Tot Toppers

Springtime

Photography by Sara Parker

I’m several posts behind after some traveling and a lot of pattern releases! So, I’m going to include 2 patterns in this post: purply and springy Twisty Violet Mitts & Sarabeth Cardigan. One you can knit for you, and the other you can knit for a child between the ages of 2 and 16. Yep, big size range on Sarabeth!

Since we’re all very selfless knitters, I’ll start with Sarabeth.

There are two ways to wear this cute boyfriend cardi. Closed (with cute belt!) or open & airy. Don’t you love the depth of color in this sweater? I knit it with Artyarns Ultramerino 8 which is worsted weight, very soft, and just beautiful. It doesn’t feel heavy and its got a slight sheen. It was just what I pictured for Sarabeth. It will give some warmth in the spring and look great over a sundress too.

This is a GREAT first-sweater project. Sweater is worked seamlessly from the bottom up. The pockets are knit first and are inset (easy, don’t let that scare you!). The belt is knit in one super-wide piece so it goes a little faster than you might think. And here’s a little tidbit about the name for the design. I initially was calling the sweater Bess, which is a nice name and maybe I will still use it for something else one day. But when I was in New York (I promise to blog on this soon!) a couple of weeks ago, we ate at this delicious restaurant called Sarabeth’s and I knew that the design name was changing!

How cute did all the tester’s projects turn out? And how precious are their children? Click on the pic to see each knitter’s ravelry project.

knitter’s information
Size: 2(4, 6, 8, 10)[12, 14, 16]
Finished Chest: 22(24, 26, 27.5, 29.25)[31.25, 32.75, 34] inches
Gauge: 20 sts and 28 rows per 4 inches in stockinette on larger needles
Yarn: Artyarns Ultramerino 8 100% merino wool; 188 yards/172 meters per 3.5 ounce/100 gram skein 2(3, 3, 3, 4)[4, 5, 5] skeins or 335(400, 460, 550, 610)[680, 760, 830] yards
Tools: Size 7(4.5mm) needles and set of 5 DPNs, Size 6(4 mm) needles and set of 5 DPNs, stitch markers
Notions: 7(8, 9, 10, 10)[11, 12, 12] 1⁄2 to 3⁄4-inch buttons

As a thank-you to being members of my mailing list, I’ve started giving away 2 free copies of each pattern release. Congrats to whml_mt & kimmieal28 who are pattern winners for Sarabeth! I have e-mailed both winner’s their copy.

And now to move on to the When I Grow Up release!

Twisty Violet Mitts came about when I designed a top-secret project for Club Dragonwitch. The fingerless mitts feature cabled cuffs and a twisty eyelet repeat worked all the way around. I recommend this project for intermediate to experienced knitters, simply because there is some seaming and grafting involved at the end of the project. But you can only get more experienced by trying out new things such as this, right?

Truth-be-told I did experiment with a few other cuff edges to see if I could make the pattern exempt of fussiness, but I stuck with the cables because I think its what LOOKS best and I am all about doing a little extra effort on a knit to end up with the best looking finished project. SO THERE.

The yarn for this project was the driving force behind the design, its Selkie by Dragonfly Fibers. This particular yarn is not yet available, but, I think it would also look great in Dragon Worsted. I got to meet Kate (hooray for Kate’s!) at SAFF last year and I’m so glad for it. She’s got great yarn and the perfect quirky sense of humor :) I am knitting my own Sarabeth out of Dragon Worsted actually! (and yes, and adult version of that pattern is in the works).

knitter’s information
Size: Small(Medium, Large)
Finished Hand Circumference: 6.5(7.5, 8.25) inches
Gauge: 27 sts and 28 rows per 4 inches in Twisty Eyelet Pattern
Yarn: Dragonfly Fibers Selkie50% merino, 50% silk; 500 yards/457.2 meters per 8 ounce/226.8 gram skein 1 skein “Violetta” or 155(170, 190) yards
Tools: Set of size 6(4 mm) DPNs, cable needle, stitch marker

Congrats to katsmtk & jmusick000 who won free copies of this pattern just for being awesome members of the mailing list.

Whew, that was a doozie! And I’ve got another blog post and release coming later today…and I still have to show you photos of all the other STUFF I’ve been up to. I’m tired.

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