Wee Hearts

Joining Ginny's Yarn Along today to share the small heart pattern that has captivated me this week. I haven't made my own Valentines since I was a child, but this year may be my revival year. The pattern is Little Hearts and is available as a free download on Ravelry. My reading book this week is "The Elegance of the Hedgehog." I have to confess that I was attracted to the title as a lover of hedgehogs. We'll see if any appear...

Fresh Eggs!

ta-DA! We did not expect any eggs until March, but Heinrich has been laying for the last four days. Two eggs were cracked and leaking, but the others are waiting to be eaten at breakfast tomorrow!

Yum!

New Friends

We welcomed two chickens to the farm the day before Thanksgiving, Heinrich and Athena. (No, don't let the names fool you, no rooster in the mix. This is what happens when the Farmer and the nephews put their heads together - unforgetable!)

They are about 6 months old and could possibly start laying eggs any day, but there is probably not enough daylight right now. We will patiently wait until Spring! In the mean time, they have been good company while working in the garden... before the snow hit.

We have not given them too much free range yet. They seemed to enjoy their freedom a little too much. We had to chase Athena out of the woods at the end of this session. Their little urban coop placed over pill bug-infested garden beds seems to be keeping them happy right now.

Have a scratchy day...bok-bok-bok!

Of Yokes and Yolks

The final sweater gift goes to Nephew #2, AKA The Godson, AKA "crafty cousin." Unfortunately, for the second year in a row, I have finished his sweater late, but I think he will still be OK with the product, even though it is missing the requested lightening bolts down the front! The yarn is Dream in Color Classy in colorway Malibu Sail. Dream in Color is a hand-painted superwash merino wool: love the hand-painted attributes, do not trust superwash wool. The quality of the yarn feels a little hard and a lot inflexible, and possibly a little thinner than a true worsted weight. I had difficulty getting gauge, which was a problem with this Elizabeth Zimmerman "count your own stitches" Norwegian yoke sweater pattern, found in her "Knitting Workshop" book. The last sweater I made with this yarn turned out a bit small, so I was nervous.

A half-finished sweater try-on at Christmas revealed that the sweater will fit fine, but I probably should have picked something with different shoulder shaping. Nephew #2 is built like a power lifter, and I had to re-knit some of the top accordingly. I almost wish that I had added a design in the yoke, but plain looks great also. Lightening bolts would have taken me a long time to design!

In fact, the yoke reminded me of this Mt. Ranier photo that I took summer of 2011 flying into Seattle!

Now off to block this beauty and get it in the mail.

Darkstar looks on from the snowy alpaca barn, wishing everyone a Happy New Year! And finally, a little preview of some introductions that I need to make tomorrow...

Here's to 2013! Be-GAWK!

Sunday Sweaters for Sisters

Sharing this again at Ginny's Yarn Along on 1/9/13, since this was her pattern. Great stuff! Check out what everyone else is knitting too. Ahhh, the holidays! I always look forward to those few special gifts that will be a total surprise, a treat, fit perfectly, and delight the new owners. Such was the case of the two Sunday Sweaters!

Niece #1 had not gotten a sweater since 2006, a year and a garment that she has little to no recollection of.

She was thrilled to open her gift bag and find this sweater, made with Plymouth Encore yarn in colorway "rosebud" in size 6-7. Pink is her favorite, and she requested the color last summer when I measured her. The sweater fit perfectly, which I had been worried about. Several pictures of her that I got this Fall made her seem like she had grown up a lot. She should be able to enjoy this sweater for the rest of the cold season.

Niece #2 was a newborn when she received her first matching sister sweater and booties in 2006, so she definitely did not remember her first knit gifts. She put her new sweater on in record time.

This second sweater is made with Plymouth Encore yarn in colorway "mauvetone," size 4. Elephant buttons are always a hit with the younger crowd and purple is this young lady's favorite color.

Niece #1 stated that she would rather wear her new sweater than the fashionable jacket she cast off. Her mom agreed that she didn't blame her and would do the same if she had a hand-knit sweater. Both girls kept their sweaters on for a good long time until the room was truly too hot for second layers.

Oh the fun of cozy matching woolies! One more sweater reveal. Stay tuned!

Knitting Lessons

Before the knit reveal parade begins, I want to share a few shots of last night's knitting lesson. Niece #1 is now 8 years old and known as one of the "crafty cousins." We attempted some knitting over summer vacation last year, which was very uncoordinated, but fun.

First, we reviewed the basics with her hands on mine. We had a nice mantra of "in, around, through, off" going to remember how to make each stitch.

After a surprisingly short time, she was able to take over without my help.

Before the evening was over, we were both working independently on our own projects. Can't wait to see what she comes up with in a few years!

A Thanksgiving Kinsale Sweater

I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful long Thanksgiving weekend! One of the many highlights for me was that my entire family, three generations worth, was able to get together and celebrate. I was knitting and finishing a little sweater at break-neck speed on the way to the celebration. Nephew #7 still needed a little something, since Nephew #8 had already gotten a special hand-knit.

I chose the pattern Kinsale in size 12 months and decided to use up sundry leftover yarns for this project. I should have knit the 18 month size, since this 9 month old child will probably only fit into this sweater for about a month. Good thing I gifted it for Thanksgiving instead of Christmas... Started: Monday, November 19, 2012; Finished: Friday, November 23, 2012.

My only complaint about the pattern is that the sleeves are really tight. The sweater length turned out perfect, but wearing a long-sleeve shirt underneath would not be comfortable. I would possibly even add additional stitches to the arm, or not decrease the next time I make this sweater.

There's nothing like a cute little nephew in a hand-knit sweater!

Choosing a pattern with a large opening for the head was a really good move. His brain must be growing a mile a minute along with his body! The pattern was really fun to knit, with the twisted stitch providing interest and the top-down construction reducing the finishing. I should have remembered that stripes make a lot of ends to weave in, so the finishing was not quite as quick as it could have been.

Till next time, best wishes for Holiday Knitting!