Tea cozy and slouch hat

These I made for my almost sister-in-law.  The first is a cute tea cozy that has a simple, but pretty, "butterfly" design is what the pattern calls it.  I don't know that I would call it that, but it is pretty anyway.

It doesn't look quite right here, because I didn't have a teapot to put it on, but it fit her teapot perfectly.

She also got a slouch hat for Christmas.  She had gotten one from her family the night before, but mine was homemade, so I claim better hat!  Ha!

Best or not, I was really pleased with how it turned out.  I wasn't sure how the variegated yarn was going to look with this particular pattern.  But I think it actually worked quite well - better than I had expected.  It fit her well, and the pattern and the yarn colors ended up making this a really cute hat.  Can't complain about that!

And so begin the line-up of Christmas gifts!

Now that Christmas is over and I have given out all the gifts that I made, I have things that I can post again!

I made my nephew a hat for Christmas, but I couldn't find a pattern that I really adored.  So, I combined two of them to try to get closer.  I started off with a P1K1 pattern.  The pattern calls for me to continue this for the entire hat.  There are a couple of things I dislike about that.  First, I think K1P1 is crazy annoying for an entire pattern.  I like to be a bit lazier than that!  Second, I am afraid that all of the stretch that that creates might actually become a problem as the hat gets worn and slightly older - stretching out TOO much.  So I plain knit every other round, which ended up twisting the p1k1 more than I had anticipated.  Not bad, just not expected.

This was the finished result!

If you look really closely there is a change in the texture.  That was definitely unexpected, but I think unless you are actually looking for it, or if you know what you are looking at, you wont notice it while it is on my nephew's head.

I also knit a hat for my niece.  It is definitely too big for her currently, though she didn't pull it off immediately, which is a good sign.

I thought the points that this forms at the top were just too cute for words!

I will be posting more soon!

Working on Christmas presents

I have been working on Christmas presents lately!  Lots of fun.  I thought I would have a second one finished, but found out that I actually need a lot more of the i-cord than I had.  So, that increased my work load.

I have approximately 10 projects to finish between now and Christmas.  Aside from the bunch of i-cord I need to finish for that hat, I also need to just seam up a second present.  Most of them are knitting projects, I think I only have a single project that is crochet.

My little brother asked for a hat that is, sort of, like a knight's helmet with the visor that comes down. You know, the stereotypical helmet like you might find on a suit of armor.  Like the ones in Beauty and the Beast!  In any case.  The only patterns I have found online are patterns that I would have to pay for.  Since I am not interested in paying for that, I am making it up as I go.  It is just a basic beanie without the embellishments to start.  So, I am starting with that and I shall go from there and see if I can't come up with something that looks relatively close to what he is after.

Other than making up a pattern as I make the hat, I think all the other projects I have already have their patterns.  I just need to get to it!  So, with that...off I go!

Etsy?

There are days that I would love to open an Etsy account.   But then I recall how little time I have, how many other projects I have going on, and my fear of not being able to fill or fulfill expectations and I never end up getting anything set up.  About a year ago I started thinking about making a profile to sell from - I bought the yarn for a particular pattern, the first pattern I had ever successfully completed, but the yarn is still sitting here in my home.

I did just pull out a skein, while writing this, and I would start, but I have to be at work in half an hour.  Perhaps I can at least get my beginning chain done so that when I come home I am more tempted to work on it - rather than having to start it.  Yes, I realize that a beginning chain is not really a "start" but sometimes it helps to get me motivated if I can say that I have already started something.  I know, that makes no sense either.  No one ever said I would make sense on my blog!

Spoiler: Christmas gifts!

So, this is my most recently knit toddler hat.  I used DK at the bottom and then a boucle yarn for the top to make it fluffy and soft.  My niece is currently at the in-between stage of hats - too big for a baby size but too small for an adult.  This, technically, fits over my  head.  It just looks odd and not very pretty.  However, I think that on her it will give it a nice slouch and gives room for any hair things she has going on that day! I haven't seen her since I made it, but I am hoping that it will be about the right size for her, plus some stretch for her to grow this winter.

This next piece is actually for her mommy.  She drinks a great deal of tea and asked if I could make her a tea cozy.  So I found a very cute pattern that has detail but nothing crazy.  This pattern works flat and you make two sides.  Now that I am this far in I was wondering how difficult it would be to adjust the pattern to work in the round next time.  It would save from having to seam, and it might give it a cuter look.  As well as being easier.  For now, though, I will complete the pattern as written and I should have it done in plenty of time for Christmas!

This is the chainless half double crochet that I was talking about the other day.  It has a tendency to twist and I am not sure if that is normal in these types of things or not.  I am hoping, and guessing, that as I add more rows it will even itself out and not be too much of a problem.  Anyone have experience with these and know if this is a common occurrence?  Or did I do something wrong?

And my final picture for the day.  This is just a straight double crochet piece.  I am making up the stripes as I go, mostly to add some interest.  Eventually it will be folded into a shoulder bag for my older sister.  The "Masa bag" pattern on Ravelry is what I am pulling it from.

That about covers what I am working on right now.  I have other things that I am thinking about starting, but I want to make sure that I have time to finish these items before I really get into too much else.  I would love to make a baby cardigan for Christmas, but I don't know that I am a fast enough knitter to start that now and have it finished in time.  But, who knows.  We will see where I get to on the tea cozy and the bag and I will play it by ear from there!

I can't do just one project at a time!

So, here is the progress I have made so far on my socks.

Admittedly not very far along.  This portion has been very easy, though the tiny needles still vex me sometimes.  I am just doing a simple pattern - I figured learning sock techniques was enough without mixing in a fancy pattern.  So far they seem nice and stretchy - I am looking forward to getting one done.

Part of the reason I have not worked on them much is because I have been working on hats for my niece, as well as Christmas presents for various family members.  And some fingerless gloves that a friend asked me to make for her.  It was actually one of my very first projects a year ago, and I am finally getting to the second glove.

Both still need thumbs added, but I feel good in getting this pair worked on and, hopefully, completed soon.  

I am still working on whittling down my yarn stash, too.  Though I did buy some sock yarn for the socks, the gloves are yarn I have had for a year, and the couple of baby hats that I have been making are all from things I have had for a while.  So, that is making me rather happy, too.  Feeling like I am cleaning up my home while at the same time making fun and cute things that people will wear is a feeling that I like.  I didn't get a picture of the hat that I made for my niece this weekend.  I had to tear it out 3 times on Sunday and I finally finished it yesterday when I had free time again.  I think I just crochet too tightly - meaning that patterns written for normal crocheters don't fully apply to me, so I end up adding extra rows.  But, I learned that lesson well this weekend, so hopefully I can just begin adding rows sooner and making sure to measure circumference so that I don't have to rip out hats three times!  Measure twice and crochet once?  Something like that.

Magic looping

I am continuing with my magic loop project.  I am making this (and I can make a plug for a fellow blogger) http://100percentmadebyme.blogspot.com/2012/12/ballet-shrug-free-pattern.html.  I am going to have to modify the sleeves some because my wrist is certainly not the same width as my upper arm.  Even with the stretchyness of stockinette, I am quite sure I will need more room, so I will be doing some increases as I get farther along.

Part of what I love about magic loop now, given that I have to figure out where and when to put in increases is the fact that I can put the piece onto the long cable and try it on easier, by far, than I ever could with DPNs.  So that part is really nice.  I know I wont lose stitches and I can get the item to fit me exactly how I want it to without having to guess.

I admit, there is a learning curve.  It isn't so much that it is difficult to use magic loop, I just have to remember where I am in the work and where I need to move the active stitches so that I am not just going back and forth over the same side.  Basically I just have to pay attention to what I am doing and where my yarn is coming from.  It is not difficult, I just have to pay attention.  Getting the yarn where I want it after moving my stitches is also a trick that I am still working on.

Overall I like the technique.  I think once I get used to working with it I wont have many long-term difficulties.  As long as I am paying attention to what and where I am knitting it is turning out great so far!

I really enjoy learning new techniques, especially when they work!  I will have to work on thumb gussets more, since they didn't turn out how I wanted.  But this, so far, is going really well for me!  I will get a picture up of this, but it will probably be after the weekend.  Family stuff going on that will keep me super busy!

Wine bottle carriers, finally!

Well, I finished up that batch of wine-bottle carriers!  Super excited!  I have started on some more, I think I have four left to make.

Some of them turned out slightly different than the others, but I think it is a result of the type of yarn.  The light blue one is still taller than all the rest, and perhaps the skinniest, though it is still large enough to fit a bottle of wine into.

I am contemplating on making these and trying to sell them on Etsy.  I need to double check with the woman who wrote the pattern, to make sure that she wont mind my doing that.  In the meantime I am really having tons of fun making them to give away as gifts!

I am also getting farther along on the little shrug that I am making.  I am making it in bright blue.  I don't usually wear blue as I think it brings out some nice dark circles under my eyes, ha!  However, a friend has convinced me to give it a second chance, so I am making this in bright blue, in part because I already had this dk weight yarn that I ended up not using for the project it was purchased for.

                                     
Obviously I haven't gotten really far along on it, but I'm moving in the right direction!  I hope it turns out as cute as the pattern looks, I am excited to get to wear it!

Other than that, I haven't really undertaken anything new.  I do need to start working on the patterns that I have mentioned on here before.  Hhmm, perhaps I will start thinking about that tonight!  Lets see if I can get some creative juices flowing!

Lazy Sunday

Well, I am sitting here thinking about what I want to write about.  I did finish a new baby bonnet, though I used the wrong size yarn so it turned out larger than I wanted/expected.  It is still super cute.

I haven't learned any new tips or tricks today.  My inspiration (read: my niece) came to visit me today, though she was not overly thrilled at my holding her.  Little does she know that I am the favorite!  Haha.  Her momma did give me some crap today about the amount of yarn I have.  Oopsie!  I said that it was just a result of my inability to knit and crochet quickly.  So I need to work on that, obviously!

Oh!  So, I have this nifty little over the shoulder bag that is about 6"x7" with a zipper.  I can throw the strap over myself across my chest so that I don't have to worry about losing it.  Now, I tend to like small purses, but this is honestly a touch small for most things I prefer.  However, when I go out to the bar, or when I go somewhere that I wont have a place to put a purse, it is perfectly sized.  That doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, it really is nice to not have to worry about keeping track of a purse.

The problem with the one that I have is that it is blue.  That is all fine and good, except that I almost never wear blue.  I want one in black or brown or off-white, or a color that I wear a lot.  So, I think I am going to attempt another pattern so that I can make a similar bag of similar dimensions in the color that I want!  I know how I basically want it to look, I just have to figure out how to get that look, as well as a lining (I think - depends on what kind of stitch I end up going with) to work.  So, at some point in the future I will have that posted up on to Ravelry.  When I do i'll let you know!  I think I will try to keep the same dimensions, including the strap length.  It appears to be a crocheted item, but I think they used thread.  I am going to probably try it with some DK, just because making an entire purse out of crochet thread sounds miserable.  I will let you know how it goes!

I think I might try to work on the baby blanket tonight some.  That will force me to learn how to yarn over in knitting, as well as a new decrease that I have never done.  I don't have much else to say, so I will just keep this short tonight.

I love my needle arts!

There are tons of things that I love about knitting and crocheting. I love seeing a project start at nothing and turn into something fun and cute.  I love seeing nice orderly stitches creating patterns out of nothing.  I love the sense of accomplishment that I feel when I have learned a new skill or when I have finished a project.  I love having people ask if I have made something and being amazed when I honestly say yes.

What I really love, though, is being able to knit or crochet anywhere, almost any time.  I have long dreamed of living outside of the US for a period of a number of years.  Whether or not that will ever actually happen, I'm not sure.  But, if it ever does, if I ever decide to go down that road, I will be able to knit and crochet wherever I am!  Though the world over has different types of yarn and different types of things they like to craft, it exists everywhere.  So as long as I take my needles and hooks, I will be set!

I have started on my third baby hat to send with my sister.  I am not getting them out crazy fast, but I think I started the first one last Tuesday or Wednesday, so that isn't half bad considering I haven't been doing this even a year.  When I have some more done I will get a picture up here of the various colors I will be making to send with her.  I am going with just plain but bright colors.

Lets throw some pictures of other projects in here, just for the heck of it!

This is my first personally designed pattern.  You can find the pattern for purchase here: Bedside Rug  There are some better pictures up there as well.  The scissors are there for comparison in size.  It isn't horribly fancy, but it is nice and fluffy and relatively simple!

I made some house slippers for myself, too.  They are nice and cozy and another easy pattern.  The yarn was multi-colored, I did not change colors for it, but I think they turned out well with that particular yarn and striping colors.  Now, if only I could figure out where I put them in my apartment so that I could wear them again.  Damn!

This is the back side of a washcloth that I made for my younger sister.  You can tell it is the backside because almost all of the stitches, except the cup itself, are little bumps.  That means they are purl stitches, and typically, though not always, purls indicate the backside of a work.  But, this is supposed to be the Tri-Wizard cup.  All four of the washcloths that I made for her had a Harry Potter theme.  26 or not, she loves her some Harry!  I figured by doing them in purple and brown, which most of her decor is in, they were subtle enough that most people wouldn't immediately notice, so she could use them as actual cloths rather than just decorations for herself.  She loved them.

Well, I think that is all I have for today.  I will work on getting together more pictures to post 'cause I have done lots since these projects that I have already shown.  In the meantime happy knitting or hookin'!

Knitting up a storm...literally

Well,  my knitting frenzy continues.  I think the incoming storm to Colorado might be a result of negative pressure from all of the knitting I have been catching up on!

I have finished at least three projects this weekend - one of which I started before Christmas.  It is fabulous to not feel terribly guilty for enjoying some free time, it is awesome!  I have started another baby hat for charity and I am going to continue trying to finish up older projects.

I have had some people ask me how I "taught myself" how to both knit and crochet in a week.  I found a couple of sources of info that were extremely helpful.  www.knittinghelp.com was awesome and has really close-up and detailed videos for learning how to knit and how to do a variety of different types of knitting.  I decided to go with continental knitting - she offers video's for both.  It just seemed easier to me than English knitting for my hands.

For crochet and some nice crochet patterns I watched videos on youtube from bobwilson123.  The lady there is very detailed and specific and she has a cute Australian accent, too!  The cow hat and the baby newsboy cap are both her patterns.  I do not do them justice, but I think I get better with every project I do. I find what works for me and begin to apply those new skills.  You can find her on Facebook if you wanna keep up with the various patterns she creates and then shares for free.  Really awesome!

So far I have written one pattern, and I have put it up on Ravelry.  It is called Bedside Rug - it is pretty simple but it is quite nice and fluffy.  I have a couple of other ideas that I want to finish working in my head and then I am going to try them out before setting them up on Rav.  I can't tell you what they are yet, but when I get it all worked out I will let you know!

I am also thinking about getting an Etsy shop set up for myself.  At the moment I do not have enough items that I want to sell, but I have a couple of patterns that I think might make for good things to sell come next fall/winter.  So, perhaps by that time I will be able to start something out on there, as well.  It wouldn't ever become my sole job, but I really do enjoy making these things and I think it would be fun to try and sell some of what I make.  At least, at the moment it sounds fun and interesting.  Any thoughts on what might sell well over there, or that you might like to see in an Etsy shop?  I'd love to hear from you!