Tag Archive | crafting

Iron Man Crochet Hat

I am rockin’ and rollin’ this week! Day four of blogging about finished objects! BAM! Don’t worry, it won’t last. I’m just enjoying this brief burst of productivity. So yesterday I made an Iron Man hat, start to finish in one afternoon. That *never* happens for me. But this was a quick project, and it was pretty fun too.

First I made the faceplate, which was a pattern all its own. Then I needed a pattern for an earflap hat that called for bulky yarn, and this Kid’s Earflap Hat fit the bill perfectly. I’ve made this style so many times with the owl hats that I can speed through it, and then it was just a matter of sewing on the faceplate. Sure, it’s not perfectly lined up everywhere, but I’m still tickled with it. Here’s hoping my Iron Man-loving nephew is tickled with it too! I won’t be getting much done tonight: my daughter is in her first high school play and tonight is opening night! They’re doing The Sound of Music, and she’s a nun/ party guest. I was in several plays in high school and loved being involved in theater, so I’m delighted that she’s enjoying it too. I can’t wait to see her on stage! Here she is in her dress from the party scene (she’s the tall blond).But for now, I’m home alone all day with nothing on the agenda. Let’s see how much knitting and crocheting I can get done!

Do I want to build a snowman? Nope!

Nov5

I did it! I finished two gift hats yesterday! With the exception of a trip to Costco, my day was spent crocheting and sewing. And I’m not sure I want to do it again anytime soon. First, I’ll let you see Olaf, which is for my nephew’s birthday. I used a few different patterns and some experimentation to cobble him together. He’s cute, no? I think so. Thank goodness, because I kind of hated making him. The fiddly finishing bits are my least favorite part of making things, and there was just so much darn finishing with this one. It was tricky to get the face spaced out correctly, and the carrot wanted to flop over, and those twig/hair things…well, they just won’t stand up. But he is cute, and I am proud of him, and I really hope my funny little nephew likes him!

His older sister is getting an owl hat, and that was the second gift I finished yesterday. The owls are so much easier compared to Olaf! This was done with Caron Simply Soft in Pagoda, and I’m hoping to have enough time to make some matching mittens. It felt SO GOOD to cross two things off my Must-Make list that I’m going to aim for another one today. But I also added one to the list yesterday. I found out last night that a friend of mine is going to be a grandma, so I need to make a baby hat. Guess I better get back to my yarn!

Tuesday’s Hat is Full of Twist

Nov4

Whee, I knew I could do it! I finished the gray Pacific Chunky hat yesterday! I actually finished it during my waiting room knitting time with ten minutes to spare, which meant I had nothing to distract me from The Young and the Restless on the TV. But still, I was happy to get it done. And I like it. This is the Picholine Hat and it might be my new favorite one-skein hat. The pattern was extremely simple to memorize, but comes out looking more complex. I used size 10 1/2 needles for the brim, which makes it just a bit snugger than I’d like, and size 13 for the body. The result is a nice, loose, floppy hat. The pattern calls for a pom-pom but I didn’t have quite enough yarn left over for that. I’d like to make this again with size 11s for the brims and enough yarn for the pom. This hat used all of the 120 yards in the skein.

Sadly, the rest of my knitting time did not go so smoothly. I didn’t have time to pick up needles again until after dinner, and I thought I would work up something quick and snazzy with my purple Cascade Magnum. First, I tried the Swirling Cowl but my yarn overs were so much looser than in the pictures, and it was making a more open fabric than I wanted. I tried doing the yarn overs going the other direction and that might have helped, except I really needed 16″ circular needles and I didn’t have them. The 24″ were just too long to make it an easy knit. I frogged and started over.

The second pattern I chose was the Marian cowl. I’ve made it before with the Magnum and it works well. I’d wanted to do something different, but nothing else was jumping out at me. So I cast on and started knitting and it was…okay. After a while I stopped and took a Pinterest break, like you do. There, I found the Red Rasta Cowl and it was lovely! THAT’S what I wanted to do with the Magnum! Okay, pattern downloaded, Marian frogged, let’s cast on…with the 16″ size 15 circs…that I don’t have.

There might have been a curse word at that point. In any case, the Magnum is now in timeout. I cast on for a simple beanie in Mizzou colors to be my next easy travel project and then moved on to a simple garter stitch scarf that I need to finish before Christmas. I also turned on the TV and watched some New Girl, Mindy Project and Selfie so I could get a few laughs. It helped end the evening on a high note, instead of being frustrated with the yarn.

Today’s goal is finishing. I really need to stop casting on new things and finish some Christmas presents! I have three Christmas character hats that just need faces, and if I can get those done I think I’ll feel much better about my to-knit list, which is too long for comfort. How long is your Must-Knit list? Have you started focusing on gift knitting yet?

Manic Monday: Finished Objects and More Yarn

Nov3

I feel as though I have been remiss, not blogging as regularly as I would like. I’d like to say I’ll get on the ball and start blogging at least twice a week, but…well, the holidays are coming so I make no promises. At least my schedule will soon ease up in a couple of ways: the teenager is done with marching band now, and will be done with the school musical after this week. Much less driving for me!

The two projects that filled most of last week can’t be written about as of yet, but I have other yarny adventures to share. My LYS recently moved from the little downtown area to a nearby warehouse space, sharing 5000+ square feet with another yarn store to become the Yarn Mercantile. They’re two separate entities under one roof, divided by a blue tape “Mason Dixon Line”, and I thoroughly explored both.

Angelika’s Yarn Store is new to this area, having moved here recently from Portland. She has aisles of yarn from lace weight to bulky, with easy-to-read signs hanging above. There’s lots of yarn I hadn’t seen before (mostly the Lorna’s Laces, which was fabulous but a higher price than I can usually afford) and lots of yarn I have (lots of Cascade, in all weights and colors. The huge wall with all the colors of 220 was impressive.). They have a wide range of needles and notions too, but I was there for yarn. I managed to restrain myself to just two skeins of Cascade Yarns Pacific Chunky. It’s a bulky yarn of 60% acrylic and 40% merino, so it’s warm and soft, and works up quickly. The two colors that ended up in my arms were a vivid turquoise and a soft gray. Of course I had to check out my old LYS, Knitcraft, while I was there. They were still in the moving process, so not everything was set up and full yet. I didn’t see anything new, but they’ve always had a great selection of yarns in all weights and price ranges, so I never walk out empty-handed. This time was no different. Despite trying to be thrifty, I still came home with a skein of Manos del Uruguay Maxima. I love their yarns; the colors are just gorgeous.When I got home, I discovered I already have a skein of this. Same colorway and everything. Oops! Well, that means I can make something even cooler. My goal is two make a couple of hats from the Cascade for my next craft fair and pay for them and the Manos. Good plan, eh?

Saturday was the husband’s birthday and we spent the afternoon exploring downtown Leavenworth. They have a three-floor antique mall that we love, as well as several other smaller antique stores. I found the coolest project bag at the antique mall, with tons of little pockets and pouches and elastic straps and zippered compartments. I think it’s going to be the best travel project bag ever. I kind of want to get duplicate notions just so I can keep it stocked at all times!

We didn’t have time for all the stores, but we hit our favorites. We love The Pot Rack with all the cool kitchen gadgets and the Queen’s Pantry with the British grocery and full range of teas and accessories. They have a yarn store now, too: Momo’s Knitting Nook. It’s a cute store with a lot of things I’d love in my own store someday! Right inside the store, facing the big front windows, are two small armchairs. That’s where my son decided to hang out, but I could definitely see myself spending some time there too.

The yarn is shelved in oversized wooden cabinetry with lovely detailing. I’m not sure how to describe it, except that they’re actual furniture pieces and not your basic, plain yarn-store shelves. There’s dark wood everywhere, including a massive rectangular table in the middle of the room that I’m sure is great for classes and groups. There are two more armchairs at the other end of the room as well as a nook with a long couch flanked by two more armchairs. Lots of seating, in other words! It was really inviting; you can tell they want you to feel comfortable hanging out and crafting with them.

Now, the yarn: lots of neat stuff, but somehow I wasn’t tempted by too much. There were brands I hadn’t seen before, as well as new yarns from familiar (to me) brands. The stuff I coveted was too expensive and the stuff in my price range didn’t call my name. It was strange. Don’t worry, I persevered and found two skeins I “needed”. One was a Cascade Yarns Magnum Paints in purples. I’ve seen, and worked with, the Magnum and love it, but I’d never seen the purple Paints before, and the price seemed comparable. The second was a Crystal Palace Yarns Gold Rush, a really lovely bulky rainbow yarn with a gold halo. If only I knew what to make with either of these!! What would be the perfect projects?

Finally, the added bonus our adventure was the knitting time during the hour-long drive to and from. I managed to get the turquoise Cascade mostly done. I used the Starving Artist pattern and am quite tickled by the twisted rib that gives it such a neat texture. That’s it for the last week! Well, except for the two secret projects. Today is a busy day but I’ve got the gray hat halfway done, so fingers crossed I can show it off tomorrow. Maybe then I’ll start on the Magnum. What projects do you love for that one skein of super bulky yarn?

Finally Finished: ToshDK Honey Cowl

Oct28

Whee, I’m in a finishing phase! Since finishing the wedding wrap, I’ve been on a roll. I finished a lingering scarf for a holiday order, I finished two sports-related earwarmers for friends, and I finished another Princess Anna hood. It feels so good to get some projects done.

After finishing so many little projects, I needed something simple for my waiting room knitting (I have lots of that kind of time) and came across another languishing project: my Madelinetosh Honey Cowl. The pattern is super simple, and it was so close to being done, that I decided I needed to just power through to the end. An hour later I was binding off, last night I wove in ends, and today was picture day. I’m in love with this cowl and it’s going nowhere but around my own neck. The yarn is actual Madelinetosh that I bought at Looped Yarn Works in Washington, D.C. My LYSs don’t carry Madelinetosh, so it was the first time I’d seen it, and at $22 a skein it was a pretty big splurge for me. But it was worth it. The colors are gorgeous, and the yarn feels luscious: it’s soft but springy, and knit up in this stitch the fabric is dense but still lightweight. It’s just fantastic, and I’ll definitely be making another Honey Cowl even if I can’t do it in Madelinetosh.

The relief I felt at finishing a WIP inspired me to pull out another one, so I’ve started on the second of a pair of seed stitch mitts that might end up being a Christmas present. As for waiting room knitting, well, I ended up starting something new. The life of a knitter or crocheter, right? Your pile of WIPs never really goes down!

Knitting a Wedding Wrap

Oct26

My most recent FO is one of the coolest things I’ve done in a while: I got to knit a lace wrap for a bride. She wanted something to cover her shoulders and upper arms for her November wedding, something more like a capelet than a full shawl. She wanted it open and lacy, and I hadn’t done true knitted lace before. I spent days poring through Ravelry, looking at shawls and ponchos and wraps and capelets. I looked at knitted ones and crochet ones. I looked at fingering weight projects and bulky weight projects, though I was hoping for a thicker yarn so it would work up faster. We went back and forth until finally I found the perfect pattern: the Regalia Cowl Wrap. It called for super bulky yarn and has two size variations so you can wear it as a cowl/capelet, or a longer wrap. I chose the smaller size so it would hug her shoulders.

The color was the most important factor, since it needed to match her dress. She found some Bernat Alpaca in Peony that was the perfect shade, so I held two strands together to mimic the super bulky yarn called for in the Regalia pattern. Knitting lace was a little overwhelming at first: lots of wyif and k1tbl and p1tbl that I hadn’t done before. The first few rows were scary, and I thought I’d vastly underestimated the time I’d need to get it done. Fortunately, once I got going, it got a lot faster, and I managed to finish it in a little over a week. I loved watching the pattern emerge from these rows of seemingly random letters and numbers. I can’t imagine being able to design something like this, so I’m in awe of Brenda Lavell at Phydeaux Designs.

Blocking opened up the lace pattern immensely and it held its shape pretty well once I unpinned it, even though it’s 70% acrylic with only 30% alpaca. It was a little bulkier than I intended, so it came out as 14″ by 46″ instead of 12″ x 32″, but that ended up working fine. The bride has a brooch to pin in closed, instead of buttons, so she can pin it to make it hang just right.

Once the wrap was done and drying on the blocking mat, I made a quick pair of fingerless gloves with some of the leftover Bernat. They’re called the Iris Stitch Fingerless Mittens, and it’s my new favorite pattern for crochet fingerless gloves. It took some finessing to get the size right (I had to do the first glove four times) but I love the delicate lacy look, the simple little thumb hole, and how quickly they work up.

I’m so happy with how this project turned out, and I really hope the bride is too! It was a great excuse to learn some new techniques. Now I’m looking forward to seeing pictures from her big day!

This has been my focus project for a while. Really, the only other thing I’ve finished lately is an eye mask. My son had a mystery party at school where he had to dress up as a literary character. It had to be from a book originally, from a book the other sixth-graders might have read, and something not glaringly obvious (i.e. no Harry Potter). We chose Westley from The Princess Bride. It’s one of our favorite movies but the book is delightful too. If you haven’t read it, give it a shot. Anyway, the boy had black clothes, black headscarf, cardboard “sword” but needed a mask. Crafty mom was happy to oblige!

Baseball Beanie & Wedding Wrap

Oct21

The World Series starts tonight, and it’s starring my favorite team, the Kansas City Royals! We’re all so excited around here, of course, and we’re ready to party like it’s 1985. I’ve got my snacks, my Royals chip & dip tray and my Royals cupcakes. And I might even be wearing my new Royals beanie that I *just* finished knitting today! I bought three skeins of blue acrylic to make some fun projects, and a hat to match my fingerless gloves was first on the list.

This is Dee’s Slouch Hat and I love that you can wear it either slouchy or with a folded brim. I used Bernat Satin to make it, with size 6 needles for the brim and size 7 for the body.

Okay, so not everything is about baseball around here. Mostly, but not all. I also started another project, a wedding wrap. The pattern is the Regalia Cowl Capelet Wrap and it is absolutely gorgeous. It’s my first lace pattern, and at first I was completely overwhelmed. But I took it row by row and soon it was flying along. It helps that it’s done with super bulky yarn on size 19 needles. This is with Bernat Alpaca in peony. I’m hoping it has enough alpaca in it to block nicely when I’m done. Anyway, I’m a little over halfway done, but here’s a peek.

Maybe I’ll finish it tonight during the game. Oh, who am I kidding? I’ll have my eyes glued to the screen!

On making all the things: progress

Oct14

Time is limited today so I have to write quickly! I am so stupid busy right now, I almost can’t stand it. The time has come where knitters and crocheters must start making all of the things, in a frenzy to complete everything before that one winter day we will not mention yet. I am no different, but before I get to the projects for that day, I still have some orders to fill. With that in mind, I spent Sunday on the couch with my hook and yarn. The girl and I had a Rachel McAdams movie marathon (Mean Girls, The Vow, and The Notebook) and I completed two and a half sets of boot cuffs. Two are Kansas City Chiefs colors and one is Denver Broncos.

Oops. Can’t find the picture of the Broncos set. Well, it’ll show up sooner or later. It looks like these, only navy and orange. Use your imagination.

And I can’t remember if I shared the other hat I finished. I’m making hat and scarf sets for two boys, and my SIL will embroider their names on the brim. The hats are complete, now I just need to whip up two crochet striped scarves. No problem.

Ok, that’s all for now! I must drive the children all of the places!

Craft Show Success

Oct13

My first craft show of the season is over, and I think I can call it a success. I didn’t sell everything, but I sold enough to make table and then some. My SIL, the one who got me into this awesome yarny hobby, shared the booth space with me, and we went up together Friday afternoon to set it all up. I really like how it turned out.

It looked interesting and eye-catching. So many of the crochet booths focus on multitudes of the same item in different colors, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if you don’t want any of that one item, you walk past that booth. I like to think we have variety to appeal to more customers. Or maybe it’s just not how we work. We get bored working the same thing over and over, so we make what we want and hope someone likes it enough to buy it.

It started at nine, and I was a little worried because by noon I had only sold one hat. My SIL was with me, and we’d both browsed the other booths. There were two other crochet booths. One was full of headbands and earwarmers, and the other focused on character hats for kids. Both were using the cheaper acrylics, and I hate to say it: I’m a yarn snob now. I have used, still use, acrylic. It’s affordable, it’s washable, it has its place in the yarn world. But once I started using natural fibers, feeling them against my skin, I’m so much more picky about what I use. Even now, when I use acrylic, I make sure to find soft acrylic for anything that will touch the skin. I couldn’t help but think that the alpaca and merino blends in our pieces would be more appealing, even if it meant our prices were higher.

A few people had come up and admired two of my best pieces, but then they’d look at the price and walk away. Most of my prices were very reasonable, but those two were made from expensive fibers and had taken a lot of time and I wasn’t willing to mark them lower. Instead, I moved things around and shifted the focus to middle-of-the-road pieces. Thankfully, by 12:30 the rush began, and over the next hour and a half I sold around ten items.

I sold the blue/green newsboy caps, a set for girl and doll. I sold my purple faux fur cowl (kinda sad about that one). I sold a $30 Brio cowl to a woman for her 5yo daughter (yikes. I cringed thinking about what would happen to my gorgeous cowl). I sold a gray slouchy hat and the gray crochet newsboy. At the very last minute I sold my purl ridge cowl, the one made with vintage Malabrigo in gorgeous shades of purple and blue. That one was hard. I kind of wish I’d kept it. But it went to my MIL, so at least I’ll get to see it sometimes.

I also passed out a lot of business cards and connected with some awesome people, and I hope those lead to good things. I had a good time, really. It made me want to do more shows. We have another one scheduled for mid-November, but I might look for some more. I’ve only done three shows but they’ve all been at least mildly profitable. And each one I do, I learn what to do next time (and what not to do).

I could have sold more slouchy hats in different colors. I could have sold owl hats if I’d had girl/doll sets in more colors. My most expensive pieces won’t go at the front. I know I’ll bring a mirror so people can see themselves when they try things on. I’d like to get purple tablecloths instead of red. I’m not sure what else I could/should do. What are your tips for craft show success?

Over the Rainbow to the Craft Fair

Oct9

Everything is ready…I think. Craft fair in two days and all my inventory is priced and bagged and packed up. I’ve got my hat stands, mannequin and cash box. I have tablecloths and business cards. I have a haircut appointment tomorrow and I’ll stop for cash for the change box afterward. Yesterday I finished up the last two pieces and it felt good. It was a relief to be done. I love doing these shows, love selling things, but the pressure I put on myself to MAKE ALL THE THINGS is exhausting. So I’m done. Until the next show, of course. Anyway, here’s what I finished yesterday.

This is the Handspun Headband. It was kind of a special request, and I used some of my last skein of multicolored Berroco Borealis for it. (It was hard. I love that yarn. But I also love how it looks knitted up.) I modified the pattern a bit, made it wider. The button is lime-green, a fun splash of color that will mostly be hidden in the back. The flower is done in the same yarn, also be request, so it’ll be more versatile. The flower does pop more in person than you can see in the photo.

I also finished the hat I started with my rainbow Mochi the other day. I used the Regular Guy Beanie pattern but didn’t want to make a hat for an adult male. So instead of 84, I cast on 80. It came out a lot smaller than I expected, especially since I was using Aran-weight yarn (like the pattern) and size 6 needles (like the pattern). I was afraid I was going to run out of yarn, so I skipped some of the all-knit rounds between decrease rounds, and I’m glad I did. I think the hat is plenty tall enough as it is. Plus I had enough yarn left over for a pompom, and what toddler hat is complete without a pompom?

Love this hat. Want one for myself now. Must sell enough at craft fair to buy more rainbow Mochi yarn!

So that’s all the craft fair crafting! From now on, all my yarny adventures will be for Christmas presents and special orders. I have four presents completed and…a lot more to make. How many are left on your holiday-knitting list?