Hand-knit Gift #2

As I mentioned earlier, I've been trying to make a few gifts for Christmas.  I knit this hat last week. It only took me two days to complete but one could easily make it in a day.  And don't let the leaf pattern intimidate you, it's actually pretty easy to knit. I was even able to watch T.V. while knitting this.  That's the true test of a simple pattern.

This hat is knit on size 10 needles with bulky yarn.  If you look at the original pattern, you'll notice that there's a larger ribbed band at the bottom.  I had to adjust this since I used size 10 1/2 needles. 

The pattern for the hat was designed by Deniza Bakalova and is called Autumn Leaves Hat.  You can get the pattern for free on Ravelry. 

Knitting Christmas Gifts

To say I'm late to the "making gifts for Christmas" party is an understatement.  I'm really attending the after party at this point.   Over the weekend I sat down with by knitting needles and began to get to work.  I started with a pair of mittens for my daughter's American Girl doll.  And yes, I've shared about these mittens two other times (here and here) but it's such a great pattern.  They're quick to make and use barely any yarn.  What's not to love?

Anyone else making Christmas gifts this year?  Please share.  Feel free to add a link to your projects in the comments if you want.

Last, check back tomorrow for a fun giveaway I have planned.

Crayola Ultimate Easter Basket Giveaway

Crayola sent me some of their products along with a $25 Michael's gift card to make the ultimate Easter basket.  Here's a little bit about how I crafted up the basket pictured above:

I purchased the white basket at Michaels and it came with a fabric liner.  I decided I wanted to have a knit liner instead.  I knit the liner in the round with a knit 2 purl 2 pattern.  Once it was the desired length for the outside of the basket, I placed half the stitches on a separate needle and knit those stitches until I had the desired length for the inside and bound off the stitches.  I repeated the process for the remaining stitches.  This allowed me to fold the liner down around the handle.

I had this idea of a scaled back yarn bombed basket so I knit a rectangle ribbed piece in the same pattern and sewed it to the handle. 

Since I have two kids and hide their baskets, I always like to make a name tag.  In the past I've printed out labels but this time I decided to sew a hand-stitched felt tag.  I also added a couple pom poms with some extra yarn to make it more fun.  For the back of the tag I sewed on a pin so the tag could be taken off the basket. 

Now, you probably want to know about the giveaway part, here goes. . .

One lucky winner will receive a Crayola Prize Pack with the following items:

Crayola Outdoor Colored Bubbles Big Wand

• Using the Big Wand, Kids can create massive bubbles in bright colors like “purple pizzazz” and “fuchsia,” to chase, catch and pop

Crayola Crayons

• Crayola Crayons include the colors generations have grown up with.
• Crayola Crayons are designed with a focus on true color, smoothness, and durability.

Crayola Color Wonder

• Crayola Color Wonder markers only appear on the special Color Wonder paper, so kids can have mess-free fun whenever, wherever and moms don’t have to worry about color showing up where it shouldn’t.

Crayola Chalk

• Crayola sidewalk chalk creates big outdoor art with the ONLY sidewalk chalk in bright, bold Crayola crayon colors!

A $25 Michael's Gift Card

To Enter:  Please leave a comment sharing what you would put in your ultimate Easter basket.  One entry per household.  Open to US residents only.  Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you win. The last day to enter the contest is Sunday, March 3 2013. I'll announce the winner Monday, March 4 2013 on this post. If I do not hear back from the winner after two weeks, I will choose a new winner.  Open to US residents only.

Disclosure:  The Crayola product, gift card, information about the Crayola product, and additional gift pack have been provided by Crayola

Contest Closed 

Ccongratulations to Genevieve who is the winner of the Crayola Prize Pack Giveaway!

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest.

Knit Dish Cloths & Smelly Yarn

Over my blog hiatus I had plans of knitting up some dish cloths.  The idea was to minimize using disposable items such as paper towels and sponges.  I had everything all planned out.  I was going to use green knit cloths for the table, beige for the dishes, and orange for the counters. Simple.

I decided to start with the green dish cloths.  As I was knitting, a heavy waft of perfume hit my nose.  Right away I knew it was coming from the yarn.  My first thought was that the yarn must have been returned by someone who uses way too much perfume or really likes air fresheners.  But what happened next really caught me off guard.   I noticed the yarn label read, "Sugar'n Cream Scents".  "Scents?  What?  Why?  Who uses this?",  were just a few of the questions that crossed my mind.   I had never seen scented yarn before but apparently it has been around for a few years now.  Who knew?

I'm curious, would you use scented yarn and if so for what?

Part 2: Knit Wrapping

As I shared last Monday, my Christmas gift wrap theme this year is knits.  Last week I posted about the herringbone paper and today it's all about mittens.  This little knit mitten topper is a pattern by My Mom Knits.  It's actually a pattern for an American Girl doll, but I thought it would make a cute gift topper/ornament too. The wrapping paper was purchased from Hallmark.

 

Bonus, the mitten also doubles as a gift tag holder!

Knit Wrapping

The first gift of the season is wrapped!  One down and way too many more to go. Not all of them will be topped with these cute snowman but they will all have the same theme, "knits". You see, each Christmas I like to have a theme for my gift wrap.   This year's theme was inspired by this herringbone wrapping paper created by Mara Mi   purchased at Target.

Topping the gift is a snowman standing at only 1 1/4 inches tall. The knitting pattern for this little guy is by Anna Hrachovec.  You can purchase the pattern at her site, Mochimochi Land.

Do you like to choose a theme for your Holiday gift wrap?  If so, what are you doing this year?  Please share.

The Knit Wig

You know what feels great?  Checking off an item you have on your Pinterest board as done. I've been wanting to make this wig ever since I saw it on Knitty.  Well, I finally found the time plus reason (Halloween) to knit it.  And now that I've checked it off the to-do list, I'll be moving on to this butterfly costume.  Wish me luck.

For those wondering, the wig is pretty easy to knit.  I would say it's just a little more complicated than a hat.

Are any of you making costumes?   Please share.  You might inspire someone!

Knitting Doll

Have you ever heard of a knitting doll before?  Basically it's a painted long spool with four prongs on top (pictured above).  It has to be one of the cutest knitting toys I've ever seen.  With just some yarn, a knitting needle and the doll you can make a knit cord.

I bought one for my daughter with the intention of using it as a special summer activity for just the two of us to do.  I wasn't sure how it would go since she's only six but she had no problem knitting with the doll. 

Above is a picture of how the yarn is wound onto the knitting doll.  The knit cord comes out the bottom as you knit.

 

Here's what the cord looks like when it's finished.   My daughter has been using it to make hair accessories and bracelets for her dolls.

I purchased my doll at Cost Plus World Market but you can find them online too.  I also found an easy tutorial at Crafty Pod for making your own.  It's not actually a doll but it does the same thing.  Click here for the knitting spool tutorial.  If you really wanted to get creative, I bet you could find some kind of long spool at the craft store and paint it like a doll. 

Do you like to spool knit?  What do you make with the cord?  Please share.

A Mameshiba Valentine

This year I decided to do something a little different for Valentine's Day. Instead of giving my children candy or cards, I decided to knit them a batch of tiny mameshiba. Each mameshiba is about the length of a quarter (I knit them on size zero needles) Now I just need to decide whether to hide them around the house or package them in some cute Valentine's Day take out containers.

What are mameshiba you ask? Well, they're tiny bean dogs that show up in random places with random quotes. If you're curious about the bean dogs, you can learn all about them at Mameshiba. I've also written about them here and here.

Happy Valentine's Day!

What I've Been Knitting

For the longest time now I've been wanting a pair of hand warmers. The only thing holding me back was that I thought I was too old for them. I know this might sound strange but for some reason I associate handwarmers with teenagers. I really have no explanation for this. Maybe it's because I've never seen an adult wearing them. Come to think of it, I've never seen anyone wearing them. I'm sure our California weather has something to do with that. Anyways, I decided to get over the whole age appropriate dilemma and knit a pair. Let me just say, I'm so happy I did! They are cozy and warm and will be perfect for when I walk the kids to school. I even find myself wanting to wear them in the house.

There are so many patterns out there for hand warmers, fingerless gloves, fingerless mittens or any other name they go by. I found the pattern for these on the Purl Bee. I made mine two inches shorter than the pattern called for. The pattern is very easy to follow. If anyone is curious, I used Debbie Bliss aran tweed 100% wool to knit them.

While searching for patterns, I stumbled across a pattern on CRAFT for the handwarmers Alice wore in New Moon. Since The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn just recently came out, I thought these might be fun to knit for a Twilight fan. Might make a nice Christmas present too. Just thought I would share.

Photo credits go to my six year old daughter. I had her take the pictures since I obviously couldn't use my hands. I had to do some editing but I think they came out quite nice. Plus, she had fun using mommy's camera.

Knit Baby Doll Blanket

After I posted the chevron pattern a couple weeks back, I decided to put it to use and make a doll blanket. Well, in this case a lemur blanket. I just doubled the cast on to 88 and changed colors every six rows. I'm so glad to have it done (can move on to new projects). I was in a hurry to finish it so I was knitting all day. Unfortunately, now my hands feel like they're going to fall off. I think I need to do some kind of knitting hand stretches next time.

What have you guys been making lately? Has anyone started on Christmas gifts?

One Hexipuff down. . .

. . . only four hundred ninety-nine more to go.

After some consideration and a little cheering on (thanks Michele) I decided to purchase the Bee Keeper's Quilt Pattern by Tiny Owl Knits. I was surprised to discover the pattern is knit in the round which actually makes more sense (no sewing seams). The pattern comes with detailed directions on how to make the hexipuffs, how to embroider flowers on the hexipuffs and a how to construct the quilt. In my opinion, I think the pattern is worth the six dollars.

Short post today, I have some hexipuffs to make. Have a great weekend everyone!

I Heart Hexipuffs

Photo by Tiny Owl Knits via Mollie Makes

Have you seen The Beekeeper's Quilt by Tiny Owl Knits? I just recently discovered it and I am completely smitten with this quilt! It's composed of small knit hexagons (also called hexipuffs). It looks so inviting and comfy and just plain adorable. And with fall approaching, I just want to curl up on the couch and knit one. I think I'm going to have to buy this pattern. What do you guys think?

Want to learn more about the quilt? Stephanie Dosen, created a little video about her quilt here. You can also find the pattern for purchase at Tiny Owl Knits.

Missoni Inspired Chevron Knitting Pattern

Yep, that's me wearing one of the Missoni sweaters from Target. Just to get everyone up to speed, Missoni created a line for Target. It was available for purchase September 13th, sold out the same day, and caused a little bit of craziness. But that's not really what this post is about so lets move on, shall we. When I was examining the sweater, I noticed that the chevron pattern was very similar to a blanket pattern from one of my very first knitting books. Now I know some of you are going to ask what the name of the book is and I don't really know (embarrassing). All I have left of it are loose pages (from wear) and no cover. All I know is the book is from the 70's and my Grandma gave it to me.

I decided to alter the chevron pattern from the book and make it similar to the pattern in my sweater. Use this pattern to make whatever you want. With the right choice of yarn, I think it would make one fabulous scarf.

Close Up of Missoni Sweater

Missoni Inspired Chevron Pattern

No Gauge

Cast on 44 sts

Row 1 - 3: K across
Row 4: k1, k 2 tog, k8, yo, k1, yo, k8, (k 2 tog) twice, k8, yo, k1, yo, k8, k 2 tog, k1
Row 5: P across

Repeat rows 4 & 5 to desired length

* To make stripes, add a new color on even rows. For a scarf, knit pattern to desired length, K across the last three rows and bind off.

Knit sample from above pattern.

On a side note, I've got to give props to all you fashion bloggers who take pictures of yourselves. I had so much trouble holding the camera at the right angle and not moving it. I think I took about 30 pictures just to get a decent shot. In most of the pictures I was either blurry, looked mad or part of me was chopped off. I almost wish I saved them, would have made one hilarious post!

Itty Bitty Bunny Necklace

Recognize that bunny? I made it from Anna Hrachovec's pattern on Mochimochi Land. Once I saw the pattern, I knew I had to make a few. I decided it would look cute on a necklace. What I didn't know is how difficult it would be for me to knit the thing.

I'm not sure if it was from lack of sleep or not knitting in a while but making this little bunny was a big challenge. I got out my double pointed needles and proceeded to cast on but something wasn't quite right. I kept looking at the needles and for the life of me could not figure out what was going wrong. I knew how to knit with double pointed needles, I had done it before. I finally had to consult a video I posted a while back on "how to knit on double pointed needles" to figure out what was going on. Ready to hear what it was? I only had THREE needles. Somehow it slipped my mind that I needed a fourth. Perhaps it's time to invest in some Ginkgo Biloba.

I love the idea of threading a whole bunch of these bunnies together to make it look like a pearl necklace only with bunnies.

I'm Addicted to Candy Corn!

Now that I've knit one of these cute little candy corns, I'm completely addicted. They're so easy and relatively quick to make. I think I'm going to whip a whole batch for my daughters play kitchen. I found the free pattern on Mochimochi Land by the talented Anna Hrachvoec.

If you've never knit with double pointed needles before, here's a great video to help you get started.

What are you guys knitting right now?

Handmade is Beautiful

The other day I was shopping at the mall and I overheard a woman say, “I wouldn’t wear anything that looks like I made it” (referring to a chunky knit sweater). The comment kind of stopped me in my tracks. What did that mean? Did she say that because anything she made wouldn’t look good? Did she say it because she finds more value in mass produced products? Sadly, I suspect the latter. There’s this view that handmade equals ugly, too poor to buy clothes, cheap, fill in the blank_________.

Now, as for me I have a very strong opposing opinion. I’ll be honest and say that I'm biased since I like to make things. But here’s the thing, when I look at something handmade I see a one of a kind item that no one else has. I see an item that is far superior in craftsmanship. I see an item that someone put a lot of care, thought, love and time into. I see an item that is beautiful, expensive, and rare. So YES, I'll proudly wear something handmade any day!

Sweater Quest: my year of knitting dangerously

Sweater Quest by Adrienne Martini

I recently was sent a copy of the new book Sweater Quest by Adrienne Martini. In the book Adrienne Martini tells a story of her journey knitting Alice Starmore's Mary Tudor sweater. What makes this a challenge is that one: the patterns are very complicated, two: the book with the pattern is out of print, and three-the yarn for the sweater has been discontinued. The book reads like a Julie and Julia for knitters.

I'm currently about half way through the book. So far it's had me laughing most of the way. As a knitter, I find myself nodding yes a lot and relating to Adreinne's knitting experiences. There's a part where she talks about how one of her knitting needles goes missing and she finds that her daughter was using it to make holes in the backyard! Oh, how I've been there. But even if you're not a knitter I think there's a lot about this book that one can relate to. It's about setting a goal and meeting the challenges that come along with it. Plus, Adreinne does an excellent job of inserting knitting jargon and culture into the book without making it read like a knitting manual.

So, I bet you're wondering what this Mary Tudor sweater looks like anyway, here's a picture.

photo via martinimade (Adrienne's blog)

Slouchy Knit Hat

Do you ever have the sudden desire for an article of clothing or an accessory? Every once in awhile I'll become obsessed with something that I have to have (immature, I know). Well, that something was a slouchy hat. I don't know why, I can't think of one I saw in the store or online. I just had this idea that I needed a slouchy hat. So I went through my yarn stash and came up with this one in the pictures. I couldn't find a pattern that suited me so it's a mash up of patterns I found on Ravelry. This pattern in particular was my inspiration.

Book Review: 400 Knitting Stitches

Recently I received the new knitting book "400 Knitting Stitches" to review. This book is compiled of 400 different knitting stitches, as you can guess from the title. The chapters include, knitting basics, knit-purl stitches, crossed stitches and cables, slipped stitches, lacy stitches, double stitches, twisted stitches, cast-off stitches, fancy stitches, and symbols. All the stitches include easy to read directions to create the stitch pattern. This book is good for all knitters, intermediate or advanced.

I find these kind of books useful for changing and making patterns. For example if you're knitting a sweater but want add a more ornate sleeve edge, just choose a stitch pattern that you like and apply it to the sweater pattern. Or if you're a beginner knitter, choose a lacy stitch and make your own scarf pattern out of it. There's unlimited possibilities with a book like this.

Below are a couple of stitches you'll find in the book.

Zigzag Openwork 2

Lacy Diamonds