My Little Man's Mitts

 I made my little man some "More Mittens" by Heather Mees to match his Dad's Mitts.  He loves them... he adores them... we wears them everywhere, indoors and outdoors.  I gotta say, I love and adore my little man!

 
 

So Many Babies, Not Enough Knitting Time!

Another friend is having a baby, (surprise, surprise) so as another baby gift, I knitted up this sweet little Nottingham hat to go along with a dress and shoes I was gifting.  It's a great quick knit that looks little bit more impressive than a basic stockinette hat.  Baby Kate, or Evelyn (not yet sure) will be here in two days to try it on... very exciting!

“Millie” Heart Cable Hat

Just in time for last minute Valentine's Day gifts, I'm releasing my latest pattern.  This darling hat is a very quick knit. A simple four strand cable works its way into a heart and stands out on a reverse stockinette exterior. Instructions to alter the pattern for a stockinette exterior are included.  You can get the pattern HERE on Ravelry :)

Adult Stockinette Exterior

 Child Reverse Stockinette Exterior

Inspiration for this hat:
My oldest daughter, Maddie, saw a story on the news about a little girl named Millie suffering from Leukemia. She asked if we could do something for her. I was touched by the girl's story and proud that Maddie was thoughtful enough to want to cheer sweet Millie up.  We decided to send her a care package and included the first “Millie” hat as a chemo hat. I designed this hat specifically for her. There are four members of her family represented by the four strands of the cable, bound together, and the heart is a sign of their love for each other. Their story is blogged about here.

Maddie with some of the contents of Millie's care package.

Steps for blocking a hat to achieve smoother/more even stitches, a well shaped crown, & popping cables, in other words... fabulous results:

-Soak in slightly warm water, gently swish.
-Remove from water and gently squeeze water out (don't wring).
-Roll in a towel and step on it to get excess water out.  
-Blow up a balloon inside the hat until snug, but ribbing is not stretched.
-Smooth everything out.  You can actually pinch cables to shape.
-Set balloon on small bowl or cup to dry. (see pic)
-That's it!  But it can really make good project look great :)

Winter Baby Gift Set

 When searching patterns for new, cute baby gift ideas, I came across this Winter-Baby Kit With Hat And Mittens by Anna & Heidi Pickles, and was in love.  Holy cute!  And it's been such a cold winter, I knew my friend's expectant baby needed these mittens. 

I left the ear flaps off and added a flower.  The hat seemed to be a tad tight. I'm crossing my fingers that I've just forgotten how tiny newborn baby noggins are and that it'll fit.

My Mom loved my first $5 in Paris sweater so much, she asked me to knit her one. She's my biggest knitting fan/cheerleader, so I was happy to do it for her.  She opted for cables and long sleeves rather than short sleeves and stripes. I checked out a bunch of stitch books from the library to find a cable and my mom out a Celtic knot.  I thought it was a beautiful choice. 

 I knitted a gauge swatch beforehand and the yarn grew quite a bit.  So the pre-blocked sweater fit me like a glove (the greedy, devilish side of me wished it would stay my size so I could keep it for myself) but after blocking it was the right size for my mom.  Someday I might make one for myself...

"Splash" Reversible Cables Baby Blanket

 It's been a long time coming, but my "Splash" Reversible Cables Baby Blanket pattern is complete!   

I'm really happy with the way it turned out.  

It can now be purchased on Ravelry... Just click HERE.

 

Koolhaas For Me

I now, finally, have a Koolhaas to call my own. 

 This was my first time using Malabrigo yarn. I wanted to know if it was all that people make it out to be. It felt nice enough at the yarn shop. It wasn’t until I actually started knitting with it that I was a believer. I told my husband that it felt like I was knitting a cloud. Every now and then I would rub the ball on my face to feel again how soft it was.  Mmmmmm...