All Buttoned Up.

This sweet little sweater is complete. More and more, the "finishing" of things is very pleasant. I love to find just the right buttons, carefully tuck in my loose ends, and gently block a finished object.... all the while thinking of the little one that will soon be wearing it.

I continue to love this yarn. If you haven't tried it yet... or shy away because it contains acrylic, I really think you should give it a try. Berroco Vintage.  I found these buttons at Joann's - they are machine washable too! Pattern: Cascade Baby Sweater, size 6 months.

A Long Nosed Mouse

I am drafting the pattern for this little friend... take a look at how she is made!




































(this is all the yarn I had left after 2 Mice from the Knit Picks Shine Sport skein!)

It's beginning to look a lot like Maisy...

The Elves have been hard to work at our house.

A Few Minutes to Share

I am still without my trusty computer :(

Actually, I have been enjoying the hiatus - and all the knitting!

Here is the first of many finished objects I have to share with you. A new pattern designed by one of my favorites, Megan Grewal, this one is called Little Willow.



I knit this up is super soft - bright pink - alpaca! SO SO Soft! It is a 3 months size and perfect for the tiny recipient I have in mind.



This was the first time I have attempted a pattern with bottom up design, joining at the underarms to knit almost seamless. It was really fun! Megan's instructions were amazing as usual and this sweater is sized from 3 months to 10 years - so you can bet I will be knitting it again. The buttons are Aunt Tillie's of course.

Oh! And I almost forgot! This is actually my 12th sweater!! Hurrah - finished all 12 with one month to spare. Stay tuned for the finished photos of my girls' sweaters, or hop over to my Flickr Photostream for  sneak peeks of everything!

Except for a little finishing...

Helen helped model her friend's Kinsale sweater. She really hammed it up.



I have a few more ends to sew in, and a few buttons to sew on, but for the most part this project is done!



Did I mention that I love it? I am a little sad to give it away...



I am a little late to the Malabrigo fan wagon, but seriously people, Malabrigo Rios is awesome. I can't wait to knit with it again.... and I am going to get to soon because I have a whole skein left over! The size 4T called for 3 skeins, but somehow I only used 2 (I even rotated skeins!)... hmm. I already know what I am going to make with the leftovers and it is a secret, so don't ask :)



Kinsale Sweater size 4T... modeled on my 5T 3 year old. love it.

The Allure of Hand Quilting

Recently my mother completed a beautiful quilt for my newest nephew. This reminded me of the equally gorgeous gift she gave to my first daughter, Helen. For years I have been meaning to hand stitch around the lovely floral appliques on the quilt, but just now I am pulling it out to work on.



Why is hand quilting so alluring to me? Well, mainly because it is slow and quiet. I have never really enjoyed sewing with a machine - which is why I knit so much! I feel secluded from my family when machine sewing, and it is loud no matter how "quiet" the machine claims to be. You also have to sit at a table facing the machine - not sitting in a comfy chair watching your children play or chatting with friends.

However, I do love working with fabrics... so I have always wanted to do a little hand quilting. How perfect that my mother is able to make these beautiful applique quilts that I can embellish at my own speed - slow.



Do you like to sew by hand?

Fetching - Knit Fingerless Mitts

Just another project completed during the internet outage :)



These cute teal mitts are a free pattern on Knitty. They were easy and quick to knit! The cables mirror each other on each hand, and I found that the back cables (C4B) were quicker than the front cables (C4F). I used the Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller Washable Ewe yarn from my stash.



This pair is for one of my husband's cello students who declared that my knitting was "cool".  I think she deserves some fingerless mitts, don't you?!

And the winner is....

SAMI!

Please contact me through Ravelry (Lonestarknits) or my email: lonestar(dot)knits(at)yahoo(dot)com

Thank you to everyone that participated, and if you are a knitter - or want to learn to knit - HappyDayMama is offering a 10% coupon code off the purchase of the Mamas Favorite Longies pattern!

The coupon code is: September and it is good until September 23rd! Just click the link above to purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

This doesn't count as a yarn purchase... and other things on and off the needles

Sorry for the long title. I have succumbed to temptation... surprise surprise... and have made (and received) a Knit Picks order for a very special project.


Isn't it purty?!

I have been seriously inspired to knit my girls some Maisy dolls with matching wardrobes for Christmas this year. I love Maisy. She is so sweet and always hanging out with her awesome friends doing cool stuff that kids like to do.



I looked and looked for a knitting pattern and couldn't find one... so guess what, I'll just make it up myself!



I also have the first of the two Kinsale sweaters I want to knit on the needles (and almost done). This one is for my newest nephew. The yarn, Queensland Rustic Wool Aran, is a sale item at WEBS and I like it really well. It was a bit splity at first but once I got used to it, it knits up nicely.  I love the colorway, and I am alternating skeins for the first time ever! I really wanted to minimize pooling of the colors, and I think it has worked out for the most part.



And the longies are DONE!!!!!!!! I will post the winner on FRIDAY!!!!!!
(kiddie scissors for scale)



Here they are on my 12 month old who is of fairly average to smallish size. Thank you, Thank you to everyone who has entered and commented. This has been a lot of fun for me.  And as a special present, just in case you don't win, the awesome mama behind Mama's Favorite Longies will be offering a coupon code for a discount off the purchase of the pattern for my readers. Look for that on Friday as well.

Give-Away Longies!

They are not done yet, but I thought you would like a sneak peek! I am seriously falling in love with these longies. After the green knees, a bit more orange, then a nice green belt... good times. These are definitely a size to fit a 18-24+ month old. Don't forget to enter :)

Mama's Favorite Longies Giveaway!

This Giveaway is CLOSED and the winner is SAMI! Thank you to all that participated!!

Ok readers... I know you are out there!

Wanna win some longies? Of course you do!

(these are shorties... longies have full length legs)

I will be knitting up a pair of Mama's Favorite Longies (size large!) in blue and orange Peace Fleece to give away when this little blog reaches 10,000 pageviews (it won't be long now!).

If you want to win there are two ways to enter:

1. Become a Follower!! If you are already a follower or follow by email and want to enter, just comment on this post that you are a follower/email follower and want to enter! Followers get 10 entries!!!!!

2. Comment on new posts! Every time you comment on a post published from now until 10,000 pageviews you get another entry into the drawing! Make sure to not be "anonymous" so I know who you are :)


FAQ
"I don't cloth diaper, why would I want a pair of longies?"
Well, let me tell you.... wool longies make awesome pj bottoms - they are warm and breathable... and pretty much ANYTHING that leaks out of any type of diaper will be absorbed by the awesomeness of wool and leave your little one sleeping warm and dry.

"Why a size large?"
Well, I figure size large will fit most babies at some point :) And, I have enough yarn to make a large, so why not use it all!

"I don't have a baby...."
Well then, you have the opportunity to win a pretty awesome baby shower gift!

Thanks for being a reader of my blog!
Feel free to comment on this post if you have more reasons why LONGIES ARE AWESOME!!

Baby W's Striped Knit Blanket

I love to knit baby blankets in the round. It is so easy to just go around and around... knit, knit, knit, knit... again and again and again. But for Baby W I wanted a square blanket, so I decided to try my hand at knitting a mitered square in the round. It turned out beautifully (though not perfectly square).

I found a similar (free) pattern on Ravelry: The Constant Baby Blanket, if you want to knit your own.

Baby Clare of course was happy to help model her new cousin's blankie.










(look at my tooth!!!)