This Mama Knits

Knitting Goals for 2012

2012-01-30T15:55:00.000-05:00

I know that I have not posted in a while, but I have been knitting. I wanted to share my knitting goal for 2012 and say "Hello" to all my new followers. I also wanted to say that I have been so happy with all the feedback, comments, and questions I have been getting on older posts.

My knitting goal is to complete 52 projects for 2012. I did this for 2011 and you can see a list of all my projects here . So far I have made 3 projects. I only have a picture of one, but hopefully I will get a chance to post pictures of the other two soon.

What are your knitting goals this year? As always I love hearing from my readers and would love to answer any questions or if you want more info about anything you have seen on my blog please leave a comment. If you haven't already please feel free to like my facebook page. I have a lot of pictures there and had a follower share her pictures of a hat she made using my Lace Hat pattern. :)

The Perfect Fit Beanie Pattern

2011-12-01T10:32:00.001-05:00

In November I posted a hat that I made using a new technique for adding an extra stitch. I was trying to make a slouchy hat, but I did not add enough extra stitches. Instead my hat came out with a nice design and in my opinion a perfect fit. I have been asked for this pattern a couple of times now, so I decided to post it here for others to enjoy.

The Perfect Fit Beanie

Supplies needed: a loom with an even number of pegs, knitting hook, yarn of your choice, and a yarn needle.

I made my hat using Patons Classic Wool yarn in Taupe and the round purple loom with 48 pegs.

Skills needed: you will need to know how to e-wrap, flat knit, purl, and how to add the extra stitch. This video will show you the technique needed to add the extra stitch.

1. To start the hat using two strands of yarn held as one cast on all the pegs using the e-wrap stitch.

2 - 13. To make the brim you will knit 2, purl 2 all the way around the loom. I did this for a total of 12 rows.

14. Knit this row.

15. This is the row where you will add your stitch. *purl 2, knit, add stitch on 3rd peg (knit)* You will do this all the way around the loom.

Notes:   Purl 2 and then on the 3rd peg you will knit, move the stitch to peg 2. Bring up the stitch from the row before and place it on the 3rd peg. Knit over. Take the stitch that you moved to peg 2 and bring it back to peg 3. You will now have 2 stitches on the 3rd peg.

16. *Purl 2 and Knit the stitches on peg 3* all the way around the loom.

Notes: Purl 2 and then on the 3rd peg with two stitches knit over the TOP stitch only. Then move the new stitch to peg 2. Knit the stitch on peg 3 and then move the stitch that is on peg 2 back to peg 3. Again, peg 3 will now have 2 stitches on it.

Continue knitting the hat using the instructions from row 16 until hat reaches your desired length. I made my hat around 8 1/2 inches.

17. On the row before you gather your hat you will purl 2 and then on the 3rd peg just knit the two loops over. This will leave you with one stitch on your 3rd peg.

18. You will now decrease your hat by 1/2. Take the stitches on peg 1 and move to peg 2. Bring the bottom stitch over the top stitch, so that one stitch remains. Continue doing this around the loom.

19. Gather your hat and you are finished and ready to wear your Perfect Fit Beanie. :)

I hope that you like this pattern. A very special thank you to Jeannie at A Place for my Cards for allowing me to include her video. She is an amazing loom knitter who has come up with some amazing and beautiful projects.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Cable Hat Pictures

2011-11-19T13:12:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to make a cable hat for over a year now, but have never had any luck. I was never able to "stretch" the stitches enough to make the cables. I decided to give it another try and was finally able to figure it out. I am so pleased with the results. The yarn I used was Paton's Wool in Heather Jade. When I put the hat on to take the pictures I fell in love with this hat. The wool has the perfect amount of stretch. The hat is so very warm and a gorgeous color. Now that I have figured out the cables I have some ideas in my head of different ways to use them in hats or fingerless gloves. I need more time in the day for all my ideas!

This was a very easy hat to make and I did not even need to use a cable needle. I used the round purple loom and didn't even need a whole skein of yarn. I will be able to make a headband/ear-warmer with what is left over.

Wool yarn is obviously more expensive, but I have used it for my last two hats and have been so happy with the results. I need to try and stock up when it is on sale, because I would love to make more projects with wool yarn.

Pictures from Weekend Projects

2011-11-15T16:20:00.000-05:00

Autumn Red Infinity Scarf

Autumn Red Ridged Lace Hat

Purple Mix Reversible Headband/Ear-Warmer

Purple Mix Headband/Ear-Warmer in Stockinette Stitch

I Love...

2011-11-14T16:17:00.002-05:00

Obviously I love when I finish a project and I am happy with the way it turns out. The other thing I love is when I finish a skein of yarn. There is just something satisfying about finishing the whole skein without any left-overs.

Over the weekend I worked on finishing up the headband/neck warmer that I was working on with needles. I used Vanna's Choice yarn in Beige. I doubled up my yarn, so mine is definitely more like a neck warmer. I like the way it turned out. I think I am going to have to block it though and I have never blocked anything before, so this will be a first. I need to add a button and then take a picture of it.

I also started working on a Red Ridged Lace Hat for my cousin. The pattern can be found in the book "I Can't Believe I'm Loom Knitting ". This is one of my favorite patterns, but I always end up with very sore fingers. I had enough yarn left over and wanted to finish up the skein. I decided to work on an infinity scarf. I used the stockinette stitch using the diagonal wrap method. You can see more info on it here at this site. I just kept knitting until I used all the yarn. Then finished the ends like I do on the reversible headbands. I am really pleased with the way it turned out. I used Simply Soft Caron brand yarn in Autumn Red. I need to get pictures of this too.

In other news, the hat that is on my Martha Stewart Loom has turned into a problem. :( I was concerned when I started the hat that it would be hard to finish the hat with there being so many pegs. When I finally got to the end of the hat, I figured I could just decrease by half and then decrease by half again. Unfortunately, this did not work. I got the hat off and not only was the hat too small, but the top where I gathered it was a wreck. I had to figure out a way to get it back on the loom and this also turned into a problem. I was having a hard time finding all the stitches to put back on the pegs and then sometimes would drop the stitch before I could get it back on. After about 45 minutes, I did manage to get the hat back on the loom, but had to frog a bunch to get it ready to be worked on again. I am a little discouraged.   Should I just gather the top with 80 stitches? That seems like it would be way to bulky! Is there a way to decrease and have a nice finished top like I do when I use the round purple Knifty Knitter ? Any advice would be appreciated.

Pictures of Finished Projects

2011-11-09T20:13:00.002-05:00

Last post I said I was working on 4 projects. I was finally able to complete two of them over the weekend. I finished the cowl. I used Lion Brand Homespun the color is called Barley and worked in garter stitch on the round yellow loom. The finished cowl is 20 inches long, so it is very bulky and very warm.

My second project was supposed to be a slouchy hat, but there was just not enough "slouch" to it. I am still really happy with the way it turned out. The hat is 100% wool and a great color. I may add a coconut button, but I am not sure. Still trying to decide.

Still working on the headband on needles and the very slow going hat on the Martha Stewart Loom. I finished another one of my Reversible Headbands . After finishing the one headband, I immediately cast on again, but this time working in the stockinette stitch for another headband.

What is everyone else working on?

Knitting with Needles

2011-11-03T16:30:00.000-04:00

It has been over a year since I have knit with needles. I learned how to do the basic knit and purl stitches on needles in the winter of 2009. I made a couple scarves for Christmas gifts for family members. On Christmas my husband bought me my first looms and I put the needles away. I liked the looms because I was able to knit in the round and could make hats in just a couple of hours.

I did not knit with needles again until the winter of 2010 and I only used the knit stitch. I used them for one project. I made a great scarf that I love and it is the only thing I have made that I have actually kept that doesn't have any errors. I have been saying for over a year that I need to make myself a hat, but have yet to do it.

A couple of weeks ago I found this great headband on Pinterest. You can see the pattern here. I tried to figure out a way to make it work on the loom and there was nothing I could do to make it work. If anyone does figure it out that would be great and I would love to know how you did it.

I decided that I would need to just try out the pattern on needles. I tried and tried to make the headband and could not for the life of me remember how to purl. I looked on-line to find pictures to try and jog my memory, but I just could not figure it out. I finally found this site with great pictures and was able to make a purl stitch again. I am loving the way the headband/ear-warmer is turning out. I am about half-way done and will post pictures once it is complete.

I am also working on 3 other projects. The hat that I started on the Martha Stewart Loom is slow going, but I am still loving the way it looks. I also have a cowl that I have been working on for way too long on my yellow loom. It is just the basic garter stitch, but my plan is to make it long enough that it can be pulled up like a hood if the person likes. I am using Homespun yarn, so it is really soft and cozy. The other project that I started last night is a slouch hat on the purple looms. I am using 100% wool that is gorgeous and so very soft. I have only just started, so I can't really tell how it is going to turn out.

I have 9 more projects to complete my 52 Projects for 2011. I don't think this will be a problem and am looking forward to being able to say that I stuck with it. Pictures soon (hopefully) as my projects are completed.

My First Thoughts on the Martha Stewart Loom

2011-10-31T12:49:00.000-04:00

On Friday I was finally able pull all the pieces out and check out my new looms. I love how many different ways I am going to be able to use the Martha Stewart Looms. I have been very anxious to try out a hat using a fine gauge and with my new looms this is finally going to be possible.

As of right now my loom is set up with 2 semi-circle pieces and 2 of the straight 12 piece parts. This is a total of 80 pegs. I am using Lion brand Jiffy yarn in Caffe and only using one strand to do a knit 2, purl 2 for two rows and then switching to purl 2, knit 2 for the next two rounds. I have only knit 24 rounds (2 inches) so far, but I am loving the look of this stitch.

When I first started it was a little intimidating at first. I have been using the Knifty Knitter Looms for so long and have gotten very comfortable and pretty fast on these looms, so switching to a new loom that is more of an oval shape and so many pegs took a little getting used too. I noticed that I was having an easy time with the knit stitches, but the purl stitches every now and then were a little difficult. When I was pulling the loop up it would get "stuck" on the next peg over, so I was having to pick up the stitch again to move it.   I used the stop watch on my phone to see how long it was taking me to complete a round. On my second round it took me 7 minutes and 24 seconds! Last night I could tell that I had picked up the pace and was able to complete a round in 5 minutes and 13 seconds. Not too bad.

I would love to buy a second set of these looms, so that I can have more projects going at once. I feel like I could get burnt out easily with the fine gauge, so it would be nice to change things up with working on another project. That way I could just go back and forth between the two looms.

I am very happy with my purchase and would definitely recommend the Martha Stewart Looms . I hope to have pictures to post soon and will try to post a picture of my work in progress.

Happy Halloween!

Finally!!

2011-10-26T19:38:00.000-04:00

I have been waiting for weeks now after seeing all the reviews for the Martha Stewart Loom . I have been checking my local Jo-Ann's and have not had luck finding it. I knew I could order it on-line, but prices were a little high for me.

This Sunday I found a Micheal's coupon for 40% off a regular priced item. I crossed my fingers before heading in to the store today. At first I didn't see them, but after looking at all the yarn I finally spotted them on an end aisle. $39.99 and they were not on sale! Woo-hoo! I was then able to use my 40% off coupon which brought the cost down to $23.99. I am very happy with my purchase and can't wait to try them out. I will be posting soon with finished projects made with the Martha Loom and let you know how I like it.

Figure-Eight Reversible Headband/Ear-warmer Picture Tutorial

2011-10-26T02:22:00.001-04:00

Figure-Eight Reversible Headband/Ear-warmer No Sew Picture Tutorial.

You will need: long loom, knitting hook, crochet hook, and yarn of your choice.

Pattern notes: You can make this headband/ear-warmer as long and wide as you like. I used 6 pegs on both sides. I used the figure-eight stitch. The directions for this can be found in the pattern book that came with the loom or you can use this link on the loom knitting help website. I also used two strands of yarn as one.

Knit your headband using the long loom until it reaches the desired length you need.

Take the stitches from one side of the loom and put them on the pegs directly across.

Once all the loops have been moved to the other side, take the bottom loop over the top loop. Only 1 loop will remain on the pegs.

You are now ready to bring the cast on row up through the loom. Put the stitches from the cast on row back on the loom. You will now have two loops on each peg.

Bring the bottom stitches over the top stitches. You will again have one loop on each peg.

Starting on the side without the tail you will get your crochet hook and put the loops on the first peg on the hook. Put the yarn from the second peg also on your crochet hook. Pull the stitches through like a normal bind off for the long looms. Continue doing this until you reach the last peg.

When you reach your last two stitches you can cut your working yarn leaving a short tail. When you pull these stitches through make sure that you bring the tail through with the stitch. This will make a knot.

This is what the "seam" of the headband/ear-warmer will look like once you are finished. Go ahead and use your crochet hook to hide the yarn and maybe even make another small knot before cutting the yarn.

This is my first picture tutorial and I would love feedback. Please let me know if this helped you or if there is anyway I can make it better. :)

Fall Sale at Etsy

2011-10-05T12:01:00.000-04:00

I have added some new items to my etsy . I have new adult hats and some fun kid hats. I would also like to share a coupon code that can be used to save 15%. Use the code FALL11BLOGSALE at check out. Feel free to share this code with your friends if you think they would like any of the items that I have listed. I hope that you find something you like. And, remember that if you see something, but would like it made in a different color, I would LOVE to do a custom hat. Let me know at anytime during the sale and I can make a reserved listing for you, so you can use the coupon code.

I also have a facebook page that I am working on getting ready with blog updates, finished projects, and just a way to get word out general. Please consider clicking the "like" button to follow my page and tell your friends.

Garter Stitch Ear-flap Hat Pattern

2011-10-01T18:47:00.001-04:00

Garter Stitch Ear-Flap Pattern

Supplies needed: loom, knitting hook, yarn of your choice, and yarn needle.

I used the green Knifty Knitter for the hat in the picture and Caron brand Simply Soft yarn.

Skills needed: You will need to know how to e-wrap, knit, purl, and how to increase.

You will be increasing when you make the ear-flaps, so you will just do a basic e-wrap on an empty peg.

I knit this hat using 2 strands as one. So anytime I say in the pattern to cast on (there will be a total of 3 times) you will be using 2 strands of yarn as one.

In the parenthesis I will put the peg number of the pegs that will be wrapped to help you keep up with your increases.

1. You will cast on peg 8 and 9 for the first ear-flap.

2. purl pegs 8 and 9 and make an increase. (7, 8, and 9)

3. knit pegs and make an increase. (7, 8, 9, and 10)

4. purl pegs and make an increase. (6, 7, 8, 9, and 10)

5. knit pegs and make an increase. (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11)

6. purl pegs and make an increase. (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11)

7. knit pegs and make an increase. ( 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12)

8. purl pegs and make an increase. ( 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12)

9. knit pegs and make an increase. (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13)

You now have a total of ten pegs wrapped.

10. purl all ten pegs.

11 - 23. continue with the garter stitch pattern. Knit a row and then purl a row. You will end on a knit row.

24. Cut your yarn, but make sure that you leave a tail that you can decide later how you want to finish. Either with a braid, an i-cord, or just sew and hide like the hat in picture.

You are now ready to start your 2nd ear-flap.

1. Go to pegs 28 and 29 and cast on with your basic e-wrap.

You will do the same pattern that is above to make an e-flap that matches. This means that the ten pegs that will end up with loops will be 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and 33.

Now that your ear-flaps are complete you will begin to work on the brim and body of hat. I used two colors (obviously), so I will give the instructions for what I did for that. You can always choose to make the hat with one color and the color change instructions will not apply. I will make a mark in the instructions for if you are not using 2 colors.

1. Cast on all pegs using the basic e-wrap.

2. Purl all pegs. When you get to the pegs that have 2 loops on them you will be purling them, but you will be lifting the bottom two loops over. *Leave a comment if I need to explain this better and I will do my best. *

3. Knit all pegs.

4. Purl all pegs.

5. Knit all pegs.

6. Purl all pegs.

7. Knit all pegs.

8. Purl all pegs.

9. Knit all pegs

** 10. Here is the part where I made my color switch. If you decide to switch colors you will do this now. When you add the color you are going to knit all the way around with your new color. 11. Then second time you go around with your new color you will purl. And so on with your garter stitch pattern.

**10. If you decide to NOT add a color, continue with the pattern above 3 - 9 until your hat reaches the desired length.

When hat reaches the desired length go ahead and decrease the hat by half. Move loops on peg 1 to 2 and knit over. Loops on 3 to 4 knit over. Continue doing this all the way around the loom.
You are now ready to gather the hat.

Once your hat is complete you can decide to add to the ear-flaps. Some people like to add braids, or an i-cord, or you could just leave them simple like I did. Because the hat is made using the garter stitch the ear-flaps will not curl, so there really is no need to add anything to hold them down.

I hope you like this pattern. If there is anything that I need to explain better or if there is anything that you may need help with, please leave a comment.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

1 Pattern and 2 Projects

2011-09-27T16:10:00.002-04:00

Here is a picture of the hat that I made using the pattern from this blog post.

I used Vanna's Choice in Olive to make this hat. It is a very comfortable and very warm hat.

The craft fair over the weekend was a huge success. We all had a really great time and made A LOT of sales!! My kids had so much fun that today when I picked up my loom, my daughter said to me "Mom, are you going to make more hats so we can go sell them again? That was so much fun!". How cute is that? I not only sold a bunch of hats, but I was able to trade a few hats for some beautiful jewelry made out of antique silverware. I was also able to find out about other craft fairs to look into and I had a lady ask me to consider putting some of my hats in her store.

I plan to work on getting more items in my etsy store this week. I will also be lowering prices and even offering an etsy sale code. I am hoping to have at least 10 more items listed by Friday, so please feel free to check back in.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Headband/Ear-Warmer with Bumps

2011-09-22T14:56:00.004-04:00

Pattern for Headband/Ear-warmer with Bumps

Supplies needed: loom with even number of pegs. I used the purple loom for the one I made in the picture.

knitting hook

yarn needle

Yarn of your choice. I used Vanna's Choice in Chocolate

You will need to know how to e-wrap, purl, knit (not e-wrap), and how to do the super stretchy bind off to make this pattern.

Row 1. Using two strands of yarn as one cast on the loom using the basic e-wrap.

Rows 2 and 3 . k2, p2 * repeat around the loom

Rows 4 and 5. p1, (k2,p2) last 3 pegs k2, p1

Rows 6 and 7. p2,k2 * repeat around the loom
Rows 8 and 9. k1, (p2,k2) last 3 pegs p2,k1

Keep repeating rows 2 -9 until the ear-warmer is the length you want.

You are now ready to cast off. Use the super stretchy bind off method. Wrap your yarn around the loom 4 times and then cut the working yarn. Do NOT remove the loops on the pegs until the very end. Put your yarn needle on the yarn and sew up through the 2nd peg, then down through the 1st peg. Go up through the 3rd peg and down through the 2nd. You will continue doing this around the loom. You will be done with this bind off when you bring the yarn up through the 1st peg and then down through the last. You are now ready to take the headband/ear-warmer off the loom. Go ahead and make a knot and leave enough yarn to sew and hide.

I used the pattern above to make a hat and really love the way it turned out. Check out this post to see it.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Rainbow Rib-It with Pom Pom

2011-09-20T17:24:00.000-04:00

Yesterday when I was working on getting all my hats finished I found a hat in the pile that I was not very happy with. My daughter loved the colors, but it was just way too long. When I made it last winter I made it so that either a child or adult could wear it. But, the more I looked at it the more I did not like it. For a while I left it thinking that maybe someone would like it and buy it anyway. We left for soccer practice and by the time I got home and I looked at it again, I starting taking it apart.

Before Picture

I wanted to figure out a way to make it better. I was also hoping to not have to "frog" the whole hat. The first step was taking a long piece of scrap yarn of a completely different color. With my yarn threaded I then worked my way around the hat making sure that I picked up all 48 stitches. I was then able to take the hat and using the loops that were threaded put them back on the loom. It really didn't matter if I picked up the stitches in the same row, I would be able to take care of that later. Once my purple loom had loops on every peg I was able to see if I needed to work backwards and take any yarn off to get the hat to match up. I will not lie. This whole process did take longer than I thought it would. Once the hat was ready I was able to gather the hat again.

I already knew that I wanted to make a pom-pom with the yarn that was originally on the hat. So, with the pink, yellow, and orange yarn I made a large pom-pom using my Clover pom-pom maker. Below is a picture of the finished hat. I am very pleased with the way it looks now. And, even though it took an hour of "frogging" and re-working, I am very happy with it.

Rainbow Rib-It with Pom-Pom After

2 Headbands and 1 Skein of Yarn

2011-09-20T13:44:00.003-04:00

The past few days I have spent working on getting all of my hats finished. I can officially say that every hat that needed to be finished is 100% ready to be sold. If I had to leave right now for the craft show, I would be good to go. :)

In my last post I wrote about wishing that I would have made a few more headbands/ear-warmers. So, that is the other thing that I have been working on. I used another skein of Vanna's Choice yarn in Chocolate and made 2 more headband/ear-warmers.

If you are a regular reader or have looked through my blog you will notice that I knit a lot of my projects with Caron's Brand Simply Soft. I have found that when making the headband/ear-warmers that the Simply Soft is too soft. They end up stretching out too much in my opinion. The texture of the Vanna's Choice is perfect for a great ear-warmer. The other thing that I like about the Vanna's Choice is that it is not as scratchy as some acrylic yarn. Below you will see both headband/ear-warmers that I made. I will post later today with a pattern..

Ribbed Headband/Ear-warmer

Headband/Ear-warmer with Bumps Pattern

* If you click on the link under the picture it will take you to the blog post with the pattern.

1 Skein of Yarn and 2 Projects

2011-09-18T13:47:00.001-04:00

The first project that I made using Vanna's Choice yarn was a hat. It was supposed to be a pumpkin hat and still might be, but for now it is a simple hat. I used the green loom and a stitch pattern that I have never used before. The hat came out very tight and won't fit either one of my kiddos. I am disappointed about this, because when I started the hat I had planned for it to be a hat for a child. Instead it will fit a baby, but due to length will have to be rolled. I mentioned that I used the green loom to make this hat, but I also used a long loom and loom clips. I was able to shape the crown by doing a decrease. It may have been easier to just use a long loom, but I didn't decide to shape the crown until I was close to the end.

The second project that I made with the left over yarn was a ear-warmer/headband. I used the long pink loom for this project and used the figure eight stitch. I love using the figure eight stitch for my ear-warmers/headbands because the pattern is beautiful and reversible, but also I love how thick they turn out. They will definitely keep your ears warm in the winter.

When I cast off this project I tried something new. I made it so that I could bring the first row up and over, so it eliminated the need to sew it together. This link will take you to a picture tutorial of how I made the headband/ear-warmer. I am very happy with the way it turned out. For one reason, I kind of stink at the sewing part. And two, it made an area that will be hidden a little narrower. This makes it very comfortable. I plan to use this way of casting off from now on. My daughter was very happy to model the finished project. I took a picture of it being worn both ways, so you can see the reversible pattern.

I Have a Confession

2011-09-17T17:26:00.000-04:00

I have been working all week trying to get as many items finished as possible for the craft show next weekend. I have done ok, but I still have projects that I wish I would be able to add. I really should have spent some time on fingerless gloves and headband/earwarmers. Instead I made hats, lots and lots of hats.

My confession that I have is - I make hats and then I don't finish them. For example: I have a total of 16 hats that still need me to cut the extra yarn. This also means I need to hide the yarn from the cast on row. I wish that I would just finish them before putting them away. I have got to get better at this.

The good news is that I have a total of 50 items that I will be able to sell at the craft show! I had no idea how many hats and other random knitted items I actually had. I am crossing my fingers that people are in the buying mood and will want to purchase items that I have made.

After the craft show I will need to get on top of things and get my items listed on etsy. I also plan to offer a coupon code for the fall.   Be looking for it and pass the code on to friends. :) I started a facebook page for my blog and hope that could be another way of getting word out about my items for sale. There is nothing added to the page just yet, but I am working on getting more info and pictures added this week. Feel free to "Like" my page and suggest it to your friends.

Garter Stitch Ear-flap Hat

2011-09-15T14:56:00.002-04:00

I finished another hat late last night. I made an ear-flap hat using the garter stitch. I love the colors and think that it came out looking really nice. This morning I had both of my kiddos try it on to check the size. This caused a small argument over which one was going to be able to keep the hat. I had to tell them that unfortunately neither of them would be able to keep this hat. I need to add it to my inventory for the craft show next week. And, if it doesn't sell at the craft show it needs to be added to my Etsy shop . I would be happy to post instructions for this hat if anyone is interested. Just leave me a comment and I can put a post with instructions.

Garter Stitch Ear-Flap Pattern

The other hat that I finished this week is a Grey Honeycomb Hat. This hat is actually more of a beanie style. It was made using a pattern from the book "I Can't Believe I'm Loom Knitting" .

I have already put another project on the loom. Last night after taking the ear-flap hat off the loom, I immediately put some orange yarn on to make a pumpkin hat. I am using Vanna's Choice yarn. This is my first time using this yarn and I am liking it so far. I will post pictures of the hat once it is finished.

** I was asked to add the pattern for the Garter Stitch Ear-flap hat. If you click on the link under the picture it will take you to the post. :)

Cupcakes, Cupcakes, and more Cupcakes

2011-08-29T20:51:00.002-04:00

I finished 4 cupcake hats. I tried a new way of doing the icing and I am pretty happy with the results. Here are pictures of the 4 hats I made. The original pattern can be found here.

I tried two different ways, but the one I was the most happy with and can be seen on the bottom three pictures.

When you get to the part where you change to the icing color cast on with the e-wrap.
1. Knit over
2. Knit row
3. Purl row
4. yo, k2tog
5. purl row
6. knit row
7. purl row
8. Bring up like a brim and knit over.

9. Continue with garter stitch for the rest of the hat. Purl a row and then knit a row.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Finished Projects

2011-08-28T21:52:00.001-04:00

In my last blog post I wrote about having a bunch of projects going all at once. With my monkey brain this has been really difficult to get anything completed. I spent all day yesterday working on getting a hat that I made using a long loom and a hat that was on my purple loom completed.

Here is a picture of a cute ear-flap hat. I used a long loom to make this. I like to use the long looms to make ear-flap hats, so that you can make the ear-flaps right across from each other. I also used loom clips so that I could do a decrease on the crown and I love the way it turned out.

The other hat I finished was my favorite knit hat made with Wool-Ease yarn. I made it on the purple loom. The color is a darkish red/maroon color. I think it is the perfect fall hat.

I still need to finish a cupcake hat that is already started on my green loom. I will not start anything else until it is complete. The cowl and the wavy scarf are projects that I am working on a little at a time.

If anyone is interested in the steps to make ear-flaps on long looms just let me know. I will be happy to do a post with instructions.

My Looms are Full

2011-08-25T13:39:00.000-04:00

Normally I only have one project going at a time. Right now, I have 5 projects that I am working on. I have been trying to get cupcake hats, some hats for teens and adults, cowls, a scarf, and a cocoon made.

I have spent the last few days working and experimenting with my cupcake pattern. I am trying to figure out other ways to make the brim part of the icing. So far I have tried 2 different ways to make it and I am happy with both. I like the way that the icing looks on my original pattern, but felt like there was a way to make it look more uniform. I will be posting pictures soon with my new and improved icing.

I am also working on my favorite knit hat. I am using a wool blend this time and I am very happy with the way it is turning out. I love the nice fall color that I picked out and I like the way it looks with my pattern.

I plan to make a cowl with the same wool blend I am using on my favorite knit hat. I have to finish the hat first though, because I would like to use the yarn that is left over.

The scarf that I am working on is a pattern I have been wanting to try ever since I got the pattern from this blog. It is a ruffle scarf and I am loving the way it is turning out. I will post pictures of my finished scarf once it is complete.

I went to Jo-Ann fabrics yesterday and picked up some new yarn. Vanna's Choice yarn was on sale. I have never used this brand of yarn before, but could not pass up the deal and the great fall colors.

I have plans to make an acorn hat and some pumpkin hats for the fall. I will be keeping up with all my new projects here, so my blog will be updated more now that I am back to knitting again. :)

Lace Hat Pattern

2011-08-04T11:08:00.001-04:00

I wish that I was a little more creative and could come up with some great name for this hat, but that just is not the case. The hat is made using lace stitches, so it will be the Lace Hat for now. If anyone has any suggestions for another name, I am totally open to hearing them.

The hat did not take too long to knit. An important thing to remember is using a yarn that has a little stretch and making sure to not let your stitches get too tight. There is a lot of moving yarn from pegs to pegs and if your stitches are too tight it will make it very hard to complete.

Lace Hat

You will need: a loom with multiples of 6, loom hook, stitch markers, and yarn with some stretch.

Skills you will need to make hat: e-wrap, knit (k), purl (p), yarn over (yo), and knit 3 together (k3tog).

Notes: Stitch markers are not necessary, but they do make it so much easier to keep up with your pattern. I started using stitch markers earlier this year and I really can't believe it took me so long to use them.

I used Caron Brand Simply Soft in Victorian Rose. I think it is obvious by now if you have read through my blog that Caron Simply Soft is one of my favorite yarns.

I was able to use the green Knifty Knitter with 36 pegs. I normally cannot use the green loom for adult hats, but this hat has such an open design that it will stretch and not look silly on an adult.

I used two strands of yarn held as one.

I used the u-wrap for the knit stitch. This helps to make sure the stitches are not too tight.

Yarn Over - you will need to move the loops that are on this peg, so the peg will be empty. Take your working yarn and just lay it in front of the peg.

Knit 3 Together - You will be taking the yarn that is on the pegs before and after the peg and put it on the peg. You will then lay your working yarn on top of the peg that will have 3 loops on it and knit over. This can be tricky. But, if your stitches are not too tight it is possible. I also found that if I just knit them over one at a time this worked well.

Now finally the actual pattern of the hat. :)

1. If you are using stitch markers split your loom into sections of 6.

2. Cast on using the e-wrap.

3. I made a ribbed brim by doing p2, k2 * repeat this around the loom. Continue doing this for a total of 8 rows.

4. YO, K3tog, Yo, P, P, P * repeat this pattern around the loom.

5. K, K, K, P, P, P *repeat

6. P,P,P, YO, K3TOG, YO * repeat

7. P,P,P,K,K,K * repeat

8. Repeat patterns 4-7 until hat reaches the desired length. I had to do the pattern for a total of 8 times. I probably could have done it 7 times, but I like for my hats to come down over my ears.

9. Once your hat is big enough, decrease your pegs by half. Take yarn on peg 1 and move it to peg 2. Take the bottom yarn over the top yarn. Continue moving all the yarn on odd pegs to even pegs.

10. Finish by gathering the hat in whatever way you like.

I hope you enjoy this pattern. If you need any help with hat, please leave a comment. If you make a hat using this pattern I'd love to see it. Please leave a comment with a link to your picture. Feel free to share this pattern, but please include a link to my blog.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Penguin Hat

2011-08-02T21:53:00.000-04:00

I have been having all these ideas of things that I want to make, but do not have enough time or looms to make everything that I am thinking of. I have decided that once I sell 3 hats on etsy I am going to buy myself a fancy loom. I haven't decided yet which brand to go with. If anyone that reads my blog and has any suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment with the loom that they like.

A week or so ago I signed up for a craft show. I have a great collection of hats already made, but I wanted to have some new things made. I came up with a penguin hat. I looked on-line to see if there was already a pattern that I could follow. Nothing was out there for knitting on looms, but there were a couple of ones for needle knitting. I was unable to use the pattern though, so I came up with my own design. I had to make it in a few parts. I needed a white belly and an orange nose. I added white buttons for the eyes.

I think he is cute. I am pretty happy with the way he turned out. I made the white belly part first to make sure that I would be able to get the shape that I was wanting. I made the first one too big, so I think I will make an adult version of the penguin hat.

I had the looms out again today and worked on another hat. I made a hat using lace stitches and it came out really nice. It is very different from anything else that I've made. I am hoping that I get a chance tomorrow to post a blog with pictures.

September Craft Show

2011-07-11T13:31:00.000-04:00

It has been so very hot here it is hard to think about knitting. But, that needs to change because I have officially signed up for my first craft show of the year. It will be close to the end of September, so it will be a great one to show off some knit items. I plan on making a bunch of cupcake hats and some panda hats. I would also like to make sure that I have some choices for adults too.

Now, I just need to get motivated to pull out my looms again. This will be a great opportunity to complete my 52 projects for 2011. I am looking forward to this event. It will be at a spot with a lot of other events going on, so it will be ok to take the kiddos.

Getting ready for this event will also make me get back to blogging on a regular basis. I will update here with my projects as I complete them. Wish me luck. :)