the blue blog archives: caution: elves on a roll

Thanks to Santa hubby, who took the boys to a giant indoor playspace this weekend (here they are running past the "do not run" sign!), the elves got lots more holiday knitting done.

First another pair of Morehouse Merino bear paws mitts, these for a little friend of the boys.

What I hope will finally be the perfect hat for my mom. I've made mom a couple of hats before. She liked the first, but it was too small for her hair. The second was bigger but I made it on the fly with some leftover yarns when I heard that she wasn't wearing a hat at all! But see, she's got this purple coat (another even longer story) that she seems destined never to get rid of and the green hat didn't really go with it. So while at the craft store picking up the wire to make the weasley hangers I saw a poor "orphan" skein of purple Homespun sitting by the cash register. I took it as a sign that I should simply give in and make mom a giant purple hat. I think I've succeeded there. To be sure it was big enough, I knitted it on 24" circulars in the round! That should be enough ease for almost any perm, yes?

Back's all done and I'm working on the huge, drapey collar. This sweater is so cool. Now I remember why mom and I decided that we HAD to have one!

posted by alison at 8:34 am | in accessorize me , baby things , jesses

Comments

You are such a rock star! I enjoy reading your blog and admiring your awesome knitting!! I found somewhere to get the Weasley pattern and I am going to send for it after Christmas. I just made my first sweater for my ten year old (since he was a baby) and he loves it. So now, I will make a weasley as well. He will be so happy with it!

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Posted by: patti at December 22, 2004 8:55 AM

jess looks great! it seems really cozy.

Posted by: Peggy at December 22, 2004 9:10 AM

awesome work as always! have a happy xmas

Posted by: cara at December 22, 2004 9:13 AM

You are a knitting wonder and will be the "preferred mom" when you son's friends receive the absolutely adorable claw mittens! Too cute for words! Such a talented giver--you're making the rest of look bad!!!!!!!

Posted by: leslie at December 22, 2004 9:39 AM

Jess looks gorgeous! I'm wondering about the Cotton Angora though. What's your opinion of it now that you've been working with it for a while? I've heard from some people that pilling can be a problem and I'm interested to hear what your experience has been.

Posted by: jody at December 22, 2004 10:08 AM

Lovely, Lovely...we took our son to a place like that on Friday for the very 1st time...we should have done that much earlier, he loved it so much.
Love the bear paws.

Posted by: Orli at December 22, 2004 10:08 AM

a few things...i love how you framed the pic with the "do not run" sign...what the heck is that kind of sign doing in a play area? do they also have a "do not, under any circumstances, have fun" sign as well...i'm so glad to see the progress on jess (clearly not a project to be worked on at knitsmiths)and finally, homespun may have redeemed itself with that hat...but i still will never knit with it again. happy holidays to your whole family!! warmest, lb

Posted by: lisa b at December 22, 2004 10:29 AM

I feel like a slacker when I look at the stuff you got done for Christmas. Your elves and mine will both be knocking back espressos, because I have a hat and two scarves to make (and the scarves haven't even been started!)

Posted by: Dani at December 22, 2004 12:35 PM

Er...good use of realism there for the person who put a "do not run" sign at A CHILD'S PLAYAREA!!!

LOL!

Posted by: Eklectika at December 22, 2004 2:34 PM

That pic of your boys is so funny. I love it.

Those bear mitts are so cute! Everything is so pro.

You, I mean the elves, can get it all done. I believe, I believe...

Posted by: Jenny at December 22, 2004 3:00 PM

wow, i'm really loving that Jess sweater!! Those bear paw mitts are hilarious---love em! Can the elves make extra coffee for me? There's still much left to get done. :)

Posted by: tania at December 22, 2004 4:09 PM

I really liked the hat you made for your mom! I do a great deal of charity knitting for needy folks our church serves, and that is exactly the kind of hat that would be great for them -- plus our knitting group has come in to a bunch of Homespun yarn. Would you be willing to tell me where you got the pattern? I'd really appreciate it!

Posted by: Chris at December 22, 2004 7:44 PM

Alison, longtime lurker here. I love reading your blog. You're such an inspiration. Those bear mitts are so cute -- they remind me of Max in Where the Wild Things Are -- my kids' favorite role model.

Posted by: Meredith at December 23, 2004 2:16 AM

Thanks everyone, the elves are so proud of themselves for accomplishing so much.

Chris, for the hat, I just made up some numbers to do a basic hat. I wanted mine REAL big, so I cast on 75 stitches on a US11. I knit in the round for a little more than an inch, then switched to US10's. That was to make a nice wide floppy brim that can be rolled or flipped up. Then I just kept knitting in the round until the hat was about 7" high (with brim rolled up) - told you I wanted it big! - and then started the decreases: K1, K2tog around; knit a plain row; K2tog around until there's about 4 or 5 stitches left and pull the yarn through. I think starting with somewhere around 66 stitches and 6" would be better for a normal sized hat. But you could make them in varying sizes, since you can't really size for specific people. The decreases just require a stitch count that is divisible by three.

If you want to follow a real pattern, I really like the basic hat pattern from Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns.

Meredith, you're right, the mitts perfect for the king of the wild things!

Posted by: alison at December 23, 2004 9:40 AM