Kiss My Knits!

The final TimTam
No more chocolatey goodness
Damn Aussie pushers!

Squee-worthy octopus behind cut!

I was working on a hat to go with the baby sweater, having written out a new pattern for a fairly basic but cute striped design. But I wanted something with more pizzazz.

When I get these thoughts, I’m like a dog with a bone it can’t let go of. As a result, I think I’ve hit upon a fun idea for a scrap-using hat pattern. Perhaps good enough to submit somewhere, depending on how it works out.

Now I’ve just got to find time to actually do the damn thing.

UK is still on the needles – 2 hats done, a scarf and a hat left to go for her!

I went to the dentist today for my biannual cleaning. My old dental hygienist had apparently left the practice to go to graduate school. My new dental hygienist was a little younger, and in a growing trend for the service professionals in my life, apparently went to my high school, albeit many years after me. “Gosh, sometimes I wish I’d grown up in the 80’s.” Thanks, little girl.

In the list of the top ten things you don’t want to hear your dental hygienist say, I think number seven must be, “Now, don’t be alarmed.” After today, I can tell you that it pops up to number five if she says it while you hear metal squealing behind your head. Turns out my new dental hygienist was just sharpening some sort of medieval torture device with a whetstone. No kidding about the whetstone. Sayeth she, “This is so much harder when this tool is dull.”

I am of two minds about this.

One: “If it’s supposed to be sharp, then by all means, sharpen it. The last thing I want is the dental equivalent of a shave with a dull razor.”

Two: “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD KEEP THAT ICE PICK OUT OF MY MOUTH.”

If my old dental hygienist was Floyd the barber, my new one is Sweeney Todd. I’ve never had a cleaning last so long, or have so many jabs. In my typical “bright side” fashion, I suppose it’s good that she was so thorough. In fact, she couldn’t have been more thorough unless she had taken my teeth out, individually sanded and polished them, then re-inserted them into my gums. I am not mentioning that possibility in front of her.

I usually go every six months. She wants to see me in three. I guess the lady down the street needs teeth for her meat pies. Brrrr.

Ze baby pullover, she eez done.

In spite of what it looks like, the sleeves really are exactly the same length.

Pattern: “Knitting Pure and Simple” Baby Pullover #214
Yarn: 1 strand Lorna’s Laces worsted in denim, 1 strand Lorna’s Laces sock in Lakeview.
Yardage: 193 yards
Needles: #9 for stockinette, #6 for ribbing on body, #7 DPN for ribbing on cuffs of sleeves, #9 to bind off.
Gauge: 4 stitches per inch
Used ribbing instead of rolled stockinette for edging.

This is supposedly the smallest size, 6 months, but it looks bigger than that to me. I held it up to one of my daughter’s old 3-month-old onesies and it dwarfed it. All to the good – the mother should be able to use it when it gets cool again.

When I started this, I was a little worried about it fitting over a baby’s head, but it can fit over this guy’s head without smooshing it, so I think we’re good.

I considered not blocking this, but the ribbing on the bottom is a little flippy. I did four rows instead of three, but it wasn’t enough to stabilize it – or else I should have decreased a couple of stitches to help it come in a little more. On the other hand, baby bellies are soft and round, so maybe it’s okay.

Now I’m trying to find a baby sock pattern to use up the remaining 37 yards of sock yarn, but most list the number of ounces instead of yards. We’ll see what turns up.

Next up: Hat on the needles for Michigan, then the UK and North Carolina!

(crossposted to )

The baby I was knitting for came into the world a few days early, arriving yesterday. Eh, I knew I was cutting it close!

The baby pullover proceeds apace. I did a rolled edge bottom, but it looked like it was rolling up to belly-baring proportions, so I changed it to a ribbed hem instead, and made the neckline to match. If I do this again, I’ll probably work it so that there’s a little button in the back so that it’ll be easier to get a huge baby melon through. However, the bind-off is nice and loose, so I don’t think there’ll be any problems with head squeeze-age. Even though the pattern says this is six-month size, it looks more like 9-12 months to me. Here’s hoping I don’t run out of yarn on the sleeves.

Nice Spring day. Watch out for rogue water balloons!

Man, this sucker is zipping right along. Aside from a couple of rows, this is all from last night.

I think I overestimated the time I’d need, based on how long it took me to do this little devil in fall 2004:

Main differences: the above was larger and made of Manos Cotton Stria, which is lovely but a bitch to work with. But still: awwww.

At any rate, I’m kind of wishing that I’d done a conventional seamed garment instead, since they tend to drape better. However, I’m not going to stop, because a) I tend to fiddle with designs until the last minute, then wind up with no time left and I’m determined not do to that this time, and b) how much drape does an infant need in their clothes? It’s not like the kid’s going to be on the catwalk.

And now, non-knitting-related questions!

The other day, I was doing the dishes. We have no dishwasher, so this involves me up to my elbows in hot, soapy water. My daughter came into the kitchen and said, “Mommy, you need to sing.” I asked her if she had anything in particular in mind, and she said, “A song.” “Any song?” “Yes, any song.” So I began to sing, and then, satisfied, she walked back out.

Like my mother, I sing while I’m doing dishes or hanging out clothes. My daughter is apparently so used to it, that if I’m not singing, it’s something strange that needs to be fixed.

I sing folk songs like “Molly Malone” and some standards like “When You’re Smiling,” and I tend to run through most of the same songs every time. There’s kind of a default selection of songs that I sing, although I do branch out.

So my questions are these: Do you sing while you’re cleaning? While you’re doing other mindless tasks? What sorts of things do you like to sing while you’re doing? What sorts of songs do you sing? Do you mix it up, or return to the same songs or genre as a rule? Do you have any other habits you do while you’re performing basic tasks? Share with the group!

The swatch was too pretty. I had to stop it early so I could start on the sweater. Gauge is spot-on anyway, based on this snippet.

I think plain main + multicolored accent is going to be my new favorite trick.

Also: Roland Young is freakin’ hilarious so far in Topper. He usually played a very staid British type, or sometimes the man who you’d think would be the staid British type (such as the flirty and drunken Uncle Willie in one of my favorite movies, the Philadelphia Story) so I haven’t seem him do physical stuff before.

You can tell this is a Hal Roach film by the director’s sometime use of speeded-up footage. Hey, it was comedy gold in silent days! But you know, Hal Roach lived to be a hundred and kept active in the biz until the end. His imdb producer credits top 1000. I have fond memories of my dad unspooling Hal’s Laurel and Hardy movies on a movie projector in the living room. I’m not going to begrudge the man a few wacky camera tricks.

Frogging the swatch – I need every yard for this sweater!

Interim House yarn, free Noro Iro scarf pattern, baby pullover blues