With the gray rainy days, it was perfect weather to stay in and do some knitting. And so I was thinking of making a diagonal stitch hat. But when it turn out to be a bit too big, I turned it into a baby vest instead.
It still has to be blocked, which is to wash and stretch into shape. Could possibly fit a 12-18 months old.
This is the first baby vest I knitted without any pattern. It was fairly easy but I just don’t know of any baby that could model for me. So I guess it will have to sit for a while. Maybe until my cousin’s baby is old enough to wear it. And that will be in no time!
Once I got to the arm I stopped and knitted the front and back side separately. I then connected the shoulders via Kitchener Stitch Grafting.
Knitting note: Casting on 90 sts, knit from bottom up. 45 sts in front and back. Size 7 circular 24″ needle. The bottom section is knitted with diagonal stitch and top section is with Gartner stitch.
Kitchener Stitch Grafting is done with the following steps:
With the wrong side facing, hold the two needles with live stitches together. Take the tapestry needle with yarn and do the following. Make sure you have same # of sts on both needles.
P1 (front needle), K1 (back needle),
*K1 drop stitch, P1, (in front needle)
P1 drop stitch, K1 (back needle) repeat from * to end.
Ideally it would be neat to knit something they can grow with so the stuff doesn’t go to waste. Or I guess it could be handed down to their sibling.
Below is part of the diagonal. It is much easier to see in charts.
9 sts repeat in 18 rows
Row 1: k1,p1, k3, p 4
Row 2: k1, p1, k3, p4
Row 3: k1, p1, k1, p3, k3
11:07 pm on January 23rd, 2012
You are pretty good at this, it would have looked nice as a hat also (minus the sleeves opening). This will make a great gift, you’ll be surprised to see how fast they grow.
Lee has to do a knitting project for her school and I have to learn so I could teach her and it is not so easy. I was real clumsy at first, but got a bit better with the motions. I think my yarn is too thin, would it be easier getting the thicker yarn? Lee is so frustrated and had a real hard time.
11:41 pm on January 25th, 2012
I think it would help to use chunky yarn for learning and maybe bigger needles too. I prefer bamboo needles because it’s quiet, warm and not so tiring on the hand.
I once had someone show me the basic steps (using aluminum needles) and it was frustrating. Seem like both of us didn’t have enough patience. And I felt like I was more of a burden to them, haha. So thank goodness for Youtube!
Have fun with the knitting project and let me know how it goes.
10:28 pm on January 29th, 2012
So far it is turning out pretty good. I bought a knitting book today to learn the basic, I should be able to make a hat or scarf soon.
10:03 pm on February 1st, 2012
That’s really exciting & welcome to the world of knitting.
I find learning from video much easier then the book, but the book has great tips and inspiration.