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!

Works in Progress

Hey everyone! It has been crazy busy around here and i broke my rule about having one project in process at at time. I just finished the first part of another double knitting hat but i haven't settled on the design, i'm thinking the rainbow star from Mario or Bubba Fett.

I am also making another chevron baby blanket in the same colors that needs to get done by march so i have some time yet

Now unlike my last one i am running the yarn up the side of the work so i don't have to weave in so many ends after i finish.

Using four different colors i was worried it would stand out but so far it seems to be working out okay. The pattern start with a knit stitch and then a ssk so the area where that first stitch is seems to be folding over the yarn running up the side.

I am also going to make this snappy hat in a light grey which looks like it will be a fun, easy knit since i really love doing cables. I'm assuming that will be my next post (but no promises!). 

Raspberry Heart Beret

So i had seen this awesome ruby red heart hat from Jimmy Beans Wool (http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/freeKnittingPatternRubyRedHeartHat.asp) and totally had to try it for valentines day! I think it turned out well.

It took me a couple days and i used markers in between the repeats so i didnt forget where i was which is important with a toddler running around. Heres the top of it and the side

I love the lacey aspect of it and it slouches more than the woman who made the patterns did but once i wore it for a while i really like how it feels. The hearts are cute too! Maybe a regular hat with a single row of theses hearts is in order!

Enjoy and let me know if you try it!

Final Fantasy Black Mage Hat

Hey everyone, just posting a quick knit that i made for hubby, a black mage hat! He saw a post of one on 9gag and wanted one so i whipped one up!

I love knitting hats so it only took me three hours to knit the initial grey hat but adding the design took quite some time, around 4 hours. It is definitely worth it since hubs already said hes going to wear it right when he gets home 

I knit a normal hat and then added on the design from songofstorms442 from deviant art http://songofstorms422.deviantart.com/art/Black-Mage-sprite-393453493. Overall a success!

Owl hats!

I love knitting hats so i fell in love when i saw this knit cable owl hat from Culture of Crafting!

The first i made in raspberry red!

It was such a fun  knit that i made almost all the women in my family one for christmas. I also made striped hats for the men since i doubt they want to wear owls!

More of those wonderful colors! Ultimately i made about 12 of these adorable hats! 

If you want to make one of these owl hats follow this link http://www.knitculture.com/our-blog/wise-old-owl-hats/   they have adult and children size patterns there so have some fun!

This is a chunk of the projects i made for christmas and those lovely owl hats are in the back. The purple has the final touches on and of course i forgot a picture of the others with their buttons, oh well!

Premie Hat

So my niece was born early and i wanted her to have a hat that actually fits her precious little head so i made one! (Sorry i only have the one picture but i made most of it in the car)

 

Aww isn't it cute!

I used size 2 double pointed needles and some shimmery white yarn i had laying around that turned out perfect for this situation! She hasn't been able to wear it yet but i can't wait to see it! 

I'm in the process of making her a chevron pink, white, brown blanket so i will post that soon.