tutorial on pom pom making from bella dia so useful. i had always used those plastic things and this is sooo much quicker and easier, so thank you to cassi.

i am really glad this turned out as well as it did because it is our lone easter decoration/ present this year ....well there may be some chocolate lurking around too...it is easter.

little treats

a few little presents that are on there way to Amy at angry chicken. I hope she likes them and all will be revealed in a later post. Amy was kind enough to give me some advice on starting up a blog and as a long time admirer of her blog, it was lots of fun picking out things i thought she would like.

also, another one of my favourite blogs is up and running again little birds after a short break. i am probably the last to know about this but i am excited anyway.

 

i finally finished this cardigan for mr.monkeysuit.  i made it from this book Jaeger Handknits ( isbn 0-9545319-7-3). i just love this book, the photographs, the knits...it is all so cute.