San Diego and Baby Shower

Last Wednesday I went to lab and then hopped on a plane to San Diego.  The main purpose of the trip was to throw my little sister Bunny a baby shower, but it was also just nice to see her and my mom and Mr Bunny again.  Pregnant tummies are sort of like magic 8 balls, they're completely irresistible.  While I was there I got to feel the baby kick a few times and it was totally exciting.  Please note, I'm not usually a big fan of children at all, the one exception will be the Baby Bunny.  So please don't expect me to admire your children.  

I feel like this picture maybe warrants some explanation.  My sister is not a professional hair stylist, she is a professional programmer.  A few years ago though, my mom asked her to trim her hair a bit and my sister gamely took on the challenge.  It turns out she has quite a natural knack for cutting hair and my mom is her most loyal (and sole) client.  According to my mom, no one cuts her hair better than the Bunny does and after seeing the results for a few years now, I have to agree.

Friday I made some preparations for the shower and put together two antipasto salads, one with meat and one without.  The recipe is from allrecipes.com and it was quite simple and delicious.  We ended up having massive amounts of leftovers to take home.  The following pictures will demonstrate why...

It's important to note that all this food (including some not shown in these pictures) was meant to feed a few women.  Needless to say, there was more than enough even after the men arrived to scavenge.

The mothers are so beautiful and adorable, I only hope I'll age half as well.  We threw the party at Spike's house and she really did a remarkable job with everything.  My only job was to generate the favors (oatmeal milk and honey soaps) and a couple of dishes (in addition to the antipasto salads, I made a salad with spring lettuces and candied walnuts and assisted Bunny in making dill and cheddar scones, so yum); Spike did everything else.  The decorations in particular really took my breath away.  They were the perfect combination of cuteness, sweetness, elegance and taste.

And of course the Bunny herself.  She took much better pictures than I did and I was really tempted to use some of them but I knew she'll be putting them up herself dammit.  She got many lovely gifts and after the shower we had a fun time by ourselves looking through everything again.  The next day we started setting up the baby's room and it was so nice to fill up the drawers with tiny things.

And this last picture I did steal from the Bunny.  These are the baby booties I knitted up for her.  They were such a fast project and I'll probably be knitting up another pair.  By the time the baby is 3 months old it'll be winter in San Diego...

Antipasto Salad (adapted from allrecipes)

1 pound medium shell pasta
1/4 pound Genoa salami, chopped
1/4 pound pepperoni sausage, chopped
1/2 pound Asiago cheese, diced
1 (6 ounce) can black olives, drained and chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 (0.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon grated Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, and cool under cold water.  Drain well.

In a large bowl, combine the pasta, salami, pepperoni, Asiago cheese, black olives, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and tomatoes. Stir in the envelope of dressing mix. Cover, and refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.

To prepare the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Just before serving, pour dressing over the salad, and mix well.

Note: the salad keeps wonderfully well.

Knitted Tiny Sweaters

Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh!! Are these not the most adorable things ever? I got the idea from wise craft; she was making a bunch of these to make some kind of christmas wreath. I thought they would be so cute as christmas tree ornaments. When I told Ferret what I was doing, his only response was a confused "why?" Bunny was more receptive, she never questioned why a person might be knitting really small sweaters for a christmas tree. I love her. So, obviously, the embroidered A and T stand for alice and tony. I can't wait until after Thanksgiving when I can get a little tree. This year I'm not going back to California for the holidays so it will be the first one I spend here. These are pretty fun to make so I may continue knitting these throughout the conference next week. We will see...

Cabled Gloves

I've been lame about updating in general, and especially lame about updating my knitting projects. This winter was all about the small knitted items. I made some mittens for Ferret, a pair of winter socks for myself and a set (almost) of cabled gloves. I say almost because my right hand glove is still missing three fingers. At some point I'll finish them, but now that the weather is warming up I've lost all interest in these and am focused on making a bunch of socks out of KnitPick's self-striping yarn. 

I'm especially proud of these gloves though because I more or less came up with how to make them on my own. These were started on the plane ride to Las Vegas and finished sometime after. I started off by following the instructions for mittens and then added cables and figured out how many stitches to do for fingers. So that I don't forget, here are the general instructions:

Cabled Gloves

Left Hand (size small):

Cast on 44 stitches and divide among 3 size 3 needles (12, 16, 16)

Knit 2, purl 2 for about 2.5" (to make cuffs)

row 1-5: k3, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k to end of row

row 6: k3, p2, cable twist the 4 stitches, p2, cable twist the 4 stitches, p2, cable twist the 4 stitches, p2, k to end of row

row 7-8: k3, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k to end of row

row 9: k2, inc 1, k1, inc 1, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k to end of row

row 10-11: k5, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k to end of row

row 12: k2, inc 1, k3, inc 1, p2, cable twist, p2, cable twist, p2, cable twist, p2, k to end of row

row 13-14: k7, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k to end of row

row 15: k2, inc 1, k5, inc 1, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k to end of row

row 16-17: k9, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k to end of row

row 18: k2, inc 1, k7, inc 1, p2, cable twist, p2, cable twist, p2, cable twist, p2, k to end of row

row 19-20: k11, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k to end of row

row 21: k2, inc 1, k9, inc 1, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k to end of row

row 22-23: k13, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k to end of row

row 24: k13, p2, cable, p2, cable, p2, cable, p2, k to end of row

row 25: k13, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k to end of row

slip 1 stitch from needle #1 to needle #3

drop the next 11 stitches from needle #1 to a piece of yarn (this will be the thumb)

row 26-29: k1, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k to end of row

row 30: k1, p2, cable, p2, cable, p2, cable, p2, k to end of row

continue (cabling every 6th row) until you reach fingers. allot 11 stitches (5 from needle #1 and 6 from needle #3, or vice versa) for the index, middle and ring fingers and 10 stitches for the pinky. for each finger, pick up stitches on the side so there are 13 stitches total per finger. work one finger at a time and when proper length has been achieved, k2tog until there are 3-4 stitches left and tie off.

similarly, pick up 2-4 stitches for thumb and work in the round until proper length, k2tog until there are few stitches left and tie off.

sew in loose ends, filling in whatever gaps there may be!

Buttony Sweater

YAAAAAAAY!!! My first sweater is finally done (more or less, I still have to block it but I was too excited not to post this almost-finished version). I had to change the color of the photo to sepia b/c my camera is awful and all my pictures are coming out yellow. The sweater itself is grey (or more precisely, Bulky Peruvian Highland wool from Knitpicks in Pewter) and knitted using size 9 needles. I followed the directions from ohmystars but cast on fewer stitches (72 instead of 96) which resulted in a higher neck. Since I decreased the number of stitches cast on, I redistributed the remaining stitches to maintain the correct proportions:

Front Left (6)

Sleeve (10)

Back (20)

Sleeve (10)

Front Right (rest)

I also pretty much ran out of yarn so I made the sleeves short but that is a pretty good look for this sweater I think. Because I was extremely paranoid about the fit of the sweater, I probably tried it on far too often during the beginning stages but I think it was worth it in the end. Super flexible pattern and I'm looking forward to my next shipment of Knitpicks yarn (worsted weight, superwash merino in a pretty blue) to try this sweater again. Too bad it is currently freezing cold in Philadelphia so I can't wear this sweater around but it really turned out awesome I think.

Here is the pattern:

CO 96 sts

Row 1: Slip 1, K 5, work in 2 x 2 rib to last 6 sts, K 6

Work this row 5 times more.

Row 7: (RS) Slip 1, K 5, pm, K 13, pm, K 32, pm, K 13, pm, K to end

Row 8: (WS) Slip 1, K5, P to last 6 sts, K6

Row 9: Slip 1, (K to within 1 st of marker, M1, K2, M1) to end

Row 10: as row 8

Every 10th row (RS) work a buttonhole as folls: Work as Row 9 to last 6 sts, K3, yo, k2tog, K to end

Rep rows 9-10 until the sweater fits around the chest and under arms (to try, put front, back and sleeves on separate holders or waste yarn).

Knit left front, back and right front onto one needle and work flat and even (keeping garter st border and buttonholes correct) until you've made 10 buttonholes (work should meas about 14" from underarm). You can add some waist shaping into the sides if you like a snugger fit. Work in 2x2 rib for 4", keeping garter st edge correct and adding two more buttonholes. BO loosely.

Knit sleeves in round, decreasing 2 sts (k2tog, k2, ssk) at underarm seam every 8 rows. finish off with 4" of 2x2 rib and BO.

Block and sew on 12 large buttons.

Ferret's Cozies

After some badgering by Ferret, I produced this cell phone cozy by adapting the Technicolor cozy pattern from Stitch n Bitch. His cell phone was teensy weensy so I cast on 14 stitches and then knitted in stockinette stitch until it was long enough to fold over and cover the phone and bound off two stitches on each side (leaving ten stitches) and continued knitting until I had enough for a flap. The button here is decorative, the flap is held closed with velcro. I kind of dislike the velcro because it is forever catching on to the yarn so for the goggle cozy I made two buttonholes and the flap actually closes with buttons!For this cozy, I cast on 28 stitches in the same yarn (Berroco Comfort, worsted weight, 50% superfine nylon, 50% superfine acrylic: I don't really like this yarn b/c it splits easily and fuzzes up quite quickly) and carried on as before. For the flap though, I made a little border in seed stitch to prevent curling of the edges. I used the instructions from here to make the buttonholes. They came out quite pretty (honestly, my second was much prettier than my first) and better yet, they are functional. No more sticky velcro.

Reversible Cabled Scarf

I got this scarf pattern from Poodle who got it from Lion Brand. Actually it was the project she was working on when we first started our now defunct Knitting Club a year or so ago. I'd never seen anyone cable before and she showed me how it was done. It wasn't until I was home over the holidays this winter that I decided to try it out for myself. Despite the fun of cabling, this is going to be my last scarf for a while because I've realized that: 1) scarves get boring and 2) scarves take forever. This was right after I made Bee's Ribbed Scarf so I am quite scarved out. The yarn is the same superwashed wool (50% merino, 50% wool) from Nashua Handknits that I used for the Kitty Hat. I knitted two balls of the stuff into this scarf and whatever I had left from Kitty Hat. It's long enough to wrap around twice and thus is warm enough for a cold Philly day.

Kitty Hat

I finally finished it! Three movies and many episodes of Arrested Development later, I've got the cutest hat in the world. I wore it to lab today although it was 55 degrees and I had to peel off sweater and scarf along the way (East Coast weather has been INSANE recently). By the time I made it in I was sweaty, but still proud of hat. With this project, I learned how to make an I-cord (Stitch 'N Bitch instructions were not at all clear, I had to resort to this helpful video to figure it out: Knitting Help) and pom-poms. It was a really fun project. Since my fourth size 7 needle was in the process of being mailed to me by nice Jess, I decided to go with the size 6 for this project instead. I still can't quite decide if it is a tad small or not. I'd go with the size 7 next time...

Thick Brown Socks

This was my first project knitting in the round and so much fun. As it was my first non-scarf project, I learned how to pick up and decrease stitches. I followed the directions from Sock 101* and miraculously emerged with a pair of socks! They're much too thick to wear with my normal shoes but I was able to wear them the one and only time I went skiing.

*This site was great because it had detailed, step by step instructions and, more importantly, pictures. Jess and I taught ourselves to knit from various internet sites so everything we know is based on the help of books and websites. I've found that it's impossible to understand anything written without some visual clues.

Purple Mittens

I combined a couple of patterns I found on the internet and came up with these:

Cascade Yarns
220 Tweed-7610-purple
90% Peruvian highland wool
10% Donegal (Tweed)

Pattern:

Cast on 44 stitches and divide among 3 size 3 needles (12, 16, 16)
Knit 2, purl 2 for about 2.5" (to make cuffs)
k8 rows
on 9th row k2, inc 1, k1, inc 1, k to end of row
k next two rows
on 12th row k2, inc 1, k3, inc 1, k to end of row
k next two rows
on 15th row k2, inc 1, k5, inc 1, k to end of row
k next two rows
on 18th row k2, inc 1, k7, inc 1, k to end of row
k next two rows
on 21st row k2, inc 1, k9, inc 1, k to end of row
k 4 more rows (~2.5" from end of cuff)

Then slip 2 stitches from #3 needle over to #1 needle
then k3 drop 13 sts on pc of yarn
Then knit until you get to last joint of middle finger

To narrow or decrease:
Begin decreasing for the mitten tip. For the next 4 rounds, knit 4 stitches and then knit 2 together, repeating throughout the round.
For the next 2 rounds, knit 3 stitches, and then knit 2 together, repeating throughout the round.
For the last round k2tg, repeat leaving 7sts

draw end of yarn thru the 7 sts and pull inside and finish off.

Thumb:

put the 13 stitches you dropped on 2 needles
Pick up 4 stitches and distribute stitches (6, 6, 5)
knit around to desired length

For one row, k1, k2tg
For last row, k2tg until there are 6 stitches left
draw end of yarn thru the 6 sts and pull inside and finish off.

Floppy Hat

Jess made this first and I was so enamoured with hers that I grabbed a ball of nubby yarn (Bernat Soft Boucle, black) while vacationing at home in CA and followed Wendy Bernard's Le Slouch pattern more or less exactly. Jess's hat was a bit too big on me so I made the ribbing (k2p2) using size 7 double pointed needles and switched to size 8 needles for the main body of the hat. WB recommends size 8 and 9. You can see, my hat isn't as floppy as hers but I still love it extremely. This pattern is awesome.

Cabled Hat

I made this hat originally as a practice hat. I was in the process of making the Reversible Cabled Scarf and thought a matching cabled hat would be cute. This practice hat turned out well but I think I will use the rest of my other yarn to make a kitty hat instead. I think I'm cabled out for now...

[picture to come]

Patons Yarn (worsted weight, 100% wool, blue)

Pattern from http://www.headhuggers.org/patterns/kpatt11.htm

Directions:

Cast on 88 stitches on 3 double pointed size 8 needles (28 stitches on first and second needles, 32 stitches on last)
Round #1: knit 3, purl 1 for the entire round.
Repeat Round #1 until 2" are completed.

Start Pattern:

Row 1: P2, K6, P2, K1 (repeat for entire round).
Rows 2 - 4: repeat Row #1 three more times.
Row 5: P2, slip next three stitches onto cable needle and hold in back of work, K3, knit stitches from the cable needle, P2, K1 (repeat for entire round).
Rows 6-8: Repeat Row #1 three more times.

Repeat these 8 rows for pattern until hat measures about 5" from beginning of pattern (7" from beginning of cap)

Shaping:

Row 1: K2 sts together, K9. Repeat across entire row.
Row 2: K2 sts together, K8. Repeat across entire row.
Row 3: K2 sts together, K7. Repeat across entire row.
Row 4: K2 sts together, K6. Repeat across entire row.
Row 5: K2 sts together, K5. Repeat across entire row.
Row 6: K2 sts together, K4. Repeat across entire row.
Row 7: K2 sts together, K3. Repeat across entire row.
Row 8: K2 sts together, K2. Repeat across entire row.
Row 9: K2 sts together, K1. Repeat across entire row.
Row 10: K2 sts together across entire row.

Finishing:

Cut the yarn, leaving a 10" tail. Thread it through the remaining stitches and draw up tightly, weaving in the end.

Comments:

I followed the instructions exactly and felt the cap was a little too long for my taste. In any case, it didn't look so flattering on me since my hair is so short. I think I'll give it to Jess if she likes it. The cables are quite pretty though.