The cutest EVER!

I "needed" to make something for my granddaughter... these days, I feel I'm slacking if I don't have something in progress for my daughter, and my granddaughter, and a sock or two.  

This one has been a delight... though finding the right flower has been a challenge.  

First I was inspired by a pattern with pansies, but the pansy chart was for a smaller gauge, and would be enormous for this little dress.  I adapted by shrinking the pattern into a smaller chart, with this result--which I think looks like a space alien.  

So I went to my "go to" rose pattern that I've duplicate stitched onto several garments, and I came this close to pulling it out...

Then I realized what was missing...

Pattern: Cha Cha  by Louisa Harding,  from Louisa Harding #05, The Magical World According to Miss Millie 

Yarn:  Bamboo by Be Sweet, DK / 8 ply, 100% Bamboo, 110 yards / 50 grams

Growing Up, Second (Finished) Post

After WRITING THIS BLOG about lengthening sleeves, and having an unsatisfactory look about it, I pulled out the newly done part, alas, with sideways glances from the airport public. (Nothing says crazy like a lap-full of snarly looking yarn!)  The first-attempt yarn was a PERFECT match of color, and a tiny bit heavier, unnoticeable to my eye... but the "creative" pattern I came up with wasn't so pleasing to me.  AND, more critical, there wasn't quite enough length to make it anymore than a temporary fix.
I threw it in a bag and continued to knit a sock until I arrived home.  Here I have the EXACT same leftover yarn, that had never been washed... I used it, soaked it:

And, as you can see, that after numerous washings of the original, the old yarn succumbed to water whereas the new yarn just sat there, with its protective coating.  It had a long soak and the final result is:

See?  The new yarn is really a bit darker because it hasn't been in the washer - EVER!

My original problem with "twisting" of the body is still evident, but no little girl of four stands still enough to notice!  

The Verdict

What did I decide to do?  Without any votes... I should have made it a contest ???
D:  None of the above should have been an option, because I won't be finishing the vest which is spared from frogging.  AND the sweater from years ago is now converted to a vest.

And the real kicker is how nice the back looks.  When my daughter requested an embroidered rose on the back, I thought she was crazy, but now I like!

The cabling is only on the collar.

The duplicate stitch pattern is borrowed from my other rose sweaters.
And to answer Brenda's question:  Is Angora froggable?  I don't know... the sleeves remain intact.  Maybe they'll be re-attached!!! LOL

Back to work on the other vest...  Some people just never have enough purple wool vests!  LOLA  What a lucky knitter I am!!

Modeling Session

What do grandmas like?
A toddler who blows kisses and gives hugs--
Knitting--
An appreciative audience (my daughter)--
A success story combining all of the above:
Tah-dah!  I give you the "Rose Tunic":

Even the pants match!  Knitted from the same yarn in April 2009 (before she was born).
Ravelry link.
Tunic knitted three times (with much teeth gnashing) between May 2010 and January 2011.
Ravelry link.
Matching shoes!

Toddler modeling:  Few opportunities for still shots.  My best one of the outfit was out of focus.  Was it the photographer or the subject that moved? My guess is that the camera can't focus fast enough when the moment occurs.  Oh, well...

Drum roll, please...

First off the needles: 2011
The LONG awaited project:  LBD (or Little Black Blue Dress)  Even though I often call it a dress, it's really a pullover/tunic top.  It's just so long at this point, that it seems like I've been knitting a dress.
It's as pretty as I imagined! (IMHO) And not perfect.

I selected this pattern in July 2009 just loving those roses. I was disappointed to find that they are duplicate stitched however I have happily gotten over it.  Duplicate stitch is where it's AT!  They certainly wouldn't be as nice in intarsia. (At least not MY intarsia.) At the time my newborn granddaughter seemed far from wearing the smallest size for this pattern, 1-1/2 years, so I contented myself with other baby projects.  Then I started the lower edge.  It was quite the challenge... in Danish, with a most complicated combination of written and chart instructions, where neither were stand-alone instructions.  It turned out lovely both times.  I frogged the whole thing once and substituted colors and remeasured and gauged blah, blah, blah.  And now it's too big for my 1-1/2 year old so it will wait patiently for her to grow into it.
In my other posts I voiced concerns.
Concern #1:  I picked up a dropped stitch.  Would it even out in blocking?  The answer:

No.  It still looks like this after 2 blockings. So, it's an "original"!
Concern #2:  I used kinky yarn (from the frogged mis-start) and first time yarn.  They looked way different when knitted up.  Would it even out in blocking?  The answer:

Almost.  It's looking much better, and especially with big ol' roses to draw the eye away from the perfect "new yarn" stitching.
Concern #3:  Not previously voiced in a post, but at a meeting of knitters I asked what was I going to do with a garment that twisted.  And I'm still asking all of you, why has it twisted so badly, and how do I get it to straighten out?  Is it because of the circular one-piece body? Will it come out in blocking?  The answer:
(See above pictures.)
Not really.  It's an illusion.  I blocked it with wonderful straight rods down the sides, looked perfect while drying flat, but as soon as I start handling it, it wants to twist.  (What I mean by twist:  the rectangular | | body becomes a parallelogram \ \ .)
It is what it is, and I already have plans to add more trim so a 3 and 4 year old will be able to wear it... until she says, "Gram, would you make me a different tunic?"  And of course, the answer will be:  What color?

Pattern (in Danish): Siksak og Roser by Løve Garn from Løve Garn, Baby og småbørns-strik 2

Yarn: Bomuld 8/4 Merceriseret by Løve Garn Fingering / 4 ply 100% Cotton 180 yards

Next?

Last year I found a pattern while in Norway called Rose Cardigan for newborn to toddler sizes.  C and I went shopping for the yarn, and buttons, and I went happily back home to complete it.  Once I was home, I realized that the roses were duplicate stitched, and the whole booklet was in Danish. Never mind; I still was able to figure it out. It was stunning!  And I knitted it up. 

 On the same page in the booklet is a dress with roses on it, and with the fussiest gorgeous borders in crazy colors... just awesome, but the smallest size is 1 year. Here it is: A year later, and the Danish really is a problem.  I studied it, wrote out rows, and I think I made sense of it.  It's not easy to describe in Ravelry, but here's what I have so far:

Can you tell there are 6 colors?

Sew and Woe!!

That does it!  This confirms my notion that knitting is SO forgiving... Make a mistake? Not to worry: Frog it and reuse.  How friendly is THAT?


My poor monkey project... My decision to double the size has led to all kinds of decisions, good and poor:


Good:

1. Increase Dimensions
2. Useable for stroller
3. Hole in the center for seat belt
4. More monkeys (how can that be bad?)
5. I'm a genius!

Poor:

1. Ran out of yarn for background
2. Ran out of yarn for background (worth 2 numbers of Poor)
3. Monkeys are freckled with copper
4. Knitting like a fiend to beat the onslaught of Summer!

Solutions:

1. Call the LYS for more yarn
2. LYS going out of business (none available/not ordering more)
3. We can live with freckled monkeys
4. Stitch and cut those ##%@$$&*& steeks.

Ah!  Ready for border, but where are all of my US7 circs?  As I start digging and looking for all of those lost unfinished items that probably are hiding my #7's, what do I find in a completely random location (i.e. the bottom of one of my many project baskets)?  A ball of my background color!!  I'm wild with anger.  Can it be used to fix the problem?  Reality sets in as a realize that there's no ripping out once the steeks have been cut.  

I'm bummed.  Grumbling and swearing I'll be better next time at putting ALL of my yarn BACK* in one place, I make the decision to "duplicate stitch" over as much of the freckle area as I can...

Looks like I have more work to do... And it makes me appreciate how much faster knitting is than sewing in stitches.
The sewing of the steeks went quite well.  I was oblivious to what would develop in the following hour.  The long tubes of 36" were stitched almost half way from the bottom then cut open. Then stitched as far as I could manage from the top and cut. Finally I stitched the middle section and cut.  I was pretty happy then, and after a good night's sleep I'm calmer now.


* How did that one little ball get stranded? When I finished a piece and cut the yarn, I started the next piece with a fresh skein, and dropped my leftover ball in the basket.  It's perfectly clear to me now....