My First Fair Isle

Yes i finished my first fair isle!

 It was easier than i expected although i didn't knit it like they normally advise. Most people have one color in their right hand and one in their left but i just held both of them in my right and picked the color i need off my pointer finger. I have seen rings on facebook that go on the right finger and hold two yarns in place so i might check into one of those.

The pattern i used was Noro fair isle flower hat which i first found on pinterest and then downloaded on ravelry. As you can see in the photos i used a clip board and junk mail to keep track of my progress, After i finished a row i put a small dot before the finished row in case my paper slipped or i put it down and lost track. 

The inside looks like a yarn tornado but you can't feel it when the hat is on. I think if i make more as gifts i will sew a liner in each hat and it will be super warm! I would recommend this for beginners to fair isle since the instructions are very detailed and aimed at beginners. 

Have fun and best of luck to all who try it!

Easter Hat Shenanigans!

Easter always seems to sneak up on me, probably because once spring hits i clean my house like crazy. With my house clean enough, i remembered my promise to my awesome sister in law that i would make a super cute bunny hat for my goddaughters first Easter!

Aww isn't it cute! I made it to fit a newborn based off some charts i have. The brim is 11 inches and its 5.5 inches tall not including the bunny ears. I made it using the magic loop method and then made the inner and outer parts of each ear separate and sewed them together and then onto the hat. 

If only my son would wear cute hats i would make him one too! 

Bunny Hat-Newborn 

Red Heart- White, Red Heart- Pink

Size 9 circular needles (or dpns if you prefer)

Place marker, tapestry needles

Abbreviations
CO- cast on
Sts- stitches
K-knit
P-purl
K2Tog- knit two together


CO 40 sts
Place marker and join in the round, knit until piece measures 5 inches from brim layed flat.
Decrease
Row 1- *K2 K2Tog* repeat for row
Row 2- Knit
Row 3- *K1 K2Tog* repeat for row
Row 4- Knit
Row 5- *K2Tog* entire row
Cut an 8 inch tail from yarn and thread through tapestry needle. Run needle through remaining sts and tighten. I typically make a small knot on the inner side just to be double sure it doesnt come apart. Weave in top and bottom loose threads.




Ears
With white yarn CO 12 sts
Row 1-11 stockinette st
Row 12 (right side) K2tog K8 K2Tog
Row 13 Purl
Row 14 K2tog K6 K2tog
Row 15 Purl
Row 16 K2tog K4 K2Tog
Row 17 Purl
Row 18 K2Tog K2 K2Tog
Row 19 Purl
Row 20 K2Tog K2Tog
Row 21 Purl
Row 22 K2Tog
Cast Off

Repeat for next white ear


With pink yarn CO 10 sts
Row 1-11 stockinette st
Row 12 (right side) K2tog K6 K2Tog
Row 13 Purl
Row 14 K2tog K4 K2tog
Row 15 Purl
Row 16 K2tog K2 K2Tog
Row 17 Purl
Row 18 K2Tog K2Tog
Row 19 Purl
Row 20 K2Tog
Cast Off

Repeat for other ear




Ear Assembly
With right sides facing each other start sewing the white and pink pieces together. It's going to look funny at first but its going to form a cone shape so just knit to the appropriate stitch on each piece. I sewed up one side until the pink ran out then took another piece of yarn and stitched up the other side then sewed the remaining white at the very top together. Repeat for other ear.

Once ears are assembled turn right side out. Take another piece of yarn and sew the base where the white meets the pink to the other side which will make the pink kind of pinch into the white. Do that for both ears and then sew onto the hat. I used safety pins to keep them in place while i was sewing so they weren't crooked (not that i've ever done that.....). Once they are sewn on you have a bunny hat!




The ears are the longest part of this whole hat but once you have done it once it comes easier on the second one. Hopefully this isn't too difficult but if some parts are confusing just let me know!

Slouchy Beanie

This slouchy beanie was made using the same yarn as the half arm fingerless gloves and i am in love with it!

 It's nice and slouchy but still close enough to my head that it keeps me warm. I made my own pattern  since i didn't find one that really fit what i was looking for. This is a  great pattern for beginners since it mostly consists of just doing the basic stitch in the round. If you prefer you can do this on dpns but i personally like circular needles.

Slouchy Hat
Yarn : I Love This Yarn- Spring Heather
Needle : US 8 circular needles and US 8 DPNS (double pointed needles)
Others: Tapestry needle, place marker, ruler

Abbreviations
CO- cast on
Sts- stitches
K-knit
P-purl
K1FB- knit one in front and in back
K2Tog- knit two together

CO 80 sts place marker where join in the round
Brim- *K3 P1* repeat for row. Continue this pattern until brim is 2 inches
Body- At 2 inch mark *K3 K1FB* for 1 row. So where every purl stitch was is where you will now be K1FB (Now 100 sts on needles) At stitch marker knit entire row and continue knitting until piece measures 9 inches (with brim included in those 9 inches)
Crown- After the body is complete it's time to decrease. I switched to dpns when it got hard to knit. I switched on the third decrease row and put 10 stitches on each of the 4 dpns
 *K3 K2Tog* entire row (80 sts)
Knit next row
*K2 K2Tog* entire row (60 sts)
Knit next row
*K1 K2Tog* entire row (40 sts)
Knit next row
*K2Tog* entire row (20 sts)
Knit next row
Finishing hat- Cut yarn leaving an 8 inch tail. Put tail on tapestry needle and thread through remaining sts. Remove sts from needle and tighten the closing. I typically create a simple knot to tighten it like you would with your shoe laces. Weave in tail on both the top and bottom of hat. Enjoy!

I made this hat while watching a movie so it took me about 2 and a half hours from start to finish. I prefer the long tail cast on method but it doesn't really make a difference with this hat. And that's about it! If you see any thing that doesn't add up or that i typed in wrong let me know!

Half Arm Fingerless Gloves

So taking time aside from the orders of hats and blankets i decided to knit myself some half arm fingerless gloves.

 My sleeves are normally rolled up to my arms for some reason and i decided that instead of just dealing with having my sleeves down (and driving me nuts) i would make these gloves. I custom made them to fit my arms by going inch by inch and measuring my arm then using my gauge. For the upper arm part i made it an inch less and then i kept the same amount of stitches from my middle arm down to the hand.

I took a different route on the thumbs and just did a bind off when i reach my desired amount of stitches.

All in all they turned out pretty fantastic and they only took me 5 hours to knit from measurements to binding off! My next project that involves gloves or socks i will try the two at once magic loop method. For now though im using these bad boys to keep me warm on my walks.