A Red Sweater for A Holiday

There are two great red sweater holidays -- Christmas and The Fourth of July. Here's Hannah's red sweater from Fourth of July 2011. She was almost two and this Elizabeth Zimmermann design was the perfect little cardi for a summer coverup.

The pattern is Baby Sweater on Two Needles (month of February project) from "Knitters Almanac" by Elizabeth Zimmermann. I knit it back and forth on a circular needle using Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride Superwash Worsted. The color is "Shane's Red." The lace pattern is gull lace. I found some sparkly red buttons.

Superwash wool is great for kids and for cardis. The sweater is worn over another garment, so there is no "wool worry," and the cardi can go into the washer and dry flat. Perfect.

Christmas is coming and this is a delightful project that can easily be finished by the holidays.

Brown Sheep Lambs Pride Superwash Worsted -- I used about a skein and a half.

Addi Turbo needles -- I used US #7, 24 inch circular to knit back and forth.

Knitter's Almanac on Amazon -- available in paperback.

More about this project on Wanda's Ravelry page

Coming Soon: Topknot Hat Pattern

My Topknot Hat pattern is almost ready for prime time. Several knitting friends (and sisters!) are currently knitting from the written pattern. Their experiences help me know what adjustments can be made to make the pattern easy to use. Two proofreading gurus are also working their wonders, God bless them.

I have knit four of these little gems myself and have two more in progress. I like to knit from the patterns that I write before I release the design. That way, I will know if I can follow my own directions. Believe me, there are times when I write pretty crazy stuff for knitting.

So, stay tuned. Topknot is almost ready. You will find it on my Ravelry pattern site which is right HERE.

This pattern uses either worsted weight or sport weight yarn. The design is knit using a 16 inch circular needle, US#4 or 5 or 6, depending on the weight of yarn. As usual, you can adjust needle size for your own knitting. The body of the hat is textured and the top is finished with a knot that's knit with I-cord. Funky and fun.

 I'm finishing the hat on the upper right in the photo now. That hat uses Brown Sheep Lanaloft Handpaint Sport yarn, a luscious yarn that will appear on our website this fall. The color pictured is Razzamatazz, a purple/gray/burgundy multicolor that will be in the Graywood Designs online store soon.

So, just a peek! Enjoy!