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 . . . . ;)

Good Ol' Stash!

Nothing like rummaging through one's stash to get the mojo flowin'!  

Leftover bits of yarn

Over the long weekend, I decided to clean out my two yarn baskets--full of used patterns, misplaced (or "lost") needles, leftover yarn and almost finished items.  Do you have one too?  A bin, basket or other suitable receptacle where all the leftovers or WIPs collect?

Yarn, socks and lacy scarf

In re-organizing all those bits and pieces, I had to rummage through my stash containers.  Lo and behold, there was my mojo!  Hidden away in a plastic drawer filled with special yarns in pretty colours.  Funny how one's stash can inspire . . . .  
 

Almost there . . .

So I finally got back to ripping out and finishing one of those Angry Bird hats.  Some of those itty-bitty face parts got made too. Excited to sew all those bits in place 'cuz then I'll be almost done (although I have to confess that I'm eyeing a special project for a family member, but it will require some "designing". . . ).

Yarn for last Angry Bird hat

Happy to report there's just one more hat to make!  This last Angry Bird will have to be a different colour.  There's not much red left.  So one of my nephews will get either a yellow or black Angry Bird--not sure which colour to use yet.  I promise to keep you posted. :)

While on Vacation . . .

Vacations are for sleeping in, relaxing and taking it slow.  And knitting.  On the downside, sometimes blogs fall by the wayside . . . 

One hat and a second almost done . . .

But there is progress!  I've got one Zeebad hat finished and the second one is almost done.  I should be further along, but there was ripping--followed by cursing (or maybe it was the other way around?  Expletives were shouted and there might even have been some growling).  In a fit of exasperation over size, missed yarn overs and dropped stitches I ripped it all out and started again.  Twice.  Once for each hat.

First hat awaiting ribbon and pompom

The hats have to be perfect 'cuz they're gifts.  So when I was done cursin', I knocked some sense into those stitches.  And I promised myself to only work on the hats when I am well-rested and have time to concentrate.  (Don't rest and time go hand-in-hand with vacations?).   

Second hat in progress

In any case, my goal: finish the second hat within the week and then look for ribbons.  These will get threaded through the eyelets.  There are pompoms to be made too!  Haven't made those in a long time.  I might have to peruse some how-to videos.  I'll keep you posted.

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 . . . 

Makin' Christmas in July?

Yup, that's right!  I'm makin' Christmas in July.  Hoping to make hats for my 3 nephews and 3 nieces just like last year--except this time I'm getting an early start.

In progress beret

The plan is to make angry bird type hats for the boys, a beret for my older niece, and eyelet- ribbon hats for the younger girls.  I've got plenty of yarn in my stash (it really is nice to go "shopping" in the stash, especially when funds are tight).

In-progress hats for nephews

Hoping to get most of the gift knitting done by the end of the summer.  If I can stick to "my plan", I may have time to make a scrapbook for the grandparents.  Haven't really scrapped in a while, but I've got lots of paper and it would be nice to use it.

And Last--But Not Least . . .

And for my final gift wrap up: part of this gift was completed early one, while the rest was a last minute add-on 'cuz I had enough yarn left over.

Almost finished hat

First off, the kitty-kat hat. I started this one early on in September (remember my complaints posted here? ). It took a little longer than the bulky and worsted hats because it was DK.  Then I waited to weave in all those ends (ugh, hate that necessary part of "finishing").

In-progress "pom-pom"

I also dragged my feet on making pom-poms 'cuz my experience with the process has not been positive.  However, I did find a couple of interesting links to modified pom-poms--or acceptable alternatives (check out this link from Repeat Crafter Me on how secure your traditional pom-pom).  I chose the alternative option which was a small crochet ball using this pattern (crocheted pom-pom, a free pattern on Ravelry.com).  Well actually, my first one was a HUGE ball that was much too heavy.  I re-worked the pattern to make it smaller.  These are my mods (somewhat following the pattern, except with different stitch counts):

Round 1: chain 4, slip stitch & then work only 4 sc.  
Round 2: 2 sc in each sc (8 st)
Round 3: sc in each sc (8 st)
Round 4: sc in first stitch and then 2 sc in next stitch (12 st)
Rounds 5-7: sc in each stitch
Round 8: sc in 1st stitch, then draw loop through 2 sc to decrease (8 st)
Round 9: sc in each sc
Round 10: stuff ball with filling & then decrease by drawing loop through 2 sc (4 st)
Cut long piece & then draw yarn through last 4 sc. Pull tight & secure.

Finished hat complete with faux pom-poms

What do you think of the finished hat?  The balls actually look like pom-poms 'cuz the yarn is so fuzzy.  Bonus: my niece loves it so much, she's been wearing it non-stop (she loves hats anyways, so this gift was a no-brainer).

My niece in her hat

I wasn't sure she would like the wrist-warmers, but she loved them too.  Sadly I have NO photos of these--not even in-progress shots. 

Poor substitute for finished photo of wrist-warmers

So I'll share a lovely photo of the yarn used.  I really liked the pattern, Cleckheaton Country Silk Fingerless Gloves (which is a free download at Ravelry.com).  It's an easy-to-follow pattern and the gloves fit well (I think it's the ribbing).  For the striping, I worked a plain knit row when adding a new colour.  No real mods, but I'd recommend changing thumb placement:  I wish I had knit the first 2 stitches BEFORE binding off the 6 stitches for the thumb opening. For the second mitt, I worked the round till the last 8 stitches, bound off 6 stitches and then continued in ribbing for last 2 stitches.

Now I can get back to knitting for l'il ol' me. ;)

More Knitting Stuff . . .

Yup, there's more.  I don't think I shared any of the finished Batman hats (although I did write about the pattern and intarsia here back in October) .  Essentially I followed the instructions as written with no mods.

Two Batman hats for two brothers

I was initially leery of the pointy ears on the hat (and truthfully I was a little unsure about how to proceed), but I carefully followed the instructions.  And they look fine (although  I thought that maybe next time I would use the intarsia design on a regular stocking hat).

Batman pixie hat with earflaps

In fact, I did just that for the baby hat.  This baby Batman hat uses a cute pixie earflap pattern from Yarnspirations (written by Vicky Howell).  Since intarsia needs to be worked flat, I started the hat in the round, but worked it flat when doing the colourwork. Once completed, I returned to working in the round and added a couple of extra rounds in plain gray before starting the decreases (approx 4” total from edge of garter brim).

And my nephews were pleased with their gifts.  Guess how I can tell?  Somebody didn't wanna take off his hat . . .  ;)

My nephew being goofy for the camera

More to share later . . .

About All the Knitting . . .

There is much to share!

First off, all gifts were sent off and/or dropped off in time for the holidays.  That was a bit of a challenge.  You'd think a few hats would be easy to whip up, but I got distracted by work, school and family life in general--and of course I had to re-do one set of mittens and hat (remember this post ?).  And honestly, I wish I could have made more . . .  

Of course, when you knit for someone else, you never know if the recipient will appreciate the effort or even the item, especially if the recipient is a child.  It can be hit or miss (but I needn't have worried).

First Berry Hat with matching mittens

My sister and her kids loved their hats--and everything fit which is a double bonus, especially when the recipients are so far away.  Distance can make measuring next to impossible (although I suppose I could have asked my sister to measure the kids' heads, but that would have spoiled the surprise).

Second Berry Hat with matching mittens

Remember the  Pixie Earflap Hat with matching mittens?  As you may recall, the hat was the Iceland Earflap Hat  from Crystal Palace Yarns.  I made a few mods because the original was adult-sized and written for super-bulky yarn (I was working with bulky and needed toddler size).
Modifications included:
1) bulky yarn on 6.0 mm needles
2) brim worked in garter stitch instead of ribbing so it would blend into garter flaps
3) stitch count adjusted to accommodate toddler size:  when connecting flaps & joining in round, knit across 1st flap (15 st), cast on 9 st (instead of 12), knit across 2nd flap (15 st) and then cast on 15 stitches (instead of 18)--54 stitches total.
4) second hat had no I-cord ties, but was otherwise constructed in the same way

Last Minute Mittens

The mittens were an amalgam of two patterns:  mostly used Last Minute Mittens  from Valley Yarns, but used measurements from  Bernat's Family Mittens to help achieve appropriate size (and it helped to be working with toddlers who willingly tried on the mitts as I worked on them).

Modifications included:
1) used 5.0 mm needles instead of 6.5 mm
2) using women's size small, worked cuff in K2P1 for 1 1/2" (instead of 2").  Then worked 1 plain row in knit before working thumb gusset as written
3) after round 9 of thumb gusset,, worked 1 plain knit round before putting aside 6 thumb stitches on holder
4) worked body as written, but only until length was 5" (instead of 6-7").  Decreases worked as written
5) For thumb only worked 5 rows on 9 st (approx 1") before decreasing/casting off


I'm so pleased with the final results that I'd like to make more mittens.  Hard to find toddler-sized mittens that fit easily and stay on.  I tested these on toddlers in my classroom, so the pattern works.  I think I'll start by finishing the rust mitts I couldn't use for my niece.


More to come later  . . .

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.

Na,na,na,na,na . . .

Batman! Oh yeah, I has batman in the house! ;)

Batman hat in progress

Now this pattern wasn't too bad (free pattern available here at Portable Knitting) .  Because the colourwork is worked over a small area, your attention is only required for those 16 rows.  Then you're back at plain stockinette stitch--and in the round too (but not the intarsia part.  That has to be worked flat)

Hat with pattern print-off

Now I've worked intarisa before (there's Girlie Skull Hat, Skull Hat, & Monster Vest).  And even though the final item looks lovely, it can be finicky while you're working on it.  I highly recommend making small balls of the necessary colours ahead of time.  Also, a row counter can be your friend as you try to keep track of where you're at on the chart.

Smaller balls needed for intarsia

Sadly some ripping was involved--just like my other projects thus far (is this a test of my perseverance?).  And no, I didn't mess up the colourwork.  Instead I made a newbie mistake: an unwanted yarn over!  Not just one, but two!  Seriously?  I suppose it's my fault for knitting in the dark.

Messy yarn bits inside hat

With school and work, I was just trying to fit in some knit time and naptime is just as a good a time as any.  Besides, it's not like I've never knit in the dark before--with even more complicated patterns.  Not sure what happened . . .

In any case, this hat is well on it's way to being done.  And that makes me happy 'cuz I've got two more to make.     :)

Best Laid Plans . . .

Sometimes the best laid plans go astray.

Yarns waiting to become a hat

I had hoped to make the Snow Bunny Hat.  As I worked the first row with my novelty yarn, a little voice in head hummed and hawed.  I worked a few rows of ribbing before finally taking a closer look at my other yarns.  Eeek!  My bamboo yarns were much thinner!  **sigh**  My fuzzy brimmed vision was not gonna work with this pattern.  :(

After ripping out, I searched for a pattern using worsted weight. I settled on Easiest Baby Hat 'cuz it echoed the shape and style of the Sunny Bunny Hat. Sadly this meant my novelty yarn was not gonna be usable as the brim, but it could still work as pompoms.

As I worked with the bamboo yarn, that little voice hummed and hawed again.  I ignored it.  After a few more rows, I couldn't ignore it anymore.  The hat looked smallish.  I finally went online and searched Ravelry's databatse.  Ack!!  My bamboo yarns weren't worsted!  They were DK!  Seriously?!  **double sigh**

Stripey bamboo yarn

More ripping ensued.  Back to search for similar patterns in a DK weight.  Was there even such a pattern?  I really wasn't interested in designing my own.  **triple sigh** 

Pretty colours waiting for colourful pompoms

To my rescue: Tappee Hattee.  **sigh of relief**   This pattern worked with the yarn beautifully and there was the added bonus that it was worked in the round so no side seams or matching stripes.

Now I just have to figure out how to make pompoms . . .  :S

Makin' Christmas . . .

Remember the movie Nightmare Before Christmas?  Remember Jack Skellington taking over Christmas and making presents for all the kiddies?  During the movie, Jack and his scary pals sing a song with the verse "makin' Christmas . . "  Yup, that's me!

I hope I'm not makin' scary presents (that remains to be seen, haha!), but the tune keeps playin' in my head as I busily finish off some hats for my nieces.  Yup, it's gonna be a homemade Christmas this year for all my nieces and nephews. (Apologies to the adults 'cuz they're being cut out this year).

Using the free pattern Iceland Earflap Hat, I made some modifications.  Since the original adult-sized pattern called for super-bulky yarn, I took a chance that my less bulky yarn worked with smaller needles would produce a child-sized hat (FYI: using Lion Brand Homespun).

Berry Pixie Earflap Hat for Niece #1

I worked flaps as indicated, but added 2 extra row increases so that flap had 17 stitches (instead of the 15 stitches as suggested in pattern).  To keep the total stitch count at 60, I adjusted the count when connecting the flaps: knit across first flap and cast on 10 stitches (instead of 12), knit across second flap and then cast on 16 stitches (instead of 18). 

I wasn't too keen on the look of garter stitch flaps and ribbing next to each other, so I "borrowed" from Teo Hat which uses garter for the rim.  I think it looks nicer--more unified.

Rusty Pixie Earflap Hat for niece #2

Worried that the hat might not fit right (the brim of the berry version "looked" huge), I made the second hat with smaller flaps (15 stitches as originally written in pattern).  My big mod was to adjust the overall stitch count to 54 stitches (decreases happen in multiples of 6): knit across first flap (15 sts), cast on 9 stitches, knit across second flap (15 sts) and then cast on 15 stitches.  

I then realized that first version had a shorter brim (quite by accident I knit 3" before decreases instead of the required 4").  I think I need to take both hats to work where a few toddlers can try them on.  If they fit, I won't have to re-do any of them (oh please let them fit . . . !!). 
 

Funky hat for niece #3

I hope to make matching mittens to go along with the cute pixie hats, but right now I'm ready to start another hat for my older niece: a funky  Snow Bunny Hat

Lotta colours :)

Hoping to use a mix of different colours--although I'm conflicted about using the dark orange (not sure it works with the variegated novelty yarn).  Guess I'll just have to experiment with it.

This week I start my online course.  Hope it won't put too many demands on my time.  I've three more hats to make along with at least 2 pairs of mittens.  Just keep knittin', right?  LOL!

Rainbow Bib

Rainbow |Bib

So I finished the baby bib from this post and I have mixed feelings.  I like the way the variegated colour did not pool too badly and I love the circular shape; however, none too pleased with the neckline shaping and my confusion over the pattern instructions.  I may or may not attempt a second one, but I think for now I'll attempt a beanie and some booties. Planning to use familiar patterns so that there's no confusion over instructions.

By the way, happy to report that work was done on the lovely rainbow bedspread.  I've been busy seaming and crafting more grannies for the next row . . . every little bit helps. ;)

Rainbows and Bibs

Yup, I did it.  I  made something.  And I even managed to finish it too (but since the natural light has since faded, I'll have to wait for another day to show you the finished item, although I did manage in-progress shots).

Crochet bib in progress

What do you think?  The  pattern comes from a book I borrowed from the library entitled Baby Crochet.    First problem, I used the wrong gauge yarn; instead of fingering, I used worsted cotton.  This, in turn, meant I used a bigger hook.  So while I initially tried to follow the pattern as written, I had to make changes so the bib would not be monstrously large.

Closer view of bib

Although I've crocheted lots of items, I still consider myself a beginner crocheter.  As such, I'm no expert at reading pattern instructions.  So I'm trying to determine if my confusion over pattern instructions were the fault of the pattern itself or the fault of the crafter (i.e. me) . . .  Not sure.

My plan is to make another bib (second time should be the charm, right?).  So if my confusion subsides and I make a better bib, then the fault may lie with me . . . We shall see.  I'll keep you posted.

About the Baby Stuff . . .

Almost done.  The hat was already completed when I'd started on the booties(the link will take you to the pattern links).  The booties were actually quite easy to work and to stitch up.  

Bernat Baby Booties

With those items finished, I decided to add some baby socks (they're just so darn cute!).

Baby Sock

The sock pattern comes from a discontinued booklet from Bernat (Rav link).  I'd actually made the socks a few years ago (old Bernat blog's archive at Yarnspirations.com) using the now discontinued yarn Bernat Baby Stretch.  I'd hoped my non-stretchy Red Heart Smoothie would work with the pattern.  And it does!

Almost done . . . 

 This is gonna be a cute set when its completed.  Just need to start the second sock . . .  ;)