What's on the Needles?

I started the Susie Hoodie from the More Big Girl Knits book. Of course I didn't want to use the more expensive yarn so I fell back on my old standby Cascade 220. It has a different gauge, especially when I knit it because I never get the right gauge right away. I think I did 8-10 swatches on different needles. I ended up buying a metal circular needle (HiyaHiya) because the same size of needle from my Denise Interchangeable kit didn't give the same gauge-the wool slides across metal differently than it does across plastic.


So I merrily began to knit. That pattern has the body knit as one piece: the fronts and back together. It has a lovely cable that goes all the way up edges, meeting at the top of the hood. I found it very difficult doing just one row of cable and then the rest of the row of stockinette stitch and then the same row of cable to end, purl all the way back and then start the second row of the cable. I just couldn't make sense of the cable pattern.


So, I decided to do the sleeves first. There, I knit the cuff first, which was only the cable pattern. I became very familiar with it and its twists and turns. I pretty well memorized it.


Then I picked up stitches along its edge and began knitting in the round up the sleeve. I'd done quite a few inches and decided to check my gauge. Not even close! It was way tighter than what I'd been getting before when I swatched. You see, I'd swatched knitting back and forth and now I was knitting in the round. The difference between the two turns out to be quite a lot. The size of the purl stitches while knitting back and forth make the difference.


I put the hoodie on time out. I definitely will pick it back up again but I have another project to do in the meantime:


At work, Meggin is pregnant. Baby knitting!


I had thought I'd knit the Tulip Jacket by Dream in Color. It is knit with many wide stripes of different coloured wool. I do love it. I even got Francesca, the owner of Three Bags Full to change the kit for me (I didn't think the obligatory pink colours in the 'girl kit' went well with the others. I had to wait while they got more stock in; then I waited because Meggin was going to have an ultrasound to find the gender of her baby.


It's going to be a boy. So, the pink issue doesn't matter. I don't much like the colourway for the 'boy kit'. And, it's pretty expensive - $50 for the kit for one tiny sweater. (But, I noticed that the girl kits without the pinks sold better than the ones with them)


Hmmm.. what else could I knit?


I found a pattern by Debbie Bliss -the Cable and Moss Stitch Cardigan. Francesca even loaned me the pattern book, she's so nice! Of course I didn't want to use the more expensive yarn it called for so I fell back on my old standby Cascade 220 (sounds familiar?). I chose to make a the 18 month size so that baby wouldn't be in and out of it in such a short time. Gauge problems? Nope. Just knit away even it the gauge doesn't come out perfectly. That cardigan will fit the baby at some point as he grows.

(picture borrowed from twowoodensticks on Ravelry)

I used a colourway called Yakima Heather. It's a solid dark green, almost brown really. It has some yellow in it as well.


I also bought a tweedy yellow to make baby pants with. I chose Juju from Knitty, though I'll substitute the cable from the Bliss pattern for the cable it uses. So I got a sweater and a pair of pants for the same cost as the one Tulip Jacket. I should have enough to make a hat as well, but that would have happened with the Tulip Jacket too.


But do you know, I'm starting to really look forward to picking up the Susie Hoodie again.