cabled headband

i started this ages ago for my mom, but as with many of my projects, i put it down just before it was finished. i say its because i get bored, but i think its really because i just don't want to let the baby go yet. ridiculous. anyway, i tossed it in my luggage back in april and last night finally pulled it out and finished it up. i have one just like it in a light brown baby alpaca, but i have to say, i think this periwinkle one is even better.

cabled headband

pattern: original by Far North Yarn Co.

material: reynolds brand, andean alpaca regal, 3-ply bulky

i like the way kay wrote the pattern for joining this in the back. it starts with a provisional cast on and then joins with a kitchener stitch at the end so it ends up seamless. very cool. (did i really just refer to a knitting technique as "very cool"? wow.)

if you've never worn a headband in the winter instead of a hat, you should give it a try. its nice and cozy without making you too hot.

baby beanies oh yeah

here are some of the baby/kid beanies i've made . . .

erik's sister, kara, truly has one of the most beautiful little boys i've ever seen. logan (15 months) is a very well dressed little california boy who is now almost two years old. i have hesitated to knit him something thinking it wouldn't really be all that practical. but, when kara called and asked me to make him a hat i was thrilled. so thrilled in fact that i made him three just so he would have a choice.

baby flap hat
pattern: adapted slightly from an original Far North Yarn Co. pattern
material: 100% llama, bulky

ribbed edge beanie
pattern: make it up as you go
material: debbie bliss, cashmerino wool blend, worsted
bulky ribbed beanie
pattern: original by Far North Yarn Co.
material: debbie bliss, cashmerino wool blend, bulky

(unfortunately, this one ended up being too small right from the start, so kara gave it back to me and its now in my trunk of treasures waiting for the right person to give it to)
the next two were for lily (6 months), the daughter of my friends, jim and nikki in boise.

seed stitch beanie
material: tweedle dee brand, wool/acrylic blend

i had some extra yarn, so i also did a quick scarf to match while i was visiting. i'm pretty sure a scarf isn't the best idea for a baby, but it did make for a super cute little ensemble, if even for just a photo . . . though at the moment i can't seem to get the photo on here.




purl striped beanie
material: 100% cotton

this last one was actually my very first hat and my very first class. i took a flap hat class at Far North Yarn Co. and ended up with this same hat, except way too big for anyone i knew. still a pretty new knitter, what i did next was really hard for me! but, it seemed it had to be done. my teacher and yarn shop owner, kay, has a very sweet way of letting you know that a new knitter, and even sometimes an experienced one, needs to let go and be able to "rip it out" once in a while. so that is just what a did and it really was a little bit excrutiating. the yarn was just too beautiful to let sit in a hat that nobody was going to wear though. and it was so nice to work with that doing it for a second time turned out to be just fine. for the second try, i decided the colors were really so soft and sweet that a certain little boy came to mind. i decided it would be just right for emmett (2 years), lily's brother and it turned out to fit perfectly.

baby flap hat

pattern: original by Far North Yarn Co.

material: 100% baby alpaca, bulky

felted clog slippers

so, after a few practice swatches and dish rags to get myself going with basic knitting, i decided to attempt the felted clog slippers that had initially lured me to learn to knit in the first place. admittedly, the pattern was not always easy for me and i did have to reach out to sweet tracie to help me along a few times, but still, they turned out awsome. and, i really do think it is a great first project because you have a chance to learn a lot of different techniques and felting is a beautiful way to literally erase your mistakes. all you need to felt is to knit with 100% wool, a top loading washer with a good agitation setting, and hot water. the yarn ends up fusing together and you don't even see the stitches. so these first clogs were made with mike in mind and ended up a perfect fit.

after mike's, i made an all black pair for erik, which i don't have a picture of. unfortunately they don't look as nice as the two tone color. they seem to pick up a lot of lint and other stuff, which shows up a lot on the black. erik said he still liked them and he did wear them a few times, but they have been resting in my arctic entry for probably 6 of their 8 month life. sad.

i just loved making these slippers so much that i kept on going. next pair was for my mom. i again went for the same color for the whole thing, but this time with a variegated yarn and it turned out great. i didn't get a picture when i made them, but this one was taken after she had been wearing them for about 6 months.

after taking a break from the slippers and trying a few other patterns, i came back to them to make a pair for my friend kelly. this time i experimented with an i-cord swirled around on top. i like how it turned out, but i think it will be better next time with a little bit smaller i-cord. kelly has raved about these slippers and says they fit her feet perfectly. i love that. and i love that she lovingly refers to them as her "love shoes".

if you are interested in making these for yourself, you can get the pattern online. (sorry becky, i meant to get you this pattern a long time ago. i hope your mom does make you a pair. and if she doesn't, just tell me your size and i'll make you some)

i generally use a fairly high quality yarn for my projects, but i've found that with felting, even the more inexpensive yarn works beautifully. for all of these slippers i used regular old lion's brand 100% wool, worsted weight yarn. you can find this anywhere from fred meyer to joanne's. its cheap and it felts up great. the only limitation is color. for kelly's slippers i wanted a better selection of color so i ended up using lamb's pride. its a little more expensive, and is generally only found in quality yarn shops. the selection of colors is fantastic though and is worth the extra dough i think. i do find that the lamb's pride also seems to ball up a little bit less after its felted.

i'm hoping to knit myself a pair before winter rolls around again, but somehow knitting for others is much more fun, so we'll see?

how it all began

who knew that a couple of sticks and some yarn would be a key to unlocking a part of myself that i didn't even know was yearning to be unlocked? december 2007 was the beginning of a pretty spectacular turn in my creative life. i was at my friend kelly's house for a holiday dinner when i fell in love with a pair of slippers my friend tracie was wearing. what i first noticed about these slippers were the beautiful periwinkle and orange colors. i raved about them and was clearly a bit awe struck when she told me that she had made them. without prompting she said, "its easy, its just knitting . . . i could totally teach you". she had no idea what she was in for when she made that statement. just a few weeks later i took her up on her offer and hosted a small knitting night at my house with her, kelly, and a neighbor deann. that night i learned to knit . . . and by that i mean, literally, i learned the knit stitch . . . barely. it was difficult and as with most things, i did not catch on quickly (though kelly would disagree, its true, it was not easy for me). but, i was determined. i wanted to make a pair of those slippers! so, i kept at it and by our next knitting night, i had a sizeable start to a garter stitch scarf out of some surprisingly yummy acrylic yarn (my rise to the yarn snob that i am today came later). tracie was impressed (or at least made me feel that she was) and took me to the next step . . . the purl stitch. this didn't come any easier, but eventually i found my rythym with that too. she gave me the book "stitch and bitch" by debbie stoller, provided a few more phone calls and even a couple of house calls as i began my knitting journey. i started those slippers after a few more practice swatches and now know that it was a great project to start with. the pattern calls for a variety of different techniques and it was a great way to learn a lot with one project. unfortunately our knitting nights went by the way side, but the seed tracie planted was enough. and by the way, the seed stitch is probably my all-time favorite now. my love for knitting quickly became a passion or an obsession perhaps. and i'm not even ashamed to admit it. i've wanted to start a blog to keep track of projects, favorite patterns, etc. and finally i've done it. maybe nobody will ever read, but if you do, rest assured you will learn way more about my knitting life than you ever wanted to :). enjoy.