Baby Patrick Baby Blankey

This blankey was made for my Mom's Cousin Kelly's Son, Patrick... so that makes him my, uh, 3rd cousin once removed? I have no clue. Anyway, Kelly is one of my favorites and when she had a baby, I arranged a trip to see her while I was also in North Carolina visiting my friend Erin. It worked out great as I got to spend some quality time with her three sons, Tyler, Ryan and Patrick (and husband Shawn). This was probably my best knitting project to date just because it was fun to knit, the yarn was soft and easy to work with, and it came out really nice.

I cast on 110 stitches on size 11 straight needles. Work in a garter stitch for about 2.5 inches ending on a wrong side row.

The Pattern:
Row 1: K13, place marker, *yo, K1; Repeat from * to last 13 sts, place marker, K13 (you will have 168 sts between markers at this point)
Row 2: K13, purl to marker, K13
Row 3: K13, K2tog to marker, K13 (back to 110 sts)
Row 4 and Row 5: K13, *yo, K2tog, rep from * to marker, K13
Rows 6, 7, 8: Knit across

Repeat rows 1-8 until blanket measures approximately 32.5 inches, finish with another 2.5 inches of garter stich and bind off purlwise.

I used a worsted weight yarn in a soft cotten blend for this yarn in a color called "silver sage". It's washable and easy to work with!

Check out the cutest pics of Babby Patrick cuddling with his handmade gift from Cousin Erin :-)

Thick-Thin Scarf and Hat Set

This is a very simple garter knit scarf using something called "thick/thin" yarn which is basically exactly what the name implies! It is very thin in places and very thick and fluffy in others. I cast on 20 stitches and knit in garter stitch for about two feet.

For the hat I did 10 rows of knitting after casting on 56 stitches and then 1 row of purl bumps so that it gave the hat a little texture and it didn't curl in on the ends. I followed this so that there are three distinct rows of purl bumps prior to decreasing. The whole set together took me about 15 hours over the course of a few weeks. Simple, warm, and cute!

Rib Stitch "Princess Taylor Scarf"

This hat and scarf set was made for my boyfriend's (at the time) little niece Taylor. Obviously coming up with sentimental gifts for guys is a difficult task, and after I had a wonderful man by my side through my major back surgery, I thought one of the ways I could thank him was to make something for his niece who means the world to him. I was also thrilled to have an adorable little princess to have a project to work on for.

I wanted to create a light fabric as Taylor lives in Destin, Florida and probably won't be needing anything heavy. I also wanted something durable and washable as lets face it, she's four. I used a pink cotton/acrylic blend pom-popm yarn. Each skein was 50 grams and although I used three, I had tons left over.

I cast on with size 4 needles 35 stitches and made the scarf with a simple rib stitch in multiples of 5. Literally 5K 5P for about 2 feet. For the hat I used circular size 4 needles and cast on 70 and continued to use the 5K 5P rib stitch. I kind of winged it when decreasing for the top and simply used a calculator to decrease every 10, every 7, every 5, etc until I had closed up the top with a darting needle.

I knew I wanted to add a pom-pom on the hat but had no idea how to do that. I just googled "knitting pom-pom patterns" and found one that was easy looking. Basically I used the side of a cardboard box and cut out 2 circles about 2" across and with a donut hole in the middle. After wrapping the yarn around again and again and again (use a darting needle, it made this easier!) I cut in between the two cardboard holes and tied the middle very tightly and "fluffed" the pom-pom out. Here is an example of a site I used: http://www.craftown.com/knitpat6.htm

It turned out pretty cute and got some great compliments on a very simple project. Unfortunately, the recipient of this never even acknowledged that I sent something to her (or her mom actually) which bums me only because I never got to see a picture of Taylor in it! Oh well... it was fun to make regardless. The boy is out of the picture too so we'll just say the next "Princess Scarf" will have to be made with an actual Prince in my life ;-)

Rib Stitch Scarf

In a care package from my Aunt Shelly and Aunt Wendy I received post back surgery, I got four skeins of LionBrand Homespun Yarn. I think this yarn needs a really simple pattern as it already has somewhat of it's own texture. In my opinion it's pointless to do any intricate patterns because you can't see them with the yarn anyway.

Using 2 skeins of the Homespun (98% acylic / 2% polyester, 170gram) I made a rib stitch scarf and beanie set. I used a K3 P3 pattern and made my scarf about 7 feet.

For the hat I used size 8 circular needles- cast on 90 stitches and knit a ribbed stitch of k2, p2 for about 6 inches. I decreased by knitting 2tog on every other row till it was k2tog on every stitch. Then I used a darting needle to thread through all stitches and pulled tight to knot. I finished by threading the yarn through the inside.

The ribbing makes it very thick and yummy. I ended up giving this set to my "Mary Mom" who is not only my own Mom's best friend but someone who has been like a second mom to me for many years. I'm hoping it will entice her to brave the Chicago winters again for a visit :-)

Baby Booties

These were one of those projects that is WAAAAAAY easier than it looks. I took the pattern from one of my knitting buddies, Lizzie, who promised me they were quick and easy. I decided to try out the pattern for a co-worker, Tracy, who is due in a few weeks and doesn't know what she's having.

I chose a "silver sage" color of a cotton/wool blend (washable) and it was very easy to work with. On size 7 straight needles I followed the pattern below and finished them off with a little bow and tied them together with a "congrats" tag...

They were a big hit and took about 30 minutes each foot.

These instructions are written for smallest size. If changes are necessary for larger sizes the instructions will be written thus ( ). Cast on 28 (36-44) sts. Knit 2 rows (garter st).

Next row: (RS). Inc 1 st in first st. Knit to end of row.Rep last row 5 times more. 34 (42-50) sts.Knit 4 (6-8) rows.

Next row: (RS). K1. K2tog. Knit to end of row.Rep last row 5 times more. 28 (36-44) sts.Shape cuff: Cast off 4 (6-7) sts beg next 2 rows. 20 (24-30) sts.

Place marker at each end of last row. Knit 8 rows. Cast off loosely.

FINISHING: Fold Bootie in half, matching markers. Sew foot seam to markers. I just wound all the ends in and then flipped the bootie inside out and folded over the cuffs. Simple as that!

Halloweenie Beanie (aka The Pumpkin Head Hat)

(This is my adorable nephew modeling the pumpkin head)

I made FOUR of these suckers for a co-worker who's wife was having (get ready for this) QUADS (um, hence the four hats). I didn't think I could handle four baby blankets, so hats it was... They were fun to make and the pattern can totally be used for just a regular winter hat. I think each hat took about 2-3 hours, then another hour for the leaf, icord, and finishing.

So here it is: The Reversible Knit Halloweenie Beanie Recipe

Yarn: I am used this amazing, soft wool in "squash" (orange) and for the pumpkin's stem, I used a small amount of Lion Brand in a kelly green color. I had the green left over from a scarf I made a hundred years ago. This pattern took a little more than one skein of orange, and a very small amount of green.

Needles: I used a size 9 circular needle (16" circular) for most of the hat and switched to size 9 double-pointed needles when needed during decreasing. I used the double pointed to make an icord for the stem and then just the same circular ones for the leaf

I'm not sure the gauge matters TOO much for the hat- it depends on what size you want it to be! and for the stem and leaf... doesn't matter at all.

For the beanie:

1. On circular needles, cast on 88 stitches in orange yarn and join to knit in the round. Place stitch marker at start of round.

2. Knit 4, Purl 4 all the way around to create a ribbed edge. I did this for a little over an inch, or about five rows.

3. For the body, the hat is basically stockinette with a single rib every eight stitches. So you will Knit 7, Purl 1 all the way around for the entire body for until hat measures 6" from base, including rib.

4. The reason this hat is reversible is because when you begin decreasing, rather than knitting two stitches together (as I have in all my other hats) here I decided to Purl two stitches together, which creates a decrease ridge that perfectly lines up with the purl ridges on the reverse stockinette side of the hat:

5. Start decreasing by knitting six stitches, purling two stiches together and repeat all the way around the row.

6. For all the remaining rows, you'll knit until you see that purl stitch coming -- you'll see it -- and then purl together the plain stitch before it plus the lone purl stitch.

Or if that's too confusing, just follow this:
Knit 6, P2 together
Knit 5, P2 together
Knit 4, P2 together
Knit 3, P2 together
Knit 2, P2 together

But I found this to be the easiest hat to decrease of all the hats I've made -- you don't need to count to know when to decrease, just look for that purl ridge in your stockinette and you're ready to decrease. Decreasing purlwise (fancypants way of saying "purl two together") is just as easy as decreasing the regular way.

7. Switch to double points when there are too few stitches to fit around the circular needle.

8. Thread large eye needle through stitches and remove from needles. Stitch down through top of hat to secure and keep from unraveling. Finish and weave in ends.

For this particular hat, I actually flipped it inside out because I thought the "reverse" side was better for a pumpkin, but it's a cute beanie on either side...

I added the stem and leaf with my darting needle and secured it on the inside. Vooola!

I can't seem to find the pattern for the leaf as it was one that came out of my knitting-guru's head, but it was simple and took just a few minutes. However, there is another leaf that would work and the pattern for that is under the boss's wife's wine coozie. I attached the leaf and icord to the top and was all done!

So... Welcome Krol Babies! And congrats to Matt and Michelle on your four BOYS!

The Ruffle Scarf

This is one of the easiest scarves to make and it's one that collects a ton of compliments. The trick is the yarn...

I used one called Solo 194 which I bought at an expensive little boutique shop in the Gold Coast, Chicago, called "We'll keep you in Stitches". You need about 3 balls of the stuff and size 4 needles (tiny!). You can also buy the "Ruffle" yarn that Lion Brand makes, however they only have it in 3 colors: black, cream, and tweed. Honestly I've seen some other colors here and there online, but they are not cheap and I can never find the same site again! Here is a place to find the Lion Brand though, which is a little less expensive: http://store.knitting-warehouse.com/yarn-lion-ruffles.html

To "cast on" I just threaded the top side (the one that doesn't curl under) of the tape yarn using 5 stitches about an inch and a half apart. It's the puckering that makes the ruffle along with the thick yarn. To add a new ball, I simply overlapped the end of the old one with the beginning of the new one making sure the yarn was in the same position (with the curling part at the bottom). Here is a site that really helped me the second time I had to "remember" how to make this: http://learntoknit.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/faq-search.cgi?store=/stores/eyarn&faqKey=263

Just make this as long as you'd like it and cast off normally. I have made several (see pics) and they whip up very quickly. They're a great gift and look way harder than they actually are to make!