Pink Baby Jumper 4ply Finished

Finally the batteries for my digital camera are charged and so I can post photos of the finished baby jumper.

Back of the jumper is plain with 3 little buttons.

Front of the jumper.

Close up of the patten.

Until I get the next load of baby wool I am back knitting my blue cardigan and next week I'll start Happy Potter's white cardigan. What seems like a hundred sets of needles, I don't have the size needed to knit her cardigan.

I have also picked out some baby pattens I am interested in knitting for my niece.

technorati tags: 4 ply wool, baby jumper, knitting needles

Pink Baby Jumper 4ply

Been a while since I have knitted with 4 ply wool and I must say after knitting for so long with 8 & 12 ply wool, it came as a shock to my hands. To start off with the wool was fiddly and the knitting needles very thin, but after a while I forgot I was knitting with such thin wool.

It's taken less than a week to knit up this little pink number for my niece (if she has a girl). I still need to knit a white jacket/cardigan and a blue jumper yet.



This jumper can be knitted in 4 sizes and I have chosen to knit the 3rd size. Wool used was Cleckheaton 4ply 25 grams "Babysoft" pink. This jumper took 3 1/3 balls wool.



I like to keep a little Tupperware container that holds all my goodies I use from jumper to jumper, in my Knitting Box. Jumper is ready to be sewn up and neckband stitches picked up and knitted.

Then all that will be left to do is sew up the seams of the sleeves and sides, add 3 buttons and it's finished.



I am not sure how you prepare your jumpers for sewing up, but I learnt the hard way when pregnant with Amy. Stunning little number was all finished and I sewed the garment up and noticed I had sew one sleeve inside out. Not a lovely site seeing a heavily pregnant woman throwing a wobbly and having to unpick 2 side joins of a baby jumper.

Now I pin all jumpers from babies to grandparent size jumpers, before I pick up my sewing needle.

Tomorrow I'll post a photo of the pink baby jumper all finished.

Hoping on Tuesday of next week to pick up some white baby wool to start the next cardigan. Guess I'll have to pick a patten out first.

technorati tags: 4 ply wool, baby jumpers, hand knitting, knitting needles

Books From A Past.

When looking for a baby patten to knit, I found all my mum's old knitting books. Looking back over the age of these knitting books, I had to chuckle at the changes of the look of not only the books but also the pattens and how they are presented to us, the knitters.




The photo above is from a book I have bought and knitted from in the last 6 years at a rough guess. Looks modern and the jumpers/cardigans are a heavy Aran style that is currant with today's styles.

Now check out the photos below.

These books are from my mum's collection. I love the whole "era" look of the above knitting book. It has that "look" about it and check out the price of it, in the right hand corner.



This one screams at me..... totally "not politically correct" with a smoke in his hand. I mean he's not even hiding outside under the front veranda or out in the backyard down by the lemon tree in the dark, so no one can see him. No he's on the front cover of a knitting book, puffing away thinking it's okay to do this.

Times have changed.


If I knitted one of these jumpers for my kids, I think they would have disowned me. Also check out the haircuts, my brothers had haircuts like these children when they were kids.

It's a good photo of a jumper that can sell a jumper patten and for me the colour as well, that will catch my eye.

The little pink baby jumper is coming along nicely, back is finished and only the right side from the neck opening to go on the front. Then the sleeves will be knitted and next comes sewing it up and its all finished.

Mind you last night I spent 30 minutes on 4 rows as I kept stuffing up. Didn't matter how many times I did row 17 of the patten I couldn't get it right. Turned out in between the y fwd, sl1, K1, psso and the K2 tog, I missed a K1. When I got the row sorted and finished row 20 , I packed it away for the night and went to bed and slept till 5 am.

Lemon 12 Ply Ladies Jumper

After what seemed to be forever getting 3 great photos of my jumper for the blog I am happy to announce that my 12 ply jumper is finished. Thanks to Pat for taking heaps of photos until I was satisfied our collection of snaps.

This jumper was knitted over a couple of months and was really easy to knit. I used 100% Australian grown wool in a light lemon colour.




The jumper if like the others in the house will last us 20 odd years. The shoulder has no shape to the pattern and so when casting off the sleeves, it was completed in the final row.


Milly had to get in on the photo session as well. The quilted look of the sleeves and back give it a real warm feel to it. This was done by just using knits & purls over 6 stitches for the patten and over 12 rows.



The panel in the centre of the front was done with a cable pattern over 24 rows. Neck line was 5 cm of ribbing with 4 rows of stocking stitch to give the finishing off a rolled look.

Not expecting to get a chance to wear my jumper this year as spring is here and warm weather greets us each day.

From 12 Ply To 4 Ply

Finished all the knitting on my 12 ply cable jumper I started a couple of months ago. Still needs to be sewn up and the neck knitted, then it'll be all finished. Going from the warm weather of late, mightn't get to wear it until next year.



Not that this will matter as it'll be quite happy to sit up in the cupboard. This is the only fully 12 ply jumper I have for myself. I do have a jumper I knitted 21 years ago that has 12 ply sleeves and back with a 8 ply cable front.

So a 12 ply won't go a stray at all.



This is what the jumper will look like once it's been put together and finished off. Next time you will see the jumper is when it's finished off. May even model it for you.

Spent a while this afternoon tidying up my knitting box and seeing what wasn't needed to be there. Also I packed Happy Potter's wool and pattern into the knitting box, ready for when I start knitting it.


My new knitting project at the moment is getting some baby jumpers knitted as my niece is due to have her first baby in October. I remember knitting this little jumper for my own children, so I thought it would be a lovely one to reknit.

I'd like to knit a blue jumper and a white cardigan so that the little baby gets 2 jumpers from my family.

Going from 12 ply wool to 4 ply wool is a bit of a shock to the hands. Thinner wool and tiny knitting needles.

I'll start sewing up my jumper Sunday afternoon , so until then I'll knit the little baby jumper. Once my jumper is out the way, I'll start Happy Potter's jumper as well.

technorati tags: baby patterns, baby jumpers, hand knitting, cable knits

Knit One, Purl One

One of my memories of my mum was in the winter months, she'd be knitting jumpers for us 5 kids. At night while we watched TV, mum's knitting needles would be going click, clack. Nothing flash, just a plain jumper in the colours we picked out.

I can remember using the old wooden cotton reel with 4 small nails banged into it and making a tomboy. The amount of snakes and coasters we made over the years.

Between my mum & my Nanna I was taught the basics of knitting. I can remember knitting odd shaped clothes for my teddy as well.

When I was married and pregnant with Amy, I became a serious knitter. I'd pick out a picture and wool then just start knitting it. If I ran into a problem or didn't understand the patten, I'd ring my Mother-In-Law (local call) and she would tell me how to do the new stitch over the phone.

Lacy layettes and cardigans for the first born. After James came along and both kids grew, so did my knitting. Picture and pattern toddler jumpers and adult jumper for Pat & myself.

But the clearest memory of my introduction beside mum knitting jumpers, was sitting and playing with her needle box of goodies and looking through her knitting books.


When our mum died back in 1994, it was decided that all her knitting items should come to me, as by that stage I was an experienced knitter and would not only put the items to good use, I would treasure them.

The needle box in the background of the photo was my mum's. I am not even sure if these can be bought now a days. Inside I store all my little bits and pieces to keep them safe. The holes in the lid are for measuring the size of knitting needles if they aren't numbers. The numbers listed on the lid aren't even in metric.

The blue case at the front, I have 2 of these and Pat gave them to me years ago when he was in the wielding business. The blue wielding cases make great needle box holders as well. Having these is handy as I have not only my needle collection by mum's as well.

technorati tags: knitting needles

Welcome

Welcome to my knitting box a place where it's over flowing with jumpers I am either knitting or are waiting in the wings, to be knitted.

My main passion is cable and aran hand knits. Though when the children were little I did knit graph jumpers for them with pictures and numbers on them.

I have decided to publish a blog on my knitting as I am sure there are many closet knitters out there in the wide world of blogging. We need to step up and be heard.

Posts here will be of the jumpers as the pattens are chosen along with the wool. As it's knitted I'll post updates and show the finish product.

At the moment I am working on a 12 ply cable jumper, as well a 8 ply blue cardigan for myself.

I have a couple of baby cardigans on the go, for my niece who is having her first baby in October.

Also a cardigan for a friend in Vic, to be knitted by next winter.

So I hope this blog will inspire you to pick up a needle of some kind and enjoy the tranquility it can bring. Along with the un-pulling of rows when mistakes are made.

This is the 12 ply jumper I am working on at the moment. Once this front is finished, I'll sow it together, finish the neck off and it's ready for next years winter.

technorati tags: cable knits, Aran knits, hand knitting, needles