Introducing...

...our newest family member. Our daughter was born on December 20, via c-section, alhamdolillah. We both are home now and getting a much needed rest.

Around The House Cardigan

Someone gave me some old yarn recycled from an old sweater, a while back. Since it was a color most often by me in sweaters, I used it to knit a cardigan for myself to wear around the house. The yarn is somewhere between sports and DK weight. After figuring out the needle size and gauge, I knit a top-down cardigan using contiguous method for shoulders and set-in sleeves.I incorporated a cable for the saddle shoulder.

 Even though I was a bit uncertain about the fit, seeing how I was winging the whole process, it turned out fabulously well, at the first go. Even though it is my third contiguous project, I still get thrilled by how this method makes wonderfully seamless sweaters.  

I used cable charts from this pattern. In the end, the yarn ran a bit short so I ended up with a slightly cropped cardigan and three-quarter sleeves.

 

Little Blossom Cardigan

 

I got the buttons and finished up the intarsia sweater. I had to make something for my toddler as she was keenly waiting for something to fit her, trying on all the little baby projects while I worked on them, recently. So I promised her a sweater with flowers. It took care of my need for some color work too, as well as using up some of the leftover yarns. I made a few changes to the pattern, omitting the side slits, doing garter rib instead of seed stitch and added a crochet trim around the collar cuffs and bottom. I knit the 3-4 year size, so it is a bit large on her for now. However she is quite happy with it, flowers, pockets and all.

Intarsia Preview

I did start a little intarsia project to appease the unusual craving I had for some more color work. It is a cardigan for my toddler. It is nearly done, however, I still have to find the right buttons for it. So it will be a few more days before I have a FO photo. Here I leave you with a small preview:

Initially, I was planning a hat to go with it but all this color work has apparently taken care of my craving rather too well. And I can not wait to get it finished and start something new and different.

Fair Isle Baby Set

 

 This baby set winds up my baby knitting, unless I decide to knit a random vest or two. I took my time with knitting this set but still it got done pretty fast. The jacket, cap and socks are one DROPS pattern and the pants are another DROPS pattern. I have knit the later twice before, in fact the last baby pants were also made in this pattern.

The yarn is all our local acrylic in DK weight and I love how it is far softer than the usual stuff, and has a nice variegation to it.

This little fair Isle project has put me in the mood for some more colorwork and I am contemplating an intarsia project next.

Sewing: Baby Snugglers

 On a related note, I did some more baby projects, only these are sewing rather than knitting projects. I sewed a couple of baby snugglers using this excellent free pattern. Even though the practicality of these is yet to be tested, in my opinion, these look to be a far superior option to the swaddling wrap that keeps coming loose every so often.

I used the same print for both layers of each snuggler. Both fabrics are flannel. It was a bit tricky to get all the pattern pieces taped together, but the pattern itself was a breeze to sew. Each snuggler got done in under an hour.
In knitting news, I have a baby sock on the needles right now. Hope to have a finished baby set soon.

Nothing Much...

...has been done in the way of knitting. Summer heat has decided to linger on so knitting with sweaty hands is not much appealing. However, I have managed to do two rather small projects. First one was a little baby vest. No pattern, just an old, winged design.

And second was a pair of baby pants. It is a quick and easy DROPS pattern that I have knit before.

I wove in several rows of elastic thread to the waist ribbing to ensure that the pants stay on. These complete the baby set I knit earlier.

It is about time the recipient of all these baby knits was revealed. We are expecting a addition to our family in winter, inshaAllah. Being a winter baby, it will need a lot of warm clothing, so stay tuned for more baby projects in the coming months. 

Baby Surprise Jacket III : Jewel Tones

Last week, I finally got down to the long-procrastinated task of cleaning my craft closet. It was really a mess, especially since the older kids have recently gained access to my paper supplies and scissors. But most of the mess was my own and it took me a while to put everything to order. I got two bags full of leftover yarns with the clean-up and decided to use up some of it before starting anything else. What is better than a Baby Surprise Jacket for small amount of leftover yarns. I have already made two such jackets in the past. (Blogged here and here).

For this one, I used the warmer colors and it turned out far better than I had hoped. It is a good size too, with 4 mm needles and DK weight yarns. I keep forget how knitting stripes with so many colors means frequently tangled balls and a lot of weaving of ends when the knitting is done. But it was so worth it for the final cardigan and some extra space in my closet.

 

 Then of course, I had to knit a matching hat too. I have a feeling, it is a bit smallish and not very anatomically fitting, but the pattern was easy and it got done in a day.

Complete Set

 So I managed to overlook the color and texture difference between the two balls of yarn and used the remaining yarn to knit the matching bonnet ...

 ...and a pair of booties to accompany the cabled bay jacket.

 

I am glad that I did it because a complete set looks far cuter and is way more useful than a lone cardigan.

Cabled Baby Jacket

 

This one turned out far better then my last baby cardigan. But then, I have always had good experience with DROPS patterns, even though the instructions can be a little tricky and hard to understand. This was a joy to knit and so cute to boot. However I got unlucky with the yarn as the second ball of yarn turned out to be a shade different in color and also texture. You can pick out the difference if you look closely at the collar. That put quite a damper on my knitting spirits and I am now debating if I should continue with the matching bonnet.

Feather And Fan Baby Sweater And Bonnet

Eid festivities being over, I am back with a couple of little projects as promised. I knit a little baby sweater with feather and fan pattern and then knit a bonnet to match. Knitting for babies has to be the easiest kind but my skills must be a bit rusted because I had a hard time finding right enough patterns for this yarn. And even though the finished objects are nice, they haven't turned out as good as I had hoped.
  The cardigan is a Lion Brand pattern. The neckline is a bit awkward, but the rest is simple enough. The bonnet pattern was a pleasure to knit, even though I changed the lace pattern to be identical to the cardigan.
  Next up is going to be another baby set, inshaAllah. Much nicer, I hope.

Anemone Wrist Warmers

I made these for a friend a couple of months ago. They were a fast, fun project, even with beads, the pattern being clear and easy. I procrastinated with the actual mailing of the gift, but now that she has received it, I get to blog about it.

Paint Me A Sweater

The poncho sweater for my daughter is all done. I omitted the leaf-edged I-cord, simply because I did not feel like working on it any more. I don't love the color but my daughter is happy with it. The pattern was easy and simple to follow, the long rounds of st st did seem too tedious at times.

I think I will have a break from knitting till after Eid, when I hope to start a few little projects. In the meanwhile, I have a small embroidery project and my Quran reading for the month of Ramadan to finish.

Ramadan Mubarak

We, in Pakistan, have our first fast tomorrow. May Allah make this blessed month beneficial for us all!

As for my month-long absence from this blog, I was slightly under the weather. Intense heat, coupled with load-shedding and the resulting water shortages, made for a very harsh June. That seemed to sap all our energy and all we could do was wait and pray for some relief in the form of rain. We did have a premonsoon

rain spell bring some relief and now that we have had some monsoon as well, the weather has become so much pleasanter. Hopefully, it can last through the rest of summer.

This week, I have finally taken up my knitting needles again and cast on a sweater for my older daughter. I am not sure about the color my my daughter seems OK with it, so I am going ahead with it.

Knitting Comeback

 

After a two-month knitting hiatus, I'm back with a knitted object...a baby sweater. It was the perfect project, small, and fun and I got to use some of my stash. I may make a set out of it, with coordinating trousers. The pattern is very easy and pretty straightforward. I may make a set out of it, with coordinating trousers.

More Embroidery

We have been experiencing a heat wave and even though brief rain and thunder brought some respite, the temperatures are rising again. All this heat has slowed me down considerably, all I want to do is drink plenty of fluids and rest. This lethargy meant it took me nearly a month to complete this embroidery project. I have used buttonhole st in single color to embroider this lawn kameez (shirt) of mine.

Love the fabric and the sewing part went well too, so this kameez will get a lot of happy wear.

Crocheted Brooches

My SIL (sister-in-Law) recently asked me to make a couple of brooches for her, to accessorize her stoles. She mentioned the specific colors and kind of designs she wanted. Here are what I came up with:

pattern here

Absence

Just to let you now I am still here. Life got kind of hectic lately and to feel less like a candle burning at both ends, I decided to ease up on my craft hobbies. Haven't touched my yarn in quite some time and my latest embroidery project is also in time-out. I did sew a couple of dresses for my older daughter, I will try to post some pictures soon. Other than that, I have run out of craft-related blog content. Hopefully, that will change sooner than later, thank you for hanging around.

More Spring Dresses

I completed three more dresses to add to my toddler's spring-summer wardrobe. The first one was the simplest one, for which I used this tutorial. However, I was quite disappointed with the result. Just do not like the style and look of it in real life. Plus, the dull color does nothing to flatter it.

The second one was quite the opposite. I was quite uncertain about it initially, but it came out much nicer than expected. No pattern for it, per se, just put together some ideas that I had. I love this one, the color and the scallops, the pink piping and all.

No pattern again for the last one. I have memories of a orange dress with a pocket, that I had as a child. I loved that pocket, even though it was far too down to reach into, with ease. When I got this fabric, I knew it had to have a front pocket, or two!

I guess this winds up my sewing for my littlest one, this season. I am hoping to do some embroidery project in the coming days. And maybe something for my older daughter. Also I should get back to the knitting, but frankly do not have any motivation and inspiration at the moment.

Embroidered Spring Dresses

My daughters' dresses, the ones I did embroidery for, are all done. Done, down to the last button. The girls love them and can't wait to wear them.

 

I am really happy with are my improving sewing skills. I feel confidant to tackle newer things in sewing. I am already working on another dress now.

 

Spring-inspired Embroidery

 Recently, I was bitten by the embroidery bug and embroidered this for my older daughter's dress.

 It was so much fun and I had a hard time putting it down. I got it done in two days, and clearly I had not had enough, because I started a similar one for my toddler. That too was done in two days. Now, all that is left is the sewing of the dress ( I finished sewing the first dress). Sadly, it has been put on hold by a respiratory tract infection that I have contracted. Can not wait to be fever free and resume the sewing.

Masa Bag

 

This large, rectangle, crocheted piece which I also showed in the last post, got all folded and stitched together into this:

 Of course, it also got a handle added to it, and a lining with a zipper. The pattern basically explains the folding technique that turns a rectangle (3:1) into a bag form.

 

I used a larger hook and a longer foundation chain to make a bigger bag. And in doing so, I successfully used up one of the two 12 oz (552 m) balls of Sugar'n Cream Naturals that had been languishing in my stash for the last five years. Hopefully, I will find a way to use up the remaining ball in a suitable way, sooner than the next five years.

As for the bag, I think it is nicely sized, sturdy and useful bag. Nothing spectacular but quite practical.

Stashbusting Crochet WIP

Can you guess what it is going to be...?

That is nearly 95% finished, crochet-wise. Finished project post coming up tomorrow, in shaa Allah.

Sewing: Toddler Dress

 Every year, around this time, when it grows steadily warmer, I have an urge to do some spring sewing for my kids. This year too, I have found myself drooling over all the lovely clothes on Pinterest, for the last couple of weeks. Sadly, I do not have much fabric at hand and no chance to go shopping until the kids' exams are over. But still, I found a piece of plain purple cotton and taking inspiration from this top, got out my sewing machine. I was too lazy to look up the associated tutorial and did my own thing, but there definitely is a free tutorial for those who maybe interested.

 It was a quick, fun project, in which I got to expand my skills in sewing pleats. And I may have to do another one for my older daughter soon, as she wants one too, in the same color.

 

Month O'Socks: Rainbow Socks a.k.a Short Row Socks

My second pair of socks for this month is now complete. I am not sure about the colors on this one and am not sure what possessed me to buy it in the first place, but the pattern was so much fun. I enjoyed the short rows even more than I expected and they seemed to knit up quite fast too.

The yarn is Knit Picks Felici fingering weight. The colorway (Too Cool) might be dubious but the yarn itself is soft and cushy.

 

   Next for the Month O'Socks, some mending and/or upcycling might be in order, as I have a growing pile of socks with holes. Also,with my kids' final exams starting in a few days, I am unlikely to have much knitting time.

Month O'Socks : Day 12

 

For my second project during the Month O'Socks (MOS), I decided to use some stripped yarn from my stash and knit it so that it is no longer stripy. (Pattern found here). That meant working almost the entire sock in short rows, but as I do not share the general dislike for short rows, it has not been a problem. In fact, this sock has been knitting up quite fast.

Month O'Socks: Vellamo Socks

I cast off the second sock last night. The pattern was enjoyable to knit. The striping kept it interesting, with the short color-work bits near the toes and and cuffs for an added spice. The pattern does not have good enough instructions for the short row heels though, so prior knowledge of that will make it easier to follow the pattern.

The yarn I used was Knit Picks Stroll in Barn Red and Navy. These socks are for my son, with a lot of room to grow into, provided they last that long. (Modeled on my feet here). He is wearing them right now, so we'll see how they fare.
  Next I hope to start another pair but have not decided on the yarn and pattern yet. 

Month O'Socks: Day 5

I completed the first sock yesterday and have managed to start the second one. That is good progress, considering how slow my knitting pace has been lately. Still, my initial target of one finished pair in six days might have been overoptimistic and I will happy to have them done by day seven instead, inshaAllah.

Month O'Socks Kick-off

I am excited for this year's Month O'Socks (MOS), which started February 15, as I hope to get more knitting done in this month than in a long time.I have started with a stripped sock pattern with a bit of stranded colorwork for added fun. This is what I got done on the first day.

The weekend has slowed me down, now on the third day, I'm now just past the heel and onto the leg.