Some baby sweaters

Before the weeks get away from me I thought I would show you two completed baby sweaters.
First up is the soft cardi which I mentioned in this post that I couldn't find the buttons. The buttons were found in a random drawer and have been attached. I don't like where I put the button holes, and decided to improvise them.
There does seem to be a problem with how the front lines up though. I have had counted the rows on both fronts and it should be fine. I am just putting it down as some random wonkiness. I realized when I was half done seaming that I should take the plies apart from the yarn and just seam with 1 of the three plies to get smaller seams. We will see what this sweater looks like on the baby.
Details:
Pattern: Soft Cardi in a Knitters Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes
Needles: Size 4.5 mm
Yarn: Rowan Cotton Rope

Next up is the top down raglan that I introduced here. This yarn started off as a kimono that turned out too weird so it got reknitted in this raglan. This is my first raglan sweater and I can see why people love to knit them.
It needs some blocking but overall I am happy with how this sweater turned out.
Details:
Pattern: Top Down Raglan by Carole Barenys
Needles: 3.5mm US 4
Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly DK - 2 skeins

Politcal rant

We interrupt this knitting blog for the following rant. It is about the Canadian election if you are not interested please feel free to skip.

The Conservative Party has not released a platform. I have asked them from a link on their website what their platform is, I haven't heard back. Harper has said he will announce policy on Oct 15 (the day after the election). What the hell good does that do for me?
All of the election ads have been attack ads, what other people have done wrong, why their plans won't work.

So far in election promises Harper has promised:
Up to $750 tax credit for new home buyers (doesn't mean you will get $750)
$0.02/L decrease in diesel / aviation fuel tax. The gas prices are changing by >$.10/L overnight - what does this do.
$150 tax credit to seniors
As I can't find the platform and only am able to get the sound bites of these policies what they actually mean is not much.

I want to know what his plans are on health care, environment, agriculture, family, economy. Harper has assured us we are not going to have a recession since if we were going to have one it would have started already. I need something more to go on.

My question is why are people going to vote for the Conservative Party - they are not willing to tell you what they want to do with the country yet you are willing to hand over control to them. Polls are showing that the Tories have 36% national support. This makes no sense to me.

A couple of things that I did find out about Harper while searching for his platform. He is writing a book on the early days of the NHL and that Laureen Harper is also listed as a Conservative Leader (she has never been elected so I don't know how this has happened).

If anyone out there is planning on voting conservative or knows some one who is I have a two simple questions "What part of the Tory platform attracts you? What do you want to see Harper accomplish?"

If my search of the Conservative website and of the internet has been faulty and a policy document is out there then please let me know where it is.

I think I will send a l link to this blog entry Conservative candidate in my riding to see if they can shed light on this issue.

Knitters Fair

This was an impulse buy.
Well as much as an impulse as seeing something deciding you want it, putting it back and saying if it is still here when I finish wandering this room then I will get it is. It is 8 balls of Estelle 100% silk in a beige. Now when I decided to get it, I thought there was 9 balls in the bag which I figured would easily make a cardigan. I got home and had it on the coffee table and say wear it was written in large letters 8 balls. I looked at the bag again - yup 8 balls. I think though this will be enough for the February Ladies Sweater (rav link).

My next purchase I debated about for a long time, I ended up getting Shelridge Farms DKW Soft Touch yarn in peacock .
So yummy. This will be a hat for me and possibly for the little one as well. They had a great pumpkin and yellow that would be great for a Jayne's Hat but unfortunately they were sold out of their red. I also think the red is not the right colour- a little more on the blue spectrum than yellow. When I went back later in the day, to get the pumpkin and yellow they were now sold out of the pumpkin. This yarn obviously does not want to be a Jayne's Hat. I have admired their yarns and their patterns for a long time so I am glad that I finally bought some yarn.

I also got some Acid exhaust dye to overdye the laceweight that I tried to naturally dye last year and was not happy about the colour.

Last time I mentioned the Cascade yarn for Christmas Stockings that I got at Shall We Knit, here is a photo of it. I still haven't decided on a pattern- and probably won't till I go to cast on. It is just nice to know the options.
The baby blanket is 1/2 seamed and I also have some sweaters that now have buttons to show you in the next post.

Since we have an election coming up although everyone seems bored of it (it is not very exciting compared to the one to the south) I thought I would share this post

Potential Fall knitting

I have been thinking lately of some upcoming projects to work on this fall. As Jenni mentioned the fall is going to be hectic (and that I should get buttons).
Before I get into what I want to knit and possible patterns, I should come clean on what is on my needles that needs to be finished.

1. Hedera socks - these are about 75% done
2. Koigu socks - I have one done, easy knitting once I cast on and get to it - what were those magic numbers again
3. Sideways cardigan - I need to knit the sleeves for this. I should/need to get this done before the baby comes so I can think on how to do the sleeves
4. Baby blanket - Easy squares that are almost done and which needs to be seamed and a border attached.

The plan is to have yellow triangles (1 left) all around the outside so it ends up being an octagon. Then I will pick up stitches in the turquoise for a border around the outside once it is seamed together. I just now need to sit down and figure out the crochet seam since I think that will be the best one for this blanket.

Now on to my want to cast on this fall list.
Hat - I love my hat, it is warm and soft and comfortable and warm. It is just to warm for those fall/spring days that are just above freezing and you want something on your ears but 4 layers of stranded alpaca knitting just is a little too much. So possible contenders

1. Short Row Hat by Veronica Avery (I could use the left over silk garden from my cardigan)
2. Shining Star hat by Kate Gilbert
3. Foilage by Emilee Mooney

I think all three hats would be simple enough not to require too much thinking, not overly warm but still enough to block out some of that wind.

Christmas Stockings - Ali and I have some great stockings that my step mom made that reside on their house. I realized last year that we should get our own stockings for our house, and will also need to make the little one their own stocking for this year. I bought some Cascade 220 in heathered green and red to make the stockings and just need to figure out what designs. I will put a white/cream top on stockings for the names. Things I am toying with:

1. Stranded patterns, a large snowflake perhaps with some smaller designs
2. Knitting the stocking to be felted then needle felting designs on it

I haven't found any patterns yet (not that I have looked hard) that jump out at me, I did love the yarn and it did say Christmas stockings for me. I need to take out Christmas Stockings: 18 Holiday Treasures to Knit from the local library.

After writing on how I need to knit myself a new hat, I should also point out that the I have not knit the baby a hat- there have been a couple given as gifts that are different sizes. I think the baby will need a greater selection of hats. I do have the Itty Bitty hats book out of the library.

On Friday night knit and chat I got this new pamphlet from Skacel - Sock Puppets they are not puppets made from socks but socks for your baby that are puppets. How can you look at those photos and not say "Ahhhhh"


Why have I been thinking of fall projects - why the KW Knitters Fair is coming up fast - Saturday to be exact. A shopping list needs to be determined. Last year I had some specific things I wanted this year it is much more fluid (which can be dangerous) but I also feel that I have a much larger stash this year that needs to be worked up.