Christmas gifts continued...

I knit Michael a gray beanie--que guapo se ve con este gorro nuevo!

It fits perfectly--phew! I never know exactly how those decreases at the top are going to work out, although Jim is a perfect hat model for me throughout the evolution of each hat. :)
I knit Dad a hat, too. I liked this yarn--it's a soft merino and self-striped. The colors look great on Dad!

Do you remember the first scarf that Becky made when I taught her how to knit?

I found the same yarn and made her a pair of mittens! Becky sent me a photo of herself modeling her scarf and mittens (while giving her nephew, Toph, a squeeze!). They look great on you! Hope you enjoy them. :)

I Wish Knit You a Merry Christmas!

This has been my busiest pre-Christmas knitting year yet! I've had much more fun knitting gifts than going out searching for the "perfect gift" among all the other shoppers. (Knitting was also the only way I stayed awake past 8pm during my first trimester!) I knit the neckwarmers pictured below for my friends Maria Fernanda and Sarah, who work with me at Oak Terrace.

I got the pattern for these neckwarmers at my local knit shop. The cabling made it a challenging and fun project. The yarn is what really makes these neckwarmers stylish, though. It's boutique-y!
I like putting one of my friend Judy's handmade gift tags on each of my knitted gifts.

Here's Maria Fernanda modeling her neckwarmer in my classroom.
And below is Sarah! They both wore their neckwarmers last week at school and got a ton of compliments. :)Next on my Christmas gift list was a hat for Jim. He picked this yarn out himself! It's a bamboo/merino/silk blend--he has good taste! We planned the hat together--I ended up doing a Knit2Purl2 rib. I knit for about 9 inches so it would be long enough to have a roll up cuff. Because the yarn was pretty thin, I held two strands together while knitting to make it a heavier weight hat. It turned out great and is Jim's new favorite hat! It looks kind of camo, doesn't it?

Decreasing was tricky on this hat because I didn't want to interrupt the rib pattern. After ripping it out once, I found some advice on ravelry.com that worked perfectly!

Inbetween gifts, I finished the below hat for myself. It's called the "Sideways Grande Cloche Hat." I got the pattern out of a new book I bought called Boutique Knits. I had to stop working on this hat a few times because I was getting frustrated. The hat is knit flat, which felt awkward since I am used to knitting hats in the round. The cable was a challenge, but I am happy overall with the way it turned out--and glad to be done with it!

So those are my completed pre-Christmas projects so far! Still a few more in progress...this post to be continued...

She-Knits Felted Purse

My purse is finally finished! I started it back in June...here's an evolution of the purse in photos:

First project with intarsia...I was holding the yarn in the back with too much tension at first, giving it a puckered look.
So, I had to rip it out, or "frog" it, as they say, and begin again! This is the second time around--much better!

I kept the yarn a lot looser in the back.
After finishing the main part of the bag, I had to embroider around the flower. I was having a hard time getting the embroidery to look right, so Mom did it for me! It turned out great! Here I am modeling the finished bag (and my baby bump :)).

Time to felt! I had never felted anything before. We put the bag in a zippered pillowcase and then threw it in the washing machine with a pair of jeans. Then we put it on a short, hot cycle. We looked at it after one cycle and it was just the right size! We stuffed some plastic bags in it to dry and....voila!

Mom found a fabric that matched the flower perfectly and made lining, complete with pockets and a zippered pouch. She added a magnetic clasp, too. I'm lucky to have such a crafty, talented Mom! Thanks!

Itty Bitty Toys

Updated photos of Ribbit and Rabbit! Mom showed me how to embroider the faces. It can be tricky to get the faces right at first, but it adds so much personality to the toys! I can't wait to make more! I so enjoyed making Rabbit and his friend, Ribbit! These are both free patterns by Susan B. Anderson. They can be found on her Spud & Chloe blog. I used Sugar n' Cream yarn that I bought at Michael's for only $1 a skein! $1 yarn and a free pattern? You can't beat that!

Aren't they sweet? I was never a stuffed animal lover as a kid, but I just adore these little toys!

Each of Ribbit's 12 toes was a bobble that I made separately and sewed onto the foot. He looks playful!

Now I just have to embroider the faces...I will post another pic once I do that.

Bag ladies

Incogknito

Despite my lack of posts, I have been knitting lately, but I've been working on some Christmas presents! I won't be posting pics of those gifts until after Christmas, so you'll all have to wait in suspense...
Here are some pics of the latest sweater I made for my friend Judy's Yorkie, Guapo (pictured with his sister Bonita).She requested a Superman sweater, so I did a search for a logo online and was able to follow the color chart for the "S" within the same sweater pattern I've used for the other sweaters I've knit for him. Woohoo--intarsia! I'm surprisingly happy with the way it turned out, although it may be a "Monet," as they say in the movie Clueless. It is easier to make out what the symbol is from a bit of a distance.

When did I turn into a lady that makes dog sweaters??

Special Day Hat

I made this hat for my friend, Nathalia, who just had a baby last week. She named her Sofia.

I got the pattern from my "Baby Beanies" book by Amanda Keeys. It was an easy pattern to follow, although making a ruffle brim does require you to cast on many more stitches (192 I think for this one) so it takes a little longer. This yarn has a nice sheen to it. It's a cashmere merino silk blend.

¿Mañana es Halloween?

This is a question that I start getting from students around the second week of September. "Tomorrow is Halloween?" This is when I really start teaching the concept of day, week, month so students understand that we have to get through all the days in September and then nearly all the days in October before it is Halloween.

Well, since it is nearly October (and I clearly am reminded by that fact everyday at work), here is my little pumpkin hat (on my nephew, Ryder)!! I love this pattern--it's another one by Susan B. Anderson.

Happy fall!

My hat model and a new knitter

We were in Minnesota visiting family this weekend, so I brought along a few of my hats to try on our nephew, Ryder. I've been making all these baby hats with no idea if they will really fit a 0-6 month old or a 6-12 month old. Ryder is about 5 and a half months, so he was a perfect baby hat model. :)

Love this star hat on him.

The sweet pea hat looked adorable, too!

Amber picked up how to knit really quickly and was ready to bind off her neckwarmer! Look how cute it turned out! Good job, Amber! We had fun knitting while the boys watched football.

P.S. I forgot to write about this--I visited a yarn outlet store in Edina!!! Who knew such a thing existed? Jim and Idona took me to this yarn shop in Edina called Needlework Unlimited. It was a huge store, and the staff was so friendly. As I was checking out, the cashier told me that they had an outlet store just a mile away where all the yarn was half off!! Jim took me there the next day and I got a few skeins. There was a ton to choose from--good brands, too! Next time I come in town I will have to bring a "shopping list!"

"Misti" sky

This scarf was a quick project to keep me entertained as I continue to work on Jim's cable scarf. His scarf is almost done, but because it's knit with skinny yarn on smaller needles, I get tired of it easily and need an instant gratification project like this one! The pattern is free--here it is! This Misti Baby Alpaca yarn does shed like crazy, but it is soft and pretty.

Yes, that is a winter coat over my pajamas. Who said it wasn't knitting season??

You're a Shining Star...

...no matter who you are. Shining bright to see--what you could truly be.

Front of hat:

Back of hat:


I think this hat came out super cute. It allowed me to try out a few new techniques. It was my first time making a "boxy" hat (no decreases to close this hat!). It was also the first time I made stars. I had to make each point separately, and then join the points together in a round to knit the center. Another new trick pictured are the french knots on the stars.

I wasn't sure about adding the stars at first--I thought it gave the hat a "homemade" kind of look, but my live-in project consultant loves it and thinks that the stars add to the charm. :)

I should be packing...

but here's another bear-y cute hat instead! Don't the two look cute together? I'm planning on bringing them up to MN to give to Jim's friend and his wife who just had their second son. Hope they like them! (I really need to start giving away more of my hats!)

Etc.

So...I have been knitting but I have no finished projects to show for it! I officially have several projects "on the needles." I'm almost done with my flower bag (just need to finish the embroidery and felt it), I started another beary cute baby hat, and I'm still working on Jim's cable scarf. It's coming out really nice.

Here are some other photos I've been meaning to post...

Amber took some photos of Ryder in the hat and booties I knit him. Isn't he a doll? He looks so adorable.

Several of my friends and family have been interested in learning to knit lately--it's fun to have more people to "talk shop" with! First Becky learned (and is knitting up a storm now! She's making really cute neckwarmers for all her friends. I've told her she should start a blog!). I taught Amber, Shara, and Billie this past weekend.

Who's next?