One Sock, Two Sock, Three Sock, Four...

Baby-sock production is going strong. I’m knitting these tiny socks to go with the baby sweater and mittens I made last month. At first, I planned to knit just one pair of socks, incorporating the yarn in the colors of the buttons from the sweater (yellow, red, and blue). But since the colors are so fun and these little footsies work up so fast, I’ve decided to make a bunch of them to go with the set, with lots of color combinations. Really! I can make a little sock in less than an hour! They are that speedy. And they hardly take any yarn at all.

I love the pattern, which I found in Cute Knits for Baby Feet.

I remember when this book first arrived from Amazon and I flipped through the pages…I practically flipped myself, over the cute pictures of socks for babies. Such a fantastic book with so many cute patterns and colors.

One thing that makes these socks so easy, is that instead of turning the heel with picked-up stitches, this pattern has me “wrap” various stitches during the heel rows, which magically creates a nice little recess for the baby’s heel to rest in. And then I just move on to knit the instep in the main color in the round. It couldn’t be easier.

Since I’m using worsted weight yarn (Vanna’s Choice from Lion Brand) and size 3 dpns, the socks work up incredibly fast and have a chunky look to them. I’m sure they will keep a baby’s toes truly warm!

I learned a few things from the first pair that I made...

Even though the heel works up fast, it leaves hole on either side that has to be stitched up in the end. I did a much neater job of stitching up the second pair, working on the right side and placing my stitches carefully...

I also learned that with the yarn and needles I’m using, (a 5-stitches-per-inch gauge) I could decrease the length of the foot in the main color to 11 or 12 rows (down from 15 rows). Knitting the entire 15 rows made the foot look unproportionally long compared to the rest of the sock. I have yet to try it on a baby, so I’m just guessing.

Finally, I learned how important it is to cast on LOOSELY, so that the top of the ribbing isn’t tight for chubby little ankles! One of the variations I would like to eventually try is knitting the top in a rolled stockinette stitch, rather than ribbing. I think this would be super comfy for a chubby little ankle.

These little socks are a delight to knit, and with each one I get even faster. My kind of project! ~CJ~

A Fun Find

I discovered this delightful little teapot at Urban Outfitters just after Christmas, hidden in the back of the store on the clearance shelf. It was girls’ day out at the outdoor mall and we were bound to stumble upon a few treasures we couldn’t leave behind. This was marked down to an unbelievable $13. Not a chip or a ding, or a piece missing. What a stroke of luck! It was love at first sight! I scooped it right up!

It's called Matryoshka Doll Tea for Two, and here's how it works.

The top comes off and forms a cup!

And there's another, smaller top, that also comes off and forms another cup!

Simply delightful!

I love a fun find!

Will my cute little nieces please come to visit me? I promise we will have a fun tea party! ~CJ~

Drum Roll, Please!

I've been so excited to make this post! It's dedicated to January’s finished knitting projects. With Christmas over, you might think my knitting slowed down, especially since I knitted 19 items (each pair of socks or mittens counts as 2, of course) for Christmas gifts in just 3 months. Phew! I was a knitting maniac. But not so, my sticky fingers have been as busy as ever with exciting new projects. And here is #1...

My first baby sweater! (I'm so glad my curtains, blinds, and windows were clean for that photo! And, that the sun finally came out for some photos in natural light!) Isn't it the CUTEST?!

January was all about babies. There are some very special little women who are expecting and I’ve been so excited to knit up some of the adorable knitting patterns I've found for babies. Baby items are so much fun. They’re cute and fast and colorful. A fantastic combination.

This sweater was so fast and easy that I knitted TWO!

The first one I knitted in the smaller size, and next one I did in the bigger size. I am so happy with them and with myself for giving the sweater a try!

The pattern is Baby Sophisticate (free). I used a size 8 circular needle and size 8 dpns. The yarn is Vanna's Choice (Lion Brand) 100% acrylic (medium weight). It's an inexpensive yarn and nice and soft.  

The smaller sweater (in front, and without buttons in the photo) turned out tiny newborn small. I left the buttons off this one, because I’m not sure if it will go to a girl or a boy. I can easily make it girly with some pink or purple buttons and maybe some embroidered designs here and there. For some reason, these little expectant mommies want to be surprised with their babies' genders when they are born! Just like the olden days! Imagine that!

However, I do know that one baby I'm knitting for, who will be born in June, is a BOY! And he won't need a sweater until fall when sweater weather rolls around. I had lots of yarn left over, so I went to work on the bigger size and finished it in no time (1 1/2 days!). I put bright red, yellow, and blue buttons on it!

The rolled collar/button edge in garter stitch was the trickiest part of the pattern. For this part I had to pick up stitches all along the front and the neck. Not too bad, and once I mastered that, the rest of the strip went smoothly, even the wrapped stitches (to taper the collar) and button holes, which were a first for me.

The sleeves are similar to knitting a thumb in a mitten. Just get out the dpns and go to town in the round!

This is such a great pattern and I’m definitely hooked. I can't wait to make more of these. Next time, I think I'll use a different color for the garter stitch trims!

To go with the sweater, I also knitted little mittens, using the original green yarn, and I added yarn in the colors of the buttons.

I’m am so excited for little fingers to go in these mittens!

The crocheted background in this picture is a baby blanket that my grandma made for my son 23 years ago. She was crochet-machine! In her younger years, I rarely saw her without a blanket draped over her lap that she was working on and her crochet hook moving like lightening in her fingers! I must have inherited my love of yarn from dear Grandma B!

This pattern came from Mittens & Hats for Yarn Lovers by Carri Hammett.

The pattern is called Colorful Slip Stitch Mittens. I used size 5 dpns and the same Vanna's Choice yarn as the sweater. 

This was my first time using the slip stitch. It is so easy and fun! And it does such wonderful things when you use different colors. 

All that’s left is a little hat and a pair of socks, to complete the set. I completed the socks yesterday, but not before the sun went down. And today is stormy, so there's no sunny natural light to capture their true colors. The socks and hat (when it's finished) will have to be another post. But that will be fun, because my little baby boy doll will model the complete outfit! So stay tuned!

On to my next January project. These are my first baby booties. And they are oh, so delightful and tiny!

My daughter shared this pattern from Sox Pixie with me. They are called Magic Slippers. There is no seaming on these little booties. You knit the sole, then pick up stitches along its edges, and then knit up the sides. It's quick and easy!

I used size 2 dpns for this pattern. When I picked up the stitches along the sole, I actually used 4 needles because there were so many stitches and knitted with the 5th needle. The yarn is Bernat Softee Baby in Candy Baby color.

The baby blanket in the background is another one of Grandma B's that she crocheted for my first daughter over 30 years ago. Look how similar the colors in the blanket are to those in the booties!

Next, I made the same booties for a little baby boy.

These are made with size 1 dpns, so they are even smaller than the little girl booties above. I used Pattons Stretch Socks yarn, a light weight super-stretchy cotton blend in the color Olive.

Here's a sneak peek at my baby boy doll modeling them on his chubby little piggies! More of him in another post :).

January was such a fun knitting month. I wonder what February will bring?! I'd like to tell you that I have it all planned out, but I don't. After I finish the little hat to match the sweater set, I'm going to let myself be spontaneous and give in to whatever pattern is calling out loudest. Oh, such fun. I love to knit! ~CJ~

Poppies and Primroses

Some things make me especially happy. This plate of vibrant-colored poppies and coordinating bowls do just that. See how the bowls are shaped like poppy flowers?!

They practically jumped into my shopping cart as I happened upon them. In fact, I can't stop looking at them. I love them that much. Because of this, they earned prime real estate on my wall, above my kitchen sink, where I can look at them often. There will be no eating off these pretty plates and bowls!

What is it about poppies that makes them so loveable? Their bright, bold orange and red colors? The way their delicate little flowers dance around on tall stems? The way they proliferate to profusion and create meadows of color? All these things are why I love poppies!

Oh! The primroses are out and three little pots jumped into my cart, too. Look at their intense colors and their practically-perfect blooms! Spring is teasing me with these early flowers.

I rewarded these little pots with a sunny spot on in my dining room bay window, along with my sweet basil. Yes, the sun was finally out today. Miss Holly must have washed her windows yesterday and coaxed it out. Rascal Cat was hoping to catch some rays napping on her kitty stool.

I had to cut my basil way down to little sticks not too long ago. It loves the sun and has started to grow again. I think it grew an inch today in the sun!

It's so fun to see the first plants of the season. Pansies will be next. I look forward to the not-so-distant day when I can kneel in the grass and sink my spade into the warm dirt to make a place for the baby plants I choose for my garden. Til then, I'll enjoy the colorful primroses in my windowsill! ~CJ~

A Cowboy Needs a Place to Hang His Hat

My son is a cowboy. He hasn't always been a cowboy. He morphed one day from baggy, saggy pants to Wranglers, cowboy boots, cowboy hats, and a truck. I think it happened overnight. I like having a cowboy.

A cowboy needs a place to hang his hat. The kitchen bar is not a place for a cowboy hat. Joann's clearance shelf had some treasures today that I couldn't resist. Hooks. Colorful hooks. Big enough for a cowboy hat.

What do you think? :)

Not long ago I found some other on-sale treasures at Smith's Marketplace...colorful little plates. There's the perfect spot on my kitchen wall that's calling out for them.

I had a dilema, though. I didn't know how to hang them, because they didn't come with hooks. After all, they were meant to be eatten off of. After a little research on the internet, I found the perfect solution...metal hangers attached with Household Goop (I'd never heard of it!). I ran over to Home Depot to purchase the tube of magic. I just finished glueing the hangers to my plates and I get to wait 24 hours before I can hang them. Here's a sneak peek.

Stay tuned for the unveiling on my wall! ~CJ~

One Thing Led to Another

Lately, I've been noticing that the lace curtains in my bedroom look more gray than white and that it was time for a cleaning. So yesterday the curtains came down off their rods and took the plunge into the washing machine. I was so excited this morning to get them back up. My windows looked so blah without them.

I got out of bed, walked over and opened the blinds, only to see more of the dreary sky that's been hanging around lately. But what was even worse, was the dirty condition of my blinds, which had been covered by curtains all winter long. The dust had certainly made itself at home. How could I put sparkling clean curtains back up against these dirty blinds? The cleaning began. It started with me flapping a duster around the blinds. Useless. Out came the vaccum cleaner with the brush attachment, slat by slat. It got the top layer of dust, but there was still a lot of stubborn dirt beneath. How long has it been since I cleaned these babies? I'm not going to fess up. Too embarrassing.

So one thing led to another, and next I had a bucket of warm water with a dash of Murphy's Oil Soap added, and I went to work on each wood slat. An hour later (still in my pajamas), each slat looked white and new again. Out came the Windex, up went the blinds, and off came the dirt on the windows too.  

Finally, my windows were clean-curtain worthy and up they went! Jubilation! I think I have the spring cleaning bug, now. That was just the beginning. Now if the sun would just come out and stream through my clean windows, blinds, and curtains! Won't it be wonderful when spring shows her face again?! ~CJ~

The Cutest Quilt!

I saw this quilt called Laundry Day at the Pine Needles shop in Gardner Village and fell in love with it. I love anything miniature! I took the pictures with my cell phone, so the quality isn't the best. Sorry. But look at the cute little dresses on the clothes lines. There's just one word for it: Precious!

Someday, I'm going to make a quilt like this for a future little granddaughter!  ~CJ~