Thursday, October 11, 2012

Ten - ELEVEN - Twelve

I am a big fan of numerology, hence the thrill of blogging on October 11, 2012, otherwise known as 10/11/12. Since it is the 11th, it is time to check in with our one-month-old cria Leven.
Posing...
Getting curious about the camera...
Itchy leg...
Leven's best friend is Cassidy (front). They spend large portions of the day chasing each other around the pen and grooming each other.
Or playing hide and seek or neck wrestling.
Happy Counting - 10, 11, 12!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Yarn Along - Sunday Sweater

It's Yarn Along Wednesday at Ginny's today, and I thought I would link up since I just started her pattern, the Sunday Sweater, and am already completely addicted! This one will be finished soon.
There are a multitude of plus points that this pattern offers. 1.) Buttonhole rows are clearly marked and the "how to" is written into the pattern. I am the worst at placing buttonholes onto a button band and deciding where the right place in the button band is. ALL designers should take note and incorporate this feature into patterns with buttons! 2.) The total number of stitches is listed at the end of each row with increases. No need to do fancy math if you lose your place and need to check the numbers. 3.) Most of the pattern is written for one size at a time. Less confusion equals more knitting enjoyment. 4.) Simplicity is a virtue I often forget about. This pattern embodies it perfectly, starting with the raglan sleeves, VERY basic lace pattern, and almost no finishing necessary at the end. Yet the result is stunning. Even a beginning knitter could enjoy and execute this piece.
In reading, I just started The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. The beginning already had an interesting twist. Looking forward to finding out what happens next!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Trachtenjacke: Must-Have for the Tourist's Nephew

Part 2 of Nephew #8's gift was at least one article of clothing that... ahem... I should have knit for him personally. This is a traditional jacket, or Trachtenjacke, often seen in southern Germany and throughout Austria.
Add to this charming and simple jacket a shirt stitched up with Edelweiss:
Cute combination!
Throw some Lederhosen into the mix:
Close-up of the Edelweiss in the cross strap:
Violá, a wonderful outfit for a 3-year-old!
I can't wait until Nephew #8 is 3!
In the mean time, hope to duplicate this knit jacket myself. Or I could go back to Innsbruck and purchase another. Innsbruck is a delightful city...

Monday, October 8, 2012

Baby SURPRISE!

Yes, this is the famous pattern by Elizabeth Zimmerman named the Baby Surprise Jacket, due to its ingenious construction. Wherein THIS amorphous fabric blob:
Becomes THIS tidy little sweater!
Of course you could have knocked me down with a feather when my Brother #1 called me to let me know that wife was going to have a baby in September. (Nephew #8 arrived in late-August, 2.5 hours before niece #4, who got the February Baby Sweater from the June post). At the time of Brother #1's phone call, I was knitting the Baby Surprise for Brother #2's latest addition. But upon visiting Brother #2 a few weeks after Brother #1's call, I assessed that the weather in that part of the country combined with the rapidly increasing size of the baby would render this particular knit useless to that nephew. (That would be Nephew #7, if you are keeping track... Are you confused yet??!)
A little advice from yet another relative inspired the Gryffindor patch to help "make more sense" of the loud color scheme. If you're going to put the Gryffindor lion on a jacket, you also need lion buttons.
And so we welcome another Gryffindor fan to the family. This child will be classmates with Albus Severus Potter. The first Potter book was published in 1997, at which point Harry was turning 11. Harry would turn of age in 2004, take a few years to wait for the dust of the Grand Finale to settle and become an Auror, marry Hermione and have his first son. Albus, who is the #2 son, was definitely born this year. I don't know about Albus, but I am pretty sure Nephew #8 will have a wand with a core of one white peacock tailfeather.