EZ Shorties

Pattern: Baby Leggings from Knitter's Almanac
Yarn: Patons Classic Merino in camel
Needles: US size 5 circs
Gauge: Between 5 and 5 1/5 stitches per inch
Unstretched measurements: 16" waist, 21" hip (widest part, at last increase), 20" rise. It fits my 14-month-old son perfectly (but with not a whole lot of room to grow, so it would probably fit a younger baby as well).
Mods: Increased the number of stitches set aside for the crotch to 14 front and back; 5 stitches just doesn't seem like enough for an active toddler. Also did just 7 rows of ribbing after dividing for the legs to make shorties instead of longies.

The rise is indeed long, as I've read elsewhere, but I decided to just knit the pattern as written (with the exception of the mods mentioned above) the first time just to see how it turns out. It's really not that long after blocking, and since I used merino, I know it'll shorten some with the felting from regular wear anyway, so I'll probably be thankful for the extra length down the road.

This was a fun and easy pattern, and it turned out really cute. So far I give it a thumbs up, but my little man hasn't worn it yet. I'm interested to see how it fits and behaves on a babe in action.

Kelley

Pi Shawl In Progress!

So, I've started on a Pi shawl- real simple, the one from "Knitters Almanac," though I could have found the pattern pretty much anywhere and it's almost silly to call it a patern.

As you can see, it's nothing special, and I've got it there all bunched up by my computer, which is where I usually knit on it. I'm using KnitPicks Shimmer in "Turquoise Splendor" and I just started it last week on my days off because I was bored and feel like having a shawl. Incedentally, though, I am pretty sure I'm going to run out of yarn for this. I'm past the final increase row and I'm planning on doing a nice knitted-on border (not sure what border yet), and I am almost certain I won't have enough yarn. So I may end up having to buy the

Finished!

Hurray! My BSJ is off the pins!

I made loads of mistakes but it's been a wonderful learning experience.

I actually prefer it wrong sides out but I'm afraid my weaving in of ends ain't good enough to let that happen. Next time.

I'm looking for a charity knitting project to send it to. Anyone any suggestions? Thanks.

A Dickey Simple

This neckwarmer was such an easy, clever knit ... and a really neat alternative to a scarf (just perfect for the start of our Adelaide winter). The pattern is from EZ's Knitting Around...the Dickey Simple on page 36. It took hardly any knitting time, and hardly any yarn (I used some Aussie 8 ply acrylic)
I'm thinking that these dickies would make really good pressies, maybe with some wrist warmers to match...the complete layered sweater look!! and the whole set should only take about one 100g ball of yarn!...Love EZ's clever ideas :-)
Linda

Snail Hat with 3 Spirals

This is the snail hat with 3 spirals from The Opinionated Knitter. I used the Sheepsdown yarn recommended in the pattern, and it took a bit less than one skein. The book warns that you might need more than one skein, but I didn't find that to be true. Please note there is a correction to this pattern on the Schoolhouse Press site (the directions for the top shaping should say "k15", not "k13". Between not realizing this at first and not reading the pattern correctly for the decrease rounds, I ended up ripping out several rounds at least 3, if not 4, times. The yarn held up pretty well, though, with just a couple of weak spots. And I felt very pleased with myself when I finally got it right (though I would have been even more pleased if I'd done it right the first time)! I think this will be the warmest hat I own.

another fair isle yoke and thank you

i thought i would start the saddle shoulder aran but this is what i am doing. another fair isle yoke. and yesterday i realised all my female family members young and old want one. and even a gentleman wants one. but maybe more like the icelandic yoke. and i thought i would be doing the skye tweed saddle shoulder.

it is progressing swimmingly and meg, i cannot wait to knit the sleeves on two circs.

and thank you all so much for your lovely response to my recently finished fair isle yoke and february sweater. you cannot believe how encouraging your kind words were.

Finished February Sweater

Following everyone's example, I finished the February Baby Sweater from Knitter's Almanac! I love this pattern and it was a super fast knit. It took me 4 days from start to finish!
From more info, visit the requisite blog.

giant baby sweater

I've been admiring everyone's February baby sweater from Knitter's Almanac so much that I decided to try to make a giant one for myself. I used a bulky weight yarn (School Products cashmere merino) and size 10 needles, cast on 64 stitches instead of 50 and added some short rows to raise the back.

I wrote a more complete description of my alterations with a few more pics on my blog, in case anyone's interested.

Amazed with my BSJ

I think it's magic how the first becomes the lovely baby garment and my friends do too.
I made this using some left over cone yarn from my machine knitting days. ( Sorry it's nearly all acrylic Mrs Zimmermann although I do have some lambswool, angora and nylon mix yarn that I will try next.)
I abandoned the machine as I found it noisy, and not fitting into my lifestyle with two small children.
Some years later I rediscovered my passion for handknitting and it became a therapy for me. A few years after I had a stroke at 41 and 6 months later this is what I can do.
I had to write out the BSJ row by row and I seem to have problems counting stitches but I am really pleased with this. I can't knit on circular needles , at the moment and finish my socks that I had started but I am sure that will come later.

Not quite done...

but I'm almost there! I've been working on this seamless hybrid for what feels like forever, and it's made me feel a bit like a Zimmermania fraud to be moving so molasses slowly, but I'm very close to done. My camera is notoriously unreliable, so here are a couple of pictures now in case it acts up when I'm done.

I had to unravel a significant amount earlier on when I messed up the decreases, and then there were more exciting shenanigans when I ran out of yarn. The yarn is Knitpicks' Telemark in Aubergine for the main color and Colonial Blue for the facing hems.

Lots more information and a few more pictures on the blog.

Newbie here

Hi girls and thanks for letting me join your group. I am a Scottish crafts person returning to knitting after many years. I was recently introduced to EZ for the very first time and am excited and amazed by her knowledge and techniques. Sadly for me I came back to knitting with a bit of a closed mind. I know how to knit, I have nothing to learn. Oh, dear...how about a bit of humility for a start?

EZ has already taught me that with her surprise baby garter stitch jacket. Knit it on circs? Why should I? (oh dear!). I knit it on straights. (oh double dear!). I went for the stripy version straight off the bat (oh treble dear!).

Much puzzling out and frogging later, I'm about half way through. I've changed to circs and now make sure I READ the instructions very carefully. No guessing allowed. It will be a great help to me to have knowledgeable people here to compare notes with because - guess what? I suddenly realised I don't know everything! Well that's progress I guess.

Can you stand another BSJ??

My first one, what fun!! Although, I did somehow manage to make the right/wrong sides opposite on the top and bottom halves. Thankfully that isn't too noticeable.
Yarn: Montana Merino by Dashing Dachs.
Needles: size 6
Size: tiny lol It's about 17" around the chest when buttoned, although the buttons are not yet sewn on. I slip stitched the seams.

Bitty Baby Pullover

Just a teeny baby sweater I made using EZ's raglan-sleeve pullover pattern from Knitting Without Tears. I threw the cable on the front and the tops of the sleeves to make it a little more exciting to knit. This is Crystal Palace Fjord yarn in the sandstorm colorway. Think I have enough left to make a matching hat - will make a nice baby shower gift for somebody.

BSJ

And here is my first knitted BSJ in dark blue.
Yarn: Bergere de France Berlaine.
Knitted with 3 mm Ndls. I need 150 g (5,25 oz).
It was very interesting to knit. And I will knit some more BSJ and Feb sweaters in future.

Progress measured

20 inches done on my Mobius shrug/stole. EZ calls for 60 inches on a Mobius but when I wrapped the tape measure around my upper body (arms included), 60 inches will be too loose for a shrug. Glad I thought for a second and measured!!

Progress has not been as fast as it could be because as the deadline looms nearer, I am finding it hard to sit down and knit for more than a couple of pattern repeats.

I am planning on wearing this over a sundress for a" Hawaiian Formal" evening on Maui next week. Wish me luck on finishing it by then!!

New to the blog with a couple questions....

Hi all! I've been knitting for awhile, but had never heard of EZ until someone in an online class I'm taking "introduced" me to her. I've been poking around a bit and I absolutely fell in love with the sweater on the cover of "Sweaters from Camp." It looks difficult, but I can't really see the picture well enough to be able to tell properly. Is anyone familiar with that pattern?

Also, has anyone ever tried felting a BSJ and if so, did it work?

Thanks! I have no pictures or projects to show, but I'm sure I will soon. I'm going to be an aunt for the first time in December! :-) Suggestions of must-knit baby EZ patterns are welcome also...

Looking forward to hanging out with all of you!

Generic cabled cardigan using EZ's in the round percentages

This is for my sister and she's a tiny woman. Size 30 to be exact. So designing sweaters for her is a must. Most magazine/book patterns are just too big and she likes to wear fitted sweaters. EZ has been a God-send! She had thyroid cancer and surgery on her neck so she requested an open neckline. I am pretty pleased with how this turned out. It's my 9 year old daughter modeling for me.

February sweater finished

I finished this February sweater last night using Cherry Tree Hill Supersock DK in serengeti on size 2 Addie lace needles. It was such a pleasure to knit. I am wondering if anyone out there has altered the pattern for an adult sized sweater? I would love any input, tips, tricks if you have done one. Thanks!

My first BSJ

Finally added the buttons, so my first BSJ is now an FO! Made with Cascade 220 at 5 stitches/inch in garter stitch, the chest measures 9" across. The final product (before buttons) weighed in at 153 g, so I figure that's about 337 yards. I was so worried not knowing how much yarn I would need, so I'm glad to have a frame of reference for the next one. This one is now on its way to Afghans for Afghans, along with matching hat, which you can see on my blog: www.carolslunaticcafe.blogspot.com. This was such an enjoyable and instructive knit that I now believe that all knitters should make at least one. Of course, I realize I'm preaching to the choir here!

With the help of Linda (for just a tad bit of additional yarn to complete the hood) my Tomten that I started probably two years ago as a knit along is done.

The yarn is Encore Worsted. I like using this yarn. I hope with the few cool days we have lately that my great nephew will be able to not only wear this now for a few times but in the early Fall in Chicago too.

BSJ #4

BSJ #4, originally uploaded by theknittingelephant.

I had posted about this before I found buttons for it and now that I've found the best buttons I could (still not my favorite, but they do the job pretty well) I wanted to put the real FO pic up.

This is my 4th BSJ to date and I'm sure I'll make more. It's just a great pattern with so many variations possible using different stripes or variegated yarn, anything at all works perfectly!!

I hope to soon be posting about a finished Bog Jacket for myself, but it may not happen until fall or later. Patience is a virtue, right?!

Stacee
http://sweetknitting.blogspot.com

A Surprise for Stefan

Between my first and second efforts, I'd begun to wonder if it would be completed by the time Stefan entered college. Thankfully, it's done, and my co-worker's newborn grandson is a mere one month old.

This Baby Surprise Sweater is a far better end-product that its predecessor. Though not perfect, practice has definitely made my second attempt at Elizabeth Zimmermann's classic design more uniform. Where is the first? That baby's long since been frogged, with the buttons & yarn set aside for yet another attempt.

In a nod to practicality (sorry, natural-fiber enthusiasts: I feel your pain, but frankly, I'm lazy, and loathe the very thought of giving a new mom some knitted up thing that requires special handling), I worked the sweater in Plymouth Encore worsted, a very soft 25% wool/75% acrylic, machine wash & dry yarn, and stitched it up on size 6 KnitPicks Options, in three perfectly neutral and Harvard-like (the kid's college-bound, you recall) colors: cranberry relish, stony beach, and natural.

My two disappointments: 1. That I was unable to use the splendid hi-gloss cranberry-colored five-point star buttons, as originally planned (yes, Child Protective Services, it finally dawned unwise to fasten sharp pointy objects onto infant wear); and 2. That I don't seem to have positioned the round and satiny alternatives very well. In the photo, you see that that they tug a bit, distorting the edge of the sweater? That's something I've got to work on in the future.

Still, I'm pleased, and just love those striped corners! All in all, this was a fun project, and one I'd happily do again.

My thanks to all the talented Zimmermaniacs who daily inspire me with their creative takes on Elizabeth's timeless designs. And, yes... welcome to the world, baby Stefan!

finished fair isle

i have finished the fair isle. it has been gifted to my niece and modeled and photographed. and i am sorry for being such a lousy photographer. as a knitting documentarist one should probably consider a photography class. my niece said: i would love if you would knit me a sweater with a 'round yoke'. this was the same day i received the opinionated in the mail. so we headed for the lys to get a warm caffe latte alpaca for the body and a baby pink, a mossy green, and greenish brown and a coffee brown alpaca for the yoke. it knits at 25 stitches to 4 inches on addis nr 3½ mm. i used meg's modified percentages for the yoke and the sleeves are 40 % of k. i only did 3 rounds of decreases since the body circumference isn't that big. and there is truly no puckering. highly recommend this pattern. it is great fun and knitting the yoke is like getting a rich dessert after months of dieting. tonight i will start meg's saddle shouldered aran cardi. i like to learn new techniques with every project. but i am also dying to knit another fair isle yoke in jamieson's spindrift. wow. as you can see my niece's family is a whole family of zimmermaniacs. unfortunately the dad was too busy to model in his grey seamless hybrid. and the little girl is my knitting muse as elizabeth is my mentor.

New Member and First BSJ

I am very excited to start my first BSJ. I ordered a kit from School House Press. The colors are coral and cream. I am getting ready to knit my gauge swatch but am unsure of what size needle to start with... I am a tight knitter... the wool is jumper weight shetland 6-10 sts to 1 inch
I am finding the instructions a bit different to what I am used too. But I amup for the challenge and I just love EZ.

Thx

BSJ

Here they are: two little one's for two girls.
I knit this with Lana Grossa Point print a cotton yarn with some elastan.
I just need 2 1/2 balls for each. Needls 4 mm. Now I knit a BSJ in dark blue.

Finished - sort of

The E.Z. seamless hybrid. This was finished but has not been blocked - no need since I am going to rip it down the shoulders yet again. It is just a little too loose in the shoulders. I told my son (the recipient) I could fix it *cough, choke*. It is easier for me to knit a new one than fix one, but I will learn to figure out what is wrong and what to do about it. I hope.

fair isle yoke

here are some shots of my wip. the fair isle yoke which is for my niece whose whole family like to wear zimmermann designs. and this is very vintage i think. i have done a lot of ripping and starting over again. working in alpaca on dpns for the sleeves turned out to be a not so good idea. serious gauge problems. but the problem was solved by getting a very small circular needle from addi. i hope i will finish this work tomorrow and hopefully my niece will model it for fellow zimmermaniacs.

The BSJ for Barbie

I plan to knit a BSJ from E. Zimmerman, but I haven` t the pattern. I saw a lot of pictures, therefore I knit this jacket for Barbie! It is not so complicate to knit this BSJ.
I like the E. Zimmermann knitting- mode.

I want to knit this Jacket to my daughter Veronika with violet Alpaca, but first I want to be sure that I know how to knit this BSJ.
I am very grateful to Newbie.
Her pictures are very detailed and kinks! I have the book from E . Zimmermann : "knitting without Tears!" But in this book haven't pattern for Baby surprise Jacket!

BSJ FOR BARBIE

I plan to knit a BSJ from E. Zimmerman, but I haven` t the pattern. I saw a lot of pictures, therefore I knit this jacket for Barbie! It is not so complicate to knit this BSJ. I like the E. Zimmermann knitting- mode.

I want to knit this Jacket to my daughter Veronika with violet Alpaca, but first I want to be sure, that I know how to knit this BSJ.
I am very grateful to Newbie. Her pictures are very detailed and kinks! I have the book from E . Zimmermann : "knitting without Tears!" But in this book haven't pattern for Baby surprise Jacket!

Goce

Arrrr!

Now, movie theaters are often cold, right? So I can wear this when Pirates of the Carribean is released, right?

EZ's Seamless Yoke Sweater. I used the We Call Them Pirates graph and kinda went as the whim took me. Used Lion Brand's Wool Ease.

More tomten questions

I finally started the tomten. My question is this: The pattern says:

" Knit 1/8 of X, castoff 1/4 of X, knit 1/4 of X, cast off 1/4 of X. On the final 1/8 knit twice as many ridges as it has stitches. KNIT an equal number of ridges on the other 2 sections."
(see figure 74)

Why is one section twice as long? The diagram shows them all the same length.

Help!!

Sally

Beginning a Mobius

I just started a Zimmerman mobius today with the intention of using it as a shrug in two weeks. Here is a glimpse of it.
I'm using Berocco Bonsai, a bamboo and nylon ribbon yarn and 5 mm needles for a looser gauge (I think the skein band called for 4.5?). The stitch pattern I found over on Knit And Tonic (The Dream Swatch pattern). I doubled the cast on to get my width.
The white wool at the bottom is my waste yarn for the Invisible Cast On (Knitting Around) and was my first ever attempt.
I making piles of mistakes but don't really mind. Those stitches are fiddly to work with for the crossovers. It still looks cool to me though.LOL

Baby Surprise Jacket

After seeing some of the BSJs posted on this blog, I just had to try one out for myself. It was such fun to knit and then see how it all worked out! This one is knit in Plymouth Encore (color 2426) with stripes in some pale pink heather Lion Brand Wool-Ease I had around. It was knit on size 5 needles. The ladybug buttons (though it is hard to see that is what they are) are from Joanne's.

EZ mentions that "your friends will be amazed," and that certainly was true. It was fun to see if they could turn the odd-shaped piece of knitting into something meaningful.

I was a bit skeptical about having buttonholes on both sides, since I knew it was for a girl, but the extra set was indeed great for knowing exactly where to place the buttons.

The neck is fairly small on mine, and looking at others here, that seems to be the norm. Since I've not seen a BSJ on an actual baby, how does the neck fit? I figure the parents can always leave the first button unbuttoned. This one will be heading into the mailstream tomorrow for a baby shower--my stepson's first baby!

Baby Surprise Jacket

I think the subtitle for this pattern should be "What To Do With Leftover Sock Yarn." This one used up the remnants of some Opal and Baby Ulli I had around; I knit it on size three Addi Turbos. As you see, I only made four button holes (oops) and as you can see if you look closely, I made *lots* of mistakes. But I still love it; what an amazing pattern.

First BSJ

I just joined this blog recently, and also just finished my first Baby Surprise Jacket. It's made of TLC Wiggles (Coats and Clark, acrylic), and is for a friend's little boy. I found cute "car" buttons at JoAnn's to dress it up a bit, as I had not knit it in stripes.

Although I have had several of EZ's books for over a year, it's taken me this long to actually get going on one of her patterns. The photos on this blog are inspiring, and I'm looking forward to the next pattern (not sure just which one, yet). Thank you, Kathy in Juneau, for directing me here (your box-the-compass sweater is very nice).

Adult Shorties

These are based on EZ's pattern for adult longies, with some anatomical considerations / modifications... I made them short because that was all the yarn I had left from the princess dress and because I just needed something small for ballet. Everything was calculated with 10% negative ease.

Short-row shaping just after the leg join, instead of at the waist. This turned out fantastic. I only needed 5 sets of short-rows to accomodate the buttocks-bulge and none above the waist. The waist did not end up tilted at all.

Spread-out decreases from hip to waist. The decrease line moves out one stitch every decrease. Also fantastic as spreading the decreases precluded the fabric pulling down.

Also a short-row gusset at the leg join for more flexibility. Looks funny here, but it works well. These will have their first test run in class Monday and I hope to get some pics of these in action.

Finished Baby Surprise Jacket

I finished my BSJ!

I had been concerned that that yarn I had wouldn't be enough, and that's why I worked the stripes in another yarn. I shouldn't have worried; in the end I had a whole skein of yarn untouched.

This was finished last week, but I didn't get a chance to post about it here because as soon as I posted it to my own blog I had to wrap it up and take it to Chicago to deliver it to its recipient -- my new baby cousin!

All of the details are available here, and you can see a picture of the new baby here (you'll see that he's still too small to wear this sweater!)

I'll bite

I'm working on an adult tomten. If only I didn't have two kids to care for every day. Hate it when life gets in the way of knitting. (kidding, i'm just kidding) It's taking awhile to get this thing knit. It has been a little over a month since I started it. I went on and on about it here.

not about knitting...

I'm thinking that part of why no one is posting is that it's just so darned hard to compete with two babies in a tiny hand-knit sweater. I'm just posting this to encourage people to put up their stuff as there is now a buffer between you and the uber-adorable babies!
(okay - it's a bit self-serving... I need inspiration for a new project so am very interested to see what people are working on)

Which reminds me - anyone make an adult tomten? How did it come out?

Tomten Too Big

I knit this during my pregnancy and when I finished it, I thought it would not fit the Beans, it just looked so small. I hoped for the best, figuring it would fit for a summer evening. Apparently I have very little concept of the size of newborn twins. The boys were a tad premature, just under 36 weeks. We are scrambling to find clothes they can wear that do not engulf their little bodies. None of the knits I worked on during my period of bedrest fit. But the good thing is the Tomten will fit for those autumnal nights, and I have time to knit the second one for Bean 2. Well, that statement is dubious, time is precious and the current WIPs are simple knits requiring no real concentration. Maybe in a few Weeks/months, when the routine sets in and the boys grow a bit more and can go without feeding every two hours, well, maybe then I will cast on for Tomten 2. And to think, I ordered the pattern and yarn for this right before I went into hospital to deliver them. The priority mail package was sitting on the step when we got home, I did not open it for at least a week. Talk about priority change. That piece may not happen, uh, forever. But one can dream. BTW: the yarn used in Brooklyntweed's version is a great price at WEBS.