Cute Baby Earflap Hat

Today, I decided to make a quick baby gift. After searching through different patterns I could find online, I chose to make a baby earflap hat. I needed DK weight yarn, so I grabbed a pretty skein of red yarn I recently received as a gift - Magic Garden "Buttons", which is 83% Pure New Zealand Wool, with 17% Polyester Effect yarn. It makes a fun fabric for kids and babies!

Here's the free knitting pattern:
http://heyjulie.wordpress.com/2007/03/20/babykids-earflap-hat/

It only took a few hours to make this cute little baby earflap hat. Fun!

Pidge Podge Scarf

Here's another quick knitting project I've made in the past week.

It requires just one skein of Lion "Mystery" yarn, with the free pattern called "Pidge Podge".

I haven't sewn on the button yet, because I haven't decided which ones I want to use. It will be easy to do that, so no rush.

Bulky Slipper Socks

Last night, I was able to knit the other bulky slipper sock. Now, I have a nice pair of warm slippers to give my son for Christmas. Yay!

The knitting pattern is free on the Lion Brand website. It's called "Red Hot Slippers". Be sure to write the pattern corrections on your printed pattern. They don't show on the PDF file. You'll see them on the main page for the pattern.

Pretty Cabled Hat & Bulky Slippers Socks

I finished the cabled hat! So nice!


And, now I'm making bulky slipper socks, using a free knitting pattern on the Lion Brand website called "Red Hot Slipper Socks". It calls for Wool-Ease Thick & Quick, and I have LOTS of leftover skeins of bulky yarn. So, I'm just grabbing different yarns, and making slippers of many colors!


I wonder how many slippers I can make before Christmas? This one sock only took a few hours of knitting to make.

More Knitting Before Year's End

Now that I'm finished with the Christmas stockings, I can get to work on some other projects I've been working on. I've also been sick with a cold recently, so that set me REALLY behind.

Anyway, here's what I've gotten done on the Bernat Cabled Hat, using Ultra Pink Berella 4.

The cables are pretty!


And here is a bulky scarf I'm making as a Christmas gift for someone.


I'm planning on making more bulky scarves and some slippers also. Better get back to work!

Yay! The Christmas Stockings are FINISHED!

Woo Hoo! I finally finished the Christmas stockings for a customer. :)


I am very proud of my work.


And my customer is pleased with them!

Still Making Stockings

I needed a few more days to finish up the Christmas stockings I've been making for a client.

I've finished the chartwork on all three of them!
(The original stocking is shown on the left)


Now, I'm weaving in the ends on those sections.


I've finished all the end-weaving on two of them. :)


Tonight, I'll be blocking them, then tomorrow I'll get to work on adding the feet. I'll have two days to finish them up before delivering them to my client on Thursday!

December Knitting on Overload

My knitting year has been a busy one, and it hasn't slowed down yet. I think I'll finally get a breather in January. (giggle)



Still working on the Christmas stockings for a client. They should be finished by this weekend.



I've also gotten a good start on another project for the Bernat blog. This time, I'm making a pink, cabled hat.





And I just recently found out that the Red Scarf Project (benefits orphans through the Orphan Foundation of America) is short on scarves for this year. So, I've cast on one to help out the cause.





And I STILL want to knit some things for my family for Christmas! I wonder if I'll ever get any sleep this month?

Yay! The Stockings Match PERFECTLY!

Woo Hoo!

I'm so glad I changed to smaller needles on the Christmas stockings. Now, they are matching EXACTLY! Yay!


It's not an easy task, knitting with all those different skeins of yarn, but I'm dealing with it.


Now, I'm onto the next stocking, to do the children, Santas, and trees. SO glad I got the needle sizing figured out. :)

Finishing Up the Bernat Star Afghan

It took two months of knitting, with only three rows of purling at the very end. Now, it's finally complete! I finished weaving in all the ends today, and ran it through a cold rinse cycle with fabric softener in the washing machine.

Here's how it looked before blocking:


Next, I needed to block it. After placing my usual blocking pad on my bed, I put the afghan on it, and realized that it was too large to block there. So, I just pinned it on the wall! Ha! (The wall will be worked on this year anyway, during our house repair work.)

Sometimes, You Just Have to Say, "Enough Already!"

I was happily knitting along on the Christmas stockings I'm making for commission. I had completed the names on all 3 stockings, and was halfway through the intarsia charts on the first stocking.

I decided to hold up my knitting and compare it to the original stocking the client gave me. BUMMER! My knitting was WAY too large. :(



I tried to convince myself that it wasn't that bad. Maybe she would be satisfied with it anyway. I knit a few more rows, and felt worse and worse about it. Then, I held up the "children" section of the stocking, and realized that the knitting had holes in it, because my needles were too large. Also, the children didn't look right - their hands looked like claws. Ugh!

Oh well.....I decided to frog all that work, up to the names. The names looked good as they were. Then, I realized that it would be next to impossible to frog this work - all those color changes would be a pain to unravel. So, I grabbed my scissors and cut it off. DONE! It actually felt kinda nice....disciplining the "bad" knitting. Ha!




So, now I'm starting the intarsia sections again with smaller needles (size 3 this time). At least I got plenty of practice with the charts!

Bernat Star Afghan is Growing

I have been so busy working on the Bernat Star Afghan. It will be such a relief to actually finish it.

Now, it's the size of a lapghan.

Knitting the Night Away

It seems like I do my best knitting in the middle of the night. I have trouble sleeping at night sometimes, so I just park myself in the craft room and knit away.

Here are the Christmas stockings I'm working on for a client. Getting more serious about them now, since they are due by the end of November.


The Bernat Star Afghan is growing nicely. Now it's as big as a seat cushion!

Busy, Busy Knitter!

I haven't posted in a while, because I've been a busy knitter.....as usual.

I'm getting started now on the Bernat Star Afghan. Right now, it looks like a Star PILLOW!


And I'm still working on the Christmas Stockings, as well as some other projects. (No updated photos...sorry.)

Yesterday morning, I was reading my usual stuff on the internet, and took a look at the Afghans for Afghans blog. The current campaign has a VERY FAST deadline. Everything must be in California by next week. So, I decided that I would not be able to participate this time. I then turned off the computer, and walked down the hall to my craft room to work on my projects.

When I sat down, I felt a little tug on my heart. So, I reached behind my knitting chair, and pulled out a bag of 100% wool yarn I use for charity knitting. And got started knitting a hat. I just had to do what I could to make a child warmer in Afghanistan. They have very cold winters there, and most homes have no electricity or running water.

It only took about an hour, and I finished this pretty hat, with some nice bulky 100% Alpaca yarn. The yarn was in a Nicky Knits poncho kit I got on clearance at Hobby Lobby a few years ago. It knits FAST...which was exactly what I needed.


Now, at least ONE child will be a little warmer.

Vogue Knitting - Lace Panel Gloves

Yay! This morning, I finished knitting the Lace Panel Gloves I've been working on to display at Cottage Yarn in Mint Hill, NC.

The pattern is in the Fall 2009 issue of Vogue Knitting.

Ta Da!

Yay! My Cape is FINISHED! :D

Yippee!!!

Last night, I completely finished the cape I've been making for the Bernat Blog:
http://bernat.com/blog/

I can't believe it! It took about 5 or 6 weeks to make, using Bernat Softee Chunky yarn. I was working on several other projects at the same time, so that caused a bit of a delay on my cape.

Anyway, I'll quit talking, and show you the finished cape.

The front:


The back:


I love it. :)

And my hubby likes it too! When I walked down the hall to show it to him, his mouth dropped open, and he said, "That looks great!" Such a sweet hubby. (glowing with pride)

The thing that really finished off the hood and made it look nice was the buttons on the side. I also added a big button on the front, where the neckline separates. I think it adds a nice touch.

Knits in Progress

Quick update:

Here's the large Oddball Blanket #5 - ready to be donated!




The Bernat Side Button Hooded Cape. The back is done, and the front is halfway there!


And, I'm on the last finger of the Lace Panel Gloves.

Knitting....as Usual :)

I've been SUCH a busy knitter.....so busy that I couldn't even get on here to talk about it!


So, to make up for lost time, I'll try to show everything I've done since my last blog post.



A friend of mine is opening a new yarn shop in Charlotte (in the NoDa district of the city), called "Yarnhouse". He gave me 3 skeins of yarn, asked me to knit some things with them to display in his shop.



Using Queensland "Kathmandu Chunky", I made this nice, cushy hat.

Here's the free pattern: "Handspun Ribbed Hat"





With Mirasol "Hacho", I made this lovely "Gloria Cowl".





And with Elsebeth Lavold "Silky Wool", I knit this sweet baby hat and booties.

Scalloped Lace Baby Cap (free pattern on Ravelry).

Mary Jane Baby Booties





While working on those, I was also adding a few rows on one of our large Oddball Charity Blankets. I was actually able to bind off the stitches this week! Yahoo!!! Now, I'm adding a crochet border, and the blanket will be ready for donation to charity. :D





I'm still going on the Bernat Side Button Hooded Cape, and have also cast on my next Bernat Blog project, the "Knitted Star Afghan". I'm using red, black, and gray yarns, because that's the colors my step-son requested for an afghan. He's been waiting a couple years for one, so this is my opportunity to make it for him. The beginning was the hardest part, with the 3 dpns in a teeny tiny circle. It's getting better now.





I'm using a large project bag (LL Bean) that my mother-in-law gave me for my knitting. She used to knit and crochet a lot when she was younger, and knew that I would need a bag this big. It's PERFECT for carrying my afghan project supplies. :)





And I'm still working on the gloves and Christmas stockings as well. Maybe I should just go back and knit now..... I don't have time to sit at this computer any more, with all that waiting for me in the craft room! (tee-hee)



Talk again soon.

Finished the Back of My Cape!

Yay! Last night, I finished the back of the cape I've been working on. It looks so nice! Cushy and comfy. I just can't wait to wear it.


I didn't let myself rest on my laurels, though. Time to start the front!

Bagsmith "Little Brown Bag" Kit

Yesterday, I got the greatest gift from a friend in the Knitting Help Forum.

It's a "Little Brown Bag" kit to knit a nice purse. How cool!


The kit contains everything I need to make a nice purse...and it's in my favorite color - brown!

Yay!

Getting Busy on the Christmas Stockings

Now that I have all the yarn I need to make the Christmas stockings, I'm able to get to work.

Before I started knitting, I charted all the names and years I'll need on a sheet of graph paper. I placed the chart on a music stand, with a magnetic bar to mark my place. The stand is just in front of my knitting chair, so it's easy to see.


Here's my knitting chair. I'm using my old Fujitsu laptop computer to view the pattern. It would have taken 5 sheets of paper to print it out, and I'm out of toner right now. This is working very well, because I can zoom in and out of the document for better viewing.


After the first day of knitting, I had completed casting on all 3 stockings. Now all the ribbing is done - Yay!

The following day, I completed the name and year on one of the stockings. Looking good!


Everything I need for knitting the stockings is in a basket, so I can get going right away.