Windy City Cowl

I knitted this cowl for my sister for Christmas.  It was very easy to knit and came together pretty quickly.

I found the pattern, designed by Jen Geigley, on Ravelry.  She calls is the GAP-Tastic Cowl, but I thought it more appropriate to call it the Windy City Cowl because my sister lives in Chicago.  If you're not familiar with Chicago winters, they can be brutal.  A thick, warm cowl like this really comes in handy!

I really like how the seed stitch turned out.  I've never knitted with seed stitch before and it took me a few rows to get into a rhythm.  After that though, it went really quickly. 

One note about the pattern - it calls for a US 13 (9mm) 24" circular needle.  I used a 13, but with a length of 34".  I'm not sure how it would work on a 24" - it seems like it would be really tight. 

The yarn I used is Wool Ease Thick & Quick from Lion Brand.  A bulky weight yarn, that is easy to knit with.

I didn't make the cowl as wide as the pattern calls for.  The pattern says 15", but I think I knitted until it was closer to 12".  I thought 15" might be just a little too wide.

I was in Chicago last weekend to visit my sister and celebrate my birthday.  I planned on taking a few pictures of the cowl for the blog, but completely forgot.  My sister did wear it one day, so here's a shot of it in action:

The picture above was taken on my birthday....my 35th.  Is is just me, or does 35 sound waaaaay older than 34?

We had a great time together.  Did some shopping, watched our MSU Spartans beat Ohio State, and enjoyed cocktails and a delicious dinner.

Here's my sister & I with our Mom, taken after my birthday dinner:

If you are looking for an easy knit, try this cowl - you'll like it!

Baby Surprise Jacket II

.

A few weeks ago I finished my second Baby Surprise Jacket.  I actually started this one first but set is aside so I could make this one as a baby gift for a friend.

.

Knitting this was really fun.  I'm not a very experienced knitter, and there are definitely a few mistakes, but not too bad for my second sweater!

.

I used a US size 4 circular needle.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I sort of fell in love with this little sweater while I was making it.  I don't think I'll be able to part with it!

.

If you are interested in the pattern it can be purchased from the School House Press here.

.

In other news, I started training for a 5k four weeks ago and last week developed 'runners knee'.  I have been hobbling around for the last week.  I went to the doctor today and they gave me prescription strength Motrin.  Has this ever happened to anyone?  Any tips?  It is hard to walk and so painful!  Just when I thought I might actually become a runner. . .

.

.
Even though our Spartans didn't win this weekend, we still had a great time in Indy. 
.

.

.

.

I have a feeling that my Spartans will be back next year!

Baby Surprise Jacket - Finished!

.

I finally finished the Baby Surprise Jacket!  You can see my first post about it here.  The pattern is by Elizabeth Zimmermann and was written in 1968!  I had a really great time knitting this.  I am going to give it to my friend who had a baby girl last week.
.
Here's the sweater, still on the needles and with only a few more rows to knit:
.

.

.

The interesting thing about this sweater is that it is knit up in one piece and there are only two seams - one at each arm.

.

Here's a picture of the finished knit.  It's hard to believe that this turns into a sweater!

.

.

Fold it up and it looks like this:

.

.

Isn't that amazing?

.

.

Seaming up the sleeves:

.

.

.

I sewed on three buttons and the sweater was finished.

.

.

.

.

Here's the back:

.

.

I found several great resources online for help with this pattern.  The first is a series of videos on YouTube made by the owner of my local yarn shop.  Click here for the first video in the series.  Also helpful, especially for how to seam the arms, is Yarn Harlot.  Click here for her post on the BSJ.  Also, if you search online for 'BSJ row counts' you will find several charts people have posted to for keeping track of the rows - very helpful!
.
I've linked this post up to Make it for Monday over @ Cottage Instincts.  Check it out!

On the Needles. . .

I find myself wanting to knit quite a bit lately. I think it must be the cooler weather that has me wanting to knit up lots of warm, little things.

It's hard to tell from this photo, but this little lovely is soon going to be a baby cardigan.

I'm working on the Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ) by Elizabeth Zimmermann. The pattern was originally published by EZ in her newsletter in 1968. It's a really fun pattern to work on because the whole sweater is knit up in one piece. When you are finished all you have to do is seam up the sleeves, sew on a few buttons, and you have an adorable little cardigan!

Here is a little better look of how the finished sweater will look.

See - it's almost a sweater!

To knit this up I am using a size US 4 circular needle and a beautiful 100% cotton yarn (made in Italy!). I have a friend at work who is pregnant and due in January. She isn't finding out what she is having (although she is certain it's a girl) and I am really hoping for a girl so I can give her this sweater! I do have a few ideas for baby boy gifts that I hope to get to this weekend.