sophy's knits, notes, etc.

This is actually something I finished earlier in the month--a gift for Adam. But, I had wrapped it and placed it under the tree almost as soon as I wove in the ends, so I haven't had a chance to take a picture until now. I might take a better one (with something other than my phonecam) when I can catch Adam wearing it!

Pattern Koolhaas hat, by Jared Flood.
Source Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2007.
Yarn Elsebeth Lavold, Silk Wool, Color #45, 1 skein.
Needles Sizes 3 (3.25 mm) and 5 (3.75).
Modifications For a larger size more suited to Adam and because of the smaller gauge of yarn, I casted on 128 sts, repeated the pattern 7 times, and repeated the last row of the decrease pattern twice (to end with 8 sts, instead of 16 sts).

I really love how this turned out in the lighter weight yarn--I also really love the pattern. I will probably not stop at just one--My neighbors have asked for grey or black versions; I think I want a pink manos version for myself.

I saw Hilary's many pairs of beautiful felted tweed Fetchings on ravelry, and really just had to make one (at least, one, for now). They are such a quick and easy project.

I started the pair on Thanksgiving, after putting the 17 lb turkey into the oven and preparing all the sides that would be cooked when the oven was empty. By the time the turkey was finished and guests started arriving, I was working on the thumb gusset for the first glove. The second went much quicker the next day.

Pattern Fetching, by Cheryl Niamath.
Source Knitty.com Summer 2006
Yarn Rowan Denim, #229 Nashville, 1.25 skein.
Needles US 5 (3.75 mm).
Start-to-end Nov 22-23, 2007.
Modifications A couple minor ones, though this pattern is pretty perfect as is.

First mod: I used US 5 needles, instead of US 6, for a tighter fit. It just seems to me that my knitting in cotton produces a looser gauge than knitting in wool.

Second mod: I knitted the "body" of the gloves 3 rounds longer, to account for the denim's shrinking when washed and dried. Since I don't have a washer or dryer, I really hope this works out (it's a gift for someone).

Third mod: I wanted the picots on the bind-off to fall on the purl rows stitches; I modified the bind-off accordingly. I don't know if it really made much of a difference, but it didn't hurt.

Fourth mod: For the right side, instead of beginning with k4p1 ribbing, I used p1k4. Also, instead of knitting the thumb gusset at the beginning of the round, I knitted it at the end. Basically, I made it a mirror opposite of the left side.

Last year, or maybe it was two years ago, I said I would knit myself an endless number of sweater vests. I modified a striped, short-sleeve sweater pattern from Sarah Dallas's Vintage Knits, using Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4ply and Kidsilk Haze. It shrank when my husband accidentally threw it into the wash. Since then, the only sweaters I've completed have been for children and babies.

After going back and forth on a number of different projects (cropped cardigan, a short-sleeved Arisaig, or accessories) to knit in this Silky Wool, I decided to knit a sweater vest:

Pattern: Fyne slipover, by Marie Wallin.
Source: Rowan 42.
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool (65% wool, 35% silk), color #10. 3 skeins.
Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm) and US 5 (3.75 mm).
Start-to-end: 22 - 30 Sept 2007.
Modifications: First, and most obvious, I did not include the fair isles pattern. I started it with every intention of including the colourwork pattern; I had planned to use Yorkshire Tweed 4ply to do so, but after the ribbing decided I wanted a simple vest. Silky Wool is such a lovely yarn, that I could never call this a plain vest. Second, I miscounted the ribbing so there are 4 fewer rows. Third, because I always seem to have problems picking up stitches, I picked up more stitches for the neckband (146 sts) and fewer stitches for the armhole borders (132 sts).

A close up of the bottom edging.

A side seam. I think this is some of the best seaming I've ever done.

I thought today would stay gloomy but, after I finished taking these pictures, the sun came out. Of course.

Well. I love this vest. I can't wait to wear it everywhere. I can't wait to knit more! I would love to make the longer tunic version with fair isles, though not immediately.

I had a headache yesterday so didn't want to count and pick up stitches to finish my sweater vest yesterday. Instead, I started a project that I've been itching to work on since I first saw it.

It started off well enough, but after the increase rows, I realized that I would not have enough yarn to complete the cabled hat with braided ear flaps. I quickly converted it to a generic cabled hat and finished it in a matter of hours. I had just enough yarn.

Project Notes: Alpaca Silk Cabled hat

Pattern Cabled hat.
Source Classic Elite Yarns, #9084 Uptown Knitting.
Yarn Alpaca Silk, by Debbie Bliss. Colour 25009 (pink). 3 skeins.
Needles US 11 (8 mm) and US 10 (6 mm).
Start-to-end 30 Sept 2007, 2 hrs.
Modifications Because I doubled the alpaca silk, I didn't have enough yarn to complete the pattern. Instead, I finished with 4 rows of 2×2 ribbing and a BO row.

The alpaca silk is soft and warm and has a slight fuzzy cloud around it. The yarn was a gift from my friend, Liz, who is in Portland, OR, working on a certificate arts program. I don't think any of my pictures capture the color to any degree of accuracy, but it is a pink.

What do you think of the hat? I like it, but I think hats tend to look funny on me. Is my head really that round? Maybe it'll look better after I get a haircut.

Okay, I didn't knit these, but I wanted to tell you what my sister used to make them.

Pattern Embossed Leaves socks, by Mona Schmidt.
Source Interweave Knits Winter 2005.
Yarn Trekking (XXL), 75% New Wool/25% nylon, color #186. 1 skein.
Needles US 2 (2.75 mm).

They are a little big and very stretchy. I'm not sure how to block it properly, but they're fun to wear =D

I don't know if sock knitting is for me. But, it's pretty cool to receive a gift of knitted socks. Thanks again, Sophea!

Ah. The second pair of simple shoes... I took my time with these, as you can see. This yarn was a gift from a friend at least three years ago. I've started and stopped many a project with it, so I'm glad to finally turn at least one skein of the yarn into something, especially as adorable a pair of shoes as these.

Pattern Simple shoes, by Zoe Mellor.
Source 50 Baby Bootees to Knit.
Yarn Millefili Fine by Filatura Di Crosa, #25 Lilac Mist, 1 skein.
Needles US2 (2.75 mm).
Start-to-end 16 Aug 2007 - 26 Aug 2007.
Modifications To fit a 1yr old, I added stitches to make the sole longer and added two roles to make the sole wider.

Do you notice the buttons? They were salvaged from a tank top I bought a few years back. I think they're perfect with the lilac/lavendar color of this cotton yarn. The buttons, themselves, have a garnet-purple color to them as well. I have four more buttons... Here's another picture of the shoes posing on top of my work laptop...

A practice in knitting styles

I knit comfortably, perhaps naturally, in the English style, that is to say holding the yarn in my right hand. I had taught myself to knit left-handed, in the Continental style, almost as soon as I realized there was a difference, which was really when I noticed that was the method my sister uses to knit. And, the competitive streak in me was annoyed that my sister, who didn't really like to knit as much as she liked to crochet, would speed through her rows. Of course, I had to learn to knit as she does. Still, I often don't bother to do so, though I will admit that it is more efficient with more economy of motion; I just haven't practiced it enough for it to be sufficiently effortless. Nor, have I wanted to interrupt the gauge or tension in any project I've worked on.

Now, why the concern with knitting efficiency? Have you noticed my queue lately? I've been adding and removing projects almost daily... Partly, to wean out all the projects I'm really not likely to ever start. And if I'm ever to get further into my queue, I need to knit faster... My hands tire pretty quickly with right-handed knitting, which for me requires a lot of wrist motion to throw the yarn over/under the needles. Is it no surprise though, since I spend my entire day on a computer, typing, and because I like to do so, writing?

I saw these Simple shoes as a perfect project to practice a little bit of left-handed knitting. They're such a small scale project that, if I were to make a mistake, it would not bother me to restart them. And, I did indeed have to redo a few rows now and then.

I don't think Continental knitting will ever come as effortlessly to my fingers as English knitting, but, I've made a happy compromise: using Continental style for knit rows and English style for purl rows. You see, I've always purled faster than I knit. So, now, using the continental style, I can knit quicker to match. And, since there's really no difference in speed with alternating knit/purl stitches, I can use either method. Yay!

I still need practice, but perhaps with some effort at increasing efficiency, I'll turn out projects with a more even and tighter gauge and shortened turnaround. I mean, gosh, I have Adam's sweater and two more cat sweaters to finish before I can start on all the cardigans and pullovers I've listed for myself.

With shades of green varying from pastel to mossy and deep forest greens, and because of the wideness of the ribbon strands, I really felt like I was knitting with kelp and that this should be a Seaweed top.

Pattern Waterlily top, Katy Ryan.
Source Interweave Knits Spring 2006.
Yarn Colinette Giotto, #113 Velvet leaf; 2.5 skeins.
Needles US10.5, US11, US13.
Start-to-end 2 Aug 2007 - 17 Aug 2007.
Modifications Before beginning the bodice shaping, I added 2 purl rows, separated by 3 knit rows, to give the top an empire-waistline. I also took out 4 rows in the bodice because I didn't want to add extra length to the garment.

I was really surprised with how much I actually liked knitting with the Colinette Giotto yarn. The stitches are very pretty when knit with the US10.5 needles, which are the needles recommended for the yarn. However, I didn't like how loose the stitches were when knit with the larger needles. If I'd known that I would have more than half the skein left, I might have just knit it entirely in the two smaller needle sizes.

I like how the bottom edge looks. Because I started this after I had boarded my flight for Vegas, I actually began with a different cast-on, a lace cast-on instead of the invisible provisional cast-on it asks. But, because of the looseness of the stitches, the lace cast-on made the edge look messy. So, as we began our descent into Vegas, I unraveled the few rows I had knit by then, and started again, this time with the provisional cast-on (as directed). To finish the garment, these stitches are bound-off for a clean and stretchy hem.

The pattern, overall, was very simple and I'm really glad I didn't make too many changes. I like how it uses eyelets, increases and decreases to shape the bodice in a bias on the front. The fabric is very cool and drapey. Perfect for summer!

Now, what can I do with half a skein of kelp?

These adorable shoes just scream out "cuuuute" and are so simple to make! I don't know if I'll stop with just two.

Pattern Simple shoes, by Zoe Mellor.
Source 50 Baby Bootees to Knit.
Yarn Rowan 4-ply cotton, #120 Orchid, ½ skein.
Needles US2 (2.75 mm).
Start-to-end 14 Aug 2007 - 17 Aug 2007.
Modifications I casted-on 2 extra stitches to make seaming easier and ended up making the strap 3 sts across instead of 5 sts, because I didn't like how my increases looked.

I don't know how many times in the past year or so since I bought Zoe Mellor's 50 Baby Bootees to Knit that I started making these very same Simple Shoes, only to stop halfway through knitting the sole. This time around, I just breezed right through them. And, wow. I love them. I can't wait to send them to my uncle and his wife, for their newborn, Darany.

I was also very pleased because I was able to use the same buttons as used on the cropped placket-neck pullover. It makes it almost a matching set. In fact, I was glad to note that although the knits I made for Darany were not actually part of a set, the colors I chose were all pretty complimentary. At least, I think they work together. (Though, I will be knitpicky and say that I wish I had two more of the buttons to replace the ones on the bib!)

And, when I said that I might not stop with two, I really meant it. I have a few skeins of Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4-ply in pink, grey, and green that would look great as these mary-janes or other baby shoes! But, for now, I have my Waterlily top to finish and a sweater for Adam on my mind.

Quick notes for a very small project that should not have taken me the many months it did to finish.

Pattern Bikini top.
Source Rebecca #33.
Yarn Nashua Creative focus Cotton, 2½ skeins.
Needles US 5 (3.75 mm) and US 6 (4 mm).
Start-to-end 11 Feb 2007 - 2 Aug 2007.
Modifications Instead of using one or the other needle size to knit everything, I used the larger needles to knit the straps and bands and the smaller needles to knit the cup sections. I also added two extra increase rows to the cups. (I just really wanted to make sure the cups were concealing.)

I started this way back in February but didn't seam the parts together until recently, on my way to Vegas. Really, it was a two-day project.

I really like the simplicity of the project. The twisted ribbing detail is perfect for a concealing and elastic garment. And, of course, I love the leafy-lace details at the top of the cups. (Yes, this is another of my many leaf knits.)

This project stayed on the shelf for so many months because I had seamed it together badly at first and just did not want to redo it. But then, when I pulled it out again (during my knitting slumber party with Erica), I decided that I wanted the bottom band to be longer. So, that was my not-so-very-glamorous knitting task as we watched She's on Duty. (Erica knitted a dishcloth to keep at her workplace.) And, the next day, I seamed everything together as I waited to board my flight to Vegas.

Adam just laughed cause he thought this picture was somewhat risque and quite unlike me... I don't know. I have a hard time agreeing—It's a bikini top, after all. But just so you know, I don't plan on knitting (or posting pictures of wearing) any other under-garment-type clothes after this.

Okay, maybe it's not quite so fiery in this cream-colored cotton ribbon yarn; but, it fits very well and compliments just about every outfit, from jeans to dresses. I wore it almost every day in Vegas. I'm not too happy with these photos, but since Hilary has mentioned my short-row craze, I just felt I had to get this post up asap. ^_^

Pattern Fiery bolero, by Debbie Bliss.
Source Interweave Knits Summer 2005.
Yarn Filatura di Crosa Giglio, 7 skeins.
Needles US 5 (3.75 mm) and US 3 (3.25 mm).
Start-to-end 1 Jul 2007 - 1 Aug 2007
Modifications Replaced all increase/decrease (bottom back, sleeve bottoms both back and front, bottom fronts) shaping with short-rows. Shaped collar to be wider and did not leave eyelets in short-row shaping. Grafted sleeve edges together (which was easy to do because of short-row shaping).

I mentioned before that I've used this yarn for another bolero. I really think I like this one, the Fiery bolero much more though. After all the modifications I made to it, it actually fits! But, really, why did I go to the trouble of making this such an exercise in short rows? I just did not like how using the cable-cast-on increases at the beginning of each row looked. And, I knew that when it came time to seam the edges, I would be very frustrated with the steps created by increasing in that manner. So, I wanted smooth edges to make seaming and picking up stitches (for the ribbed edging) easy.

How did I do it? The answer: Lots of stitch markers.

For the bottom back, instead of casting on b stitches and increasing n stitches at the beginning of each row to shape the bottom, I cast-on the total number of back stitches and placed markers to indicate the center b stitches and every n stitches to each end. I then knitted and purled back and forth to the markers, wrapping stitches or knitting stitches together as needed. (I actually use the yarn-over method for wrapping stitches... it's faster for me.)

For the sleeves, I pretty much did the same thing to shape the bottom edges. On the right side, I used the cable method to cast-on the total number of sleeve stitches and placed the markers every m stitches. (m, of course, is the number the pattern tells you to increase every row.) On the left side, I did the same thing, except that I purled the cable cast-on so that the front edges would be the same. When the sleeves were the length I wanted them to be, the stitch markers told me where I needed to wrap stitches. After I finished the short-row shaping, I switched to waste yarn and knitted a couple of rows before binding off. This made grafting the sleeve seam together much easier.

For the bottom fronts, I repeated what I did for the fronts of the sleeves. I placed the markers according to the number of stitches the pattern instructed me to increase every other row...

For the collar, I had to start from scratch. Since my row gauge was completely off, I could not pick up the number of stitches instructed. I simply recalculated what I needed for the k2p2 rib to work. I placed markers on each side of the back stitches, about 8 stitches apart, down to where the neck shaping ends on the front sides. This turned out to be about 5 markers on each side. I then knitted and purled back and forth, wrapping stitches and turning, and when it came time to knit the stitches together, I knitted or purled depending on the pattern.

In the end, the short-row shaping was the easy part. The difficulty, instead, was in making sure that the lengths of the back and the front aligned for seaming. For the first time, I couldn't rely on calculating the number of rows to knit from the gauge. I had to measure constantly to make sure the number of rows I needed to finish the short-row shaping would work.

My favorite part, when finishing this project, was seeing how perfectly the sleeve edges seamed together. I love grafting. You can even see the short-row shapings here.

Short-rows are one of those techniques that I have trouble "seeing" in projects until I am actually using it for shaping. Well, I had wanted to be more descriptive in this post. I think you can tell I rushed through it... Questions or comments are always welcome.

Pattern Leaf Cravat, by Teva Durham.
Source Interweave Knits Winter 02/03
Yarn Noro Silk Garden, #84, almost 2 skeins.
Needles US6/4.25mm
Start-to-end 14-Jul-2007 to 16-Jul-2007

I was really in the zone last week, progressing along steadily with my Fiery bolero and Teardrop lace scarf. But, for some reason, when the weekend came and I had all that time ahead of me to actually knit the bolero and scarf, I found that I wanted something fresh, something different and quick.

So, I began to reorganize my yarn stash a bit, and right from the start, I came across my 3 skeins of Noro's Silk Garden which had been a gift from a friend, Liz. I put aside my plans to reorganize (I did eventually get to it, somewhat).

The funny thing is that when I saw this yarn, I immediately thought of Teva Durham's leaf cravat. I love her designs, expecially her use of leaf motifs... I'm pretty sure I sought out this back-issue of Interweave Knits specifically for this one small pattern... Winter 02/03.

This is a very easy pattern. One leaf end is knitted, then stitches are picked up from the caston edge and knitted for the length of the scarf, ending with the other leaf end. I think the resulting scarf is cute and different. I think I've read in blogs (a few years back) that some people were disappointed in the end result--since it sort of resembled a snake with two heads more than a vine with leaves at the end. Adam, actually suggested that I added forked tongues to 'the heads', before I told him that they were supposed to be leaves!

The yarn... I'm not a big fan of yarns with varying colors. I both loved and was very annoyed with the colors in the yarn. I was knitting beautiful burnished hues of reds and oranges and browns, then suddenly, the yarn snagged. And, I found myself looking at a knot joining in black and greens and pinks. I let this go with the first skein, since there was black in the other two skeins and the pinks really turned back into the burnished reds and browns.

But, when I joined in the second skein and knitted my way through to the black part... once again, I found that it was knotted in. I really didn't want another abrupt color change, so I snipped out the black segment and joined in the yarn after that. I actually considered going back and doing a little "surgery" to remove the first black segment and "graft" in new colors so that the scarf would have a more even autumn-ish tone. But, I decided against it. haha

With some strands leftover from the project, I knitted my favorite things: Leaves. Aren't they cute? I wonder what I will do with them...

Pattern Endpaper Mitts, by Eunny Jang.
Yarn Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4-ply #277 (Smoke?), 2 skeins. Rowan Kidsilk Haze #632 (Hurricane), 1 skein.
Needles Size 0 and Size 2, 2 circs each.
Start-to-end 21-Mar-2007 to 19-Apr-2007.

I just wanted to post a quick project note for these mitts, since it's occurred to me that I never did post an "FO report". This picture doesn't really do the steel blue of the kidsilk haze justice, but it's the best I've taken I think--You can actually see the pattern (if you look really closely and squint your left eye just a bit... maybe your right eye too...) I can't tell you enough how much I *heart* the yarns and resulting slightly fuzzy and snug-fitted-ness that they gave these mitts.

This was a pretty quick project. I'm not sure why it took me a month to complete... Actually, I think I was furiously trying to finish Adam's (now frogged) sweater at the time. So, for about 2.5 weeks there, I didn't touch it...

I don't think I need to mention how wonderful this little project is--and that I'm just one of many who will say as much. The pattern is quite simple and the resulting mitts are fun and fashionable. If you've not done colorwork before, I would recommend these for an introduction. They're also a great little project to practice kitchener/tubular caston and bindoff techniques.

Pattern Endpaper Mitts, by Eunny Jang.
Yarn Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4-ply #277 (Smoke?), 2 skeins. Rowan Kidsilk Haze #632 (Hurricane), 1 skein.
Needles Size 0 and Size 2, 2 circs each.
Start-to-end 21-Mar-2007 to 19-Apr-2007.

I just wanted to post a quick project note for these mitts, since it's occurred to me that I never did post an "FO report". This picture doesn't really do the steel blue of the kidsilk haze justice, but it's the best I've taken I think--You can actually see the pattern (if you look really closely and squint your left eye just a bit... maybe your right eye too...) I can't tell you enough how much I *heart* the yarns and resulting slightly fuzzy and snug-fitted-ness that they gave these mitts.

This was a pretty quick project. I'm not sure why it took me a month to complete... Actually, I think I was furiously trying to finish Adam's (now frogged) sweater at the time. So, for about 2.5 weeks there, I didn't touch it...

I don't think I need to mention how wonderful this little project is--and that I'm just one of many who will say as much. The pattern is quite simple and the resulting mitts are fun and fashionable. If you've not done colorwork before, I would recommend these for an introduction. They're also a great little project to practice kitchener/tubular caston and bindoff techniques.

I *heart* this skirt!

Pattern: Indigo Ripples skirt, by Kat Coyle
Source: Interweave Knits Spring 2007
Yarn: Rowan Denim #229, 9 skeins
Needles: US5/3.75mm
Start-to-end: 13 May 2007 - 11 June 2007

Modifications: Quite a few, actually. This project had been in my queue since I received the issue of Interweave Knits that contained the pattern. Still, it wasn't until I saw Eunny's version that I really had to make it. I actually began the project with Eunny's modifications in mind, but made some of my own changes as I went.

I didn't include the purl row below the waistband. I thought I would prefer not to have the purl ridge. Now, I wish I had included it. I, also, wish I'd used smaller needles, perhaps US4/3.5mm. It fits very well as it is and the stitches are very tight, but I think it could stand to be more slimmer fitting.

I knitted the stockinette portion approximately 15 inches long, rather than 12 inches. I plan on wearing this skirt to work this summer, so I definitely wanted the lace portion to begin lower on my thighs. Also, I wanted the ruffles to fall below my knees.

When I started the lace portion, I used the mirrored double decreases which Eunny used: sssk and k3tog. But, by the 5th round, I really did not like how the stitches looked--somewhat bumpy and loose and, to my eye, not quite symmetric. Also, both sssk and k3tog require knitting 3 sts together, which I thought was really awkward to do (and produced loose sts). So, instead of sssk I used sl1, k2tog, psso as described in the pattern. And, instead of k3tog, I used ssk, sl st to left ndl, pass second st over first st on left ndl, sl st to right ndl. Did that make sense? Is there a name for this stitch? I think this stitch is a mirrored version to the sl1, k2tog, psso stitch.

Another modification I made was to use M1R and M1L increases depending on the "flow" of the stitches. So, for the first increase round, I used M1R; and for the second increase round (round 25), I used M1L. The third increase round required both. I actually got the idea for this from the Indigo Ripples Knitalong, which I checked out when I was trying to figure out why the lace pattern was not lining up. (I'd forgotten to note the pattern correction!) ^_^

I was actually really frustrated with the magazine photos for a time because I could not tell if my (uncorrected) stitches matched the photo or not. Don't you think it was rather blurred?

I think when I started this project I posted that I could finish it easily in a week. haha That definitely didn't happen and I don't know why I keep insisting that I can finish things by a certain time, when I know it never happens! I have to say that the longest portion to knit up, of this entire skirt, was the ruffled edge. YES. That 1.5 inch, that very last part, took the most time and attention ever. Why?

I really thought it would be no sweat, I could scrunch those 500+ sts onto my 24inch needles. Ten rows are nothing. Then, at the end of the 5th round (where you do the k2tog and yo shapings) I realized I had one extra stitch. Somewhere among those 500+ sts squeezed ever so tightly onto my needles, I had missed a yo pair. There was no way I could track this down on these needles. (Neurotic, me?) So, I went and got a longer pair of needles. Transferred the stitches. Ah, the ease of knitting on longer needles. I actually managed to track down the error. I resumed knitting.

Of course, somewhere between that mistake and the end of the round, I made... another mistake. This time, much easier to track down. I think I must have counted my stitches a billion times to double check. haha But, one and a half skeins of yarn later, I was finished. Yes. The ruffle, by itself, requires an entire skein; and the picot bind-off, another half skein! But, now I have an awesome skirt... and a pair of blue bamboo needles! haha

The only downside, yes there is one--I don't have a washer or dryer. I do not trust this with the local wash-n-fold (they're pretty harsh on our clothes). So, even after I handwashed and dried it, I don't really consider it blocked yet. It probably still needs to shrink some more... I wonder if my neighbors will let me use their dryer... *wink*

I love baby knits. There's so much satisfaction in finishing a garment in a matter of hours or mere days, versus the weeks and months it can take to finish an adult garment.

When my sister told me that my aunt (Pu Pross's wife) was due in August, I struggled to decide what to make. Hilary had just finished an adorable baby sweater (though I really think it looks better on her cat): a child-sized placket-neck pullover, from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. Really, her pullover was too cute. I had to make one.

So, here is my version:

Pattern: LMKG's Child's Placket-neck pullover
Yarn: SWTC's Bamboo, 1 skein
Ndls: US6/4mm
Modifications: Cropped length. Buttons (and buttonholes), instead of beads.

Why the cropped length? I guess I've really had the Regency spencer/pelisse style in my head recently. I want to make everything cropped! (Except for skirts--those, I want longer.)

Also, I recently finished watching a Korean drama called Goong or Princess Hours, as it's marketed outside Korea. I really fell in love with the traditional hanbok styles worn in the drama--I especially adored the shortened shirt jeogori tied above the waist (basically, a cropped wrap).

So, while knitting this pullover, I decided to stop the lower body after about 2.5inches. I pictured my aunt's baby girl wearing this over a puffy, full-skirted dress--somewhat hanbok-ish, yeah?

My notes on this pattern: Though simple, it was somewhat awkward to knit up. If you read the specifics, it calls for 24inch circs for sizes of 18inches (0-6 months) around and 22inches (6-12 months) around. I used 16inch circs. Still, it was especially finicky to work the first few rounds of the yoke section. Regardless, this was a quick project with worthwhile results.

I have 3 more buttons and one more skein of yarn... Mary-janes to match???