Adventures in Knitting: Baby Leg Warmers
So I've gained enough knitting XP to level up to knitting in the round with double pointed needles (DPNS) and I've got to say that I really don't like DPNs. I much prefer knitting in the round with the magic loop method. There, you just have the two needles on the cable and it's very easy to handle. With DPNs, you're working with at least four needles and it's all very fiddly. When I started, I felt like I was trying to wrestle a squid. Even as you go along and your knitting gets longer, you still have the needle points getting in your way and poking you.
It took me two days to finish a 6 inch long mitt, four days total for the pair. I started the first leg warmer on March 11 and I have to knit 13 inches total for one and I'm not even half way. I think it's just me not being very motivated because of the awkward set-up. Good thing my friend's baby isn't due until the beginning of August.
I still plan to knit a baby hat to go with the leg warmers, but I'm definitely going back to the magic loop method.
Oh, and the leg warmers are huge. I'm knitting the 6 - 12 month size - on the logic that it if it's a large baby, then she/he can wear the leg warmers sooner and if the baby is average size, then she/he can wear them at the appropriate age - and it seems like the creator of the pattern is assuming all babies have super chunky legs. Granted, my exposure to babies is somewhat limited, so I maybe what I'm knitting will work after all, but it still feels much too big and the leg warmers won't be snug at all. Ugh, that's the risk you take when you make something before the baby arrives.
And here's a photo of my latest knitting set-up:
For my scarf and mitts, I was pulling the yarn from the centre of the ball and it worked perfectly fine, at least, until I got near the end of the ball and then it sort of just collapsed into a limp mess. This time, I'm pulling the yarn from the outside, but to stop the ball from rolling around I had to contain it somehow.
Enter my old stash of building toys! Seriously, I had a lot of these toys growing up. Lego, K'nex, Zaks, Googolplex. I went with Googolplex pieces and ta da! Yes, that weird yellow thing actually contains my ball of yarn. I call it my Mechonoid, since it kind of looks like a Mechonoid from the Doctor Who episode "The Chase". It's actually pretty handy. The working yarn threads out from a hole near the top and I just gently tug on it to pull more out. Meanwhile, the ball stays in place and doesn't roll away and I avoid tangles. It is a bit tricky getting the ball into my Mechonoid, I have to undo pieces, but it easily snaps back together so it's no huge loss. Who knows if this system will work when I'm near the end of the ball, but it was still a fun DIY exercise.
It took me two days to finish a 6 inch long mitt, four days total for the pair. I started the first leg warmer on March 11 and I have to knit 13 inches total for one and I'm not even half way. I think it's just me not being very motivated because of the awkward set-up. Good thing my friend's baby isn't due until the beginning of August.
I still plan to knit a baby hat to go with the leg warmers, but I'm definitely going back to the magic loop method.
Oh, and the leg warmers are huge. I'm knitting the 6 - 12 month size - on the logic that it if it's a large baby, then she/he can wear the leg warmers sooner and if the baby is average size, then she/he can wear them at the appropriate age - and it seems like the creator of the pattern is assuming all babies have super chunky legs. Granted, my exposure to babies is somewhat limited, so I maybe what I'm knitting will work after all, but it still feels much too big and the leg warmers won't be snug at all. Ugh, that's the risk you take when you make something before the baby arrives.
And here's a photo of my latest knitting set-up:
For my scarf and mitts, I was pulling the yarn from the centre of the ball and it worked perfectly fine, at least, until I got near the end of the ball and then it sort of just collapsed into a limp mess. This time, I'm pulling the yarn from the outside, but to stop the ball from rolling around I had to contain it somehow.
Enter my old stash of building toys! Seriously, I had a lot of these toys growing up. Lego, K'nex, Zaks, Googolplex. I went with Googolplex pieces and ta da! Yes, that weird yellow thing actually contains my ball of yarn. I call it my Mechonoid, since it kind of looks like a Mechonoid from the Doctor Who episode "The Chase". It's actually pretty handy. The working yarn threads out from a hole near the top and I just gently tug on it to pull more out. Meanwhile, the ball stays in place and doesn't roll away and I avoid tangles. It is a bit tricky getting the ball into my Mechonoid, I have to undo pieces, but it easily snaps back together so it's no huge loss. Who knows if this system will work when I'm near the end of the ball, but it was still a fun DIY exercise.
