Bag-End Bunny ("Sophie" by Ysolda Teague)

My brother and his wife are expecting their first child, and I really wanted to make something for my new nephew. I thought about making a blanket, but my sister-in-law is a fantastic knitter, and was already making her baby a gorgeous blanket.

So, I started thinking about what else I could make him, and remembered another baby shower I'd been to once, where a friend had knitted a really adorable stuffed elephant for the new baby.

Reader, I was inspired. I went to my friend's Ravelry page, and found the elephant pattern, and it turned out it was by Ysolda Teague, so I started looking at Ysolda's other patterns, and there was one in particular that I loved.

So I made a bunny. Isn't he cute?

The pattern for the bunny is "Sophie." It's really well-written, which is good, because there were some really tricky bits (I broke two separate needles), and having clear instructions kept me from getting frustrated during the difficult bits.

But the part I'm REALLY proud of his little sweater. I designed it myself, and it's removable, see?

I'm so pleased with how this turned out! I don't think I've ever winged a design like this before in knitting--only in crochet. But I might do more of it now, because it was really fun!

Peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

Yarnalong: "Made for More" and "Outline"

Today I'm linking up with Ginny, over at Small Things, who says, "Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading . . . I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading?"

The book:

Dorothy Sayers' essay/book "Are Women Human?" has long been one of my favorites. And Hannah Anderson's "Made for More" feels like an expansion on much of what I love about Sayers' classic.

At least, it does so far!  I'll doubtless write a review when I finish it, and we can talk more about it then. :)

The knitting:

I'm knitting "Outline" by Beata Jezek (free pattern on Ravelry), using some Pagewood Farm Sock Bites and Valley Yarns Franklin (in "natural").

I started this on our family vacation to Oregon, and I'm enjoying the stripe-y goodness of this project. It's very much a potato-chip project: it's hard to knit for just one stripe.


What are you knitting these days? What are you reading?

Peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

This post contains an Amazon affiliate link; if you purchase a book from this link, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.  (See full disclosure on sidebar of my blog.)

Yarnalong: "The Lifegiving Home" and "Pavement"

Today I'm linking up with Ginny, over at Small Things, who says, "Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading . . . I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading?"

The book:

I'm reading "The Lifegiving Home" by Sally and Sarah Clarkson. So far, it's a lovely and restful read, perfect for summer.

The knitting:

The knitting is "Pavement", by Veera Välimäki (Rav link). It's a cute pullover and I'm ... well, honestly, I'm knitting it in order to knit up some old (really beautiful, but been-sittin'-in-my-stash-too-long) laceweight yarn. I'm holding two laceweight yarns double, and I like the fabric I'm getting. Here's a link to my project details on Ravelry.

Välimäki is the designer of the "Color Affection" shawl, which I knit not just once, not just twice, but three times. It's fun to finally take on one of her sweater designs.


What are you creating and reading this week?

Peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

This post contains an Amazon affiliate link; if you purchase a book from this link, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.  (See full disclosure on sidebar of my blog.)

New Finished Objects!

I recently finished a few large projects: an afghan and a table runner.

The table runner was made of laceweight cotton, and it was one of those slow, meditative projects. I designed it myself, specifically for this yarn. Very plain, the only decoration was a line of eyelet lace on either end:

But it looks pretty on our oak table, and I've been enjoying seeing it in our dining room this week. (Forgive my terrible photography! I promise it looks better IRL.)

The afghan was another project where I made up the pattern in order to fit the yarn: in this case, the yarn was passed on to me by someone who'd decided to go a different direction with her own project. I started crocheting it, and my daughter, Bess, asked, "Is that for me?"

And with that question asked, it was. :)

Now that it's done, Bess has taken to coming home and curling up straight away on the couch and burrowing under her cozy new blanket, which is just very gratifying to this crafter.

Of course, now the other three kids are sure they need one, too.

They all already have full-sized blankets that I've crocheted them, but those blankets were made of acrylic, and I admit that I love the idea of making them all wool afghans that are really, truly WARM. I think I just might ...

And that's how it goes: projects beget projects.  

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

Yarnalong: Oh-so-bright socks & "Love the Home You Have"

Today I'm linking up with Ginny, over at Small Things, who says, "Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading . . . I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading?"

The book:

I'm reading "Love the Home You Have", by Melissa Michaels. As a mom of four in a small home, I admit to loving the title. :) 

And so far the book is pretty good. I don't identify much with the author - she's someone who has moved many, many times, mostly just in search of the "perfect home" - and I'm someone who enjoys staying put when I can. But I do appreciate her search for contentment, and now that I'm through the more biographical part of the book, I'm curious to see what practical advice she has for me.

The knitting:

The knitting is (yay!) birthday yarn! It's Schachenmayr Regia Fluormania Color in Neon Beach (Rav link). It's so beautifully bright. I almost made the yarn into a scarf (and I have another skein of it, so I might yet), but I was really in the mood for making socks, so I just gave into the impulse!  

What are you making and reading this week?

Peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

This post contains an Amazon affiliate link; if you purchase a book from this link, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.  (See full disclosure on sidebar of my blog.)

Knitted Finished Object: "Dressie Dress"

Just a short post today about a little something I made last year, but hadn't posted yet. I wanted to wait until the little girl I'd made it for had a chance to wear it. :)

The pattern (which I found on Ravelry) is "Dressie Dress". A lovely, simple knit - and it's a free pattern!

I modified it by adding extra increases at the waist, and then at the ruffle on the bottom because I wanted something a little more full.

I also added a stabilizing line of single-crochet at the neckline and the armholes, which I was very happy with.


And this was also a very happy knit, because I got to make it for a new niece. It was one of those knits where I got to pray while I made it, asking God's grace on this new baby girl who was coming into the world.


Peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

Yarnalong: baby blanket and "The Winner's Crime"

Today I'm linking up with Ginny, over at Small Things, who says, "Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading . . . I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading?"

I'm reading "The Winner's Crime", by Marie Rutkoski. It's the second in a trilogy, and you can read my review of the first one here. I think my favorite thing about this book is that while it gives you all the angsty emotions you'd expect from a YA, it doesn't let its protagonists be idiots about their emotions. Yes, they're in love and they're young and they'd like to Romeo-and-Juliet all the consequences . . . but they don't. They keep the broader picture in mind, they temper their emotions with reason - maybe not well, maybe not perfectly, but wow, I just like that they're teenagers who are trying.  

(And yes, I think the angsty emotions and gorgeous setting and quickly-moving plot are awesome, too.)

Now, the knitting!  This is a heavily modified version of the "Hip To Be Square" pattern in "60 Quick Baby Blankets", using some of the oldest yarn in my stash: Universal Yarns Classic Shades. Some friends just had their first baby and I wanted to make her something snuggly!  I love how the subtle color changes work with the mitered squares in this pattern.

Thank you for stopping by! For more yarny goodness, head on over to the link-up at Ginny's!

Peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

This post contains an Amazon affiliate link; if you purchase a book from this link, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.  (See full disclosure on sidebar of my blog.)

"Peace Attend Thee" blanket and cardigan

My sister just had her first daughter, and I had the joy of visiting her the day she was born. Isn't she a little cutie?

This could just be an excuse to post a slew of cute baby pictures, but I'll try to talk a bit about the knitting. :)

The blanket wrapped around my new niece is the "Alpaca Baby Shawl" and I knit it in Knit Picks' yarn "Imagination" in the colorway "Giant Peach".  My Ravelry project page is here.

This was a great pattern: the lace wasn't too difficult, but it was interesting, and there were lots of stockinette rest rows. All of that knitting joy, and the finished project itself turned out beautifully. It's a warm blanket, but since it's sock-weight, it's not too warm for a baby born in southern California.

The above picture (with the cute baby) shows the yarn's true color well, but here's one that shows the shape of the finished object better:

I also made a little cardigan to go with, but no cute baby pic here because the cardigan is more 3-6 mo. size, rather than newborn:

I liked this pattern too, and was so pleased with how it turned out, but I admit: I almost gave up on it at the beginning just because there were so freaking many stitch markers. It drove me a little insane.  (The pattern is "Sunnyside" and my frustration shouldn't keep you from knitting it: the pattern's good and clear; the frustration was all my own fault. My project page on Ravlery is here.)

But I'm glad I kept on, because once more of the knitting was done and I could really perceive the shape of it, it started making more sense and I think the zigzag lace down the front and around the shoulders is classy. 

One change I made: instead of a knit picot edging, I did the edging in crochet. Not only was it easier, but I like the look of crochet picot better than knit.

All in all, these were really satisfying projects - but the most satisfying thing of all was meeting the baby I made them for!  Thank God for his great mercies. 

Peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

Yarnalong: "Alpaca Baby Shawl" and "The Game of Kings"

I'm linking up with Ginny, over at Small Things, who says, "Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading . . . I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading?"

The knitting:
I'm knitting "The Alpaca Baby Shawl", by Marie Grace Smith, in Knitpicks Imagination. The colorway is "Giant Peach".

This one is special, because it's for my only sister's first baby girl. Oh, I can't tell you how I'm looking forward to meeting this dear little one!  She's already got such a personality - she is SUCH a baby for dancing and kicking in her mother's belly. :D  I love her, and I love praying for her as I make this lacy baby blanket.


The reading:
I've started reading "The Game of Kings", by Dorothy Dunnett, encouraged by folks who compared her historical fiction to Patrick O'Brien's, whose work I've enjoyed in the past.

Much like O'Brien's work, this book gave me the feeling of having dived into cold water way over my head.  But (also like O'Brien's work), I haven't been able to put it down. Scotland, intrigue, and a silver-tongued anti-hero . . . I think I'm in this one till the end.


What have you been making and reading this week?



Peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell


This post contains an Amazon affiliate link; if you purchase a book from this link, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.  (See full disclosure on sidebar of my blog.)

Yarnalong: Jaywalkers and "The Penderwicks"

I'm linking up with Ginny, over at Small Things, who says, "Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading . . . I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading?"

The knitting:
I'm knitting another pair of Jaywalkers, this time for my mother.  (I wrote about my first pair of Jaywalkers here and here.)  

This pair is a belated birthday present - I only finished the first of the socks yesterday. Don't worry, my mom knows they're coming! And given our present heatwave, she's happy to wait for them. :)  (No one's wearing socks here right now for the fun of it. Blah. 90 degree heat is a sure sign of fall, right?)


The reading:
I've started reading "The Penderwicks" to my kids as our evening reading. My mom started reading this to the kids during one of our camping trips this summer. Now that I've finished our last family read-aloud (John White's "Gaal the Conquerer"), I've taking up "The Penderwicks" where Mom left off.

It's so good. It reminds me of my own childhood reads - particularly of Elizabeth Enright's books, like "The Four Story Mistake". It's a summer book, full of sibling love and country life and the world of the imagination.

One of the reasons I love this book is that my children beg for it. They want to listen to these books more than they want another episode of TV.

That's brilliant. 

I love books that teach my children to love books. And they love it because there's something there to love: there's family and joy and adventures.

Great book. Loving it.

So, what are you knitting or reading?

Peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

This post contains an Amazon affiliate link; if you purchase a book from this link, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.  (See full disclosure on sidebar of my blog.)

Knitted Finished Objects: Wee Envelope Baby Sweater and Matching Baby Hat

I finished it in time for the baby shower!  And that is the very exciting news about this particular sweater.

I was weaving in the last few stitches on this sweater the morning of the baby shower while my daughter (who I hired for the occasion) baked cinnamon breakfast muffins for the same party. (I highly recommend growing your own 11-year-old gourmet.)

The pattern and  yarn links for this sweater are in this blog post, if you're interested in knitting one for yourself (or an expectant friend).  

I was pleased with how it turned out: the "envelope" neck opening really is perfect for a big, wobbly baby head.

I also made a matching hat out of the same yarn:

The pattern is one I've used before and you can find it for free here.

Looking forward to meeting the recipient soon! :)

Peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

Yarnalong: "Wee Envelope" and "The Winner's Curse", by Marie Rutkoski

I'm linking up with Ginny, over at Small Things, who says, "Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading . . . I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading?"

The knitting:
The pattern is "Wee Envelope" by Ysolda Teague. I love how this sweater is designed with a baby's big, wobbly head in mind. Some church friends of ours are expecting their first baby, a boy, and I'm excited to be knitting a little something for them.

I also love the chance to pray for the baby and the parents as I knit. Does anyone else do this, as they work on a gift for someone? I bet I'm not alone in this habit . . .

The yarn is Loops & Threads Luxury Sock.  I like it because it has just a touch of cashmere (10%), but that's enough to make it noticeably soft to the touch, which is perfect for a baby garment.


The book:
I started this book yesterday, during my kids' swimming lessons: "The Winner's Curse", by Marie Rutkoski. So far? So good!  It's a typical YA spec. fic. set-up: we have our disaffected heroine, our mysterious hero, our weird unlikely society . . . but it's well done, and with this genre, that's what matters. 

I know I sound cynical when I talk about "a typical set-up", but I promise that I'm not. Writing genre well is hard, and I love genre lit. In this book, the writing is good and the setting is interesting and the protagonists are likeable and I want to keep reading, which thrills me. I love finding a story that pulls me in and this one does. I'm curious to see where the author is going with this plot and these characters and I'm enjoying the journey.

So, what are you knitting or reading?

Peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

 

This post contains an Amazon affiliate link; if you purchase a book from this link, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.  (See full disclosure on sidebar of my blog.)

Knitted Finished Object: Wee Lima Sweater

So, my dear friends' new little boy is not actually named Bob, but all the little first-graders in his big sister's class (which also happens to be my Anna and Lucy's class) called him "Baby Bob" before he was born, and now I have trouble thinking of him as anything else.

So here is the sweater I made for Baby Bob:

I wrote about it before here, but now it's done, and it has buttons!  Little tiny car buttons.

I know, but they were honestly the cutest ones in the shop, so what could I do?

I hope he wears it in good health.


Peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

Knitted Finished Object: Anniversary Scarf

My husband bought me the yarn I used in this scarf on an anniversary trip. We were at the beach, and, moreover, at a beautiful yarn shop on the beach . . . and he bought me this lovely skein of Malabrigo.

It sat in my stash for a few years. To my shame.

But eventually I found the perfect pattern for it: a scarf with just a simple bit of lace. Not so complicated a pattern that the lovely color changes in the yarn were overwhelmed.

I love how it turned out.  It's going to grace a lot of outfits in the years to come, I predict, and every time I wear it I can remember a lovely trip to the beach with the man of my heart.

Peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

Knitted FO: baby socks! (and a hat)

My cousin just had her first baby, and I greedily took advantage of the occasion by using it as an excuse to make my first pair of baby socks:

Itty-bitty-baby socks!  so cute!

I think I might make these again.

For my fellow knitters, here's the pattern I used. It was free, and while I might have modified it a bit to fit the way I like knitting my socks, I found it a great jumping-off point.

Yarn is leftover Cascade Heritage, the colorway I used to make my dad's gloves.


I also used the same yarn to make a matching baby hat:

I like the sock-and-hat gift set idea. I can see myself doing it again.

Peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

Yarnalong: a shrug for Bess and reading about the old West

~ before getting into this entry, I wanted to remind you that  I'm hosting a giveaway here for free books. Enter to win! It's free! Okay, onto the good stuff! ~

I'm linking up with Ginny, over at Small Things, who says, "Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading . . . I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading?"

The books:

My writing's taken a turn for the historical and that means I've gotten to indulge in one of my favorite pastimes: research!

My dad introduced me to this awesome series of books, the Time-Life Old West series. Alongside the history, they're full of anecdotes and character sketches drawn from old diaries, letters, and newspapers. Reading them really feels more like reading a short story collection than anything else . . . except that all the stories are true!

Needless to say, I get the best plot ideas out of these. :D  Right now, I'm making my way through  "The Women", by Joan Swallow Reiter and "The Forty-Niners" by William Weber Johnson. 

The knitting:

Bess wants a shrug and so a shrug she shall have! I'm knitting with worsted weight cotton and NOT knitting dishcloths (vive la différence). It's a revelation: the yarn is so soft and thick, but so nice and cool at the same time. Given our hot climate here in Los Angeles, I could see myself doing this a lot more. Yarn is Universal Yarn Cotton Supreme (Ravelry link).

What are you knitting or reading?

Peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

This post contains an Amazon affiliate link; if you purchase a book from this link, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.  (See full disclosure on sidebar of my blog.)

Knitted FO's: another baby hat and another scarf

It feels like all-craft week here on my blog!  I guess I've gotten behind on documenting the things I'm making . . . 

Anyway, I'd made scarfs for each of my girls (see here, here, and here) and so it was Gamgee's turn. 

He wanted blue and orange, and so I took advantage of the anniversary sales over at WEBS, and bought some yarn. I ended up with this:

I also used some scrap sock yarn to make this baby hat:

Do I know what baby it's for?  Nope!  :)  But I have a few ideas (and a lot of expectant friends).  

It never hurts to have a few gifts put away for a special occasion, because, God be praised, special occasions keep coming up.

Peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

Knitted FO: a scarf for Anna

My youngest daughter dearly wanted a scarf, and so I obliged:

It's just a simple garter-stitch scarf (and if you're interested in the yarns here, you can see my Ravelry entry here). It's very similar to the one I made for her twin sister, which you can see at the end of the entry here.

But it made her happy, which made me happy too. :)


Peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

Knitted FO: Viajante

It took forever to finish this.

It's a very big project, and I knit it in a cobweb-weight silk that I reclaimed from a very tightly-knit Ann Taylor sweater I bought at a thrift store. (See this post for more on yarn recycling.)

But it's beautiful.  And so light and airy!

I'm not sure when I'm going to wear it - other than on Pentecost Sunday, when everybody ought to be wearing something red and brilliant, to remind us of the coming of the Holy Spirit in fire and flame - but I still love it.  It's so bright, so light . . . if it weren't so cool and comfortable, I'd say it was the embodiment of fire and lava.

I do want to try making Viajante again, this time perhaps in a yarn that behaves itself a bit more than my nutty recycled silk thread. I'm thinking about using all my leftover laceweight scraps, and buying a white yarn to tie them altogether.

What do you think?  Have you knit Viajante yet, or do you want to?


Peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

Yarnalong: "Lizzy & Jane", and a baby sweater!

I'm linking up with Ginny, over at Small Things, who says, "Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading . . . I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading?"

The book: I'm reading "Lizzy and Jane", by Katherine Reay. This is by the same author who wrote "Dear Mr. Knightley" (you can read my review here), and I like it a lot so far. The subject matter is a bit heavier, but the writing is still just so, so good.

The knitting:  I'm making a baby sweater for a friend who is due with her first boy soon (she has two girls already). The pattern is "Wee Lima" and the yarn is Plymouth Encore (the blue) and Lion Brand Wool Ease (grey).  I wanted something that would be easy for my friend to throw in the wash!

This is a really simple pattern, but I think it's turning out adorably! I also love that it buttons up by the neck, because I remember how hard it could be to get something over a wobbly baby head. :)  I think I'm going to have fun picking out the buttons!


Peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell


This post contains an Amazon affiliate link; if you purchase a book from this link, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.  (See full disclosure on sidebar of my blog.)