New baby set

Lots of babies are happening. (Did you know 2007 saw a mini-baby boom?) I've been working hard to keep up. Lots of almost-finished-projects and a few that are awaiting a trip to the post office, or a visit. Here is one that has already made its way to its new home:

The embroidery pattern is by Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching - I have her book and love it. Here is a close up:

I used a combination of back stitch, outline stitch, and straight stitch. I would have done outline stitch (my favorite) throughout but it just wasn't working for the flame.

The hat is a free pattern by Hey Julie here. It came out super tiny, so I hope it will fit!

One local wipeout

I am a bad locavore. I have managed to cook exactly one complete local meal this summer.

The first reason, it seems to me, is because other than veggies, the locally-available staples are...meat and potatoes. Now, don't get me wrong, I am a great lover of the potato, plus I am married to a carnivore. (The type of carnivore who once announced, "No, tonight I am making you dinner," and re-appeared 15 minutes later with an enormous steak and a single spear of broccoli that managed to be simultaneously undercooked and limp. Bless his heart.) But, these days we're leaning more towards non-meat-and-potatoes dinners. And I'm not finding any tofu or lentils at the local farmer's market.

Which, and this is the second big obstacle I've encountered, runs on Friday afternoons. Not only is this always a busy time for me, we are also running on lockdown mode past 4 p.m. these days. Noodle is transitioning from two naps to one and if he falls asleep again after his midday nap (for even 5 seconds), as he invariably does in the car, bedtime is a long, hard mess for everyone involved. So, getting to the farmer's market has been rather impossible on any kind of weekly basis.

I'm glad I tried, though. It certainly turned my head inside-out. I mean, just by the fact that I got my first tomatoes of the season this week, and there were barely enough for one salad. I was expecting an avalanche by July and have been dutifully washing jars in preparation for making them into sauce. This alone is such a powerful demonstration of what pre-industrial food distribution must have been like - and what it takes for us to overcome its limitations, for better or for worse.

Check out my hippie cred

While my granola was in the oven...

...I tie-dyed.

(Can I tell you? Dyeing stuff is crazy fun. More on that later.)

No girl-dreds like the gals at my CSA farm for me...yet. Every time I pick up my veggies, I'm seized by an intense longing to run away to the farm. I'm going to blame that impulse on my kibbutznikit mom.

I totally made my baby pants out of a pair of old boxer shorts

Well, the pattern was too cool to waste and they were insanely soft. (The source material donor will remain anonymous.)

I used this general concept and it took about half an hour. I could have taken 45 minutes and done it better, but Noodle is going through major separation anxiety. He likes to be not just near me but, preferably, in my arms. Best compliment ever. Makes hobbies - not to mention basics like cooking and sleeping - a bit challenging, though.

What was I saying? I didn't zigzag the seams, because I ha-a-ate zigzagging and am starting to covet a serger. I definitely do not sew enough to justify even a crappy, eBay-ed serger, but the coveting continues. I think the seams will be okay, as the summer is (sniff) rapidly coming to a close, and I wasn't really all that careful about cutting out the pieces either. (I'm calling the off-center seams "design elements.") Also, while this approach would be spot-on for Disposable-Diaper Tush, it needs a little tweaking to accommodate Cloth Diaper Tush.

And tweak I shall. This is a really easy and fun weekend project. Plus look how much fun the pants (shorts, actually) had:

Hugs & Kisses Baby Sweater (Beta)

Here it is...the very first Studio Tamar original knitting pattern! I'm calling it a beta release because it's really just my pattern notes formalized a bit - I haven't tested the pattern or done it in different sizes. I didn't really set out to write a pattern, and in general I don't have that designer yen when it comes to knitting. But I absolutely could not find a pattern for a v-neck raglan baby sweater knit in the round, so I went ahead and wrote down what I was doing. If I ever get around to re-knitting this and testing out my notes, I'll issue this as a Ravelry download. If you happen to knit this in the meantime, I would love it if you'd send me any corrections or suggestions. And pictures, of course!

Size: 12-18 months

Yarn: You can use any worsted weight yarn for this sweater, and I think it would turn out lovely. I say that because I hate it when patterns are written only for a specific type of yarn - although I actually did come up with this pattern specifically for the Nashua Handknits Wooly Stripes Tweed that I splurged on. And I do I think this pattern showcases that yarn well.

Needles:
4.5 mm / US7 24" circular
4.5 mm / US 7 double-pointed (set of 4 or 5)
5.0 mm / US8 24" circular
5.0 mm / US 8 double-pointed (set of 4 or 5)
You will also need 3 long and 2 short stitch holders, or scrap yarn.

Gauge:
In the round, 18 stitches per 10cm/4" (4.5 stitches per 2.5 cm/1")

XO Cable Panel:
(Directions are given for knitting this cable in the round.)
The cable is worked over 12 stitches, with a 16-stitch vertical repeat.
ROWS 1, 2 & 3: p2, k8, p2
ROW 4: p2, C4B, C4F, p2
ROWS 5, 6 & 7: p2, k8, p2
ROW 8: p2, C4F, C4B, p2
ROWS 9, 10 & 11: p2, k8, p2
ROW 12: [same as row 8]
ROWS 13, 14 & 15: p2, k8, p2
ROW 16: [same as row 4]

C4B = Cable 4 back: slip two stitches onto cable needle, with cable needle held in back, knit next two stitches from left needle, then knit two stitches from cable needle
C4F = Cable 4 front: slip two stitches onto cable needle, with cable needle held in front, knit next two stitches from left needle, then knit two stitches from cable needle

Instructions:
The sweater is knit in the round from the top up, until the neckline/raglan shoulder shaping when it is knit back-and-forth. The sleeves are knit in the round and joined, then the neckline is finished.

BODY: Cast on 104 stitches with smaller circular needle.
First row: Place marker [to mark the beginning of the round] and join. Change to larger circular needle and work in 2x2 ribbing, placing marker halfway through round (*k2, p2*, rep 13 times [52 stitches], pm [to mark front from back], continue to end).
Work 5 more rows of 2x2 ribbing.
Next row: k20, pm, work row 1 of cable pattern, pm, k to end.
Continue in cable pattern until piece measure about 20cm (~8") from cast-on edge.

SLEEVES: Make two.
Cast on 36 stitches with smaller dpns.
Pm at beginning of round and work 6 rows of 2x2 ribbing.
Change to larger dpns and k 12 rows.
Next row: Inc 1 st at beg and end of round.
Cont in st st, increasing every six rows [50 stitches].
Cont until piece measures about 16cm (~6.25").

JOIN: Join arms to sweater body as follows.
From the body, slip the 5 stitches to the right of the beginning-of-the-round marker (i.e., the last 5 stitches of the last round you knit) onto a small stitch holder or scrap yarn. Then, from the first sleeve, do the same, slipping the last 5 stitches from the last round onto another stitch holder. Place the marker on on the body needle [I'll now call this m1] and use the body needle to knit the rest of the sleeve stitches. Place another marker [m2] on the needle and knit across to the middle-of-the-round marker. Slip the next 5 stitches onto a small stitch holder; take the second sleeve and, as before, slip the last 5 stitches of the last round onto a stitch holder. Then, continue with the body needle, replacing the marker [now, m3]and knitting the remaining stitches of the second sleeve. Place another marker [m4] and knit until the end of the round. (You should have four markers now, one before and after each sleeve.)
Now, knit one more complete round.

BEGIN V-NECK:
Begin a new round, knitting to m2 (i.e., knitting the sleeve stitches). Knit 26 stitches and turn the work. From now on, you will knit back-and-forth instead of in the round. The beginning of the row is now the point at which you turned the work.
Continue in stockinette stitch, purling across all stitches and slipping the markers when you get to them.

SHAPE NECK AND SHOULDERS:
You will simultaneously shape the v-neck and the shoulders.
Next row (RS): k1, ssk, k to 3 stitches before m1, k2tog, k1, sm1, k1, ssk, knit to 3 stitches before m2, k2tog, k1, sm2, k1, ssk, k to 3 stitches before m3, k2tog, k1, sm3, k1, ssk, k to 3 stitches before m4, k2tog, k1, sm4, k1, ssk, k to 3 stitches before end, k2tog, k1.
Next row (WS): purl.
Continue for 15 more rows, ending with a RS row.
Next row (WS): p to 3 stitches past m2. Slip the remaining, unworked stitches onto a large holder. You will now continue by shaping first one side of the neck and then the other.
Next row (RS): continue with neck and raglan shaping for 4 more rows. Slip stiches onto holder.
You will now return to the other side of the neck. From the holder (WS), p to 3 stitches past the last remaining marker. Leave the center-back stitches on the holder.
Next row (RS): continue with neck and raglan shaping for 4 more rows. Place stitches on another holder.

FINISH V-NECK:
Pick up and knit 12 stitches down left side of v-neck (the sweater's left, that is), pm, pick up 2 stitches at the center of the "V", pm, pick up 12 stitches along right side of v-neck, k right sleeve stitches from holder, pick up 3 stitches between the right sleeve and center back, knit neck stitches from holder, pick up 3 stitches between the center back and the left sleeve, k left sleeve stitches from holder, pm [to mark beginning of round].
Work 1 round in k2, p2 rib.
Next round: rib to 2 stitches before first center marker, ssk, k2, sm, k2tog, rib to end.
Repeat last round 3 times more.

BIND OFF V-NECK:
For a loose bind-off, cut yarn to about 4 times the length of the neckline. Thread onto a tapestry needle and insert the needle onto the second stitch on your knitting needle knitwise - that is, as if you were going to knit with your tapestry needle. Pull the taspestry needle through to the second stitch; then, insert the tapestry needle into the first stitch on your knitting needle purlwise - as if you were going to purl with your tapestry needle. Pull through and drop the first stitch from the knitting needle. Don't overtighten! Continue until only one stitch remains. Pull the tapesty needle through knitwise, and your piece is bound off.

FINISHING:
Sew underarm seams.