Packer hat - FINISHED!

Project Name: Soldier, Brother, Packer Fan
Pattern Name: Ribbed Watchman's Hat by Channah Koppel (Free Pattern on Ravelry)
Yarn: 147 yards of Red Heart Team Spirit in the Green/Gold colorway
Needle: Size 7 16" circular and double point needles
Size: One Size (very stretchy!)
Love: ♥♥♥♥

You can find my Ravelry Project Notes HERE.

 

This was a great hat pattern to work on my last few weeks of class and during finals. I didn't think when I started it that I would finish in time to give it to my brother for Christmas - but I did! YAY!

I had a few mishaps while knitting this and finally taught myself the proper way to Tink. I had been doing it wrong for years and it caused my stitches to twist when I would do it - so generally I would just start over whenever I made a mistake. (No pressure, right?) 

In case anyone else has this problem, you can watch this video on uTube to learn how to knit and purl back to correct your mistakes. It saved this hat! I was almost 9 inches into the ribbing when I saw a flubbed up row where I messed up. I was able to back up and redo it and now you can't even tell I messed up!

I found this yarn pretty abrasive. When you are used to working with Brown Sheep and Malabrigo.... well it's a very different tactical experience! Still, my brother will probably love it. He is a HUGE packer fan! I am hoping to get a picture of him wearing it when I see him at Christmas. 

The pattern was great. I recommend it! It took under 150 yards of worsted weight yarn. Still not sure what I think of the decrease section. I prefer a spoked decrease aesthetically, but I think for a basic watch cap style cap this decrease is probably more appropriate.

I am thrilled with the hat and cannot wait to present it to my brother at Christmas!

Nerd Girl Yarns = Awesome B-day Gift

For my Birthday last month my parents gave me some spending money, which allowed me to go and get some yarn I have been wanting to try for a long time. I headed to Nerd Girl Yarns and looked through everything Yarn on the site. In the end I fell in love with these two yarns and had to get them.

Bounce and Stomp in the colorway "Bad Luck". I got the last available skein of this and I cannot wait to work it up. The stats from the website: "4-ply fingering - 75% superwash merino 25% nylon
Approximately 463 yards (423 meters), 100 grams".  When I pulled it out of the bag I went "Ooooooh" and gave it a squish with my hand. Oh yeah baby. That's what I like!

The color explosion above is a worsted weight yarn called "Clever" in the colorway Wonders. Here is the stats about it from the website: "100% superwash merino. 218 yards, 100 grams. worsted weight". I love love love the colors in this.

Living in Minnesota - I wear a scarf over half the year. Most of my coats are black. I wear blue jeans every day. Yawn. So a violent pop of color on my neutral colored wardrobe, when I live in an area that lacks any color in the landscape for months on end - well it makes me REALLY happy.  I am anxious to get knitting on this as well!

As for the shopping experience? Great! The website was well organized and easy to maneuver. I clicked on the link for "all items currently in stock" and cruised through them looking for my must haves. I have been to the site before looking for sci-fi themed yarns and been a bit confused about how that works. So I avoided that this time and had a better experience. I am drawn to a lot of her sci-fi lines of yarn - so I may need to figure that out in the future.

I was able to pay with PayPal (easy peasy) and got great confirmation of my purchase and tracking info. My yarn was in my hands just a few short days after I ordered it! Wonderful!

Very happy with my Birthday gift! 

IEEE 802.15.1 Bluetooth Cap

 

Project Name: IEEE 802.15.1 Bluetooth Cap

Pattern Name: Snow Day Cap (Free Pattern on LionBrand.com)
Yarn: Lion Brand Hometown USA. 44 yards of Main Color - MPLS Purple & 11 yards of Seattle Sea Mist for the Snowflakes
Needle: US 13
Size: Small Woman's or Large Childs
Love: ♥♥♥♥ Well written free pattern. Uses a minimum of yarn and the end result is quite nice!

You can find my Ravelry Project Notes HERE.

 

I really had to stretch this to fit on my mannequin head to take pictures - and you can tell the snowflakes are distorted when I place it on the head.  Laying flat you can see the snow flake pattern more clearly - and I have to think some young gal (Pre-tween I think) would rock this out wonderfully.

I knit this exactly as the pattern stated. I found the chart was too much for me when I was tired and didn't want to think too much - so I saved it for more alert and less distracted knitting times. I really like how it looks from the top. A pretty decrease sequence. 

A welcome addition to my Knit Hat Donation pile.

Let it snow!

Oh the weather outside is frightful... but my dog loves it! My hubby ran her around in the backyard while it was still coming down full force. I would be shocked if we aren't at almost a foot of snow at this point. And it's still coming down. It looks like we could get about 15 inches when it finally stops. THAT is a lot of snow!

I am happy it hit today instead of Monday - but I am still going to have to drive to work on some pretty yucky roads. Not. Fun. I am sure I will wonder, in the morning, when I am clearing huge piles of snow off our truck, why I live in Minnesota. But for today - snug in my house with candles lit and the snow dropping down - it's quite lovely.

And maybe this will kick-start my Christmas Spirit! I have been feeling a bit Grinchy, so this might help.

And now I must go and shovel. (Score one more for the Grinch!)

A hat for my brother

 I haven't had much time to knit lately, but when my mom got this yarn for me I knew I had to make something for my Brother toot sweet. My brother is a HUGE Green Bay Packer Fan and this yarn is perfect for making a Packer hat. The yarn is Red Heart Team Spirit and it's pretty rough acrylic. I have read it softens a bit when washed - so we will hope that is true.

I cast on after class this week and have been working on it in bed at night after I have studied to the point my brain is mush. Simple ribbing is really soothing to me right now. It feels like working worry beads. It's rhythmic and it's not real easy to screw up - A big bonus!

I like that the color changes every few rows. It keeps the boredom at bay a bit. I love a solid colored item - but I do get bored with the monotonous visual factor. So exciting when the yarn is about to change and you knit knit knit to get that color change onto your needle. I think I knit faster when there are color changes just because I need to see what is "next".

I don't think I will get it done for Christmas, but his B-day is in February and that is very do-able. The hat looks really small to me - but it IS ribbed so I guess it will really stretch. We will see.

Lovely (?) Lavender Hat

Project Name: Lovely Lavender Hat
Pattern Name: Big Chunky Comfy Hat by Erica Kempf on Ravelry (Free Pattern)
Yarn: Hometown USA in Seattle Sea Mist (66.4 Yards used)
Needle: 11
Size: adult-ish (may fit a child better)
Love: ♥♥♥ Only 3 out of 5 loves on this.

You can find my Ravelry Project Notes HERE.

I thought it would be fun to try a different pattern so I gave this one a go. It turned out a little awkward in length for me. It's a little too long all the way down unless I have a ponytail on under the hat. Then it's perfect. It's too short if I roll the brim up. So yeah.  A little off.

The other thing I am not in love with is the decrease section. I thought the ribs would just thin out - but it ended up looking really sloppy. Not sure if that was my execution or the pattern. I followed the pattern exactly so I could see how it turned out, and I would make this again but modified. I would add length to the body and rim area so you could get a nice flip over, and I would change the decrease section so it looked smoother.

I think this is hat three for the charity box I am making. A LOOOOOONG way to go to get it filled up - but it's fun to do!

♦ That's my cat Izzi that made it into most of the photo's this time.♦

Azalea Hat

Project Name: Azalea Hat
Pattern Name: Erich's A&F Knockoff Hat

Yarn: 50 yards of Lion Brand Hometown USA Tweeds in Phoenix Azalea
Needle: US 15 (16" circ) for the body and US 13 Double Points for the last bit
Size: Adult
Love: ♥♥♥♥♥ Hard to donate this one - TOO Cute!

You can find my Ravelry Project Notes HERE.

 

I know my blog is turning into a hat parade! But this pattern is really easy to knit in bed at night and since I am donating most of them to the Pine Ridge Reservation I feel like it's ok to hog up my blog with the same hat over and over. Also - It's about all I am knitting these days. All my other time is spent studying for the A+ certification and trying to figure out Ohm's Law and fun stuff like that. **Yawn**

This hat is so cute I had a hard time putting it in the donation box. It really tried to make it's way into my hat drawer! But I was firm and told it NO. I can't tell you how warm and wonderful this pattern is. Easy as pie, cheap yarn, and machine washable and dry-able. Love it!

Ain't No Grinch! The Hat!

Project Name: Ain't No Grinch
Pattern Name: Erich's A&F Knockoff Hat
Yarn: Lion Brand Hometown USA leftovers in Tampa Spice (Red) and Lime. Hat weighed in at 98 grams so about 57 yards of yarn total.
Needle: US 15 for the bulk of the hat and then Size US 13 Double points for the last two rows of the decrease and bind off.
Size: Adult
Love: ♥♥♥♥♥ - Love this so much! SQUEEEE!

You can find my Ravelry Project Notes HERE.

I saw these two left over balls of yarn in my scrap bin and KNEW I had to make them into a crazy striped Christmas Hat for me! I thought it would be a wacky tacky - but the end product is quite pretty actually! Love the every other row stripe look on the ribbing. And I am happy I cast on in red and then did row one in red too. It gives the hat a kind of finished look or something. Don't know - Just like it!

My stash of acrylic is getting kind of low, so I may have to do some stash expansion so I can keep knocking these out. Only 1100 stitches to make this hat, and it keeps me feeling like I am accomplishing things in the knitting world when I really only have time to knit a little here and there.

And now I am set for the holidays! Warm head and holiday spirit to boot!

Pasture & Sky Hat

Project Name: Pasture & Sky
Pattern Name: Erich's A&F Knockoff Hat
Yarn: Lion Brand Hometown USA in Washington Denim & Lion Brand Thick & Quick in Grass. Hat weighed in at 110 grams so I used 64 yards approximately.
Needle: Us 15 for most of it and then 13 Double points for the bind off
Size: Adult
Love: ♥♥♥♥ Lots of love. It's not my favorite I have made of this pattern (that would be the red/gray/black from earlier this week)

You can find my Ravelry Project Notes HERE.

Another charity hat for the Pine Ridge Reservation. This is #2 and I am looking at my stash so I can cast on another!

This hat I had intended to be shorter, but I ran out of the green yarn on the last three rows! So I improvised and added a final blue stripe and then bound off in the blue. I think the result is pretty good. When you put it on you can raise and lower the brim to cover your ears better if it's needed. I forgot how nice that option is - too many beanies knit lately I think. You just don't get the same ear coverage with the shorter beanie style.

I may have to knit more like this!

What are you making there?

Project Name: What are you making there?
Pattern Name: Erich's A&F Knockoff Hat
Yarn: 50 yards of assorted scraps - mostly Hometown USA by Lion Brand - but some Thick &Quick from Lion Brand might also be in there.
Needle: US 15 for everything but the last two rows where I needed Double Points - US 13 there.
Size: Adult
Love: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts = Full of Love!

You can find my Ravelry Project Notes HERE.

This is the first in what I hope will be a respectable sized pile of knit goods that I intend to mail to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation this winter.

I am really happy with how it turned out. While I was knitting it, my hubby leaned over and asked me "What are you making there?" in a manner that made me think he might be interested in having this hat. When it was finished he was excited - but after trying it on declared he "must just not be a hat person." LOL! So I can donate it knowing my hubby had his chance!

And yes - I have my new camera! So I can make with the clicking! YAY!

Plomo Shmomo - Another Cowl!

Project Name: Plomo Shmomo
Pattern Name: Improvised (Just a seed stitch)
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn: Rasta in 43 Plomo (1 Skein = 90 Yards)
Needle: US 15 - 10.0 mm
Size: Unblocked size = 7 inches deep with a 27 inch circumference.
Love:  ♥♥♥♥♥ Full love on this one!

Find my Ravelry Pattern notes HERE.

I LOVE this cowl. It's hard not to Love all things Malabrigo. And Rasta is one of my favorite yarns. Fat and happy - it knits up quick and it makes your fingers happy to have them rubbing on it with every stitch.  Even Emma giver her approval on this. Two Paws up!

The yarn for this was a gift from my hubby. He went to a Historical Society Event and came home with a ball of Rasta for me. I told him I would take that over flowers any day!

The Halloween/Autumn Cowl - FINISHED!

 I finally got a few pictures of my finished Halloween/Autumn Cowl. I started this in October and had a false start, ripped it out, and then went a completely different direction with it.

Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in Limeaid (137 yards or .72 of a skein) AND Gnomeacres 100% Superwash Merino Wool Worsted in colorway "Smell My Feet" (198 yards or .90 of the skein)
Needle:  US 8
Pattern: Barbara G. Walker's Hexagon Pattern from the book A Treasury of Knitting Patterns.
Size: 7.5 inches by 23 inches
Love: ♥♥♥♥ I rate this 4 hearts out of 5 - only because I would have done a few things different if I made it again.
My Ravelry Project notes can be found HERE.

It sits nicely on my neck and I can fold it down or where it tented up for added wind protection. (I am picturing gassing up the car in a nasty winter wind when I say that.) It actually goes around my shoulders under my jacket and I can zip up so that I get no wind on my neck. (Which means no snow down my neck too!)

What Would I change? I think it would have looked better with a picot edge on both sides.When I started this version of the cowl I didn't know I was going to do a picot edge - I just got toward the end and thought it would look good. In hind site I would have done it on both sides.

I also would have liked it better with the inside liner being the multi-colored yarn all the way through. I didn't think I had enough, so I decided it would be better to have a center stripe of the green rather than a row or two at the very end when I ran out of yarn. I am fine with it like this - but I think it would have been just a notch better if it were all the way across. The liner is single crochet which probably ate up more yarn than if I had knit the liner as well. Didn't think of that until just now.

Overall I call it a win. I am happy with the way it wears and think it's interesting and different. My hubby said it would generate a lot of comments when I wear it out. I am anxious to wear it out and see if it's true! ☺

Can you handle the lockdown? HAT

 

Project Name: Can you handle the lockdown?

Pattern Name: Erich's A&F Knockoff Hat

Yarn: Lion Brand Hometown USA in Dallas Gray 50.2 yards (45.9m)
Needle: 15 & 13
Size: Fit's me head
Love: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts! Simple pattern and it looks good!

You can find my Ravelry Project Notes HERE.
 

A simple hat pattern out of some stash I had laying around. I saw Sassypants Knitter was collecting hats in honor of her Grandma who wants to collect 100 hats it give to the Homeless this winter. Wendy (Sassypants herself) is so awesome, and it seemed like the perfect thing that I knit this thinking I wanted it to be a charity hat, and then I saw on Ravelry that she is taking hats for donation.

This pattern is a breeze to work up and looks pretty fab if I do say so myself. I went through my leftovers last night and pulled out a bunch of left overs of this weight of yarn and think I will work up a bunch more charity hats. It's good to do a little charity knitting!

Oh - And the name comes from me knitting this up while watching Ghost Adventures on The Travel Channel.

BROaden

 

I recently finished a quick crochet scarf. I was working on it the night before my Birthday, and my brother called me to wish me a Happy B-day. The rest of the time I was working on it I thought of him, so it was only natural that I mail it off to him as a surprise hug from his little sister. 

(FYI - That is my cat in the lower corner of the photo by my hand. Can't take a picture without a critter getting into it one way or another!)

YARN: Lion Brand Hometown USA Tweeds - 2 Skeins.

HOOK: 10.00mm Size N hook

PATTERN: Improvised. I chained 13 and then did Extended Single Crochet until I used up both skeins. 

SIZE: 7" x 44"

LOVE: ♥♥♥♥ Pretty High. This is like wearing a teddy bear around your neck! 

Check out my snazzy new boots in the background. Love wearing boots! Especially when the snow isn't flying yet. I am pretty sure they are more about cute than warmth or keeping the feet dry. Had to have them though!

Hi all!

Hey everyone! I am still lurking about. Just thought I would post a little update about what has been happening in my life.

I am currently taking a night class on getting A+ certified and it is eating my soul. Ok - Maybe not eating my soul, (lol) but it's pretty consuming! I work full time during the week - getting up at 4:30 in the morning everyday to get to work. My class meets twice a week from 6:00 to 10:00 pm. It's exhausting! Add to that - this is a very different area of study for me. I have a B.S. in English with a minor in Philosophy, and before this class had never opened up a computer before. I have to study ALL THE TIME just to get what they are talking about in class. It's really challenging, but I am really liking it.

So that is the really big thing going on that has been taking up most of my days and nights. We did get out and get one camping trip in - which was really fun. I will post pictures when I get a chance. Sadly I broke my camera on the camping trip, so I have been camera-less for about three weeks now. SAD! I take pictures all the time! I have borrowed my hubbies little camera to take a few pictures of projects - but that camera doesn't even have a flash - so it's not real practical. (aka - the photos look pretty bad!)

I haven't been able to get much knitting or hooking done lately as I am really studying all the time. But when my brains burn out I will try and do a little work on something while drooling on the tv. I will try and get some pictures up soon of my latest. (It's raining today - so no natural light and no flash = Bad bad pictures. Maybe it will be sunny tomorrow?)

I had my Birthday on Monday and as I do every year I took the week off of work. It was great timing as I really needed the time for school. I spent my actual Birthday in class ripping all the bits and doohickeys out of a computer and then (lord oh lord) putting them back in CORRECTLY. (It wasn't pretty - but my computer did work when it was all over. Whew!) So a pretty uneventful Birthday.

I will be trying to post more frequently in the future. I was shocked a month had gone by since I posted! WHAT?!?! How does that happen?!?!

Hope everyone is healthy and happy.

XO

More Coffee Please!

 

Well I have just been having a grand old time making up coffee cuffs from left over scraps around my house. The cuff above is made form left over Berocco Borealis yarn that I made my mittens from about a week ago.  And the cuff below is the left over yarn from my Slope hat made from Chloe & Spud Outer.

 

The Borealis cuff I decided to alternate a seed stitch with a stockinette. I like ribbed coffee cuffs because they grab the cup better - but I get tired of the standard ribbed look. I thought this would be a nice change and it worked out well. I will include my pattern notes for this one below and you can also find them on my Pattern notes on Ravelry.

 

The spud cozy is just a simple seed stitch pattern. I used under 11 yards of this yarn on size 17 needles. Cast on 8 stitches and worked seed stitch until I ran out of yarn. I stretched it a bit to get it to fit the mug - but it grips nicely! Simple wip stitch the ends together. Easy as pie! You can find my notes for this on Ravelry as well.

 

Pattern for Coffee Cuff a'la Borealis

 

Size 10 needles.
Cast on 12 stitches.
I did seed stitch with chunks of stockinette to give it a little bit of a ribbed effect without being a traditional rib. The one I made took less than 20 yards (18 meters) of Berocco Borealis yarn.

1. k1,p1 across
2. p1, k1 across
3. k1,p1 across
4. p1, k1 across
5. k1,p1 across
6. p1, k1 across
7. k1,p1 across
8. p1, k1 across
9. knit across 10 purl across
10. knit across
11. purl across

I repeated these 12 rows 3 times. Then I measured against my coffee cup and I was a little short, so I added a row or two more of stockinette, and then added a little more seed stitch until it fit around the mug perfect. Then I bound off and wip stitched it together.

A Cuppa Joe

 

 

 

Our local Target has a Starbucks in it, so after a shopping haul I will occasionally indulge in a nice big cuppa Joe. This last time I pulled out a cozy I knit to wrap around my coffee and it was so icky. You know how stuff gets when it's been in the bottom of your purse too long and even though your pets don't go in your purse somehow (magic?) their hair does go in your purse and will collect on any knit item you carry. So I was a little embarrassed by my hand knit cozy covered in paper scraps and dog hair and decided to make myself some new ones.

 

The Pattern: It is a free pattern on Ravelry called "Woven Cable Coffee Cup Sleeve" by Linda Thach.

The Yarn: I used left over worsted weight Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride 100% wool. I used 21 grams which is about 36 yards (33m) of yarn.

The Needle: I knit this on Size 5 needles, and I used double points. I just thought it would be easier with the cables to have the double points. When I make this again I will do it on straight needles instead of double points, but I will probably keep the dp's handy for the cables and for the provisional cast on.

The results: I really like it. I learned how to do a provisional cast on and then kitchnered the two sides together in the end, although you can cast on anyway you like and then just stitch it together as well. I had never done a cable like this before either, so it was fun to learn a new cable. I almost always hold my stitches the wrong way when I cable, and this was no exception. I had to rip out after a pattern repeat and start over. (Why do I find Front and Back so confusing?) Anyway - now that I have made this once I am eyeing other left over balls of yarn and thinking about how many coffee cozies I could have in a week or two! What else can you make with 40 yards of left overs?

 

My project notes on this can be found on my project page on Ravelry "Pretty Pink Cable Cozy".

 

 

Fall Borealis Mittens

FINALLY these are done! I had a false start and had to rip them out completely, but now they are finished!

The Pattern: Woodhaven. This is a free pattern form Berroco yarns.
The Yarn: I used Berroco Borealis yarn. Even with my yarn eating modifications I used less than one skein. A very pretty yarn and fun to work with.
My Mods: I knit the cuffs 4.5 inches in length rather than 3 inches in length. I wanted a nice long cuff to fit under my jacket. Anyone who has had to remove snow from a car knows a long cuff is a good thing.

If I made these again I would add a few rows of knit stitch between the ribbing and the thumb. The directions call for only one row of knit before you start the thumb up and that ends up with the ribbing not stopping at your natural wrist - rather it is up on your hand. I would like more of a transition there.

I would also add a little more length to the thumb. The pattern does not have you pick up any stitches from the body of the mitten when you make the thumb - and this leaves a pretty nice size hole in the area I call the thumb crotch. (I put picture of the hole in the "thumb crotch" up on my Ravelry Project Page here if you want to take a look and see what I mean.) When I went to stitch the hole closed it really pulled a lot on the thumb and made it tighter. I think a row or two more added to the length would help this out.

Over all not a bad free project. I am thinking about making them again to use as a liner for some of my super bulky mittens that are a little over sized for me. It would be great for that I think. I am in love with this yarn - Hope it wears well!

A Hat!

 

This was almost an instant hat and I am so happy I did it!

I have been admiring this pattern on Ravelry for a while now. The pattern is for Spud & Chloe and was created by Susan B. Anderson and is called "Slope Hat". I had avoided it for awhile because:

 

* It's not available as a download.

* Spud and Chloe charge kind of a lot for their patterns. $8.00 for a hat pattern is a little hard to justify for me.

* The yarn for their patterns is also expensive. Outer runs around $16.00 and you get 60 yards. Ouch.

 

So I kind of resolved myself to just admire the pattern and never make it. Then I clicked on a link for kpixie on Ravelry and found out I could get the hat and pattern for less than the cost they normally charge for just a ball of the yarn. I ordered it almost instantly! I didn't have a choice in the color of the yarn, but I was ok with the Hedge Green. I really liked the deal I got from kpixie, the yarn came very fast and they offer some great deals on their site. (I will be shopping there again!)

 

So I cast on with size 15 7" circulars and would have finished it in one sitting if I hadn't been so darn tired. I made myself stop when I got to the point I needed to switch to double points and finished it off the next morning.

 

I really like the yarn! It's superwash wool and cotton and it felt almost soapy to me when I was knitting (I can't find any other way to describe the texture - Soapy was how I described it to my hubby.) I love how it lays in the pattern, the cable looks really nice. The hat fits really well and I know I will wear it a lot this winter.

I am already looking through my stash for more yarns to work this pattern in. It only used 50 yards of the Outer! I have a fantasy of making several more in outer and then making something out of all the left over 10 yard chunks. We will see. I am pretty sure my yarn budget is already destroyed for 2013.....

Hooking Away!

We have a guest dog in the house this weekend. We are pet sitting my MIL's dog Minnie. She is just a ball of energy and she has been wearing us all out, but in a good way. Above you will see I was trying to crochet a little blanket for my cat while Minnie climbed all over me trying to see what was going on outside. Emma of course was calm and just hanging out.

 

Once the blanket was finished I placed it in Izzi's cat bed and she immediately curled up and went to sleep on it! She loves it and I was so happy. So often with pet knitwear (crochet wear?) I feel like you knit it for yourself - since he animal tends to not care one way or another. So to have Miss Izzi claim an item I knit for her was pretty wonderful.

Since her cat house has two beds I quickly made another one for her other bed as well. This is not the bed she spends as much time in, but I had the yarn and thought "Why not?".

 

I suspect she will love snuggling into both of these once Winter rolls in. As it is now still summer temperatures, she isn't getting the full affect I think.



Oops! I guess your a blanket now

 

You know how you grab a random ball of yarn out of your stash and think you will quick make a charity scarf? Well that's what I started here and it just sort of exploded on me and turned into a blanket I cannot part with. This is crocheted out of Paton's Divine and JoAnn's Angel Hair yarn (see more details on how much, etc on my Ravelry Project Page) and it is fluffy and light and just wonderful to curl up under. I have been rather obsessed with it and knocked this out in about 10 days. My wrist is none to happy with me, but I can curl up under my new blanket while I complain about it!

 

Bonus that I got 8 large balls of yarn out of my stash by making this as well. (Woot woot!) I crocheted this with a size (P) crochet hook and it was just under 1000 yards when I finished. I curled up under it last night while watching Bar Rescue and it was really warm but really light weight. Just love it!

 

Already I am looking at my stash and wondering what I can whip into a blanket next!

Sunflowers!

I am in love with sunflowers!

 

I planted a few sunflowers from seeds I have had in my basement for years. They said they were mammoth - but I had no idea they would get this big! We measured this guy and it was 10 feet 6 inches (Exactly twice my height!) when we took this picture. That is our telephone line from our house that it's next too. It's INsAnE and I just love it too death. I am plotting more sunflower fun for next year already!

i said a knit knot the knitty the knitty to the knitknit knot

 

I finished a little shawlette! It's the "Just Knit it!" pattern on Ravelry by Susan Ashcroft of Stitchnerd Designs. It was given out free during the Olympics and is now a pay pattern. Super cute. Super easy. And I got to stashbust on this (mostly) which is super awesome!

 

I knit this out of mochi and Sheep(ish). For the edge I ended up doing a row of single crochet all the way around the entire thing in gray. Then I went down to the lower two sides (not the neck side) and did a row of double crochet all the way across in the mochi (colored) yarn. I was going to go back and frame it all in with gray again - but I loved how it looked as is - so I stopped.

It is the perfect length and width. I can use it to wrap around my shoulders if I am wearing a dress - or wrap it around my neck like Emma is wearing it below with a jacket in the winter for super snowy day warmth. The mochi and the sheep(ish) went together like a dream and it is just squishy and so warm! I really enjoyed working on it!

 



Nice to have a WIP out of my Queue on Ravelry. I have had start-itis lately. Like RAGING start-itis. It's been killer. I am bored with items I have started already and want to do something New and exciting! Fickle knitter am I! So yay for getting something finished! Now on to the next!

Butter Beret

 

 I am not sure what made me do it, but I had a burning need to cast on a simple crochet beret. I call it Butter Beret as the color is the palest yellow. It's a free pattern on Ravelry called Crochet Hat by Corrine Leigh of Threadbanger Fame.

 

I wanted to stash bust so I used a thinner yarn than they used for the pattern. They used Lion Brand Organic Cotton, and I used Debbie Bliss Cotton. Reading through other projects I decided I better add a single row of crochet after each increase row to give the hat some extra poof.

Here is a view from the top. I think the center area got a little wonky when I closed up the starting hole, but I am fairly happy with my stitch consistency.

 

A view from the inside. The pattern calls for just two decrease rows and no additional rows, but I thought it needed a little more, so I added two single crochet rows after the decreasing to clean it up a little and just give it more of a band sort of look.

 

I am fairly happy with it for a first crochet hat, but I think I might agree with my hubby that the color is just a little too light and baby-ish for me. I don't do pastel colors very well. We will see. It might look better with my wool pea coat this fall.