Marsha

Two knitted gifts

After my last knitting-related post, I was still feeling pretty antsy to cast on for a non-sock knitting project. I started two and have already completed both of them.

p6108672bonnetftf.jpgFirst up: a bonnet based on the one Lyra wore in The Golden Compass. The story behind this yarn is a sad one. My friend Gina has a colleague whose mother died recently, and the colleague gave Gina her mother’s yarn. There were two balls of Lion Brand Jiffy Thick-and-Quick, and when Gina was at my house last week telling me the story, she asked if I wanted one. We both decided to knit charity hats with them (part of our admission to Knitters Day Out this fall), and I like to think that her friend’s mother would’ve have liked to see the yarn used this way. This was a very quick knit, done in maybe an hour and a half.

p6108673vestftf.jpgNext, I set out to knit something for Maggie, the daughter of one of my college friends. I’ve knit Maggie a few things already (a jester hat and a novelty-yarn scarf), both of which she’s appreciated. She just turned six in March, so I thought I’d make a foray into full-on garments this time. I started with the vest pattern in The Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns: Basic Designs in Multiple Sizes & Gauges (a very excellent book that belongs in every knitter’s library) and tweaked it here and there. I opted for a button-front style (rather than a pullover) and knit it in the round out of yarn I’d gotten in Vermont over the past few years. This was a lot of fun to knit!

maggie1.jpgThe result? Apparently, it was a hit! It arrived on an 85-degree day, and Maggie insisted on wearing it anyway. As you can see, it mostly fits yet still has lots of growing room, so she should get to enjoy it for at least a couple of years!

6 Responses to “Two knitted gifts”

  1. Chrison 19 Jun 2009 at 9:00 am

    Oh, so sorry to hear about your colleague’s mother – that sounds like a very good use of her yarn.

    The vest is adorable on Maggie!

  2. MACon 19 Jun 2009 at 10:20 am

    I should note that Maggie’s super slim and short like her parents. If she was the size of most of her friends, the fit would have been much truer. (If she was the size of her Amazon BFF, Marsha would have needed a lot more yarn! That child’s the size I was in fifth grade, but I digress.) But Maggie does love the vest and can’t wait to wear it to school this fall.

    Thanks again!
    MAC

  3. trishon 21 Jun 2009 at 1:55 am

    beautiful vest – Maggie has the good sense to wear such a fashion statement! Bravo!!!!

  4. Marshaon 21 Jun 2009 at 7:24 am

    Thanks, everyone!

  5. Bethon 22 Jun 2009 at 12:01 am

    Nice vest, I don’t know Maggie, but she sure looks proud in the photo. Question, Marsha, how did you knit the vest in the round as and it buttons up the front?

  6. Marshaon 22 Jun 2009 at 7:45 am

    Beth, I didn’t officially knit it in the round in that I didn’t use steeks. I knit it flat, back and forth. Almost all of Ann Budd’s sweater patterns call for knitting sweaters in pieces and seaming them together. I wanted a totally seamless version.