I made this hat last week. This is a pattern I’ve been wanting to try for a while — it’s from one of the Stitch & Bitch books.
I love that this hat would fit a wide range of head sizes from toddler to adult. I haven’t decided what to do with this one. I knit it with someone in mind but now I want to keep it because I’m kind of crazy-obsessed with honey bees. And this may be the closest I’ll come to having a hive since my husband isn’t exactly sharing my desire for backyard bees. Maybe I’ll let it just sit for a bit on my desk while ideas of what to do with it buzz around my head.
Archive for knitting
Queen Bee
Little Critters
Mojo needed new mittens. We were trolling through mitten patterns on Ravelry (my favorite knitting site) when we both saw these and squealed! Unfortunately, the pattern is only in Finnish. Fortunately, I know how to make mittens so I improvised.
Now, Mojo has happy, fluffy friends to go to school with her. And I sense a hedgehog obsession coming on. Good thing I have lots of yarn left over.
The Last Pair
I have finally finished my winter slipper knitting. DNA’s pair was the last one off the needles. He was skeptical that these would fit him.
After three runs through the washing machine on hot, they shrunk down and have found a home on his feet.
He loves them and wouldn’t take them off even for a photo. I’d call them a knitting success.
More Mitts
John was out of town all week. When he’s away, I usually go crazy with some household project. I wasn’t too crazy this week. While I had grand plans involving paint and power tools, reality intervened (or maybe it was the start of classes for me that intervened). I only completed a few projects.
Knitting — in keeping with my practice of knitting a pattern until I’m sick of it, I made a pair of fingerless mitts for DNA. Now he can match his buddy and this makes him happy.
I’m still captivated by this pattern so expect a few more pairs to be shown. Oli wants a pair but I’m having trouble figuring out how to downsize the cable pattern for small hands. Math challenges for mommy. Sigh.
Knitting
Because I just can’t knit just one and, maybe, because I’m crazy and get all obsessed with knitting tiny things, I’ve made more birds.
They have all been claimed by the children around me. I have one more on the needles for a small friend but now I’m finally feeling done with this pattern. My new obsession? Fingerless mitts.
I made this pair over the weekend and have another pair already started. They are almost necessary to wear in this cold house —- along with slippers. Each winter, I knit fresh slips for my kids. I’m a little late this year. Only Mojos are done (finished in Oct) and Oli’s were almost done for the longest time. I finally finished them.
This pattern captivates me because the knitted slipper is HUGE.
Then it gets felted in the washing machine and shrinks up all thick and firm and cozy.
One pair left to make for the winter. I’m thinking that just as soon as it’s done, our cold spell will be over. We can only hope.
Magical Bluebird
I picked this book up from the library yesterday. It had been on my request list forever so I was thrilled to finally get it. Mojo and I sat down and poured over it. There are about 5 toys we want to make but the one that I had to immediately cast on was this little nest and egg.
The egg can be flipped inside out to reveal this:
The pattern is ingenious! I have never before knit a topsy-turvy toy and now I am flipping out! Fortunately, there are several other equally fun projects in this book. But first, I think I need to start another bird or two or maybe three or more.
Finished Projects
My renewed crafting enthusiasm is not only directed at new projects, but also at finishing old projects. I knit this hat earlier in the fall. It was sooooo close to being done except for the eyes. What is it about sewing sequins (or buttons) that makes me set aside a project into the never-to-be-finished pile? I have vowed to dig deep into that pile and finish a few of the projects. The owl eyes didn’t take nearly as long as I thought they would. There are only 8 owls, after all, circling the hat.
I’ve discovered a couple other fun half-finished project that need my attention. We’ll see how long my enthusiasm holds out.
Harvest Time
My garden is in its last gasps now. We’re finally getting ripe tomatoes and still more squash then we can eat but it’s clear things are winding down. I’m looking forward to pulling up all the plants (goodbye, at last, squash!) and letting the chickens loose in the yard to forage. My garden is not the only place where veggies have been springing up, they’ve been coming off the knitting needles, too.
These three will be finding new homes with my niece, nephew and a friend. Perhaps I should send some squash along with them.
Green Hats
I knit these hats during one long day of sitting in the car.
They were all from the same pattern (different sizes) but I added my own variations. The two bottom ones were gifted to my friend’s little boys. The top ones are in need of a home. The small elf hat is baby-sized — 6 months to a year. The large one fits a big-headed kid or adult. $14 each plus shipping. Email me if you’re interested.
Ack!! I can’t get the photo to rotate and it’s making me mental. The ones for sale are the two hats on the left.
More Knitting
Since life has been so wild, I needed to knit more. This is for my little Pie. She specifically asked for a monkey and picked out the purple yarn. I finished this fella and now I’m stashing him aside until Easter.
Pattern can be found HERE.
And using up some leftover yarn, I quickly made this hat.
It screams “Autumn” to me — could be the color, could be the leaf pattern. It was fun and fast to make it even if I won’t wear it for months. Pattern can be found HERE.
I just cast on some new socks for Oli and some little chicks for Easter baskets. Even though all the activity around here seems endless and exhausting, I am enjoying the knitting productivity.
