Long Time, No Post

Hi There! No, I haven't disappeared nor have I been assimilated by the BORG (thankfully!) - just been busy knitting for charity and spinning my own yarn!! Yes, since my last post I've learned to spin on spindles and my Ashford Kiwi spinning wheel! I Love It! :o) There's still a Lot I need to learn, but the more I do it the better I get! If you're a spinner, check out the Paradise Fibers link on the right (just under my profile) for some great deals on wool! Even if you don't spin, they have some great deals on yarns and supplies, too! :o)

Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Jacket in Stockinette Stitch

After testing my notes by making another of these wonderful little sweaters, I found that a few things needed some editing. I wanted to be sure everything was as accurate as possible so that nobody would have any trouble following along! :o) Now that I'm sure these Notes are correct, I feel more confident in sharing them with all of you! I hope you Enjoy making this and PLEASE consider making one for a charity of your choice! :o)

Specifics of sweater shown in photo:
Finished Chest Measurement - 19½" (buttoned)
Length - 11½" from shoulder seam to bottom of waistband
Gauge - 5 sts & 6½ rows per inch
Yarn used - Worsted Weight; about 5 ozs (143 g), 282 yds (258 m)

BSJ in Stockinette - Finished!

Finally Finished! I think it came out quite well and I'm itching to cast on another one! LOL The yarn I used for this is called Classic Worsted from Universal Yarn Inc. in colors 647 (Dark Gray) and 651 (White) available at LYS (Local Yarn Shops). This yarn is very similar to Encore by Plymouth Yarns and I like it just as much as the Encore! The only thing is that both of these yarns seem to work up more like a light worsted, in my opinion - but then again it could just be me! LOL :o)

This one is very "boyish", so I'm thinking that the next one I make will be with some Encore I have on hand in more "girly" colors! :o) In the meantime, I'll be writing up how I accomplished this BSJ in Stockinette stitch in a "legible" format! LOL Hopefully, I can get that done sometime over the weekend! :o)

BSJ in Stockinette - Part 2

Here is a pic of my BSJ so far. A few more rows and the extension part will be complete, then I'll finish with the garter stitch edging. I'll add some garter rows to the sleeves since they normally are a three-quarter length and a couple extra rows won't make a huge difference. :o) I'm also going to add a garter collar, but I'm not sure if I want a crew or shirt style - guess I'll decide that when I get there! Hmm .... maybe a shirt collar - that would be TOO CUTE!! LOL :o)

BSJ in Stockinette stitch

This is my current project - making the famous Baby Surprise Jacket in Stockinette stitch. The original pattern is done in Garter stitch and I've made several of them that way, but there had been some talk on the Knit Baby Surprise e-mail group about a Stockinette version, so I decided to try my hand at converting this classic! So far it seems to be working out well, although it is hard to tell in these photos due to the curling that stockinette naturally does. My plan is to finish the entire sweater with garter stitch edgings to counteract all the curling. :o)

The first pic is the BSJ after only a few rows and shows how the decreases all line up with the center st of the double decrease always on top. It also shows how I've marked this center stitch. In the next pic, all the decreasing is done and I'm about to begin the increases. In the last pic, I've folded the BSJ so you can get a vague idea as to what this is going to look like when it is finally all done. :o)

Hopefully soon I can get a pic of where I am on this sweater now. I've actually gotten all the increases finished and I'm working on the bottom extension (or lengthening), so I'm not really all that far from finishing this Adorable little sweater! :o)