Another Bella Shrug

Since the Baby Janes don't require a ton of yarn, I knitted this shrug with the remainder of the Manos de Uruguay silk blend yarn.  My brother and sister-in-law picked it out for me while they were in Marfa, a wonderfully quirky town in Texas.  If you love the silk/merino blend as much as I do, I bet you can find some at a LYS (local yarn shop) or order some here from PURL in NYC.

The pattern is sized for 3 months all the way up to child size 12(!) and is one of the most well-written patterns I have worked.  I get a ton of compliments on this shrug.  I bet you will too.  The pattern is available here on Ravelry and is WELL WORTH the $5 bucks for the download.

Let me know how it goes!  (Not a knitter, coax that aunt who knits to work one up for you!)

And here is baby Bella herself modeling the original Bella Shrug.  She's just the cutest thing!!  Thanks to her mommy for sharing this photo.


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On My Needles: Lattice Stitch Cowl

This one is knitted with a 16" circular needle and a cable needle.  It's my first time knitting with Cascade Yarns' Eco Duo, a baby alpaca and merino wool blend - SUPER soft.  Both fibers are undyed, so the colors come straight from the animals!

I have about 6 of the suggested 27 inches complete.  I'll be sure to show you when it's finished.

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Color Block Blanket

Knitted with love for my cousin Erin who is expecting her first baby in August.
Before shopping for the yarn, I took a peak at her gift registry to coordinate the colors with her Pottery Barn Kids' Madras Bedding.

This is a great project for beginners to really perfect their knit and purl stitches.  There are a few tricks along the way, including the Provisional Cast-on, to keep things interesting.

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Meet the Mariner

The Mariner Pullover from Interweave Knits magazine, Weekend 2010 issue.
Sizes 6-12 months...all the way up to women's extra-large!

I knitted this one in Kraemer's Perfection Worsted yarn in color Fauna, a pale grayish-pink.  It's adorned it with mother-of-pearl buttons.  Perfection is a superwash merino and acrylic blend.  Machine wash, tumble dry.  That's perfection in my book!

The stitch pattern running down the front is Half Linen Stitch and requires a technique called "short rows" - something that is common is when knitting socks.  The sleeves are worked as cast-on extensions of the body, so when you bind-off, there's very little sewing to be done.  For those of you who have knitted the One-piece Baby Cardigan, this will sound very familiar.

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Welcome Samantha!

After waiting for her for six years, Samantha Nicole joined my dear friends Jodi and Josh on March 25th.  

I was thrilled when her beautiful birth announcement arrived yesterday and delighted to see her pictured with her blanket I knitted.  It's based on Lion Brand's Garter Stitch Baby Throw pattern - a great one for beginners.  

Welcome Samantha!


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Tree Warmer

Each winter, one of Baltimore's LYS (little yarn shop) owners invites her students to knit a warmer for the tree outside the shop. Look at all the beautiful yarns and stitch patterns. The tree hugger is my adorable niece Olive. And thanks to my sister-in-law Sarah for sharing this one.













Reminds me of the Wall Street bull-cozy crocheted by Olek, a New York-based artist in December 2010.  

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More Baby Janes

I can't resist.  I love these Baby Janes for their instant, adorable satisfaction.
This pair, my favorite to-date, are knitted in Manos del Uruguay's silk and merino wool blend, kettle dyed in color #3113.

At about three hours, they are my go-to knitted gift for a friend's baby shower or that special new baby down the block.

The pattern can be found in one of my favorite knitting books - Vintage Knits for Modern Babies by Hadley Fierlinger.  There are some intermediate techniques necessary to knit these booties, so it keeps things interesting.  Ms. Fierlinger has a similar pattern available for FREE download on her blog.  You can grab it here.

Also adorable in Rowan's Pure Wool DK.  These were knitted with love for baby Emma B.

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Bella Baby Shrug

Knitted in Anzula Luxury Fiber's For Better or Worsted. 
Hand-dyed in color Mulberry.
Made with love for baby girl Kaplan, due in April 2011.

Want to learn-to-knit this shrug?  Baby and child sizes
2 or 3 classes, dependent upon experience = $50 or $75 + supplies

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Combat Knitters: Weapons of Self-preservation

Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Almy, a Navy physician who started a group called Combat Knitters, knits during a flight from Kuwait to Kandahar, Afghanistan. ( )

A story by Dan Zak from The Washington Post - March 9 2011
Kandahar's Combat Knitters use yarn and needles as weapons of self-preservation
(Click here for the full story)

My favorite part:
"Troops joke that life on the base is like the movie "Groundhog Day." Enduring 18-hour workdays, grappling with an endless parade of patients, traveling the half-mile of unchanging terrain on the base's main thoroughfare - every day is like yesterday, which is like tomorrow.
Which makes knitting crucial. Knitting shows progress. It proves that time moves forward, loop by loop. It demonstrates that a mission, however miniature, can be completed."

(Thank you Howard for sharing this very moving story with me.)

Caper Cable Cap

Photo credit: Jack Preston.  Yes, 5-year-old Jack. 



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Happy Valentine's Day!

I Heart You Mini-Sweaters:  Each insanely cute Mini-sweater fits in the palm of your hand. I knitted this set as a gift for my mom to hang at Valentine's Day. They're also adorable when adorned with your loved ones' first initials or snowflakes and hung separately as ornaments for the chilly winter holidays!  

Welcome *new* knitters!

It has been a very busy month, and
I would like to welcome my *new* knitters.

Carol                          
Carlina                        
Clare                          
Jillian
Joordan                        
Katie                          
Kim                            
Lynda
Meredith
Pat
Pam
Peggy
Rachel
Rita
I am thrilled to have to have you!

Knitting Party with the Rockville Centre Newcomers Club

Thank you to my wonderful family and friends (Mom, Barbara, Brie and Isabel!) who pitched-in to help me teach the Newcomers.  The Newcomers did a great job learning to knit, and $150 was raised for their charity.  http://www.rvcnewcomersclub.com/ 

One-piece Baby Cardigan

Knitting a sweater in one piece means that once you bind-off your last stitch, it's just about ready to wear.

Baby sizes: 0-3 months, 3-6 months and 6-9 months.
2 or 3 classes, dependent upon experience = $50 or $75 + supplies

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The Christmas Cowls (my last-minute gifts!)

Knitted on Size 35(!) needles, or as I like to call them,

dinosaur bones. Chunky yarn and huge needles. The only

way to knit a few last-minute gifts, although the blue one

is for me. :) About 4 hours each. Made with love (bottom to top) for me,

Melanie, Meghan, Sarah and Beth.

On my needles: Stitchy Beanie

The Stitchy Beanie knitted-in-the-round for my little boy Henry.

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Tessa's Baby Janes

They fit, but do they stay ON?!

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For our troops

In October, I taught Baldwin Public Library's knitting group to knit these helmet liners for our US troops serving overseas. (Cozy neckwarmers with an attached hood)

I am pictured with my youngest brother, Sgt. Ryan O'Leary of the US Marine Corps' 6th Communications Batallion of Brooklyn, New York. He returned safely from Afghanistan in October, so I am pleased that he will NOT be needing one of the helmet liners!

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Lately...

The Chirp Baby Sweater, 

Circles and Stripes Slip Scarf

On My Needles: The Chirp Baby Sweater

The Chirp Baby Sweater

Knitted in Kraemer Perfection, a merino wool and acrylic blend in chirp color. This is a great yarn. It is soft and washable - perfect for a baby, or pretty much any project. It comes in a ton of beautiful colors that you can view at kraemeryarns.com

The Chirp is worked on long circular needles. The body is one piece, and then sleeves and a hood will be added. The bottom edge is called garter stitch, the main part is called stockinette stitch, then you can see it goes back to garter stitch for a few rows, and now I'm beginning the upper portion that's done in a bumpy pattern called seed stitch.

If you have an interest in learning this project, just let me know, and I'll do a class. All you need to know to start are the knit and purl stitches!

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