Slouchy Moss

I have been knitting up a storm over here in Germany! I had a job for a while there (which is part of my reason for my extended blogging lull this time around) that began in October and ended January 18th. I was actually pretty disappointed to be leaving. I really liked the people I worked with, had a good time, and felt great doing something outside of housework that I got constant recognition for what I did. (Not to mention my own paycheck to have some spending money of my own...which pretty much all went to Christmas presents...) But more about that later! For now, I am focusing on gearing up for the upcoming Spangdahlem Air Base Craft Fair!!!

The plan at this point is to share a table with my friend, Jessica of The MOMster Shop, and hopefully sell a lot of stuff! :D I have been knitting hats nearly nonstop since I signed up last week, and I think I may actually be pretty prepared.

I bought some yarn when I was down at Ramstein this past weekend for my girl's weekend with Elphie, but was unaware that what I purchased was not the chunky I had thought it was (I had been using bulky mostly), but super bulky. So instead of using those to make more of the hats that I have been cranking out, I decided to throw together something of my own. (Disclaimer: As this is made from a very common and basic stitch, I'm pretty sure there is a hat similar to this out there somewhere, but this one I wrote out and knit myself.) So without further ado, I give you....

The Slouchy Moss Hat

Materials Needed:

Size US 13/9mm needles to knit in the round

Size US 17/12mm needles to knit in the round

80-100 yards of bulky-super bulky yarn
Tapestry needle to weave in ends

Stitchmarker to mark the beginning of the round

With size US 13/9mm needles, CO 48 with long tail cast on

Rows 1-5: *k1tbl, p1* repeat from * to * around
Change to size US 17/12mm needles

Row 6: *p1, k1* repeat from * to * around

Row 7: *k1, p1* repeat from * to * around

Repeat rows 6-7 until the moss stitch section of the hat measures 7"

Decreases:

Row 1: *p1, k1, p1, k1, p2tog* repeat * to * around

Row 2: *k1, p1, k1, p2tog* repeat * to * around

Row 3: *p1, k1, p2tog* repeat * to * around

Row 4: *k1, p2tog* repeat * to * around

Row 5: k2tog around       

Cut long tail and use tapestry needle to sew remaining 8 stitches closed and weave in ends

Block as desired.

And you get a slouch hat! :D Pretty simple, right? I like the way it looks!

The selling of projects resulting in use of this pattern is permitted, but please don't sell the pattern itself, and always provide the link/URL to the pattern where you sell it so others can enjoy crafting as well!  

Summer time!

Wow! I have been incredibly busy! Ever since the field trip I chaperoned for Batman's class to the Butterfly Gardens in Luxembourg, I have been hopping!

On Memorial Day, we had the Songes up and had a cookout and I got to spend time with Kristin, hanging out in my craft room and dyeing yarn, along with just playing with yarn in general. :)

The following Monday, I got to join a bunch of the other Kindergarten parents and help with cutting out cardboard wings for the "Fly Away" ceremony we had for Batman's Kindergarten class. (The school doesn't do an actual Kindergarten graduation.) It was nice to chat with them and talk about travel and my love of Paris with them. :)

That Wednesday I went in and helped out Batman's teacher with the kids decorating their wings for said ceremony. They were so creative and fun!
That Friday was Field Day for the boys. Batman had a blast and participated in all the events with extra enthusiasm. Superman, however, was a different story. He was in a rotten mood and only would play in about half the events.

Superman bouncing on a ball

Batman under the parachute!

The Monday after that, I was supposed to be chaperoning Superman's class's nature walk, but due to rain, it was postponed a day.

He did well overall...especially considering how long the walk was! (He should not have worn a long-sleeved shirt! LOL) That afternoon, I took cupcakes in to Batman's class, since he has a summer birthday. That Wednesday was Batman's "Fly Away" from Kindergarten, and it was awesome to get to see all the kids and their parents getting together to celebrate all the kids had accomplished. I also had Batman give his teacher and teacher's aide their gifts, which I handmade for them.

The next day was the boys' last day of school. Between Wednesday and Thursday, Superman was able to give the gifts I hand knit for his teacher, in class aide, the counselor that has been working with him, and the Occupational Therapist he was seeing on a weekly basis.

That Saturday, Elphie came up with her boys and they stayed overnight. The following Tuesday, the boys and I came down to her house so that we could sign Batman and her two sons up for swim lessons! The boys and I ended up staying through Sunday and I had a few girls nights with Elphie and Kristin. :)

We went home for a couple days, but then came back down on Tuesday, as that was when the swim lessons began. And that brings us to today! Swim lessons got cancelled tonight due to lightening, but it should be back to swimming as normal tomorrow. :)

Newsie Baby

So I have a lot of friends lately that are getting married and having babies. Yay! I'm so happy for them all! Sadly, though, I cannot keep up with making them all handmade gifts. :( That makes me sad. :( However, one of the expecting said friends showed me a picture of a super cute hat and bootie set, and asked if there was any way I could make something similar. What I found on Ravelry wasn't quite what I was looking for, so I improvised and decontructed it as best I could from a photo, and ended up with this adorable hat!:

Cute, huh?! Want in on my secret? ;) It's really quite simple. Here you go!

Baby Newsie Hat

Size I/5.50mm hook
Worsted/Aran weight yarn (around 28 grams/1 ounce
3/4" button

Round 1: In magic loop, ch2, 12hdc; sl st to join (12 sts)
R 2: ch 2, 2hdc in each hdc around, sl st to join (24 sts)
R 3: ch 2, *hdc in hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc,* repeat from * to * around, sl st to join (36 sts)
R 4-11: ch 2, hdc in each hdc around, sl st to join (36 sts)

Brim:
Row 12: ch2, hdc in same stitch, hdc in next 6 sts, 2hdc in next hdc, hdc in next 7 sts (16 sts), turn
Row 13: ch2, hdc2tog twice (taking the first 4 sts), hdc in next 4 sts, 2hdc in next hdc, hdc in next 3 sts, hdc2tog twice (taking the last 4 sts) (13 sts), turn
Row 14: ch2, hdc2tog, hdc in next 9 hdc, hdc2tog, (11 sts) finish off

Re-attach yarn on any stitch of the hat's body, Sc in each hdc around. When you get to brim, do a sc decrease over last stitch before brim, corner where brim meets hat body, and the first hdc of the brim to form a corner, sc up the side of the brim, 3 sc in first st of on the last row of the brim to form a corner, sc across to the other side of the brim, forming a 3sc corner at the other side, sc down the other side side, dec over the same 3 stitches to form the final corner, and sc in each hdc around to where you attached the yarn. sl st to join and fasten off. Weave in ends.

Button flap:
ch 22, dc in 5th from hook and dc across (18 dcs & ch 4), attach and finish off. The "hole" made by the chain stitches at the end is the buttonhole. Attach the flap at one side of the brim, sew the button on the opposing side, and button down.

Ta-da! Baby Newsie Hat is complete! :D

The selling of projects resulting in use of this pattern is permitted, but please don't sell the pattern itself, and always provide the link/URL to the pattern where you sell it so others can enjoy crafting as well!

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Now playing: Kerli - Walking On Air
via FoxyTunes

Unraveling Divinity

I absolutely love Rheatheylia's designs. I adore her crocheted Cable Hat, am a fan of her Mesh Hat, and I have made the Divine Hat sooooooo many times! I have noticed, though, that on Ravelry not everyone finds them as easy as I do, and often have similar issues in getting the transition of reading the pattern to come out properly through their fingers. Because of this (and because I think everyone should love making the Divine Hat as much as I do! LOL), I am going to try and make some clarifications through photographs in this post. :) (Note: This is all written in US crochet terminology. For a UK translation, there is a nifty little "translator" here.) In the following photographs, I am using sport weight yarn cotton yarn and a size G/4.00mm hook to make a baby version of the hat.

Ok, so here we go...first off, I'll address the "how-to" of front post double crochet (fpdc). After you chain 2 to begin the next round, you insert the hook to the right of the post you want to work around:

Bring the hook behind the post, and back out on the other side of said post:

You will then yarn over, pulling the loop up behind the post, and proceed to finish out the double crochet as normal.

For the rounds of the pattern that read: "dc in the space between fpdcs", the placement of the double crochets is here:

When the single double crochet is sandwiched between two fpdc, it looks like this:

The placement for the instructions "dc in the first space between fpdc and dc" (italics mine) looks like this:

Notice that the fpdc is immediately to the right of the stitch, and that there is another space in between the previous row's dc and next fpdc. You skip over that second space and go immediately into the following fpdc, leaving a small "hole" (which looks less "hole-y" and more "lacy" when the hat is completed), like this:

Here's a better shot of described "hole":

The "hole" makes it look a little uneven and unbalanced, but it's okay, because that's how it's supposed to look, and what will, in the end, create the spiral effect of the finished object. : )

In the line of directions that reads: "2 dc in the first space between fpdc and dc" (again, italics mine), you are using the exact same technique as the previous row, you're just giving your lonesome, solitary double crochet a friend. : )

The same goes for the "3 dc in the first space between fpdc and dc" and the "4 dc in the first space between fpdc and dc":

As you can see, you simply skip over all the double crochets in the previous row. The only place you put the stitches (aside from the fpdc's) is immediately after said fpdc and before the previous row's grouping of normal dc's. The "hole" that this leaves is what pulls the next fpdc to the side, creating the spiral effect.

I had noticed that one or two people actually made their hats spiral in the opposite direction, and tried something out to see if it produced the same effect, and sure enough, it did! If you group your double crochets on the other side of the section, so that it goes "fpdc, hole, dcs, fpdc," then the spiral will go in the other direction.

I hope that these pictures were helpful! If you have any other questions about it, let me know and I'll try my best to explain it! : )



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Now playing: Rihanna - Take a Bow
via FoxyTunes

Baby-palooza!

Wow! I recently finished a Tiramisu Baby Blanket (complete with matching booties, mitts and a hat) for my sister-in-law to give as a gift to one of her pregnant professors. (She really only asked me to make a blanket, but I got a little carried away...LOL) And now a good friend from high school is now pregnant! I am so very excited! I've had an itch to make baby items (beyond what I'm donating to Stitches from the Heart...I like the personal feel of giving it to someone I actually know, every now and again), and she's giving me the perfect opportunity! I already went to Knit Picks and ordered yarn for Baby Cissell's things (even though she's not even due until November! LOL), but am a bit on-the-fence about what pattern to go with...I guess it's a good thing I've got some time! I was so excited, however, that I had to make something right off, and what better to make than a hat? It's super quick and easy and is very instant gratification! :) I got to try out a pattern from a friend (CelticMommy's Rib-Wrapped Baby Hat) while I was at it, and use some of the leftover yarn from the previous baby set I so recently finished!

Maybe it was just the fiber content, or maybe the hook size and yarn weight combination, but I wasn't all to pleased with the gaping holes or how little the fpdc's stood out from the rest of the hat. So I tried again with heavier yarn (that was 100% acrylic, as opposed to the 75% cotton/25% acrylic blend in the first hat), and played around a little with some color variation.

Yep, this pattern is good stuff. :) I'll definitely be making more of them!!!

Ribbed Crochet Preemie Hat

So in browsing the crochet preemie hats on Ravelry, I decided to have a go with this "10 minute" pattern. But for some reason, my hats came out much smaller than hers, and didn't really have and give or stretch to them, so I decided to do one of my own. :) So, without further ado, I give you my Ribbed Crochet Preemie Hat (the pattern is given in US terms, but there is also a UK termed version below it):

(I used Rheatheylia's Divine Hat join method...I love that join!)
To join each round: join with slip stitch around the first front post double crochet of previous round (or beginning ch 2 of the first round), ch 2, then fpdc down into the same front post double crochet you just did the slip stitch to (again, this will be a ch 2 for the beginning round). This pushes the ch 2 behind the fpdc you just made (ignore the ch 2, it doesn’t exist). This isn’t necessary, but it looks better than a standard ch2 and makes the join less obvious.

Sport/baby weight yarn
Size G/4.25mm hook

fpdc = front post double crochet
bpdc = back post double crochet

R1: 11 dc in magic loop, join

R2: ch2, (fpdc in dc, dc in same st) around, join (22 sts)

R3: ch2, (2fpdc in fpdc, bpdc in dc) around, join (33 sts)

R4: ch2, (fpdc in fpdc, dc, fpdc in fpdc, bpdc in bpdc) around, join (44 sts)

R5: ch2, (fpdc in fpdc, bpdc in dc, fpdc in fpdc, bpdc in bpdc) around, join

R6-14: ch2, (fpdc in fpdc, bpdc in bpdc) around, join

R15: reverse sc around, join

Fasten off and weave in ends.

UK termed version:

To join each round: join with slip stitch around the first front post treble crochet of previous round (or beginning ch 2 of the first round), ch 2, then fptr down into the same front post treble crochet you just did the slip stitch to (again, this will be a ch 2 for the beginning round). This pushes the ch 2 behind the fptr you just made (ignore the ch 2, it doesn’t exist). This isn’t necessary, but it looks better than a standard ch2 and makes the join less obvious. The site I found this method at is linked above the US termed version.

Sport/baby weight yarn
Size G/4.25mm hook

fptr = front post treble crochet
bptr = back post treble crochet

R1: 11 tr in magic loop, join

R2: ch2, (fptr in tr, tr in same st) around, join (22 sts)

R3: ch2, (2fptr in fptr, bptr in tr) around, join (33 sts)

R4: ch2, (fptr in fptr, tr, fptr in fptr, bptr in bptr) around, join (44 sts)

R5: ch2, (fptr in fptr, bptr in tr, fptr in fptr, bptr in bptr) around, join

R6-14: ch2, (fptr in fptr, bptr in bptr) around, join

R15: reverse dc around, join

Fasten off and weave in ends.

(The green is done in Caron's Simply Soft and the pink is done in Red Heart's Baby Soft yarn.)

I don't mind if you sell projects resulting in use of this pattern, but please don't sell the pattern itself, and always provide the link/URL to the pattern where you sell it so others can enjoy crafting as well!

Back to Preemie hats...

So the first hats I've made were knitted, following this lovely little pattern. It was the one I liked most out of the ones I saw on Ravelry. It was more than just a plain stockinette stitch cap, but still really simple.



But at the same time, to me personally, it didn't look much like a sprial. It didn't "lean" enough. So I made my own modifications and came up with these!



As you can see, it did come out a little bit shorter and wider than the original version, but I really like it! Besides, babies (even preemies!) come in all shapes and sizes, so I'm sure both styles will find heads to cover!




For anyone interested, here is the modified version I used of Bonnie Batten's Spiral Preemie Cap:

Cast on 56 sts, divide onto 3 DPN's. You may want to slip a stitch marker before the first stitch.

Rows 1 - 5:
Work in K2, P2 ribbing around.

Rows 6 - 8:
P1, (K2, P2) around, ending in a P1

Rows 9 - 11:
(P2, K2) around

Rows 12 - 14:
K1, (P2, K2) around, ending in a K1

Rows 15 - 17:
(K2, P2) around

Rows 18 - 20:
P1, (K2, P2) around, ending in a P1

Rows 21 - 23:
(P2, K2) around

Row 24:
K1, (P2tog, K2) around, leaving last st unknit; sl unknit st to beg of next round

Row 25:
(K2tog, P1) around

Row 26:
K2tog around to last st, K1

Row 27:
K2tog

At end of row 27, cut yarn leaving a long tail. Using a yarn needle, thread the yarn through the remaining stitches. Turn cap inside out and pull yarn tight. Tie securly. Weave in all ends.

Happy Knitting!!!

Making preemie hats

Wowzer! I haven't posted in ages! I've been keeping plenty busy since September, though, (which, in addition to another birthday, anniversary and Christmas, includes a trip to the States, the beginning of another deployment and the Ravelympics) and have plenty to blog about...if I would only take the time to. LOL

Recently one of the spouses in my husband's squadron e-mailed me a link to a site that promotes doing one nice thing a day for someone other than yourself, and one of them just so happened to be involving a charity called "Stitches From the Heart." And wouldn't you know, I've got 100% acrylic yarn out the wazoo that I am really trying to get rid of, and a fair amount of that being the soft or baby brands. So I've taken to making preemie hats. I found a knit pattern I liked pretty well, (though I like my modified version better, lol) but couldn't find a crochet one I liked so much that had some stretch and give to it. So I came up with my own! I'm super excited to share the pattern, but want to make sure it's intelligible and want it tested out before I post it, so keep your eyes peeled!

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Now playing: Dommin - My Heart, Your Hands
via FoxyTunes

Baby Season

People all over are having babies this fall! Two babies in my husband's family, alone, not to mention all the pregnant friends I have! (Thankfully, I am not counted among them...I'm not ready to have another one yet!) Since I'm the only crafter in my husband's family that still can craft easily (a.k.a, doesn't have arthritis or carpal tunnel et al. slowing me down), I felt that I should make some hand knits for new little ones. Fall babies are the perfect babies, because they're born in a cooling time of year and right before winter...you know that the things you knit them will be used! So I found this mock cable baby hat that I fell in love with on sight! Then, while browsing on Ravelry amongst the hats already made with that pattern, I stumbled across someone that had made a sock pattern to match the hat! It was listed as a personal pattern, so I PM-ed Janet on Ravelry, and she wrote it up, quick as can be! The socks (a free Rav download) are the perfect compliment to the hats, and I could not be happier with the end results! I hope the recipients are as pleased with the gifts as I am. : ) (The colors in this photo are a bit off, but you can get the general idea.) ; )

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE my husband!!!!!!!!!!! He gave the go-ahead!!! I get to go watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in the IMAX..............IN ENGLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited!!!! I can't stop giggling and clapping and "squee"-ing!!!!!!!!!!!! Kristin is coming with me, and we're going to stay with Ann and Marie from the Harry Potter swap! I wonder of we'll have time to go to an LYS....hmmm...But now I have a deadline for my Hermione hat...I am so wearing it to the movie!!!!!!!! And, if I can get it done in time, I'll make one for Kristin, as well! :D YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I'm too excited to sit anywhere...I'm off to be productive with this mass of excited energy!!!!

Sneeze, sniffle, choke, cough, sputter

While those may sound like allergies (hmm, maybe it partially is...), but in reality, it's me dusting off an old project...my Hermione hat had a rough start, and then, as all other projects I have started for myself, got set aside for other projects. However, the Half-Blood Prince (in which movies this hat makes it's appearance) premiere is only weeks away...and the best part? I might get to go to England to watch it in the IMAX!!! I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally hope it works out! But, if it does, I can't go all that way for the movie and not have at least one piece of some costume! I have to show everyone else (that doesn't know I'm flying all the way from Italy just to see it) that I'm more than just a casual fan...LOL

However, two more scarves have been worked on and passed along, and I've got one more in my possession...I'm waiting on the yarn I ordered to come in first, though. Here's the section of the crochet scarf I've sent on. I couldn't get a good picture of it to show it off, but I intend to make an entire scarf with the pattern and share the pattern here. And I was so focused on trying to get a good picture of my section, I forgot to get a picture of Rebecca's scarf so far before I packed it up to go! LOL



Here is the section I did on Stacey's scarf, which is knitted:



I did a variation of the pattern I used on Jody's scarf, which I am working on making an entire scarf to share that pattern as well. And here is a picture of Stacey's scarf thus far:



I did about 6", I think, instead of five, because of how it fell with my cables. :) But now I'm off to work some more on my hat...I can't wait until it's completed!!!

Whoops!!!

I can't believe I haven't posted in a month!!! Things have been pretty crazy here. We lost power for 12 hours one day; our car was in the shop for 3-4 days (and will have to go back once a new part comes in, which, being in Italy, takes FOREVER!); A got sick and passed it to all of us, so altogether there was at least one sick person in this house for 2 solid weeks; now we're out of gasolio, which means no heat and no hot water (thank goodness for space heaters and friends with showers!!!); our DVD player died on us, so The Husband had to buy a new one, and then when he tried to hook it up...our TV upstairs was too old a model for the player! So he had to bring up the big TV from downstairs and says we'll have to get another (larger) one for downstairs...it's just been one thing after another here! On top of all that, I've really been missing all my friends and family in the States. I'm missing out on all the Christmas parties, and I'm bummed with myself for not getting out the Christmas packages in time. :( The only one I got out was to my mom's. I still have my in-laws' package to finish and send out, as well as my best friend's, and a couple of other miscellaneous packages.

And I have been VERY distracted. I reached level 80 in WoW and my time has suddenly switched from being consumed by crafting to playing that silly game! There suddenly is a whole other realm to play when you reach 80...there's heroic dungeons to run, there's gear to be had, there's achievements to accomplish...so MUCH! But it's down for maintenance today, so I figured I'd catch up on a few other things...like posting about my kit!!!

WOW!!! I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for my HSKS6 kit to come in the mail, and DH brought it in one day and said, "Oh yeah, this came, like, 4 or 5 days ago. I just kept forgetting to bring it in from the car." And I was in the middle of a dungeon! So I had to wait to open it. The box was taunting me. LOL Sitting there, looking at me, saying "I'm here! I'm here! And you can't open me yet because you've got other people depending on you in this dungeon!" Ugh! But get the kit I did, and I opened it as soon as I was out of that instance! Here are the fantastic pictures:

Just opened:

My GORGEOUS new bag!!!:

I absolutely love the rich colors of the bag!!! It's gorgeous!!!


The lining and pockets on the side have origami swans! (She's in Japan...) How cute is that?!:

Super pretty sock pattern (Faux Cable Socks):

VERY yummy and soft Ravenclaw sock yarn and my first set of wood dpn's (Knit Picks, size 2):

I can't wait to make my faux cable socks with my new needles and delicious yarn! I was "oo-ing" and "ah-ing" over the yarn and petting it and commenting over and over how it was so pretty and soft....and my husband has the nerve to say "so you're using that yarn to make my socks, right?" HA!!!!! AS IF!!! This is SO for me! And like I would reward his late delivery of my kit to begin with... ;)


A little bit of Japan...chopsticks, a wine bottle holder and Japanese candy:

The wine bottle holder being "modeled":

Owl note cards, a beautiful wallet, and a fridge notepad:

The whole kit together!:

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, Jade!!! I love my kit! With no heat and no WoW, I may actually get to starting my socks today... ;) LOL (ETA: There was also a blue tape measure in there, but it somehow got out of being in the pictures...must not be very photogenic...) ;)

Then a day or two ago, my husband brought me in another package...it was my bookmark "kit"! Thank you, Antonio, I love it!


Bookmarks and tea:

I'm typically not a tea drinker, but I'm really looking forward to trying the vanilla chai...I've heard chai is pretty fantastic stuff, but haven't yet tried it. (Silly me...what a perfectly warming drink! I should go brew it...)


Bookmark (front):

I'm a bit of a superhero fan, so the Wonder Woman thing was very much appreciated! :) (Someone did their homework....and even between terms! I may have a little bit of a crush...LOL)

Bookmark (back):

And on the back of the bookmarks is a picture of Ron and two quotes:

"Aren't you ever going to read Hogwarts, A History?"

and

"That's what Hermione does. When in doubt, go to the library."

Love, love, love it, Antonio! Thank you!!! I still have to make Emma's...I could get that done today! Yay!

In other crafting news....I had intended to make 3 scarves for the Special Olympics, but have yet to even finish the first one! I don't know what days my husband has off this week (I've heard he's working Christmas Eve) :( but if he's home, I'm sure I could just tell him I'm not allowed to play WoW until I finish a project a day! LOL That wouldn't really be too challenging, really, as it only takes me 2-3 hours to crochet something up. As it is, he's even commented at how unnatural it is for me to be neglecting my crafting for video games! I've slowed way down on the cancer caps, which is not cool, especially considering there's still new requests coming in and I still have several others to complete. Hmmm. Maybe I should tell the hubby to only allow me 2-3 hours of play time per project finished...that might be a little more productive...We'll see what happens, I guess! I'm sure I won't be posting again before Christmas, so Happy Holidays to all, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or even none of the above! Stay warm!