Knit fit for a Nephew

Over the past year or so, the Pilgrim has created a number of knits for the L-S O's adorable neice, the eight-year-old Princess Mary. Mary is more precisely a Pink Princess. Absolutely anything is fine by her...as long as it's pink. And so, she has been the happy recipient of an exceedingly soft and fuzzy pink scarf with fringe, and a lovely pink, green and white striped cotton tank dress knit entirely in stockinette with pink garter stitch trim - very Lilly Pulitzer! What joy to create little things for such an adorable little one!

But, one doesn't want to neglect her older brother, the 13-year-old Matthew, now does one? It's just not so easy, though, to find a project or pattern that feels a right fit for a young, newly teen boy.

Enter the new book, Son of Stitch 'N Bitch - another little Christmas gift from the L-S O. How pleased was I to find the knit hoodie featured on the far-left side of the cover, below:

And in close-up here:

Perfectly suited, it seems, for an active 13-year-old, don't you agree?

Although the Pilgrim certainly approves of the brown version in the book, for Matthew I have chosen a largely gray (surprise) and blue scheme. And despite the fact that my gauge was wrong and I had to rip it out once and start anew, so far I think it's coming out rather well.

And a little magic of my own

Resuming the big bind-off parade, one mustn't neglect one's own version of the "magic scarf." This one the Pilgrim knit just for himself. Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend, knit long-ways. 400 stitches of pure garter love.

Scarf Magic

The Pilgrim received an inquiry as to how he got the stockinette to lay so flat. Indeed, the scarf is not stockinette, but single k1 p1 rib throughout. I have chosen not to block it, so it remains smushed together to resemble stockinette, yet lays impeccably flat.

I love this scarf. The L-SO has taken to calling it "The Magic Scarf" because, he says, due to its coloration it miraculously goes with literally everything.

Herewith, another view:

New Year - New Gear

With a tip of the Pilgrim hat, I bid each and every one of you a fond Happy New Year! Yes, after several weeks of hiatus and hibernation, we are back, and many thanks to those of you who have written to inquire of our wellbeing. Your kind words of encouragement are appreciated immensely.

And so, without further ado, let the bind-off parade begin.

Object 1: Above. Striped Scarf (with special nod to Jared). Noro Silk Garden, alternating stripes in similar colorways. The perfect stocking stuffer to feed the Long-Suffering Other's ongoing stripe fixation. And I am extremely happy to report that he L-O-V-E-S it. As he himself put it, it's his FAVORITE SCARF EVER.

But wait, there's more...

Tiger Stripe Socks for the L-SO. Stripey socks of any sort make for happy, if Long-Suffering, feet.

And what, you may ask, did the L-SO surprise me with?

Happy hands...

Need I Say More?

Clearly unbeknownst to many of you, the Pilgrim recently celebrated...once again...the anniversary of his birth. And, while marking time before the much anticipated reveal of his most recent finished object (to come), he thought he would share a birthday card he received from Lady Suzanne...

An apt likeness, if I do say so myself.

Need I say more?

Cheers!

EZ not so Easy

So, for the first time ever, the Pilgrim finds himself following the somewhat haphazard instructions of the legendary genius of knitology, Elizabeth Zimmerman. Now, it must be said that the Pilgrim holds Madam Z in the highest esteem imaginable. But surely one must allow that her patterns are not the clearest in the known world. Indeed, she seems to rely on a rather advanced skill level plus a bit of knitterly intuition to follow along.

For example, the seamless pullover one currently finds oneself blogging about here and there - the Pilgrim read through the shoulder shaping several times before it made any sense at all. That said, however, once the actual shaping commenced, it "clicked" and made total sense. It was, it seems, a matter of visualization. The Pilgrim couldn't see the construction clearly in his head. But now it is coming along, and, well, he remains positively overjoyed at the prospect of this finished garment.

More postings to follow in the coming days.
My best to you for the week ahead.....

Round and round

Round and round we go, knitting on with the Prada-inspired mohair pullover, loosely based on the Zimmerman seamless method. The sleeves have now been joined. What an adventure!

Dear me - the Pilgrim must ask Santa for a nice new digital camera...n'est-ce pas? (Trust me, it's gorgeous!)