What Have I Been Doing?

This is a stress  ball-pattern from Heart Strings Fiber Arts. It is just left over yarn and beads from Michael's. I knit it just because it looked like fun.

Grand daughter, Sarah, wanted mittens on a string, so I used my favorite mitten pattern from Cottage Creations and made the fuchsia mittens which match her newly painted bedroom. Sarah loves to be different!

These are the wristlets I designed and knit for Propaganda Yarn Zombie Yarn Club.

Amazing Threads wanted a sample knit of this yarn because it wasn't selling, so this is Child's Self Striping Hat-a free pattern on Ravelry, made from Bravo Jacquard Color.

This project has been taking all my time! It is a test knit for Ainn of Finland. Her designs are the most unusual, fun to knit, and unusual shaping and stitches. It is not an automatic knit.

Christmas 2011

Christmas 2011 is over! The greatest joy was being with all my children, grand children, great grand children, sister, nieces and great niece and nephew-not all at the same time, but maybe it was better that way. Despite the hectic preparations and 2 melt downs the holidays were joyous.

This year we started a tradition which I hope we will continue. Baking with 4 generations!

Another day was spent with grand daughter, Sarah, but I didn't take pictures. We made Yule Kage, rice pudding and chocolate, caramel chex mix.

Playing while waiting for food and presents. Rylea lined up the cars like her uncle used to do-and probably her mother.

 This is what it looked like after opening presents.

Rylea got a set of drums from her uncle Billy who is a drummer with the band Our Life Story. She was a natural!

My Christmas knitting: 

Mittens for Rylea and Dani.

A chicken hat for Sarah.

A headband for Sarah.

An "Olympic" hat for Gloria.

Caps for Caleb

A friend of ours is giving away hand knit hats for a donation to raise funds for her two year old grandson, Caleb, who recently had a bone marrow transplant for some awful disease. These are the hats I gave to her.

These are hats from the upcoming Cottage Creation new pattern book.


Helix Hat, a free pattern on the internet-my favorite pattern for striped hats for children.

Rylea is One!

My Great Grand Daughter, Rylea, was one year old August 4. Because her mother reads my blog-can you believe that?-and wants to be surprised when she receives gifts, I haven't posted several finished things. Now I can. She received all knitted things from me this year. Next year she'll be old enough to want toys.

This is Bernat Baby Jacquards Ruffle Hat, a free pattern on the yarn label of Bernat web site. I've been going crazy with this pattern and this yarn!

Yarn: Bernat Baby Jacquards Floral

Needles: US 6

I did change the pattern to be knit in the round and also added about an inch of ribbing above the ruffle. (I did not add to the length.)

Party Time Jumper by Doreen Marquart, Small Fry Knits, a small division of Needles 'n Pins Yarn Shoppe in Delavan, WI.

Yarn: Claudia Hand Painted Fingering Weight

Needless: Size 2

Clara pattern by Karin Vestergaard Mathiesen, purchased at my LYS.

Yarn: Dale Baby Uhl

Needles 3mm

Thanks to Thora Lee at Amazing Threads, we changed the decrease at the top of the triangles and up the skirt from a Sl 1, K1, PSSO to a double decrease, Sl 2 tog as if to knit, K1, P2SSo.

My Grand Daughter, Kristin, with her daughter, Rylea on her first birthday.
Grand Mothers can have fun. This is my daughter, Gloria, mother of Kristin, grand mother of Rylea modeling Rylea's hat.

It is cuter on Rylea!

It's a Girl!

This morning I received an excited phone call from my grand daughter. Her baby will be a girl-due July 30th. Of course I knew that-lately when referring to the baby I've unintentionally called the baby "her" . In the past, I proved I was right when a doctor looked me in the eye and said the baby being delivered was a girl because he read the ultra sound-I knew it was a boy and it was.

Last week I started this baby blanket for Rilea Beth.

Pattern: Fiber Trends Diamonds for Rhiannon
Yarn: Dale Baby Uhl
Needles: Size 6

Using my stash, I made this hat (sorry-Blogger rotated the picture and I don't know how to put it right.) I will be teaching this hat at Amazing Threads. It was a fun and easy knit.

Pattern: Sweet Peas by Susan B. Anderson available for purchase at http://SusanBAnderson.blogspot.com

Needles Size 7

Yarn: Cotton Stash Yarn-too old to be available.

Sun Visor Cap

This was a quick knit, but even after several applications of spray starch, the brim was very floppy. After inserting floral wire in the i-cord edging of the brim, it was better.
Pattern: Knitting at KNoon Designs-Sun Visor Cap. Free download from www.knittingatknoon.com . I did do several things differently from the pattern-wouldn't say there were mistakes, but better ways to do thing.

Yarn: Trend Collection Linie 12, Clip. 100% cotton.

Needles: Size 4.

Reverser Hat

A fun hat to knit! It is knit side to side by starting with a provisional cast on, shaping with short rows and grafting the end and cast on together. I did not knit it to qauge as I wanted a smaller hat to fit a child to donate to charity.

Pattern: Reverser by Woolly Wormhead in book Going Straight. She also has some free patterns on her website, www.woollywormhead.com

Yarn: Encore

Needles: Size 7

Hansel's Hat

When my daughter in law's cat was in intensive care and had to have most of his hair shaved for IV's and procedures, my son asked if I would make a sweater for him. Getting some crude measurements, I cast on what I thought would be enough stitches and started knitting a knit 2, purl 2 ribbing. About the time I got to the point of figuring out leg holes, Hansel died. The sweater sat unfinished for some time, but today I figured I should make it into a hat, as all it needed was the top decreases. Hopefully it will fit my daughter in law, if not, I will donate it to some charity.
Needles: Size 9, 15 inch circular and double point.
Yarn: Homespun

Sublime Rambler Hat

Isn't this adorable? It is the Rambler Hat made out of Sublime Yarn. Sublime is the most lucious yarn, cashmere, merino, and silk. I also have my eye on a matching sweater, but so far I've resisted.

Pattern: The Sublime Aran hand knit book, number 604.

Yarn: 2 balls Sublime cashmere merino silk aran

Needles: Size US 6 and 8

The directions are to make the hat by knitting back and forth, but I used circular needles and knit it in the round.

Yes, the sweater is the off white cowl neck sweater on display at Amazing Threads.

Travel Hats

Monday my friend and I leave for a tour of Bar Harbor, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Cape Cod. Because of the possibility of cold, windy weather we wanted a hat that would cover our ears and keep us warm. I have knit several chemo hats using this pattern and thought it would be a good hat for myself. The one I had was too short to really cover my ears-thus the new ones for each of us. It is warm, packs small, and fits nicely into a pocket. The pattern is a free internet pattern at www.headhuggers.org . For the pictured hats I used Lion Brand Fun Fur and size 9 circular and double point needles. A fun, quick knit.