Project Specs
Pattern: Elijah by Ysolda Teague
Pattern Source: Ysolda’s Ravelry Store
Finished size: 19” tall
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Superchunky color #16006 (light blue), just over 3 skeins
Needles: Size US9 Addi Bamboo DPNs
Date started: 5/5/08
Date completed: 5/7/08
Modifications: Knit at larger gauge, omitted purl rows at arms and legs, knit arms separately and used fake grafting to attach, used three needle bind off at ears
Extras: Two 18mm safety eyes
See him on Ravelry

Okay, so I know I said I was going to get started on some Christmas knitting—and this was originally supposed to be an x-mas gift for Camdyn—but after I got it half-way finished I knew I couldn’t wait over seven months to give it to her. This guy is just so cuddly and cute I wanted to see the look on Cam’s face when I gave him to her as soon as possible.

Of course Camdyn loves him! He is so big and so soft, how could you not want to squeeze this cutie? He’s already been carried all over the place, as well as even used as a pillow. As you can see he is much bigger than the original Elijah. The pattern calls for DK weight yarn, but I decided to go with some stashed Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Superchunky. You may remember I used this same yarn for my Super Mittens, and I absolutely love it (though I am still not too fond of the aran weight version of this yarn). Really it is one of the softest yarns I’ve ever used. It’s right up there with Malabrigo, although it’s a totally different kind of softness. Malabrigo is soft and fluffy like clouds, Cashmerino is soft, smooth, and with a nice sheen. So far I haven’t seen any pilling on Elijah. He’s knit at a gauge of 4st/inch rather than 3st/inch which is the recommended gauge for the yarn. I hope that this tighter gauge curbs some of the pilling, at least for a little bit.

I made a few changes to the pattern, some were intentional and others were just me misreading the pattern. I accidentally left out three rows while knitting the first leg, so instead of ripping I repeated my mistake on the other leg, as well as taking three rows out on each of the arms so they wouldn’t look too long in comparison. Also, by the time I got to the arms, my Elijah was getting very hard to maneuver. Instead of picking up stitches for the arms I knit them separately and later used fake grafting to attach them. This was so much easier on my wrists, as Elijah was getting really heavy since each piece is stuffed as you go. I wanted my arms to lay a little flatter to the body, so I attached them straight across at the tops, rather than in the square formation in the original pattern. I also left off the purl rows on the arms and the legs. I just wanted to keep him looking sleek and smooth. For the ears, I decided to end them with a three-needle bind off instead of kitchener because I can never get it to look as clean as I’d like!

Just like in Otto, the decreases on the head are in a very prominent place. If you remember I wasn’t too happy with my SSKs before. This time, taking the advice of Jason, I used this method from TechKnitting. I absolutely love it! I would say it looks pretty darn near identical to my K2TOGs. I don’t think I will ever do another SSK again. I absolutely would recommend this method. It takes just a tad longer than a normal SSK, but it is totally worth it. Thank you so much Jason for recommending this!

I must admit, my knitting attention span has been even shorter than normal lately. For some reason I couldn’t motivate myself to put the ears on this guy! He ended up sitting around for about half the day yesterday unfinished until I finally started on the ears last night. I don’t know what’s been up with me lately but I can knit like crazy on something and be super excited about finishing it and still stall out in the end! I don’t know what it’s going to be, but I need to knit something soon that can fully restore my mojo!

Project Specs
Pattern: Prehistoric Pals (Brachiosaurus) designed by Chris de Longpre
Pattern Source: Knitting At Knoon Designs
Yarn: Patons Soy Wool Stripes in Natural Geranium, less than one skein (91 yards)
Needles: US 6 Clover Bamboo DPNs
Date Started: 4/29/08
Date Finished: 4/30/08
Finished Dimensions: 18” from head to tip of tail
Modifications: Used plastic safety eyes instead embroidered eyes, omitted nostrils on top of head, knit tail in the round instead of flat.
See it on Ravelry

Camdyn has been on a real dinosaur kick. She loves to play with her plastic dino figurines and has been watching “The Flinstones” lots lately. I was searching for a quick project and decided it was time to add a knitted dinosaur to her collection.

The pattern is well written and really knits up quickly. Like Grace did on her T-Rex, I chose to use safety eyes rather than try my hand at embroidering them. I also knitted the tail in the round as well. Normally I would have picked up stitches for the arms and the legs, but I wanted to make sure I had the proper placement so instead I used fake grafting to attach them. Grace has used this technique many times with great results, but this is the first time I’ve used this technique. I have to say it works great! It takes a little more time than just using a whip stitch, but it is much more visually pleasing.

Overall I think this yarn worked well for this project. I still can’t quite decide if I quite like knitting with this yarn though. It has such a unique feel to it—not soft but not scratchy, and super fuzzy. I kept having to pick little fuzz balls off from the yarn that would gather behind my pinky as I was keeping my tension. I’ve used this yarn once before for felting and I think personally I like it better in that application. I must say I have seen some really gorgeous knits that aren’t felted which makes me think maybe I should give this yarn another chance. I do admit the price is right when you compare it to other self-striping yarns and you can even purchase it up to 50% off with coupons from Jo-Ann’s or Michael’s which makes it a steal. I’m not exactly sure how practical it is for use in a toy, especially if your child still likes to put things in their mouths… with all that fuzz it would be a disaster!

I made the mistake of letting Camdyn see the front page of the pattern and she has now told me that her new dino also needs a Triceratops friend. I might have to knit that one up eventually!

I also wanted to say thanks for all the nice comments on our new pattern! It’s been so gorgeous outside here that I haven’t had too much computer time (Note to self: I need a laptop!) and I was happy to see a few really cute finished Summerlins already. Now that I’ve had a little mini-break from knitting, blogging, and the computer I’m ready to get back into the swing of things! Up next—I’m going to get a start on my Christmas knitting!

Ever since all your nice comments on Camdyn’s dress, I’ve been working diligently on putting together the pattern for you. I am so happy to say that it’s finally finished! I decided to call it Summerlin, because not only is it the area of Las Vegas we live in, but I also think it is the perfect name for a girly summery frock.

This pattern allows you to quickly create a garment for your favorite little girl. I think it combines the best of both worlds. The knitted bodice does away with having to deal with the pesky buttonholer on your sewing machine, and the fabric skirt keeps it light, colorful, and simple. I’m not lying when I’m saying it goes fast either—I’ve created two tops and two dresses over the past two days!

The pattern is written for Girls’ sizes 1-5 years and contains instructions for two gathered skirt versions as well as a really simple apron top version. You can find it here or on Ravelry as a free PDF download. Enjoy!

Now I have to show you the other cute things I made for Camdyn using this pattern. I also made a top and dress for Jojo, but I’ll wait until I can get some pictures of her modeling those to show them to you.

Project Specs
Pattern: Summerlin, Less Gathered Skirt version
Size Completed: 3 years
Yarn: TLC Cotton Plus in Red, 31g (56 yds)
Fabric: Girlfriends Nuala by Jennifer Paganelli in Turquoise/Red
Needles: Size US6 Denise Needles
Date started: 4-26-08
Date completed: 4-26-08
See it on Ravelry

Okay, I think this version is my favorite. I absolutely love the look of the less gathered skirt. To me it almost has a vintage look to it. I know I’m totally biased, but I think it is perfect for Camdyn. It really brought out the little model in her! She kept pulling out poses left and right. Sometimes she gets a little antsy during photo shoots, but this time she wouldn’t stop posing! There were just way too many cute pictures, so if you’re interested in seeing the others (as well as all the other pictures of what I’ve made with this pattern) check them out on Flickr.

I can’t get over the fact that I created this in just one day. I admit though I need to take a bit of a break from this pattern after it consumed my life all last week! I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay away though, I already have at least five more yarn and fabric combinations picked out for more Summerlins. It’s amazing how well the TLC Cotton Plus that I have on hand seems to compliment the fabrics in my stash. This deep red goes perfect with the Girlfriends fabric, don’t you think? I’ve had this fabric on hand for a long time, and I am so glad to finally have used some of it.

Project Specs
Pattern: Summerlin, Apron Top version
Size Completed: 3 years
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease, 27g (56 yds)
Fabric: Amy Butler Dew Drops in Tangerine
Needles: Size US6 Denise Needles
Date started: 4-26-08
Date completed: 4-27-08
See it on Ravelry

When I was writing up the pattern I decided I wanted to provide a version that even the totally novice sewer could make. This one is so simple! The sewing portion took me less than ten minutes to finish. This top totally says summer to me and I know Cam will get lots of use out of it in the upcoming months—it looks like we’ll be in the mid-80s to 90s for the next couple of weeks, and from then on out it just starts getting hotter!

For this version I wanted to try out the pattern in a different yarn so I chose Lion Brand Cotton Ease. I love the color palette available and it seems like this yarn is easily accessible to almost everyone. Overall I think this yarn worked great. It feels a lot more cottony to me than the TLC Cotton Plus and doesn’t have the sheen the TLC does. Even though it was less splitty to work with, I’ll probably stick to using my stash of Cotton Plus in the future. This is just my personal preference though—I’ve worked with this yarn so many times now that I’ve gotten used to it.

I really hope you all enjoy this pattern! Even if you don’t have a little girl to make one for, maybe it will inspire you to try combining knitting and sewing in your own way.

Project Specs
Pattern: Garden Snail by Hansi Singh
Pattern Source: Hansi Singh's Etsy shop - hansigurumi
Yarn: Cascade 220 #7828 Neon Yellow
Needles: US 4 DPNs
Date Started: 4/24/08
Date Finished: 4/25/08
Finished Dimensions: 8” long
See it on Ravelry!

Like Alice mentioned in her post about Otto the bear (who is SO CUTE btw!), our niece’s first birthday was yesterday. I know that she’ll be getting tons of cute girly things from everyone else, so I wanted to make her something a little funky and nontraditional… a banana slug! I mean what kid wouldn’t appreciate that huh? Not that she knows what a slug is, or probably even what a banana is, but it is the thought that counts, right?

I got the idea of knitting a banana slug for Jojo’s birthday back when I first knit this pattern. The body from Hansi Singh’s Garden Snail pattern works so perfectly as a slug, and I really feel that the pattern is very baby friendly. No parts can get pulled off, I gave the eye stocks a whiskers a good tug and they’re on very well, and it’ll be easy for her to grip. I admit I didn’t choose a very baby friendly yarn though. I would have rather knit it in Cascade 220 Superwash but I just didn’t have the right color on hand. I’ll make sure to add detailed care instructions when I send it off.

So I just have to tell you again how awesome this pattern is! It is so well written and quick too; knitting a slug just takes about one day. He turned out to be a little over 8” long, and is the size of an actual banana slug! I feel like he has so much personality and was really fun to photograph. Usually I am really embarrassed to go down in front of my building to take photos of my knits, but this time I really loved it. Also, this may sound strange, but he is surprisingly cuddly too! I can see myself knitting many more of these guys in the future. :)

I’ve been trying to think of another small thing I could knit for Jojo to send along with this slug. Last year I made her the pink bunny and a pair of little bunny booties, so this time I was thinking maybe I’d make a little sun hat or something springy. I don’t have very much cotton on hand, and it is really difficult to find something that would be good for warmer weather using yarn from my stash. Does anyone have any suggestions? The only requirement is that it has to be a quick knit because it’s already past her birthday (oops)!

Lastly I wanted to mention a few things. Hansi has come out with two more awesome patterns you should really check out. They are for a Hermit Crab and Loch Ness Monster. I’m in the process of working on the Crab and plan to have both of these creatures finished up by the end of the month! There is also a great sale on a few colors of Noro Kureyon at Little Knits. $4.68 per skein or $42.50 for full bags. These sale prices combined with free shipping for orders over $125 (code is spring) and an additional 5% off if you belong to the Little Knits Ravelry group, makes it a deal that is almost too good to pass up!

Project Specs
Pattern: Otto by Ysolda Teague
Pattern Source: Ysolda’s Ravelry Store
Size Completed: Smaller bear, 12" tall with 8" armspan
Yarn: Zitron Ecco, color #160, 1 1/5 balls (144 yds)
Needles: Size US4 Clover Bamboo DPNs
Date started: 4/20/08
Date completed: 4/22/08
Modifications: Left out knit rows between final snout decreases, drew together stitches at ears and nose rather than grafting, embroidered mouth
Extras: Two 9mm safety eyes, satin ribbon for bow at neck
See him on Ravelry

Say hello to Otto! As you guys know I’m a total sucker for knit toys so when Ysolda released this pattern I had to snatch it up. This bear is quite different looking than other bear patterns out there which really intrigued me. I’ve also heard great things about Ysolda’s other totally seamless toy patterns so I decided to give this guy a go.

I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly this guy knit up and really it probably would have gone faster if I wouldn’t have been alternating between knitting this and working on the dress pattern. I love that there are no seams at all! The only time it was fiddly to work was during the first few rows of the second leg. It was a little difficult to wrangle the DPNs and knit without the first leg getting in the way. It’s definitely worth it though. I love how his legs come seamlessly off the body and the construction of the crotch gusset is pretty genius. Overall I’d recommend this pattern to anyone who likes to knit toys. It might not be for the beginner knitter though because the whole toy is knit on DPNs and there are lots of picked up stitches.

I made a couple minor changes while knitting Otto. The first time I knit the head pattern as written my Otto turned out looking like an anteater! The snout was way too long for my liking. Although my stitch gauge was right on, my row gauge was slightly off (8 rows/inch instead of 9) which was probably part of the problem. I ended up reknitting the nose and taking out the plain knit rounds on the final set of decreases. I also pulled my stitches together at the end of the nose and the ears instead of grafting, and added a little mouth to my Otto.

Overall I’m pretty happy with how Otto turned out. He’s really growing on me. When I first finished him I wasn’t totally content with how he looked. For some reason I can never get my SSKs to look that great the whole line of them right on top of the head sticks out like a sore thumb. If anyone has any suggestions on a better looking left slanting decrease, please let me know! It also seems like the yarn I used makes the increases and decreases even more pronounced than usual. Next time I knit this pattern I think I’ll use a yarn that is less smooth and has more of a halo to disguise my increases and decreases a bit. Also I found this yarn to be pretty splitty while working with it. I used this yarn for Camdyn’s clapotis as well and I don’t remember it being this bad. I’ve also already had to pick some pills and fuzz off the top of Otto’s head. Hopefully he doesn’t end up too pill covered!

Otto is a gift for my niece, Jojo, who turns one year old tomorrow! You may remember I was planning on knitting the Moderne Baby Blanket for her birthday but I never picked it back up after my early progress on it. I will finish it up eventually and save it for another occasion. My older sister and her family are actually talking about moving to Las Vegas, so maybe it will be a welcome to Vegas present!

Thanks for all the nice comments you left for Camdyn’s dress the other day! I’m going to get back to work on the pattern today. I hope to have the majority of it done by this weekend so I will probably be back then asking for some advice on a couple of the sizes. Right now I’m planning on writing up the pattern for 12 months to 5 years, so hopefully there will be something for everyone!