A State of Bliss?

The Alphabet Blanket if FINISHED!

As with most Debbie Bliss patterns, I love her designs, I hate her instructions and this project was no different. I should have read ALL the entries about this project on Ravelry. As with most complicated lace patterns it is very important to keep your attention on what you are doing, no TV watching [listening is okay], no wine and no interruptions! Period! This project took me almost 2 months to complete. While I didn't work 100% on it [always have other things on needles to distract me] I did spend a great deal of time with it everyday. A lot of those days were spent ripping back maybe 10 or 15 rows of mistakes from the evening before. The old go forward 10 steps and take 20 steps back. So frustrating to say the least.

Last night I gave it a soak and spent a long time blocking to get the ruffles out from too many stitches picked up on the sides. I followed the pattern, it said to pick up 227 stitches - just too many. The edge has 258 stitches, you would think that picking up 227 would be okay...I read from another person's post on ravelry that made this blanket and they picked up 187...why didn't I read her post earlier. I am so disappointed with the edges I could scream. All that work, all that time!

This morning I looked at the blanket and it looks okay. The edges are still not the way I wanted them to look, but it will be fine. I just hope that when the blanket needs to be cleaned it doesn't turn into a nightmare for my niece...after all this is a baby blanket and it will need to be cleaned. I hope she enjoys it.

On a side note, does anyone else have so much trouble with Blogger. The editing is wonky, it keeps deleting pictures that I upload. So frustrating!

I am now going to work yet another Debbie Bliss pattern...will I ever learn!

Time to Let it Go!

Why can't I just send this away? It's the Helena sweater and Bunny for baby-to-be Katherine.

I love the tag I made from a vintage photo of a little girl knitting.

Just love looking at the package.

Just Flying By

Okay...tomorrow is June 1st and why is this year going by so fast? Before you know it there will be all those summer sales in the stores before summer ever gets going. Where I live it never feels like "summer" weather until August.

I am still making the baby things but after the blanket is finished I am movin' on to other things. I actually started an intarsia project but I will save that for another post.

This sweet little jacket is called Helena. It is a free pattern from knitty. I finished it a couple of weeks ago. Now it is all boxed up and ready to be sent away.

The yarn is Baby Bunny from Plymouth. A nice combination of Pima cotton, modal and angora. I changed a few things on the pattern to suit my taste and to cover up a boo-boo.

I made the lace skirt one less repeat long. I wanted it to look more like a sweater than a long coat. I changed the edging around the neck and front to match the transition between the skirt and the bodice and I changed the closure.

Ah, the closure. The pattern called for 2 sets of ties on the bodice. I decided early on I wanted to do a button and button loop closure. Well, after I did that I couldn't get it to close very well without it gapping. I accidentally cut live yarn when I tried to remove the button. The button on the left is placed over the hole that ended up. I picked up 3 stitches on the opposite side and did I-cord for about 4 inches and ended it with a leaf. The leaf pattern is from Nicky Epstein's book of felted flowers. On the left side is a button loop to complete the closure and another button added to balance the entire look. I think it works but will it work when there is a squirming 1 year old wearing it???

And THE BUNNY

I had just enough yarn left over to make this sweet adorable bunny. The amazing thing is the bunny is constructed out of one knitted square and then sewn into a bunny shape. The ears are made separately and attached.

Now back to the baby blanket!

Now I Know My ABC's

I am knitting a very special baby blanket for my niece's new baby girl. It is from this book by Debbie Bliss. I have a couple of other Debbie Bliss baby books with nice patterns but this book has some really special, heirloom quality knits in it.

The pattern I have selected is called The Alphabet Blanket.

It is the kind of pattern that you first look at and get totally overwhelmed by the complexity of the charts. Four full pages of charts can look very skeery.

Now that I am about a third of the way into the pattern, it really is very easy, but you have to be really mindful - no wine, no new movies (they require you to watch) and it really is helpful if no one is around to distract you and mess up your counting. And if everything goes according to this plan, no ripping out mistakes, I should have this finished by the end of the month.

I am knitting it with Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in neutral soft white. There is a triangle edging that goes around all the edges that I have decided not to knit. It is just too fussy and really a pain in the ass to knit....easy decision there. After it gets its border and blocked...it will be quite lovely!