A post of a Knitterly Nature

I've a few things to share ~ I finished some projects (birthday gifts) for people that don't read the blog (my sister and my husband...funny but true), so I can show them to you.  For sis:
 

These are Nantucket Cloths , and the link to the free pattern is on my Ravelry project page .  I added the buttons and ribbon hangs myself.  They're made from Pishgah coned worsted cotton and I think she'll love them. 

This is another Skull Cap , this time for my husband.  It's been killing him that I've made 2 of these for other people and he doesn't have one, so with his birthday around the corner, I figured I'd break down and make another one.  I made this with Peace Fleece worsted wool, with some modifications that can be found on my Rav page where there's a link to the free pattern, also.

Lastly, I just had to share some really neat things I've been given recently:

The handmade pottery votives are a belated gift from our guest blogger, Morgen ~ see the stockinette and cabled patterns in the clay?  I can't wait to use these in the knitting attic!  The stitch markers were handmade by my coworker and I've told her she should start selling them in her etsy shop.  I'll let everyone know if she decides to give it a go ~ she makes jewelry so these have been made from her jewelry making supplies.  Turquoise beads and sterling silver closed rings ~ I love them!! 

Have a great weekend, everyone!  The sun is shining during the day and the frogs are singing at night ~ a definite sign that spring is here.  ~ Melissa

Growing Pirates

Before the littlest family member joined us 2 years ago, this Auntie made him his first skully sweater ~ size 6 month.  Can I get a little bitty 'aaaaargh':

As expected, he quickly grew out of it but this smart Auntie saved the leftover yarn and told his very smart mama that if she wanted me to try to up size it so he could get a little more wear out of it, I would surely try.  So, a few weeks ago, that very smart mama gave me a tracing of his best-fitting shirt and returned the wee pirate sweater to me for some modifications:

As I carefully unraveled the ribbing, the tiniest bits of crackers and such that had become embedded in the fibers fell out in my lap and I could picture the little guy happily munching away wearing his cute little hand knit.  Very sweet.  I picked up my stitches again and crossed my fingers that there would be just enough yarn left and........success!  He'll get one more winter from his gift from Auntie!

 

And just in case you're not completely burned out on this theme (I think this may be the last of the pirate posts.....maybe!) ~ Kelli and I have now officially made three generations of our husband's family skully caps to keep them warm this winter:

Can we get a great big, manly man, family sized 'AAAAAARRRRGHHHHH'!    ~ Melissa

2 skull caps are better than 1

I think I've started and completed more projects in the last couple weeks than I've done in the whole last year.  A woman possessed....obsessed.  Call it what you will, but I'm getting things accomplished!

Skull Cap 1 on the left and Skull Cap 2 on the right I managed to eek out of 2 skeins of Peace Fleece (aran weight) yarn.  I'd forgotten how much I liked this yarn until I pulled what I had left from 2 felted messenger bags I made a few years ago out of my stash for these hats.  Skull Hat is a free pattern available on the Knit Two Together blog (thanks Gina for being so generous!).  One aspect of this hat that I LOVE is this folded up ear flap:

which not only provides another layer of warmth, but hides almost all the stranded colorwork floats!  If you know me at all, you know how happy that makes me ;).

The hat on the left is made with recommended needle sizes and will fit a larger than average head, so the one on the right was made with 1 size smaller needles and fits an average size head.  I love this pattern and I'm positive I'll be making it again, since neither of these is for my husband and he thinks it's keen!  ~ Melissa

I'm thankful for....

A lesson learned ~ when things don't fit, maybe it's because they're meant for someone else:

He wore it all day and refused to take it off....if you ask him who made his hat, he'll tell you 'Lissa' - Sweet!

For an excuse to act like a kid again:

And for a father-in-law who is a great sport:

And, no, that's not Santa ~ he really is just my father-in-law!   ~ Melissa

Game Day

Houston, we have a problem

How I managed to get this much done as quickly as I did remains a mystery:

All that's left is the folded hem......which will have to wait until I knit another hat that will actually fit my husband.  I was so excited to find this yarn in my stash (it was meant to be ~ you know that feeling ~ the right colors, sport weight like the pattern calls for, exact yardage) that I neglected to double check my pattern notes from his last hat where I clearly noted that I used WORSTED weight yarn.  Needless to say, when he tried this on at 11:30 last night he couldn't hide his disappointment that it just doesn't fit.  At all.  He tried to convince me that after I blocked it everything would be okay but the fact that it doesn't fit me either speaks to the contrary.

So, a quick stop at Great Yarns! on my way home and lucky me, they had the EXACT same yarn I used on his last one, in Seahawks colors so I'm back in business.  GAME ON!!  Think I can whip out a second one before Sunday morning?  Wish me luck ;)   ~ Melissa

Cascade Yarns Pure Alpaca ~ ooo, lala!

Hats and Other Things

I'm making good progress on my Peerie Flooers hat.  The knitting is going a bit faster and I seem to be getting into a little rhythm which makes me relax, which is nice!  I got to this point yesterday and decided to stop and get started on a hat my husband asked me to make for him (you read that right!).  I was on complete lock down for 4 years ~ 'no thanks' was always the polite refusal when I offered to make him something.  Then last year, I got a 'I would wear that if you made it for me' as he was looking over my shoulder one day while I was on Ravelry.  Shocker!  The hat he asked for was done immediately!  Fast forward to a year later and he's nicely asked me for 2 of the same hats, one for Seahawks game days so he can wear it to the stadium and one in 'work colors' so he can wear it everyday and not worry about it getting dirty.

So, while he was at the football game yesterday, I started on his next hat & hopefully I'll have it done by Sunday so he can wear it to the game at the end of the week.

It's a fun pattern that you can find on Ravelry for free ~ 'We Call Them Pirates'.  It's going much quicker since it's only 2 colors instead of 7 like Peerie Flooers.

On a side note ~ if you haven't checked out America's Knitting, you should.  It's a really neat website with maps and locations of fiber shops and festivals across the USA.  I've been on Mary's site before and was surprised and a little tickled that she sent me a note over the weekend to ask if she could feature my Vitamin D sweater that I recently finished on her Fall 2011 projects page on the site.  I love unexpected things like that ~ makes life more fun!  If you want to take a peek, here's the link.  Dozer even managed to make it on the page ~ that's his bushy black tail in the photo.

Have a good week, everyone!  I've got lots of knitting to do so better get to it!   ~ Melissa