Bryce's Starburst Hat

I wanted to make Bryce a hat that had a star at the crown. I followed the pattern, but when it came time for the crown, there were not any instructions - just a chart. I tried and tried, but could not read the chart. I gave up and modified a pattern I tried about a year ago, called "Ida's Kitchen," since it has sort of a starburst top. I think I may take the original pattern to the shop in SM and see if they can help me decipher the chart.

Bryce's Hat

Original Pattern

Jim's Cabled Hat

I finally was able to make Jim a new hat. I feel like all the stuff I knit lately is too big or too small. Probably because I don't check my gauge... Oh well.
This hat pattern is called Bushwick Beanie: loveisallyouknit.wordpress.com.
It came out pretty good, but the cabling and intricate pattern became a bit much toward the end. You can't really see the cables in the picture, but you can see what it looks like if you go to the website for the pattern. I like the colors of the self striping yarn. I got the yarn at a shop in Santa Barbara last time we visited.

Christmas 2012 Gifts 2

   After finishing the kids' gifts, I went on to make adult gifts.  Jim and I had no idea what to give Jim's mother.  What do you give someone who has everything?  I settled on the Tri-Color Fingerless Mitts (designed by Mira Cole) pictured at the very top.  I made them 2 at a time using a circular needle.  The slip stitch pattern was very easy and allowed for a nice color combination.  It was very quick, but if I were to do it again, I'd probably increase stitches past the wrist band.  The simplicity of the pattern allows for all sorts of revisions.

   The bottom picture features men's fingerless gloves for our neighbor, Jim V., whom we've known for many years and has been Crickie's cat sitter of late.  I believe the designer called them "Beer Gloves."  The pattern came from the Son of Stitch n' Bitch book.  Again, I was able to make them quickly by using a circular needle to knit them 2 at a time--until I got to the fingers, which, of course, had to be knit individually.  The pattern had mistakes when it came to making the fingers, but it was easy to figure out.  I made notes so that I wouldn't forget what to do.

Christmas 2012 Gifts 1

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!

Well, I didn't have as much time to knit this year.  The real knitting frenzy came when I took vacation time during Thanksgiving and this Christmas week.  The topmost picture features mittens for our little friend, Charlotte.  She will be turning 1, but past experience has taught me to make things for the future for little kids.  I got the pattern from a Fair Isle Book I purchased at the San Marcos store.  The Fair Isle part is only in the colored band just above the wrist ribbing.  The picture below it features Fair Isle socks for her sister, Elise, who will be turning 5 this year (my how time flies!).  The patterns on the instep came from a book of Fair Isle patterns.  The bottom of the foot is basically a "spotted" pattern for carrying the yarn around.  I figured that since no one sees the bottom most of the time, might as well do something simple and reinforce the bottom of the sock as well.  I love Fair Isle!  An added plus is that both of the projects above were made from washable wool scraps from various wool purchases made over the years.

Cute Labels

I think I need to get these labels to sew inside my finished projects when they are gifts!

Cabled Scarf/Cowl

I have so many things I want to knit right now. I started on this cabled scarf pattern a couple months ago and it seemed to be taking forever. Also, it was time consuming because I had to keep track of my rows and mark them off as I went.

I decided to turn the scarf until a cowl instead.

I looked up how to make button holes, sewed on the buttons and I was done. Much better than leaving the project half finished.