Just in Time . . .

Ends and bits trimmed off the hats

Dear friend, I have not crafted in a long, long time.  Hard to blog when there's no crafting to report.  Yeah, school got in the way (and work, and family life . . .  well you get the point, right?).  Thankfully I have finished all my courses for the semester.  So I finally have some free time.  And what did I do with this mythical free time?  I was industrious!  LOL!  I managed to finish the first of my Christmas gifts.

Check out my nephew's hats:

Angry Bird Hats

I really like how everything came together.  If you will remember from previous posts the hats initially didn't look like much without the face details.  Don't the finished hats look great, though? Just love them (If you're interested in the mods, check out my Ravelry notes for Angry Bird #2).

And I really like my niece's hat.  I decided against threading any ribbon through the eyelets 'cuz I was worried it might interfere with the fabric's stretchiness.  Besides, the pom pom adds a nice "pop" of colour (Too bad the yarn sheds a little).

Finished Zeebad Hat

I was nervous about making a pom pom 'cuz it's been a long time since I made one--and honestly I was never really good at it.  But I found this great tutorial on You-Tube from Repeat Crafter Me (I follow her Facebook page).

It really works!!  And yes, I did the thing using only my fingers!  Check out the finished pom pom before it was sewn to the top of the hat:

Pom pom detail

Now I'm off to wrap these hats so they can get mailed to my niece and nephews--just in time for Christmas!! :)
 
 

Yay!

Even though I haven't been good about posting regularly, I am trying ever so hard to craft on a regular basis.  It can be hard during the week 'cuz I've got lots of readings and assignments to work on (seriously, I have something due every week).

Stack of Christmas hats

Happy to say that all my Christmas hats are finally done (six in all)!  They're not completely finished, but all the knitting is done.  And that's something for me who has been lacking in the mojo and/or the time department. I just need a weekend to finish everything, as in weave in ends and make pompoms and such (Hoping to work on the ones that need to be mailed away first).

Last Angry Bird Hat

I managed to finish the last Angry Bird hat.  Even though it is the black Angry Bird, I decided to finish it in the same way as the red ones.  I'll just adjust the colours of the facial features so that the features will be visible against the black.

New amigurumi, but who could it be?

And I've started something new and interesting.  Can you guess what it might be?  I'll give you a hint.  It's amigurumi and it's something for which I have no pattern.  Yeah, that's right: I gotta wing it.

I'll give you another hint: I'm using a pattern for John Lennon and converting it into something else--or someone else.  Stayed tuned . . . . ;)

About the Girls' Hats

So here are the details on Christmas for my nieces.

Finished beret--aka Meret #2

First off, the beret.  The yarn was bulky (it's James Brett Marble Chunky--which incidentally is a bulky yarn, similar to Bernat's vintage Softee); so I settled on Bernat's beret from their Urban Weekend booklet.  Having made this pattern before (here and also here), I remembered that the brim was a little shallow.  I referenced another pattern I had recently made in which the brim was less shallow, the Meret (aka Mystery Beret) and lo and behold, it had the same number of cast-on stitches!  So I switched gears and worked the Meret instead (by the way, I just love my own Meret !).  

Under side of beret

Is this a recipe for disaster?  No, I say.  A thousand times no!!  First off, the yarn I used for the original Meret was on the aran side--thicker than most worsted weight.  The marble chunky yarn is listed as bulky but it's more on the thinner side--close to an aran weight.  See the confusion?  I also used smaller needles than would normally be used for the yarn weight (4.5mm and 5.5mm).  Finally I worked the smallest size listed in the pattern directions.  My oldest niece is 9 and rather tall for her age, so a child-sized hat was probably not gonna work for her anyways.  I figure better it be a wee bit bigger than too small.

Leftovers

If there's enough yardage, I'm hoping to make a matching beret (with purse and shawl) for my niece's 18" doll.  Won't that be cute?  I'm certain she'll love all of it. :) 

Yarn and pattern are ready to go . . .

For my younger nieces, I'm hoping to get them some storybooks along with some pretty hats.  How does Zeebad look?  Cute, right?  I've got some lovely Patons Classic Wool in orchid (more like a lovely raspberry, in my opinion) for one niece.  There's lots more pink in my stash, so if I run out of orchid, I can use a different colour for the second girl.

Very excited about getting started . . . 

Lovin' It!

After finishing my Keyhole Bow-tie Scarf, I cast-on for another bow-tie type scarf.  With only 109 yards in the one skein of elann.com's Peruvian Alpaca, I needed something small.  Problem: not happy.  The yarn is just lovely, but not loving the curl which is intregal to the pattern.  What now?  Rip out?  What else to make with such a small amount of yarn?  The yardage got me thinking about different types of small projects, which in turn got me thinking about dolls.  That's right: dolls.

Not loving the curl

Flipping through Ravelry's search engine, I found loads of cute patterns for 18" dolls (if you don't already know about Ravelry, get thee to the website post-haste 'cuz it is awesome!!).  Perusing patterns always gets me looking through the stash.  And I found a nice pattern to marry with some DK weight leftovers.

Top/dress in progress

The pattern is a little ensemble (Ravelry link), but I only made the top.  The top length is perfect as a dress, especially as my doll has leggings and pink booties.  Pattern is straight-forward, but I tweaked parts of it because of personal preference and because I couldn't get gauge.

Front view of dress

Back view

What do you think?  Pretty?  I love it, especially the bright colours.  Also love that I used leftovers.  And my doll finally gets a nice outfit.  Think she needs a matching cardigan?  Maybe in green?  I'll keep you posted. ;)

Life Is Like . . .

Fragrant lilacs in bloom

. . . . Knitting.  N'est pas?  Yes, life is very much like knitting.  You think you've found the most wonderful yarn or the best pattern.  Full of enthusiasm, you cast on and soon realize something is amiss.  Gauge?  Dropped stitch?  Wrong size?  Ignoring the nagging doubts, you continue working on the piece until you realize the "mistake" needs addressing.  Your options?  Well, some of us will throw the whole mess in a cupboard and try to forget; others try something entirely different, while others just give up altogether and declare knitting (or crochet) to be too difficult.  Then there are those of us that either tink back or frog the entire thing, but they do not give up.  Maybe you need a different pattern for the yarn or different size needles.  Maybe you modify the pattern.  Maybe you ask for help and continue forth.  Either way, you persevere.

Dainty bleeding hearts in bloom

Life is like that.  Stuff happens that shake you to the core.  You wanna give up.  But you don't.  You persevere.  You find a way.

Detail of pretty lungwort

And truthfully, thank heavens for the knitting (or crochet).  It can ease the stress and give your mind a place to focus when you feel like crumbling into a small ball in the corner.  So while my absence has been much too long, my thoughts and heart were not far.  Complete immersion in all things crafty (and all things garden-wise and plant-like) kept me sane and functional.

Finished keyhole scarf

By the way, I finished that keyhole scarf.  What a lovely quick knit--and satisfying too.  Then I cast-on something else, but before I finished that, I cast on a second project.  Then I had this crazy idea to start making Christmas early . . . but that's for another post.
 

Lost Mittens?

A pair of mittens from November 2015 were finally finished (they were intended as a gift, but then my niece got a new coat and the colours were all wrong.  Long story short: the unfinished mitts went into "hibernation").  While they were a smidge big for the youngest toddlers, they were still wearable.

Finished Mittens

Sadly these mittens have since gone MIA.  Yes, that's right: I lost my mittens.  At the centre, one of my toddlers wore them ('cuz it was still snowy).   The mittens went into the dryer along with all the other wet hats and mitts.  Then they were no more.  I suspect someone took them home by mistake, but they have yet to return.  Hope that means somebody likes them . . . 

To comfort my loss, I started another pair with some mods to create a better fitting mitt for smaller toddlers. Then I got to thinking: why worry over mods?  And wouldn't pure wool make a better mitten?  After all, wool's properties allow it to retain body heat even when wet. 

New mitten project in Briggs and Little

Browsing through my stash I found lots of Briggs and Little.  One skein would make lots of wee mitts.  So the search was on for a pattern using worsted weight.  Lo and behold, check out Another Pair of Mittens (Rav link).  

Mitten detail

Thus far I've made minor mods with the exception of how the thumb is created.  Instead of an after-thought thumb, I'm doing a regular one.  It seems to create less holes and it isn't as fiddly when picking up the live stitches.  I may have to tweak the numbers, but someone may have already done the math for me as tons of Ravelers have already made this pattern.

Still Winter?!

What?  Winter still here?!

 Yeah, it's blustery out there today.  I dare say it is even blizzard like with all the snow and wind . . . Thank heavens my hat is finished 'cuz  I can still wear it!

Friend modeling my hat :)

I really do like the fit.  I did something different by casting on the smallest size for the ribbing, then I increased twice--once to reach the medium size stitch count for the brim/ribbing and then again as per the medium size instructions.  

Top view of my "meret"

I also made the hat a little more slouchy by repeating the simple lace pattern twice before working the crown decreases (pattern offers suggestions for making mods.  Gotta love it when the designer gives you options).  And I love it!  Now onward to another project . . . .

No Mojo :(

Finished socks :)

So the socks got finished.  Yay!  Even with readings, assignments and a group project taking up my free time, I managed to pick at the project long enough to finally finish. I'd like to say that once finished, I immediately cast on something else.  But that didn't happen.  No.  Instead I was stuck--more like, lost in quagmire.  What to make next?

Fits great!

I thought long and hard, but couldn't make up my mind.  Do I make more worsted socks (enjoyed using Glenna C.'s worsted sock so much, I wanted to make more)?  My sock drawer was certainly lacking a nice pair of thick--almost "workman-type"--socks.

Maybe a beret?  With winter still around, I'd been itching to finally make that matching hat for my lovely cowl (I'd even printed off a bunch of beret patterns ages ago).  And hats are often quick projects, especially in worsted weight.

But I also needed mittens--specifically toddler mittens.  I had the pattern and lots of leftover yarn from Christmas.  Many a toddler at work often needed an extra pair and the spares at work were often too big for their wee hands.

Then there was that list of waiting WIPs.  Some of those projects needed just a little time . . . .

What did I do instead?  Nothing.  Nyet.  Nada. I made no choice, so sadly there was no knitting.  And now, my little peeps, I am feeling the withdrawals.  The fingers are itchy and twitchy.  My jaw is clenched.  My stomach is in knots.  I gotta grab some needles and string quick before I stab someone in the eye . . . 
:(

Looking Back . . .

I wish I had been more productive in 2015, but with two courses on my plate coupled with full time work and family life, my time was limited. Still I managed to finish off a few small projects. The year began with a collection of baby gifts, some of which were made at the end of 2014 and some at the start of 2015.

Baby Collection

As it turns out, my selection of yarn colour was less than ideal.  The baby born was a boy and maybe there weren't enough traditional "masculine" colours.  Nevertheless, I did like the individual items (although I wish I had made more than one bib).

My proudest moment was finishing my Bernat Crochet-Along Afghan.  That one had been in the WIP pile for years.  And I was very happy to make my first real grown-up shawl with lace edging.  There's some lovely yarn in my stash that's waiting for a more complicated lace pattern.  Here's hoping I can work on that during the year.

Some 2015 projects

The year marked my return to hand-crafted Christmas gifts.  I had decided to make gifts for all my nieces and nephews.  I started off gang-busters and then lost some of my steam along the way.  The result: some manic last-to-the-minute knitting, but I did manage to finish on time.  Sadly I wasn't able to photograph one little gift (I should really get my SIL to snap a photo for me).

Gifts for Christmas 2015

All in all, I had a decent year.  Bonus: only a few items in my WIP pile.  Hopefully these will get done in the not-too-distant future (I'm looking at you, lonely sock and almost-done scarf).

WIP pile left over form 2015

How was your year?  Did you get lots done?  Here's hoping there's lots of crafty goodness for all of us. :)

About Blocking . . .

Confession time: I have never blocked  any of my knits.  Ever.  But to be fair, most of my knits have been made with acrylics or cottons.  So really they didn't need any blocking, just a good wash when finished.

Blocked shawl drying

This shawl was different.  I finished it back in August, but I'd been dragging my feet on weaving in a few ends and blocking it.  I never would have thought that blocking would have made such a difference!

Before blocking

After blocking

The yarn overs opened up and the entire shawl stretched right out.  In fact, the shawl seems to have a lovely curve to it. 

First I soaked it in water with mild detergent (Yarn used was DROPS Fabel which is a wool-nylon mix.  My other woolen sock yarns have stood up well to the washer and dryer).  After rinsing in plain water, I gently squeezed out the water.  Wrapped within a large towel, I rolled up the shawl and squeezed out more water.  Finally I began pinning out my shawl so that the lace would open up.

Without any special blocking pins. I resorted to using some quilting pins.  They seemed to work fine, as long as I drove them right into the mat. Nearby sat the dehumidifier.  Hope that will speed up the drying time.

It's the Wrong Colour!

I have made an effort to knit more this week.  And the extra effort has netted some nice FOs.  Check out the earflap pixie hat with matching mittens.  Isn't it cute?

Finished pixie hat with matching mittens

This is headed for one of my nieces.  My other niece was going to get  the same pixie hat with matching mittens in a different colour--mainly orange and brown..  However, I noticed something as I worked on the mittens.  Do you see the problem?

Second pair of mittens

Mitten Detail

The mittens look as if they came from a different coloured skein altogether, but they came from the same skein.  I was going to redo one of the mittens . . . . .

And then I saw my niece's new winter coat.  It was not navy, black or blue.  No, it was pink--as in very pink!  No orange to be seen anywhere.  **sigh**  I may have to make a second hat with matching mittens in pink-purple. :(  At least I have lots of the pink-purple skein leftover.

Serendipity

I was off--by a little.  Yeah, I took a calculated risk and increased the number of stitches in my shawl (by about 16 stitches) in the hopes of making it larger.  The original pattern required just over 300 yards.  I had well over 400 yards and thought that would be just enough yarn (thought it would use up every last bit).

Leftover DROPS Fabel--not enough for 3 more rows plus cast off :(

But I was wrong--close, but still wrong.  I had a wee bit of yarn left when I realized I still had 3 rows left to go plus the casting off to contend with.  What was I to do?  I was not going to rip back--no way, no how!

Patons Kroy in solid red

So I took a gamble and searched the local Five to a Dollar department store.  They carry Patons Kroy sock yarn and hoped to find a solid red or some reasonable facsimile.  And I did!   I found a solid red!

Edging detail

The colour seemed to be a good match, but the Kroy was a little thicker than the Garnstudio DROPS Fabel, even though both yarns are rated as fingering weight.  Still, it worked.  The slightly thicker yarn and solid red added a nice edging to the shawl, emphasizing the lace edge.  

Finished shawl

I've still got to block, but I must confess: I love it!  Serendipity!  Gotta love it when the fates conspire to work together--for a change. ;)

FYI

Old Slippers-one pair inside another

These were my husband's old slippers.  Not bad looking--until you turn them over.

Lotta holes!

Yup, those slippers were in a bad way.

Cushiony man slippers

Now look at these new ones, all clean and pouffy--very comfortable and warm.  And no holes.

Clean. soft and new

Nice, huh?  'Nuff said. ;)

Keeping Busy . . .

When Mother Nature dances with Ol' Man Winter, you gotta keep busy, right?  So I've been a good little crafter: my mitts are done!  Aren't they cozy?

Finished Faux-Thrum Mittens

I started another project too: Simple Man Slippers for my man.  He's got big feet and his old ones are rather holey.  I had been meaning to make the fella new ones, but I kept putting it off while I played with other distractions.

With snow days and bad weather, I finally cast-on.  Here's my latest WIP:

In progress slipper with 3 yarns worked together

It's a fairly straight forward pattern from Melissa Mall (link to pattern on her blog).  The original called for 2 strands of bulky Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick.  I thought the Bernat Roving might work, but I didn't have enough of it.  So I used Phentex Craft & Slipper Yarn along with Briggs & Little Heritage as my third yarn.  The latter two should be strong and durable enough to keep the Bernat Roving from falling apart (it does tend to pill a bit).

And I tweaked the pattern a little too.  Instead of a plain stockinette middle, I decided to use garter.  I figured it would be more squishy.  And who doesn't enjoy a nice squishy and cozy slipper?

Stay warm.