A little vision

It's getting cold here and I was starting to feel a bit neglectful taking Silas out without something on his head. But since he's outgrown or lost all the hats we had for him I decided I better drag out the knitting needles and yarn. A quick search of the Internets revealed that every hat pattern is knit on size 7 or 8 double pointed needles, that I don't have, and that wouldn't work with the yarn I wanted to use anyway.
So I finally found this beauty of a pattern, eeek! look at those eyebrows! Still, I figured it could work and anything will look cute on Silas, right? Of course, right.

Knit-errific!

I finished my first ever sweater! Unfortunately, I think it's a little jacked. I made Silas try it on for me and some how the sleeves are about the right size for him, but the neck hole is kind of big and the whole thing is too short, providing a bolero effect. I followed the pattern! Granted on bigger needles with bigger yarn, but sheesh. It was intended to be for the new baby anyway so maybe the proportions will be right at some stage of development. It's making me a little leery to attempt a sweater for myself though.

And here is a scarf I made from ribbon yarn. Chances are someone who reads this blog will get it as a Christmas gift. Any takers?
Finally, some baby booties I made at home because Mom wanted to watch me knit. And I was trying to convince her to make a baby sweater and stop just practicing on swatches. She is going to a class on needle felting to decorate a panel I made for another sweater, like the one above, but I hope one that actually fits a human child. She did it! Same deal on the booties, I know some of you are expecting babies. Would you like them for Christmas?

Up next is more felting for slippers and bags, and a scarf with a bonnet. Until I work up the nerve to try some cabling.

Anyone want a pair of handknit devil pants?

I finally finished the little devil toddler pants from the Stitch and Bitch Nation Book that I received for Christmas last year. I started the pants when I went to visit Rachel in March, so less than three months later they are actually done. There is one row on one leg where Silas pulled the needle out and when I put the stitches back on I didn't get them twisted correctly and there is one funny tiny little hole in the butt, but other than that I am pretty proud of having made a pair of pants out of string.

When I finished them this morning Silas hated them. I put them on him and he screamed "No like!" over and over again while tugging at them trying to get them off. He claimed they were "ee-chee" I word I think he learned from the Dr. Suess ABC book, via itchy itchy Ichabod.

So I was discouraged. But this evening some how Orrin convinced him that they were soft and cool. I think it had something to do with the pants marching and dancing around the kitchen and up the stairs. Suddenly, they were the most desirable pants ever.

So he is wearing them now, and swinging the tail around, (it's removable; there is a button). They are still a little bit big so that maybe he can wear them for Halloween since I won't be up for sewing up costumes come October.

And then there were two

Mittens that is.

Mom gave me these Stitch and Bitch knitting books for Christmas and and among the super cute patterns was a pattern for alligator mittens. Silas needed mittens and I figured they were small enough that my attention span would last through them. Then after I finished the first one last week, and showed it off to everyone who would listen, I got a little distracted. But this weekend I finished number two and put eyes on them.

Although I couldn't find sew on googley eyes anywhere and the eyes I embroidered on were kind of shotty. Silas loved wearing them so much that the eyes are coming off already, so I do have to figure out a better way to do that. But look how cute they are! They are far from perfect and very wobbly with lots of mistakes, but seeing how I now have to make them for everyone I know, they will get better.

And, just because some of the cuteness of his cousins must have rubbed off on Silas here's a couple pictures from the last week and half since we've been back in Ireland: so tired he can't make it up the stairs to his crib, emerging from his cuboidal egg, and a tribute to the late, great James Brown.