Seeing as I can't really let you in on what I'm knitting right now I thought I'd document what my daughter is up to!Well my daughter was not satisfied with only being a knitwear model....she needed to do some knitting of her own!
It all began with these eucalyptus seed pods that we found on a recent camping trip to the coast. She collected a bunch of these and loved the pretty star shape in the center and figured they would make nice buttons. So when we got home she told me she wanted to knit a cardigan (so she could use the pods as buttons)!
Well Maya has done little bits of knitting here and there but not really finished anything yet so I hummed and hawed about the thought of starting with a cardigan...too much shaping, piecing together etc...so we looked through my knitting magazines and found the perfect project...
Kat Coyle's poncho/vest in Knitscene's spring 2007 issue. We are adapting it so it will be in garter stitch (no purling-keeping it simple) and a smaller size too. Essentially it is two rectangles attached at the shoulder with a wee bit of shaping for the neck at front (which I will obviously help Maya with) then the neck stitches are worked in the round and it has buttons at the side! (I should add that we have not attempted to pierce the pods yet so I'm not sure if they will work as buttons). The other great thing about this project is that it is chunky yarn on big needles so will knit up quickly....a must for young newbie knitters!So we headed out to the LYS and found some Mistialpaca which was the closest we could get to the yarn used in the pattern......I took a deep breath as I pulled out the credit card....it is her birthday on Monday after all!!
She knit a swatch and even drew a sketch of the finished garment! (she has been observing me doing this a lot lately) and I cast on for her and away she went. She is getting great satisfaction from her quick progress and after one afternoon can say she is a quarter way through the back piece!
She aims to finish this within a month as she wants to wear it when we go back to camp at the spot where we found the seed pods (at this gorgeous and private environmental campground in Montana De Oro state park, which can be booked for your own exclusive use....we wanted to go for her birthday but the first dates we could get were for the beginning of August)!
We'll have to plan on lots of coastal trips so she has some cooler weather to wear the poncho/vest in......Fresno in the summer...not so much!
12 comments:
My son loves those pods too, he calls them "noses". I think they'll work as buttons. I hope she enjoys this project!
Wow--her design sense is awesome! And she looks really comfortable knitting away.
Maybe shellacking those buttons would help them in their next life as buttons?
That's a good idea Cirilia...haven't done that before...would I try to pierce them first....or after?
That looks like a perfect ''beginning'' project! I hope you'll show it to us when she's done with it!
Always great to see a new knitter! And I think it is a lot better to start them on a "real" project when they want to knit, my kids has made hats, pillows and bags.
Good job,Maya!And Happy Birthday too-soon:-)
Good luck to her in this great project!!!
I will send some patience with blowing wind to her so she could finish her vest soon!
Maya says thank you for all your encouraging comments and we'll definitely post pics of the finished product!
I know how you feel about the wool! I'm just two hours south in Bakersfield and it has been miserable lately!
How wonderful! You must be really enjoying this. :)
Wow, what a creative daughter you have! I love the pods as buttons idea :) And I can't wait to see her poncho!
A chip off the old block as they say. A future knitwear designer in the making. I love the idea of the buttons....So creative just like you....
That is so neat that she came up with the idea of buttons! I have a three y/o daughter and she loves to "knit". It is so sweet to watch her wee little hands as she tries to imitate what I'm doing with the yarn.
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