Pumpkin Girl's Hoodie

As soon as Pumpkin Girl saw progress on Little Man's Hoodie (aka Cabo Hoodie), she requested one in blue. I needed to stay on top of this to keep boredom at bay. Tsk. Tsk. I still haven't sewn the pocket on Little Man's hoodie but he's wore it to school already. Yay!


Both knits were similar yet different. One wanted long-sleeves, the other short. I used the same yarn (stash Cotton-Ease) but different colors. Somehow, the Popsical Blue was easier on the hands (but still not as sproingy as the Orangeade) than the Cherry Red. One was size 6 and the other was size 12 and yet I used the same amount of yarn for each.

Cabo Hoodie
Pattern: Wendy Bernard of Knit and Tonic
Yarn: 4 skeins Lion Cotton-Ease in Popsical Blue for size 12
Needles: Addi Circulars in US #7 and #8
(04/20/07 - 04/30/07)
Modifications: I made the neckline bigger by deepening the V. I lengthened the hood using one of her hoodies as a comparison.

And at the very last minute, Nicks decides to be part of the shoot.

Little Man's Hoodie

Little Man likes wearing hoodies. He wears one everyday when he goes to daycare. He actually wears the hood. When he saw me looking at the Cabo Hoodie pattern, he asked for one in blue. We headed up to my closet and pulled out the CE stash. His options were Popsical Blue or Candy Blue. When he saw the RED, he quickly claimed it - "I want mine red with a pocket and long-sleeves". Thus began the saga of Little Man's Hoodie.

My boys
The pocket was the first piece knitted up but as you can see I haven't sewn it on yet. Can you tell I have issues with sewing? I started knitting on Pumpkin Girl's hoodie last night while I was watching TV with Little Man when he inquired about his sweater.


Little Man: "Hmm. Mom, Where's my sweater?"
Me: "It's upstairs in our bedroom but I haven't sewn in the pocket."
LM: [goes upstairs] "Where in your room? ... Nevermind I found it. Can I wear it because I'm cold?"
He comes down the back staircase and I just had to take some pictures.

Double thumbs up

Cabo Hoodie
Pattern: Wendy Bernard of Knit and Tonic
Yarn: 4 skeins Lion Cotton-Ease in Cherry Red for size 6
Needles: Addi Circulars in US #7 and #8
(04/06/07 - 04/18/07)
Modifications: I made the neckline bigger by deepening the V. I lengthened the hood using one of his hoodies as a comparison.

Technique Learned: Grafting garter stitches.

Eventually I'll sew the pocket and add a picture of it.

Piercings and a Finished Sweater

Piercings! Nope, not me!
Last year, Pumpkin Girl decided she wanted her ears pierced. We took her to the mall, picked out the earrings and took our turn. The worst thing happened - the gun misfired! We left the mall. She was in tears and we had nothing to show for it.

Here we are a year later and she was determined to get her ears pierced when she turned 8. I found out from her that most of the girls in her 3rd grade class have their ears pierced. No pressure from me. However, Grandma kept telling her "if you don't have pierced ears, I won't buy you earrings".

Grandma, this one's for you.
When I bought the School Spirit Sweater pattern a year ago, I had envisioned knitting it for Pumpkin Girl. Pumpkin Girl is a tough one to knit for. She rarely wears long sleeves and when she does it is usually a cardigan. When I was going through patterns, Little Man saw this and immediately requested one in orange and blue. He picked a winner!

Air guitar pose
School Spirit Sweater
Pattern: Knit and Tonic
Yarn: 2+ balls Lion Cotton-Ease Icy Blue and Orangeade for trim
Needles: Addi Circulars in US #6 and #7
(09/17/06 - 09/30/06)

Green Gable #2 is here

Happy Memorial Day!

Green Gable (my Project Spectrum knit and my Amazing Lace teammate) made its debut today. It already got wet in a water gun fight this morning. I had to dry off a bit before taking this picture.

Green Gable
Pattern: Zephyr Style
Yarn: TLC Cotton Plus in Kiwi
Needles: Addi Circular in US #8 and 6
(04/29/06 - 05/22/06)
Modifications: Just like my previous one, I knitted extra rows before the sleeves separated. I added 2 more decreases in the bust area and several increase rows in the hip area to give an hourglass silhouette. I also added a couple of inches in the length of the body and an inch in the sleeves before the ribbing.

This is the first time I've used this yarn. It is very easy on the hands. It is machine washable and dryable ... I'll see how this garment turns out after the first wash/dry.

Red Gable

I love this pattern. I'll probably make one for Pumpkin Girl and another one for me. I started with a small then switched to a medium during the raglan length. It's such a snug fit. When I make it again, I'll make it less body hugging.

Cotton Fleece is nice and easy on the hands - I'll definitely use this yarn again.

Green Gable
Pattern: Zephyr Style
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Candy Apple
Needles: Addi Circular in US #6
(04/14/06 - 04/24/06)
Modifications: I lengthened the body and sleeves; and increased at the hips.

To Dye For

Hot of the seaming needles. The verdict - it fits! This knit fulfills 3 KALs: Stashalong, Year of the Sweater and Knit in Red. Finishing it in March can possibly make it qualify for Project Spectrum. It is so soft and fluffy. Me likey! Seaming fluffy yarns hides any seaming flaws but at the same time is difficult to seam.


This definitely counts as a quick knit with those HUGE needles. I knit the back and 1 sleeve last December. Somehow this project got shelved because I did not relish the thought of seaming. Luckily after I finished my first seaming project (Molly), I realized that seaming is not that difficult. I picked it back up the week of March 6th.

To Dye For
Pattern: Martha Lazar
Yarn: 4 skeins KP Suri Dream in Strawberry
Needles: US 13 straight needles
(12/09/05 - 03/10/06)

Child's Placket Pullover

This was a fun pattern/color to knit. Easy-peasy for a beginner like me. The only modification made was to omit the buttons for a more relaxed pullover. It would've been finished earlier but the siren call of lace (Branching Out), cables (Irish Hiking Scarf), mittens and this pink project (Molly) distracted me.

The verdict is still out whether I like the discontinued LB Cotton Ease. It was a little bit rough on my hands during knitting. However, it will be overlooked because of its ease of care (machine wash/dry).


The recipient is really happy with his new sweater. All in all, it was a perfect stashbuster project plus I learned how to knit plackets. Woohoo!

Child's Placket Pullover
Pattern: Last-Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: LB Cotton Ease in Pineapple
Needles: Addi Circulars in US 6
(October 3 - November 12, 2005)

My First Sweater

Presenting the Hourglass Sweater in all its glory. The pattern was so simple and easy to follow I will definitely make another one. The only modification was I followed the NBaT instructions for knitting the sleeves/waist hems (no sewing there!).

This project has a lot of firsts for me. I learned a lot! Let's mention a few:
1. Knitting sleeves and attaching them.
2. Grafting.
3. Sewing down the live stitches at the neckline. That was loads of fun!


See Bear give his stamp of approval.

Hourglass Sweater
Pattern: Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: KP Andean Silk
Needles: Addi Circular in US 6
(08/01/05 - 09/03/95)