Friday, November 20, 2009

Another Cutie

Look how adorable this child is in Heather Broadhurst's lovely and warm sweater. Thanks for your contribution, Heather. Thank you to all my friend knitters!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Fashion Forward Tots

What a great day. I am so happy to show you all some of the recipients of the 44 Sweaters. Parent Care a part of Vista Hill Foundation received the sweaters and have already started to distribute them. Look at this adorable child. She is wearing Betsy Frank's cute dress. I am so proud. More to follow.


Saturday, October 24, 2009

A Photo Shoot

Well, I was definitely ready for my close up.
The photographer came last week to take a publicity photo for Vista Hill. This is the charity that will be accepting the "44 Sweaters". Ann Mound, a wonderful woman, that dances with me on Tuesday nights told me about their facility and the work they do with mom's and kids. I decided to give them the sweaters and she was so touched. I am delivering them Monday, October 26, at a board meeting. I hope to have some more photos and I will post them at that time.

Thank you to all the participants. This was a wonderful project and I have so many of you to thank for your efforts and support. xxxooo

Final Contributions





Four more sweaters have been added to the project.

Cathy Jo Cozen wants to learn to knit, but hasn't started learning yet. She was so enthusiastic about the project that she bought this adorable vest to contribute.
Liz Knapp donated four premie sets for the project. Here is an example of one of the sweaters.
Phylis Bates made another sweater for the project. This red sweater is really lovely. Thank you Phylis for being such a major part of making this project come to fruition.

This pink sweater was a real surprise for me. Therese Balenger an wonderful artist heard about the project many months ago. I received a call out of the blue from her and she had a sweater ready for me. It is so exciting that we have about 49 sweaters to deliver. In the next post I will have a picture and information on the charity.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Phyl Outdid Herself












My appreciation for Phylis Bates has hit an all time high.  This great sweater really impressed me.  She has been so generous with her time knitting so many sweaters for this project.  I feel that her support has inspired me to keep going and I am almost at my goal.....of course with her help.  This V-neck cardigan is a work of art.  From the beautiful seed stitch ribbing accent to the multitude of duplicate stitched numbers (front and back) it is outstanding.
I love it.  I'm sorry it doesn't fit me.  I would love to make something like it for my new great niece and nephew.  It is with many thanks that I make this post.  Kudos to Phyl.  I am glad to be able to consider her my friend.

Friday, July 17, 2009

A Most Meaningful and Thoughtful Gift


What can be said about truly good friends.  Over the last few years I have spent evenings doing Israeli dancing.  The music and dancing are great for the brain and the body.  The chance to move with abandon and feel the music has been great.  When I started out dancing with Dalya and Yoni
I had no idea that I would make friends of a lifetime.  When I turned 60 this year, my closest friends at dancing made a little dinner for me and bestowed on me a very special gift.  A Baby Einstein Sweater.  Sheila Kirschenbaum, Yairra Haas, Karen Gershenfeld, Judy Rosenthal and Susan Stern each knit a part of the sweater and Sheila put it together and added the final touch of a collar and wonderful buttons.   I was completely impressed with the beautiful sweater and it is one of the most meaningful gifts I have ever had the pleasure of receiving.  I thank you all for this special gift.

At this time I would also like to thank everyone that has participated in this project.  I am so proud of our achievement and our dedication to a cause that not only gives us the opportunity to knit, which we LOVE, but also help those who are in need. 

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Coming Into the Home Stretch




Lynn Davidson contributed this adorable ribbed cardigan.  She did a beautiful crochet flower to adorn it. This is a great pattern because the sweater is made in one piece with the ribbing added on.  Check other posts if you are interested in the pattern.

OK.  I was so impressed with my BFF's sweater she was making I had to make my own version. This sweater called Fire Dog is designed By Melissa.  He web site is www.knittingtree.com  .
I think it is so adorable. It is a little round ribbed neck pull-over. Here is just a close up of the adorable intarsia pattern......woof.





The last but not least for this post is another little 
v-neck "Little Man Sweater".  

We are getting close to the 44 Sweaters.  I think I am up to 40.  Thanks to all the wonderful knitters that have helped with this truly worthy project.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Baby Einstein for a Five Year Old

Well this Baby Einstein will probably fit a five year old.   I was thinking that with all the cute small sweaters, I should start focusing on some larger sizes.  Hey there are plenty of needy kids that are older than 1 or 2.  We have a few larger sweaters and so now I have a new goal to fill that need.  Were getting close and it continues to be a great project.

I filled out a description on government web site that features service projects.  So far i haven't heard from anyone in regard to the listing, but you never can tell.  www.serve.gov/index.asp  here's where you can list service project and maybe even find one that might interest you. 

Friday, June 5, 2009

Stitch By Stitch

Thanks currently go out to two more people that donated these beautiful sweaters.  Suzanne Pineau and Li Ma. 

Suzanne knit this Surprise Jacket.  I was in her shop the other day with my BFF.  I dragged her off to the North Coast Knitters Guild.  It was the fashion show for the "Shawl Challenge".  We had a great time.  BFF was inspired to do some more knitting and so afterwards we headed for La Jolla.  BFF bought some great yarn and Suzanne presented me with "Surprise" donation.  Check out the shop at 909 Prospect Street in La Jolla. I think she has every knitting book on the market. Well maybe not every but a fantastic selection.

Thanks also go out to a student of Eileen Adler.  Li Ma made this wonderful cabled vest.  I am very impressed with the quality of Eileeen's student.  I have heard she is a great teacher.  Her commitmet to the North Coast Knitters Guild and and her creativity surely make
 her an inspiring teacher.  Thanks to Li Ma for her hard work.  


Thursday, May 28, 2009

Moving (right along) Contributions

I had the opportunity to visit a group of knitters that meet in Mission Hills at the home of Nancy Slayen.  Nancy's sister-in-law, Sheryl Baron and I are childhood friends.  We grew up as neighbors and have remained in contact over the years.  Sheryl invited me to come to their group to share more bout the 44 Sweater Project.  I brought sweaters and was surprised and delighted to receive a sweater from Susan Chenven.  Susan's husband is a physician working at Vista Hill, one of the beneficiaries of the sweaters.  I thank her and the others in the group for their interest and enthusiasm not only in my project but in their interest in knitting.  Sheryl, thanks for the invitation.

Later that evening I went to my regular Israeli dance group and a dancer friend and my contact at Vista Hill was there.  I realized that I had the sweaters in 
the car and so I showed them to her at a break. She was
 flabbergasted and really speechless to see the beautiful work done on the behalf of the needy children that come through her facility. She was so excited and started to plan out how the sweaters would be presented, publicity etc.  It got me even more excited and more dedicated to the project.

OK. This is the cutest.  My BFF, Betsy Frank, made this adorable pinafore for the project. She has decorated the little flower pockets with "bee" buttons.  I can't wait to make this little garment for my new great niece.  Betsy and I have had many years of shared projects. We have had a wonderful friendship and I couldn't think of a better friend.  Thank you, thank you.


Last but not least, a girly "V" neck cardigan. Cute little heart buttons from Michael's are a nice touch.  

So let's see, the count stands at 33 sweaters.  I was also given 3 premie sets by Liz Knapp of the North Coast Knitters guild. I will have pictures of them posted in my next entry. So including the preemie sweaters we are up to 36. Yikes.  It is really exciting.  

Thanks to all participants.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

30 Sweaters


Yeah!!!! We are up to 30 sweaters.  Thanks go out to the very  generous hearts that have participated in this project.  

Phyl has done it again.  I know she has other things to do but she has been so kind to continue to participate.  The red and yellow striped pullover with adorable train buttons is great.  

The amazing and talented Colleen Davis designed and knit th
e wonderful pink textured vest with a cable.  I am trying to figure out a way to squeeze myself into it.  It's my favorite color.

Annette Friedlein made the very soft and cuddly blue color block cardigan.  It is as soft as a cloud.  This pattern comes from the One Skein book.  It is the same pattern that I have made several times but it looks so different in the yarn she used. 



I apologize for not getting the latest batch
 of sweaters up on the blog but my dad took a little fall and I have been busy helping out my mom.  I am happy to report he is doing very well and hopefully he will be home in about a week and a half.  


Thursday, April 9, 2009

Thanks and news!




Thanks go out to three wonderful knitters.  Oops one of the items is actually crochet.  Evelyn Bareno made this soft crochet cardigan. It is so adorable.  It is a free pattern she found on the internet on Ravelry.  The pattern name is Crocheted Baby Sweaterdesigned by Beth Koskie.  

Phyl Bates has done it again.  She made this beautiful pullover with wonderful stitch detail. I am ever thankful to her for being a star supporter.  Like me she enjoys trying different
 stitch patterns and baby sweaters are just the right size for experimenting.

Another creative knitter, Heather Broadhurst, donated this cuddley pullover.  If I could I would shrink myself to fit into this one. With it's cute stand up collar I'm sure it will be a comfy fit.  Heather always amazes us with her projects that use her incredible math skills.   Thank you so much.

Last but not least is my latest.  I made a cardigan from 25 Gorgeous Sweaters for the Brand New Knitter.  It is called V-Neck Cardigan.  I changed the stitch gauge to work with the Red Heart Soft yarn and the measurements came out quite to size.  I decided I need to work on some more masculine sweaters as I just seem to like to knit girly things.
 
Well it happened. I was anticipating a new addition to our family but I was waiting till May when my nephew and his adorable wife are expecting a baby....gender unknown.  BUT in the meantime my niece and her partner got good news and their wait for a baby came on April 1st.  Max Levi Feldman came into their lives.  Congrats to Lisa and Karen.  Well is is a good idea to start making more masculine sweaters..... I have to do my part to keep the little one warm.  I have a few months since summer can be pretty warm in Maryland.  

Once again, my sincerest thanks to Evelyn, Phly and Heather for working with me to warm up the kids!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Rainbow Sorbet

Ok, this looks good enough to eat, but you won't feel cold.
This is another version of the Ribbed Cardigan
I made a crochet flower button for a detail.


Thursday, March 26, 2009

The Warmth of Generosity

Last week at a meeting of very clever knitters I was overwhelmed by their generosity.  Four of the talented women made a donation of six sweaters to this project.  I was very touched by their contributions.  The sweaters are just beautiful.  Barbara Levin, who is also the President of the North Coast Knitters Guild and an incredible knitter made this adorable pullover.
 The pullover pattern called Griffin"s Seeded Rib Pullover.  It was posted on
 the Classic Elite website (www.classiceliteyarns.com).  I am happy that the sweater
 is a about a size 2 so we can have a selection of sweaters kids rather than just babies. 

Eileen Adler, knitter, teacher and designer extrordinaire gave me two wonderful sweaters.  One of the sweaters, the goldenrod cabled pullover is a the sample that was designed by Eileen and published in the March 2009 issue of Creative Knitting Magazine.  The name of the sweater is Playful Pullover.    The neck line has a little button flap to make it easier to get it over the child's head. 
The second contribution  from Eileen is this adorable, soft and cozy cardigan. This sweater designed by Eileen, is called Rich Ribbed Sweater is published in the March 2008 issue of Creative Knitting Magazine.  
I was showing them off to a friend and she was anxious to get the pattern and make the sweater.  The adorable leaf "button" details are really winners. We were examining the stitch pattern and decided we would have to ask the expert for details.  Did you hear that Eileen? An by the way I would like to have more information to tell all the readers about your  contributions to to the  Guild and to the community at large.  

Once again, Phylis Bates has generously contributed.  Her pull-over sweater with a mock placket is just beautiful. The soft colors are great for a boy or a girl.  Some child will be so happy to be warmed by this labor of love.  


Thanks also go to Linda Erlich.  Linda is a hardworking member of the North Coast Knitters Guild. Linda made two amazing sweaters.  One the very famous Baby Surprise jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman and the second is an adorable pullover that is made with a specific yarn which 
creates a variety of stripes.  the wonderful rolled collar is a great detail.

I am very fortunate and thankful to have my knit friends join me in the project. XXXOOO

Wednesday, March 18, 2009




Here's a cute little number.  It was featured in Prima July 2005.  This sweater is called Ribbed Baby Jacket.  It called for a snap and a cute little ribbon rose. Sorry! I have way too many buttons and so I made a button hole and added a beautiful peal button. I learned the little flower detail back when I was smocking.  The size is suppose be a size 3 - 6 months.  I like the construction as it is basically one piece.  The sleeves are one piece with the front and back and formed with sets of cast on and cast off stitches.  The ribbed neck and back are picked up along the fronts and neck. I like the idea of a wide ribbed band and I also like the way the collar hugs the neck of the child.  

I am wishing now I had some cute baby to model the sweaters. I have yet to see one on a live model. 

I may have to take a little break as tendonitis is starting to set in. 12 sweaters in two months has been fun but can be hazardous to your health.  


 

Sunday, March 15, 2009

So finally I have something new to add.  This is a cute little cardigan for a boy.  The pattern comes from Louisa Harding's book, "Natural Knits for Babies and Moms."  Like the coral cable vest, it is made with a finer yarn and took a bit more time to complete.  Usually I have been using a little heavier gauge yarn.  I noticed so many cute baby sweaters require finer yarn and are designed with more details.   
I have added "techno" buttons with what look like little screw heads to give it a more masculine touch.  

I had a little problem with the collar.  The instructions are to knit the collar separately and to then sew it on.  This is a bit tricky as there are live stitches along the back neck edge and the collar must be stretched to fit and to roll nicely.  I'm glad I have experience in sewing to know how to make the collar fit properly.  Also I questioned just how to sew the collar on to make a nice seam edge on the inside.  I probably should have done a little research on technique, but I was in a big hurry to finish the sweater.  Yeah!!!!! It is done. 

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Now For Something a Little Different



Here is my latest...... A cable vest with vintage buttons.  The pattern is from "Queensland Collection Book 8" by Jane Ellison.   The cable looks complicated but makes up fast and is really rather easy. It is a 16 row pattern and the even rows are knit or purl as the stitches lay. 

 

Friday, March 6, 2009

Baby Albert Joins the Project





How lucky am I?????  I have good friends like Shiela Kirschenbaum who shares my passion for folk dancing and knitting.  She  made this beautiful "Baby Albert" coat for the project.  The pattern can be found in Sally Melville's book, "Book 1: The Knit Stitch."   Sheila does some beautiful embroidery and added a bit around the button hole of the jacket.  Thank you Sheila.  A small person will also appreciate your effort!!!


Ok... one more color block sweater.  I really do enjoy making them but I have decided to branch out.  Stay tuned for the next edition of my blog to see what I am finishing up next.  This one has some old leather buttons from my collection.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Colors of Spring


Well, it appears I am on a roll with the color block sweater pattern. I really like it as a project because it is portable and each piece can be made very quickly.  To be specific the sweater pattern is called "Kid's Color Block Cardigan" from the Oneskein book by Leigh Radford.  I used some metal flower buttons and then decided they needed a couple of leaves. So note the close up.  I love the I-cord trim.  This sweater pattern is like a blank canvas. There are lots of places to get creative.  I was just thinking the I-cord could transform into a long flower stem or snake. Try the pattern it is a lot of fun to make.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Thanks to Phylis













Tuesday I was honored to accept two beautiful sweaters from a dear friend, Phylis Bates. Phylis is a fabulous knitter and one of the first knit friends I met in San Diego. I want to let all of you know, as well as Phylis, I am very appreciative of her contribution to 44 Sweater Project. I am getting more and more excited about the project.





Saturday, February 14, 2009

Knit On

I am very thankful that friends have offered to help me with this project. I can't wait to post your projects on the blog.

I have been attending the Jewish Film festival this last week and of course I am taking my current knitting project with me. In the last few weeks I made a few sweaters that I haven't posted here. One from Knitty and two from the One Skein book. This project gives me a chance to try out all the adorable baby and kids patterns that I think are cute. Since they are all pretty small, they make up fast. I would like to keep a notebook of all the sweaters, patterns and yarns used, but I don't know if I can be that disciplined.


From the One Skein book I made the baby Shrug and a Color Block sweater. The baby shrug is for a newborn so I don't think it is really that practical. It has a little lace detail on the back.


The Color block sweater is one of my favorites. It has very simple shaping and lots of style. I find it an ideal portable project. I love putting together the colors and the i-cord trim ties all the colors together. I have quite a collection of buttons and although the sweater takes only two buttons I have visions of using up buttons from my stash. I am now working on making this sweater again. I wouldn't mind having a version of this for myself.



The sweater I made from Knitty turned out wonderful. I was very
pleased with the pattern. The instructions had one small error, but the sweater made up just perfectly. The instructions for putting on the binding were detailed and created a band without puckers. It really looks more like a coat.