FO: Courtenay

My dear friend Preeti designed this beautiful tam hat and I couldn't wait to get it on and then off the needles.

It's a beautiful hat that just flies off the needles. 

 And it's perfect for keeping your head warm during all your travels. 

Especially Paris!

If you want a quick, beautiful hat with an easy to read pattern the look no further

Pattern Notes:


Pattern: Courtenay by Preeti Verghese
Yarn: Malabrigo Rios in Sunset
Needles: US 6 & 8
Mods: None made 

Some FO's

I have a few FO's to report to you and no it's not cause I was waiting for the holiday to be over. In fact the only "holiday knitting" I did this year was the Winter Roses shawl. Nope I haven't reported these FO's to you purely because I have been lazy. Totally totally lazy. (I know, so out of character)

But these FO's deserve their day in the spotlight as do all my knits. That's why I have a blog after all

Fist up is a set I knit for the hubbs once the weather started to turn a tish colder. And by tish I mean BELOW freezing EVERY day!

The gloves are Knucks by Pamela Grossman

The hat is Turn A Square by Jared Flood

I love this set and my husband was pleasantly surprised with them. It was harder than I thought to try and hide something I'm working on from him but by the time I was working on the hat I was able to knit the whole thing in front of him with out him even noticing!

These have now become a staple in his daily outings. The hat is just long enough to cover the ears and the gloves leave your fingers free to check all necessary blackberry happenings.

I also knit this ADORABLE little barret/tam for my niece Lenni. It was a quick little knit that was so cute when it was done that it made me consider making one in my own size.

This is Baby Rollin' Beret by Woolly Wormhead

I used some Moda Dea Eclips yarn that has a subtle sheen to it. It knits up beautifully.

I was so worried that I would be too small for Lenni that I ended up making it too big (aak) but not to worry big sister Frieda is putting it to good use until Lenni grows into it.

Finally is a little knit just for me. I going to come out now and tell you that I heart Madelinetosh yarn. All of it. There is no bad tosh out there. The colors are just so vibrant and bold and the combinations are just right. So when I was wondering around my LYS trying to pick out some yarn for a super duper top secret project I noticed something oh so good and yet oh so bad. They started stocking tosh vintage.

After picking out my yarn for my super duper top secret project I noticed that I needed one skein fewer than I had planned. And clearly that is great! I'm saving money! Less yarn than I needed! So while I was smugly making my way to the check out I happened by the tosh. You know just to look. It's research really... That way I would know later when I needed some. Right? Well then I thought "WOW that blue is really gorgeous! I bet it would make a great hat.... and I did need one less skein of the other yarn..." and well I'm sure you know what happened from there.

So I give you crooked paths by Melissa LaBarre in Tosh Vintage in Norway Spruce - the pic of the yarn is pretty true to color. It's Ahh-MAZE-ing

I knit this hat in one night! I just didn't want to put it down. Between the pattern and the yarn it was a delight. This hat has also turned out to be one of my favorites and I wear it all the time.

There you go! See? Even though all I talk about around here seems to be cupcakes I'm still knitting. A lot. And I'll have some more FO's to report back to you soon!

FO: Tweed Baby Blanket & Hat

When I saw this blanket made by Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed I knew I had to make it. The simplicity of the center paired with the lace edge was just perfect in my eyes. Not too cutesy but cutesy enough - know what I mean? So I immediately went to KnitPicks and shopped around for the perfect yarn when I ran across their line of organic cotton available in four colors. The four colors available are gorgeous and colors together looked fantastic... I immediately added them to my basket (as well as some of the tweed) for the gorgeous blanket I knew I just had to knit.

Not long after my purchase I got the news that my sister was expecting. I was so excited and knew immediately that I was going to knit this blanket for the baby. And since this was during us packing up and getting ready to move to America I gathered all the cotton together and packed it carefully in my bag so that I could start knitting it while we began our new adventure (you may remember me showing the beginning of this project (here).

Knitting this blanket was a pleasure. The pattern is written well and it made it easier to make the modifications to handle the lighter yarn I was using. I also loved watching the colors as they changed from light to dark.

Project Details

Pattern: Tweed Baby Blanket by Jared Flood
Yarn: Simply Cotton Organic Sport from Knit Picks in marshmallow, malted milk, toffee and ginger
Needles: KP’s Zephyrs in US 4
Modifications: Since this pattern is written for a bit thicker yarn and bigger needles I had to knit more in order make the blanket the right size(ish). I knit up two balls of the marshmallow increasing as directed then started the decreasing at the end of the second ball. I added the “E” as I finished up the decreasing and used the contrasting color of ginger.

For the lace boarder I added two lace repeats to each side of the blanket. For the coloring I did the 1st lace chart in marshmallow, 2&3 in malted milk, 4&5 in toffee and 6 and BO in ginger. I then blocked the blanket as tight as possible. I loved the blanket and will definately knit this again!


After I finished the blanket I had plenty of the yarn left over and felt that the blanket needed a little hat to go with it… So I found a top down pattern for baby hats. So cute!

Project Details

Pattern: Top-Down Baby Hat by Jennifer Meyers
Yarn: Simply Cotton Organic Sport from Knit Picks in marshmallow, malted milk, toffee and ginger
Neeles: KP’s Zephyrs in US 4 using magic loop
Modifications: I did the crown in the marshmallow and added 2 extra increases. I then knit down until I had roughly 5.5 inches left and started the first lace chart. I decreased the lace charts to be for 12 stitches and knit the colors in the same striping as the blanket.

I love the way the hat came out… Better than I had anticipated! But I’m a little worried it’s going to be a bit big for the baby - time will tell! She’ll grow in to it sooner or later right?

I am really happy with this little set. In fact I am so happy with it that it was hard not to keep it! I can't wait to see baby "E" all wraped up in it.

FO: Hats - Part 4

I finally knit a hat for my self!


I loved knitting with the Malabrigo for Husband's hat so much that I decided to knit a mally hat for my self. A purple mally hat. A purple mally hat with swirls!

So I ran over to The Knitting Bee and grabed the perfect purple and got started knitting


Here are the pattern details

Pattern: Hurricane Hat by Andrea Goutier but I called this hat "But you can call me slurricane" because whenever I think of the name of the pattern it makes me think of the song "Hurricane" by The Click. (I know, I know you thought I only listened to country but let me tell you there's lots of mystery here!)
Yarn: MALLLLLLLLYYYYYYY!!!!! (Malabrigo Worsted in Holly Hock)
Needles: US 7’s using magic loop
Mods: Nope! Although I would make it a bit shorter by half an inch next time.


I would like to say that this is the last hat I knit for a while but alas there is one more but at least that one is part of a set… stay tuned.

FO: Hats - Part 3

After I finished the groovy cable hat for my husband he immediately said "I want a green hat now" and me being a person that will never pass up the opportunity to go to the local LYS agreed...

So we headed back over to For Yarn's Sake to see if whe could find anything he liked...

We found this gorgeous green Malabrigo worsted appropreiately named Olive.

I had been wanting to work will Mally worsted weight for a while so this was a treat fro me

Somehow this Handmaiden Fine Yarn Cabash Sock yarn also ended up in my bag... But that's for another day

When I started knitting with the Mally it was like a dream! I mean it really was a pleasure to work with. So soft and so yummy.

In fact I enjoyed knitting with it so much that I ended up finishing the hat in no time at all

Pattern Details

Pattern: A Hat Fit for a Boyfriend by Stephanie Nicole
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in Olive
Needles: US 8 circs
Mods: None except to knit it using magic loop

FO: Hats - Part 2

The second hat I started was for my mom... She had been wanting a slouchy hat found the perfect pattern when we were visiting a new LYS in the area, For Yarn's Sake. This is a fantastic new shop that has loads of selection and the owners are super friendly and Duck Fans! Which you know always earns bonus points in my book!

So after picking out a pattern my mom picked out a yarn...


And then I got knitting!

It was a super fast knit that came in three degrees of slouchyness so we went for the highest degree - Super Slouchy!



So here are the pattern details..

Pattern: Rosalie by megi
Yarn: Louet Gems Worsted in Pewter
Needles: US 5 & 8 knit in magic loop
Mods: None

I love the way the decreases look at the top of this hat... It's just beautiful. But here's a tip from me to you: Read the directions before you decide that you know what they are telling you to do because I couldn't figure out for the life of me why my decreases were looking different than the picture until I went back and read the directions! But to get that look it was worth ripping out the top and re-knitting it correctly again.

FO: Hats - Part 1

I have had some extra knitting time on my hands lately and while I have been making progress on my super-secret-never-to-talk-about project I have also been working on hats... lots and lots of hats

This is going to be in parts because 1 I don't have that much to tell you so I cant use everything up in one post. 2 It's 1 am right now and I don't have the brain power to get it all in one post even if I wanted to. 3. It would be a ridiculously long post

So... Part 1

First up my husband requested a hat. Yeah I know it's March and Spring in the States but remember for us desertaties this is COLD! So he said "hey wanna go to a yarn store?" and I was running out the door with my purse and the car was already started before he even finished what he was saying...

When we were well on our way to the shop he finally finished saying "Remember that orange hat you knit for your BIL a while back?"

and I was all "Uhh of course! Hello!"

So we went to the shop and he picked out this beautiful Berroco Vintage in a heather brown

When we got home I immediately got to knitting... It took longer than a hat usually would because of all the cables but they are totally worth it in the end.


So here are the pattern details

Pattern: Groovy Cable Tuque by Mimi Fautley
Yarn: Berroco Vintage worsted in a brown heather
Needles: US 6 circs using a magic loop
Mods: None

The only bummer was I had to do the top of this hat three times!! The first time the hat was too short. The second time it was too long and the third was just right. Husband likes it and that's what's important... right?

FO: Pink Hat

A few days before the ravelympics started I cast on for this hat that I have had my eye on for a while. Ever since I saw the Side slip cloche hat I knew I had to make it for my self!

And I had just enough Rose Quartz Twisted left over from my FLS to make it. Or so I hoped. After I knit the band around the base, then picked up the stitches around the edge and did the increase row I started to worry that I wasn't going to make it.


The little ball of yarn I had was getting smaller and smaller.... and while I was fairly sure I had enough I just wasn't POSITIVE because I really had no idea how much yarn I had left. So I increased the needle size from the suggested size US 5 up to a US 7 and got back to work. Of course I ended up with loads of yarn left over! (Now I'm trying to figure out what to do with a baseball size ball of yarn)

This is the first hat I have ever had that wasn't fitted at the top but is instead a little loose. I really like it! It's also the first time I knit a hat by knitting the band around the base then picking up the stitches along the edge and knitting the rest. I like this technique and it isn't nearly as hard as I always feared. I'm just not a big fan of picking up stitches but I'm realizing that it isn't nearly as hard as I always tell my self it is.... and it's totally worth it.

It came out perfectly and really I can't even tell that I upped the needle size by two! Of course I just love the ruffles on the side (I just might be on a ruffle kick here) and I love the softness of this pink.

So here are the specs:

Pattern: Side slip cloche by Laura Irwin
Yarn: Twisted from BMFA in Rose Quartz
Needles: Size US 5, 7
Mods: I used size 7 needles after I picked up the stitches around the boarder and did the first row of increases. This was to stretch the yarn as far as it would go!

WIP Update

As most knitters know the Ravelympics are in full swing. This time around I decided to join in the fun and see if I could meet my Ravelumpic goals!

What was my goal you ask? Well it was to knit the Plain Talk Ruffled Mittens by Laura Irwin

I thought they would look super cute with the Just Enough Ruffles Scarf I knit

I'm almost done with one and making good progress on the second and am confident that I'll finish the knitting portion of the project on time. The part I'm worried about the most is the buttons... where am I going to get buttons by Sunday?

Before the Ravelympics began I started knitting this hat as well


It's the Side Slip Cloche also by Laura Irwin (I love her stuff!) I am really loving the way it's coming out but I'm a little worried that I'll run out of yarn before I reach the top!

Ok ok enough chatting I have a knitting deadline to meet!

FO: baby three-fer

I really wanted to do something special for a good friend of mine who is having her first baby boy. I knew of the impending birth in June when I went home to the States so I went on a mission to find the perfect yarn.

I found Rowan Calmer in Portland. I had been wanting to use this for a while because I have heard only great things about it. When I went into the Knitting Bee and saw a whole pile of it, I just couldn't wait to get my hands on it and whoa, the stuff is SOFT! Fortunately the ladies at the Knitting Bee do not frown upon yarn cuddling because all that calmer was irresistible

I saw a beautiful silvery blue color and immediately thought that it would be perfect for a certain little baby boy on the way. They had four skeins left and I bought all of them.


I started pouring through all my pattern books and the patterns available on the internet for the perfect sweater or blanket to make but I just couldn't find anything that seemed right.

I finally decided to come up with my own pattern (if you can call it that) and got to work...

A made it with seed stitch boarder and a cool looking pin stripe


The blanket took just over three of the precious four balls i had...

Then I got started on the hat. I wanted it to have the same pattern as the blanket so I cast on 60 stitches and knit for about 5.5 inches when I realized that trying to figure out how to maintain the pattern but decrease at the same time was too much for my brain to take. So I added another half inch, did a three needle bind off and added the super cute pom-poms. Total used was probably about half a skein.


I was running out of time and yarn but felt I should make my friend matching booties to go with the blanket and hat especially since that was really the only thing she asked for!

I divided what little yarn I had left in half and started with the first bootie and just barely made it. But made it I DID! So the second bootie soon followed!

For this I followed the pattern Saartje's Bootees by Saartje de Bruijn. The little criss-cross straps were too cute and picked out some black mother of pearl buttons for them!! I was unable to maintain the cute pin stripe pattern from before but I think they still came out fabulous!

Seriously are these not the cutest little booties ever!

I think these will be perfect for little baby to cuddle in

FO: knotted hat

I managed to knit this hat while I was on vacation in the States over the summer.... (don't ask why you're not seeing it until now - I'm just lazy)

My mom and I were shopping at Knit Purl in downtown Portland Oregon when she found this amazing yarn. It was so soft with a slight halo and ivory white. If you know my mom than you aren't surprised by her purchase. I asked what she would like me to make with this yarn she loves so much. A hat. A plain stockinette hat. This yarn requires size 2 needles(!) and knitting a whole stockinette just did NOT sound like fun. So I logged on to Ravelry and set out find the perfect hat pattern.... After much searching and narrowed it down to the Knot Hat by Bobbi Intveld. My mom loved it so I got started...





I really enjoyed knitting this hat. The stockinette was relaxing but the knots gave me something to keep my interest and I'm really happy with the way it came out.

So here are the pattern details:

Pattern: Knot Hat by Bobbi Intveld
Yarn: The Fibre Company Canopy Fingering in Orchid
Needles: size US 2's
Mods: None this pattern is great the way it is... If I made it again I might make it a tish longer.


And because they were feeling neglected I thought I would update you on Princess and Jerry.

Princess has learned that she really likes boxes...


The one she loves most is the one my mom sent just for her


Husband also found this DVD for her that has kittens playing... Princess was trying to figure out how to join the fun


Jerry also found a new favorite sleeping spot just outside our bedroom window


Doesn't she look comfortable?

FO: Orange Hat

Fifth reveal Finished June 6th:

I knit this hat for my brother in-law. His vary favorite color is (you guessed it!) Orange! and not just any orange but bright cheeto orange. Fortunately I had some cheeto-orange yarn sitting in my stash so I started searching for the perfect hat pattern to knit. It had to have some design element to it, you know, not too plain. But it also couldn't be lacy or girly or anything. So after much searching I found the perfect pattern.



Isn't it FANTASTIC! I love the cables on this hat. Although I have realized that working cables makes my fingers hurt but for the effect it's totally worth it.

Details:

Pattern - Groovy Cable Tuque by Mimi Fautley
Size: Man's size
Yarn: Plymouth Encore Worsted in Orange
Mods: No mods. This hat is perfect just the way it is.