My Nanook

This post has been a long time coming.  Two years ago when I had my daughter and spent many wee hours of breastfeeding reading through the Archives over at SouleMama, I came across this beautiful sweater.  I knew I had to make one and wasted no time in ordering some yarn from Knit Picks.  At the time I didn’t really know what characteristics made up a quality garment yarn so I ordered some Wool of the Andes, Knit Picks’ workhorse wool yarn.  I fudged my measurements because I was barely postpartum with my daughter, didn’t do a gauge swatch, then proceeded to spend almost two years knitting this pattern.  After spending six months on the lace collar I knew the yarn was going to be too itchy to be the cuddly sweater I was yearning for, but I just couldn’t give up.

After two baths (one in lanolin and the other in hair conditioner) the sweater is wearably soft but still just itchy enough to make it a small relief to take off at the end of the day.  I did take a nap in it the other day but I’m very pregnant and have a toddler so there was a healthy dose of exhaustion in that mix.  Either way, I love the color, the fit is snug but functional, and the pattern is lovely.  It also has the bonus of being incredibly warm and the perfect layering sweater in this very cold autumn we’re having in Germany.

So, first sweater? Check! Onto something else!

Happy crafting.

Wool Longies

Hello my lovely, woolly readers!  I’ve been sitting on these photos of my latest creation for weeks now, just waiting for an opportunity to sit down and type up a little note.  Toddler Pickle has been a happy little whirlwind all week with all the sunshine we’ve been graced with.  Much playing in the garden, utilizing the clothesline, and chilly evening walks have been had.  Life is good. But back to the wool.

These soakers were knit from the Ladybug Loops pattern and Knit Picks Wool of the Andes. I believe I knit the 18 month – 2 year size thinking the pants would need to be rolled up and that the bum might be a tad big…but no. They fit like an absolute glove.  They are perfect! I just hope they last us through the spring, since there isn’t much hope they’ll still fit next winter.  Oh well, there’s always more wool. These are my second soakers from the Ladybug Loops pattern and I can’t speak highly enough of it. It’s fabulous and detailed and the pattern works wonderfully over a big cloth diapered bum.

Watching my little Pickle traipse around the garden in her home-knit pants gives me so much joy.  Knitting for tiny souls is as fulfilling as ever.  Hopefully I’ll have some new socks and some instant gratification crochet creations in the coming days.

Wool on!

Hedgehog Christmas

I’ve always been a huge procrastinator and this Christmas was no different.  Though we don’t do gifts for friends and family, I think there is always an exception to be made for children.  The magic and anticipation for that morning when you can finally open your gifts is a special experience I’d like to keep around for baby’s first few years at least. Unfortunately I spent so long knitting a stocking that I barely had any time to knit a gift to go inside!

I knew that I wanted to knit some kind of doll, something whimsical to inspire creative play.  Purl Bee came to the rescue with their cute little hedgehog pattern.  Hedgehogs are such interesting little characters and hold a special place in my heart.  On my 13th birthday my parents let me choose between going ice skating or a surprise (what would you choose?).  The surprise ended up being a pet hedgehog who my little sister very creatively named Pokey.  I wasn’t the best hedgehog owner, though I did feed him live crickets (more like allowed a bag of live crickets to escape into my parents’ house…oops) and take him outside to run his little heart out when the weather was nice.  He had a nice, red wheel to play on all night and I think he lived a pretty good life.  Hmm…I think I may have gotten a little sidetracked here…

What I was trying to say is that hedgehogs are pretty sweet.  Knitted hedgehogs are significantly easier to care for and also very sweet so I whipped this little guy up for my little girl and she seems to like him just fine.  I love the woolly fibers he’s made of and I selfishly hope he finds a place of honor amongst his plushy compatriots.

Pattern is Knit Hedgehogs by Purl Soho. Yarn is misc. Wool of the Andes by Knit Picks for face and belly, and Creative Melange chunky by Rico Design in the color Partie for the back and eyes/nose.