Scrappy Longies for the Bitty

So this summer has been a long haze to me.  I'm now 28 weeks pregnant, my husband had pinky surgery to repair a torn ligement, and was home for 8 weeks, and now, finally everyone is back in school, hubs is back to work, and it's almost back to normal around here.

Now, I feel like I can devote a little more time to the blog and Etsy, while still being able to relax a little.

Here's an easy start to getting back in the blog...longies for the baby!

I've made about 5 pairs so far, and a couple of hats, but I'll just post the most recent longies for now.

First up, a pair of scrappy crocheted longies.  I single crocheted these, so they are nice and thick, but I used several different kinds of wool, so they are a little thinner in some places, where the yarn was a little thinner.  Mostly, worsted yarn, and an I hook.

Yes, we are having a boy!

Next, these knitted longies on Licorice Twist.  I do not remember the name of the colorway (I got it in a trade from Hyenacart forums) but they have a lovely blend of cream, green, blue and purple.  I am not a huge fan of the way they pooled, but I can't say they aren't original!

I have two more pairs coming from swaps, and hopefully, that will round out my wool stash for the first several months, anyway.  I am so excited to see these in action!  =)

Jungle Gent longies

Jungle Gent longies, a photo by s_gilly_5 on Flickr.

These were a little custom order, from the auctions for Lucas fundraiser we did a few weeks ago.

I love how they striped up, and the colors are so beautiful and bright! This was my first experience knitting on Mountain Meadow, and it was wonderful!

I had one skein of colorway, and one of trim, so there was a little bit of tension when I thought I would run out of yarn, but the customer wanted an inch shorter inseam than I had originally planned on, so it worked out well.

Soaker sack, Raging Magenta

Soaker sack, Raging Magenta, a photo by s_gilly_5 on Flickr.

This little newborn soaker sack will be stocking on Friday at Crunchy Congo.

It's knitted on Cestari Fine wool with a simple k2p2 ribbing at the top and bottom. I was a little worried I would run out of yarn, but It worked out fine. It's maybe a little short for a typical soaker sack, but it would be great for a newbie!

Graceful Moose collab

Graceful Moose collab, a photo by s_gilly_5 on Flickr.

So this little soaker was knitted using the Freckle soaker pattern on Knitpicks WOTA. it's my first attempt at knitting stripes into a soaker, and I might not attempt it again!

But, a little monster face on the bum covered up the awkward stripes...I hope.

This goes with a little monsters diaper made by Patti of The Graceful Moose diapers, and can be purchased this Friday at Crunchy Congo on Hyenacart. Http://www.hyenacart.com/crunchycongo

Wordless Wednesday

Some recent customs...

Here is a hat I knitted based on the Felicity pattern, by Wanett Clyde. I shortened it and added stripes, but it's still a little slouchy, which was the intention.






Here are a set of Mommy and Me Calorimetries, sent to the lucky winner of a giveaway on the Gillyweeds Facebook page. It took me a little longer to send them off than I wanted, so I sent her a set of birthday cards, as well. I'm happy with how they turned out. I cast on fewer stitches for the child sized one, and am glad it turned out so well.





The original pattern doesn't call for stripes, so I had to finagle them a little, but in the end, I think they turned out really fun!

A new look for Crunchy Congo, and some longies for Khloe...

Crunchy Congo on Hyenacart is unveiling a new look! Stop by Thursday, Septmeber 30th for a new look at some old favorites, and lots of previews up for Friday's stocking!


And, finally, I got something done for Khloe! It feels like I am always working on something for someone else, so it was nice to get some winter longies done for her!

Here's the first pair, knitted using the Freckle Bottoms Pattern, and OOAK Rainbow from Retro Baby. This is a two ply bulky Merino yarn that I literally just wanted to curl up in and take a nap! They are soooooo soft and smooshy, and I'm thrilled that Khloe gets to wear these! I did run low on yarn at the end, so the cuffs are simple undyed Peace Fleece, and they are ribbed to keep out the winter chills.





The second pair are her scrappies. Ok. So I've never made scrappies of this magnitude and of so many different colorways and weights. We have here BFL, Peace Fleece, Purewool, merino, and a wool/acrylic blend. And they vary in weight from light worsted to Aran weight. But, they turned out cute, and Khloe loves them! I just grabbed a ball and started, doing about 4 rows of each color, then going back and repeating as needed. I did the best I could trying to get more like colors together, but these are scrappies, so I didn't try too hard, know what I mean? ;)

Beach Baby Freckle Skirty

Beach Baby Freckle Skirty
Originally uploaded by s_gilly_5

I love doing trades! This skirty was part of a yarn for shorties trade. I got some yummo Mosaic Moon, and this little gem will be off to my swap partner in a day or two (when it's dry!).

It's a knitted soaker (from) the Freckle skirty pattern, and the skirt was crocheted, using Laines Magnifique in Beach Baby. I want to say it's BFL. Either way, it's BeautiFuL!

Fishbowl Variation Shorties

Fishbowl Variation Shorties
Originally uploaded by s_gilly_5

These were knitted on Peruvian Bulky using my Fishbowl Variation colorway. I loved how fast the knitted up! I'll be using bulky much more often, now that I've had a chance to try it.

I also love how this colorway worked up. Just what I was looking for.

One for me this time!

chevron hat
Originally uploaded by s_gilly_5

Here's the hat I finally made for myself! It's a basic Chevron pattern I got from Ravelry, and I decided to do cream, so it would match everything for a long time. I love it!

Some recent accomplishments...

Northern Lights newborn longies on BBR Black Berry Ridge Merino. These were so fun to crochet! I love BBR, and have decided that all my longies for Khloe will be on this or Fisherman's from now on. I love how it is so low maintenance, and it dries super fast!

Neopolitan (Wooly Wonders By Nada) newborn soaker on BBR, using Freckle's soaker pattern. I love this colorway!


Calling cards! These were sooo much fun to make! I hope to get some more done over the weekend.




All these items are in stock (except the calling cards) at Gillyweeds today!

And in progress, calling the church about my crocheting/knitting group at church. I hope to have something started in the next month or so (probably after Christmas), and I am so excited! Pray for me!

Progress!

I finished the Flippy Skirt I have been testing, finally!

I feel like I just am the slowest knitter in the world. I know I'm not, but I just can't help feeling that I am more of a hooker than a knitter. It's not even so much how slow it is, but my fingers just don't seem to be able to go where I want them to. Not only that, but I just don't get knitting as well as I get crocheting. I don't understand the mechanics of knitting as much. I just need to keep plugging away, I guess.

My soaker pattern is out in public being tested now, and I am so excited! I hope it's not going to take too many revisions to release it. I don't think I've seen any patterns out there that are like this for crocheted soakers, and it's very customizable, so I'm hoping it will work for a wider market.

We're finally over being sick, so I can get back to more of a routine. It's really hard to get things done with sick kids!

Falling behind.

The kids are out of school today. I thought I could use this time to get caught up a little on some projects. Not. I got only about three rows done on a skirt, and then a massive migraine hit. It always seems to come up really fast, like a truck. I took some Tylenol, and that took the edge off, but I'm still sufferin' succotash, and didn't get much done. I am so excited to get this skirt done, too! It's a pattern I'm testing for a friend, and it's really cute. I've not made many things besides longies / shorties for my kids, and nothing really for the older ones, so I hope it turns out and she can wear it awhile.

I'm also working on some shorties, some legwarmers (hello, it's March! I know, I know...), a skirt, and still have several baby items to work on, and man, I just don't have the time. I am really wanting to have a whole day to myself to get these things done, but that's not gonna happen. I have to say that I really look forward to school being out in a couple months, so I have time with the kids around to help, and no rushing off to school to drop off or pick up.

I am loving Ravelry right now, though. It's a great place to go when I can't actually work on anything, and I can just dream. And when I'm nursing, sometimes just browsing around passes the time, ya know? Someday...