Hat Frenzy

It all started with the idea of making a masculine hat. This is one of Vanna's Choice yarns. It's okay but nothing special.








Then I used the same yarn and needles but did a baby hat. What a difference in the way the yarn looks. I think I was using size 9 needles. Guess I need to use smaller needles on the adult hat next time.

That got me back into making baby hats. This is Bernat Baby Jacquards - I'm a Big Boy. I used size 7 needles instead of the recommended 6 so the pattern isn't quite as defined.

Here I used Baby Marble by James C. Brett.

The colors in sock yarn are so tempting but my stash is out of control. So I bought one skein of this yarn and made a baby hat. It's Paton Kroy Socks - Mexicala Stripes.

My latest craze is shortrowing. This hat is a combination of patterns and is made with Sensations Rainbow Classic Pattern - Turquoise Rainbow.

I ran across this pattern on Ravelry. It's called the Short Rows Wavy Hat and looks great with variagated yarn. Here is a pink and green hat made from Bernat Softee Chunky - Summerset Ombre.

And this hat is made from Red Heart Super Saver - Peruvian Print.

Yarn Scraps Hat and Socks

I couldn't resist trying this when I read about it. The idea is to make a magic ball of yarn scraps. Cut pieces of yarn from 1 - 3 feet long and tie them together. Be sure to mix up the lengths when tying them. Knit a hat and pull all of the knots to the outside. Trim the ends so they are relatively even.





Finally had a chance to finish the socks that were put aside while bazaar items were in the works. Unfortunately, by the time the socks were finished I'd forgotten what the yarn was.










These are from my Sockotta stash and have a fleegle heel. This is a new technique for me and I really like it.












Same with these. My Sockotta stash has been around for awhile. When I got my yarnwinder, I pulled out the skeins of Sockotta and divided them into 2 balls each so they were ready to be knit up two at a time. It didn't occur to me to keep the labels. So now I can show them off but can't identify them.

More Bazaar Items

Lately I've been working on little purses and I've come up with a basic recipe and some variations.




Theses are made with Red Heart yarn and have fun fur-type flaps.

























These are a combination of a fancy thin yarn and Red Heart yarn. When possible, I used a button to close the purse.

When I didn't have the right color button, I chained a tie and threaded it through eyelets.

Basic Little Purse

Size 10 circular needles

Whatever yarn you want

J crochet hook if crocheting the strap

Using Judy's Magic Cast-on, cast on 18 stitches per needle. Knit in the round until the purse is 4-1/2 inches long. Bind off the stitches from one needle on the next round and cut yarn. Attach fun fur (or whatever you are using for the flap) and do garter stitch until flap is desired length. (I make an eyelet in the middle of the flap a couple of rows before I'm going to bind off. This acts as a buttonhole.) Bind off.

The strap can be a 3 stitch i-cord or you can chain the length you want and slip stitch back along chain. Attach strap to sides and add a button to the front to secure the flap.

Variation:

Using both a fun fur-type yarn and a basic ww yarn, follow the directions above until the purse is 3-1/2 inches long. Cut the fun fur and continue to knit. On the third round, make an eyelet in the center of the front for a buttonhole. Knit 3 more rounds and bind off. Make a strap, attach it, sew on a button, and you're done.

Christmas Bazaar Projects

I've been working on projects for a bazaar.



Here is Olivia's Butterfly. It is a free pattern and a quick project. I used Vanna's Baby Yarn.



















This hat is Bow-licious Babe. It is one of Connie Haney's patterns and includes information for making different sizes. The yarns are Vanna's Baby Yarn, Red Heart Melonberry and Seagrass.

And this is Connie Haney's Iced Coffee Sweat-R. When not needed, it can be tucked into a ball.

Scrubbie Dots

These little scrubbies are for washing dishes. The pattern is by Doni Speigle and is available on Ravelry. They are cute and very easy to make. Mine are doubled, meaning I made two and joined them with the single crochet edging.

Fpdc hats

Just basic beanies but I enjoy playing with different looks. Both of these are made with the fpdc stitch.

Fluffy Knit Purse

Michael's had a Learn-to-Knit kit that made a very cute purse. It seemed like a nice, simple project for practicing my lever knitting. The purse turned out so cute I had to make another one.

Loomed Scarves

My friend has recently begun looming and selected scarves as her project of choice. We have found that using a single strand of yarn on the blue Knifty Knitter and knitting a flat panel works nicely. A skein of Red Heart or Homespun makes a scarf that is 18 stitches wide and 60 inches long. There is usually a little left over so I've been crocheting hats to go with her scarves.



Elena is modeling a set made with Red Heart Fiesta.











Here the scarf is made with Homespun that has a gold thread in it.












And this set is made from JoAnns Rainbow Classic Pattern yarn.

WoolEase Cup Cozies

Lately we've been having very warm weekdays and drizzle or rain on Saturdays. It's been quite the adventure showing off projects for prospective customers without getting us or the goods wet. Almost as important has been trying to keep my mocha warm. Finally I remembered these cozies and found my directions here on the blog. They're crocheted with 2 strands of woolease. That makes them stiff enough to be able to insert a full cup without spilling and thick enough to protect the fingers. The wool part of the yarn keeps the drink warm and they are washable. My original pattern was 13 rows because I was buying ventes. These cozies are 10 rows so they work on smaller cups.

More Tams

I'm still crocheting tams. These first two were made with Sensations Rainbow Classic Pattern yarn from JoAnn's. The color is Green Rainbow Classic and it is self-striping. The yarn is very soft.






Just beginning from a different place in the yarn gives a whole new look to the hat.









This tam was made with Sensations Rainbow Boucle Multi (also from JoAnn's) and the color is Black Rainbow Boucle Multi. It is also extremely soft.







Here's my variation of the basic tam again. This hat was crocheted from Homespun Regency with a blue yarn as the contrast.








And this one was made with Homespun Harvest with yellow for the contrast. It was very exciting to see how the Homespun created rings of different colors.







If anyone wants to know how to make this variation, let me know.

Tams

After all of the cotton projects this summer, I'm ready for something different. This is a Tofu Cutie's basic tam made with Tudor Homespun. This hat was made according to the pattern but with an I hook.









The Mediterranean Homespun used on this hat seemed a little blah so I dressed it up with a contrasting color and some stitch variations.

Sock Summit

Living in Portland and being a sock knitter, I just had to attend the recent Sock Summit. I was lucky enough to get a class (one out of the six I wanted) and really enjoyed it. People I saw and met were very friendly. Most people, when observed sitting around resting or eating, were knitting.








I saw Stephanie (the Yarn Harlot) a few times and even got a picture with her (taken on a cell phone so don't try to enlarge it). This was taken on Registration Day before everything got nuts with knitters.




And I was able to attend the book signing and have her sign my copy of Knitting Rules. She was very relaxed and friendly. The woman ahead of me brought in a dishcloth of South Dakota, which Stephanie didn't have. She was very excited and willing to pose for a picture. She even suggested a second shot because she could tell her expression wasn't good on the first one. This was during the first 15 minutes. I read on Ravelry that later on she was so tired she wasn't sure what she was writing.



The Market Place was amazing and fun to visit but definitely overwhelming. Lots of gorgeous colors and socks on display and all kinds of patterns and tools and accessories available for purchase.