Broadbeans mk II

Home-made Christmas presents? Only one, and that was this: 

Recognise it? It's the broadbean scarf, mk II. Actually I've been calling this version the neighbour scarf. Because it's in devil-red, and the numbers to remember while knitting it were 667 (6 stitches join the beans together, the beans are 26 stitches long and 7 rows wide). 

You wouldn't believe how many comments I've had on the broadbeans - and a few requests, but it is quite boring to make, in all honesty, so I can't see myself making another one unless someone really reeeeeeeeeeeeeally wants one.  

I would have made more Christmas presents (despite what I've said about gifting hand-made things), but it turns out that I would have needed to think about it in about September, and I wasn't that organised. 

Secret project: baby basketball jumper

I have made my first garment! I couldn't blog about it as I was going because it was a present and that would have blown it. But now I can unveil it - a baby jumper for Google Baby. Here it is, in pieces, in progress: 

It's a simple striped stocking-stitch jumper with a shoulder opening. Or rather, it should be simple. It actually took me three tries just to get past the 6 rows of ribbing at the beginning of the first panel. Once I got going it was pretty straightforward though, as there's hardly any shaping. I was really pleased with managing the ribbing around the neck, and with how fast I was making progress. 

Until I started sewing it all together. Here you can see where I've invisibly sewn my shoulder seam (looks good hey?) and my brilliant neckband. Note to self: finishing takes almost as long as making the garment in the first place. 

There were two panics involved in making this. I was very nervous about having enough of the dark blue yarn, and getting more and more nervous as I got nearer and nearer the end of the second sleeve. I decided to hold my nerve and just hope for the best, and the blue just about held out. You can see in the first picture that there was maybe a yard left over. 

The other big panic was that Google Baby has turned out to be a baby basketball player. The day after I finished the jumper, I talked to Google Mummy and she mentioned how he was too big for 6 - 9 months clothes. *Gulp* 

So I blocked it. 

Some knitters I know have told me how they don't block things as it flattens out the stitches and they don't like the effect it has. On the other hand, if your carefully hand-knitted baby jumper is too small, what can you do? Block it so that it's bigger by half a size, is what. 

Happily, word is that junior Michael Jordan does fit into the jumper (and he looks really cute in it too, if I do say so myself). Although with all I've found out about miracle-blocking, I don't know actually know what happens to a blocked garment when it gets washed. But at the rate he's growing, he'll only be able to wear it for the next two weeks anyway so it might not even need washing, ever. 

The season of Christmas presents

The thing about any hand-made item is that it's slow, and often painstaking, to create. That is one of the joys of them, of course, and why they're expensive to buy, and risky to make for other people, who might fail to appreciate the time and effort that went into them. 

In this season of shopping (what do you mean, Christmas has a religious meaning?), I can't help thinking I would prefer to make things for people than buy things. Why buy an anonymous chain-store piece of mass-production when you can make something personal and unique? I'm sure that the people who I would make for would appreciate the time and effort, but there's still the possibility that the recipient mightn't like the gift. A shop-bought scarf in the wrong colour can go on ebay or to the charity shop with hardly a pang of conscience. A hand-knitted £7-a-ball silk-mohair creation, well it's probably got little charity shop value, certainly won't sell on ebay and if I ever found out it was unwanted I would be gutted. 

I've got one or two ideas on Christmas presents, but I'm still undecided on whether to go ahead or not. Hopefully if people don't like them they'll learn to be good actors, quickly.