The Wallarib, aka Stop Me Before I Wallaby Again

Months and months ago, I got some Cascasde 220 Quattro on closeout, and bought 2 skeins bright pink and 1 orange (sorry, ball bands long gone!) to make a little two-tone cardi for my niece E the Magnificent. Finished all the pieces, and then nothing. Just wasn't floating my boat. Flash forward several months, and I'm in the middle of my wallaby obsession. I've been itching to do a short sleeve version, to go over a long sleeve tee in the spring, and voila! Kill 2 birds with one stone -- clean out another UFO, and more wallabying!

Coincidentally, I happened to have some Trekking XXL that was a perfect match for the sweater, so I whipped her up a pair of socks to go with it. Kismet.


Pattern: Wonderful Wallaby
Yarn: Cascade 220 Quattro
Needles: Addi US 6 for rib, US 8 for body, Clover dpn US 7 for sleeves
Mods: Ran the ribbing up to the top of the pocket for a more fitted, modern look; made the sleeves 5" with a generous ribbing that could be folded up if the sleeve turns out to be an awkward length on her. I was worried that I would run out of yarn if I did the hood one color, so I striped it.

Socks:
Pattern: Just your basic 2x2 rib, stockinette leg
Yarn: Trekking XXL #05
Needles: Clover dpns US 1 (2.25mm)

It's Love

And by the end of the day, it was loved with pancake syrup, cherry ice pop, sand, you name it, because she refused to take it off even though it was 68 degrees here today. Is there anything better than a loved-to-death handknit? Scroll down for all the details.

Trekking Socks

I finished my mom's trekking socks a while ago, but due to the missing battery charger, just got around to taking some pics. Boy, these went fast! I used a pattern by Ann Budd that was free to Interweave Knits subscribers on their website, but now I can't find the link! My mom has bigger feet than I do, so I think if I make them for me, I might go down a needle size, but I love the way they came out. This was my first time using the Trekking, and I can't say I loved these particular colors, but I think my mom will. I haven't washed them yet, so I hope they will soften up.

Pattern: Ann Budd's Diagonal Ribbed Socks (Interweave Knits, Winter 04)
Yarn: Trekking XXL, color Plum/Cinnamon 101 from here
Needles: Clover bamboo dpns US 2 (2.75 mm)
Started: .01.29.07
Finished: .02.05.07

The Devil's in the Details

I still need to photograph Wallaby #2, but in the meantime, here is Wallaby #3, for my adorable niece, E the Magnificent. This one was all about the details. I had seen someone's wallaby (sorry, I can't remember whose!) with great cabling on it and decided I wanted to do something similar.


I started with a K4xP2 cable rib (every 6 rows) on the bottom and sleeve ribbing.
I left the pocket alone because I knew I wanted to do cables on the raglan, and I thought that might be too much. Years and years ago (maybe 15?) I made my sister a sweater that had cables on the raglan, and I always loved how those looked. So, in case you're interested, here's how I did it: K2tog, K1, P1, K2, sl m, K2, P1, K1, SSK every other round, and cabled the 4 stitches (2 on each side of the marker) every 6 rounds. I just had enough space so that the cables met up at the top of the shoulder (had to fudge it a little).
I made the cables mirror images of each other. Then I carried the cables into the neck ribbing. Here I also had to fudge by adding and decreasing stitches to make it all work out, but you can't even see it. I left the neck ribbing 4x2 between the 2 sets of cables, but I suppose I could have done a 1x1 there -- that might have meant less fudging. Then I carried the cables up into the hood.


I really love how all the little details came together (considering that I made up the neck and hood as I went along!). E the M is coming in to the city today, so I hope to get some modelling shots this week.

Specs: Wonderful Wallaby, size 6 for my very tall 3 1/2 year old niece
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft, Orchid, 2 skeins (I know, I know, acrylic, but I had some from my last trip to AC Moore, it's really really soft, and the whole sweater cost me under $5. Although by the end, it was making my palms itch.)
Needles: Addi US 7 (4.5mm) for the body, Addi US 6 (4mm) for ribbing, and Clover 7 dpns (4.5mm) for sleeves.
Gauge: About 4.75 st/inch

A final note: I know I'm repeating myself, but I love love love this pattern. It's so easy to customize to put your own special touch on it. I also love that the neck opening is deep, which makes it super easy for kids to get over their heads (one reason mine object to certain sweaters), yet it's not sloppy looking. I have some RYC Cashsoft aran I bought on sale for W's batman sweater, and I think I will use the Wallaby base to do it.

Does this happen to everyone, or just me?

I finally remembered to take the camera battery out, stuck it in my purse, and went to Circuit City to replace the charger that's been missing for at least 2 months now. Came home, opened it up, set it up and plugged it in. Since it's a universal charger, I took the extra pieces that will fit other Canon battery sizes, and decided to put them in a safe place, since we'll probably get a new camera soon, and I'll sure it will have a different sized battery. Open up the drawer in the kitchen where I keep all the phone, IPod, camera etc. chargers, and what is sitting right on top? Yes, you would be correct if you guessed the original charger that I've been scouring the house for for 2 months. AARRGGHHH (insert Charlie Brown scream here). I SWEAR I looked in that drawer first. I did. I really did. Camera charged. Pictures to follow. Sigh.