Little Gnome

After making the newborn cap out of my sister's hand dyed yarn, I was in love with the texture and color. So, I had a small amount left to figure out something for Parker. I thought this little Pixie Hat would be cute on her. I love the way the yarn looks when stitched up. The hat on Parker just cracks me up because of her big cheeks, poor kid! It's a perfect fit for now and the chin strap is nice because she is one who pulls everything off of her head.

'Bout to Be Busy

I have a boom of hat requests from previous customers and friends. I guess this is the true sign of fall. The first hat I have made is with yarn that was hand-dyed by my sister in a beautiful, variegated purple. It is a silk/merino blend and is super soft and cozy. I made the cap for a girlfriend from high school, her sister has bought hats from me in the past and now wants another to give to her sister as a gift for her newborn baby niece. I think they will really appreciate that both my sister and I have had a hand in the creation of this little cap. To make the hat, I alternated a single crochet with a half-double crochet stitch and finished it off with a single crochet rib brim. I love the way it turned out for a simple stocking cap.

Fridge O'Lantern

I got the idea for this magnetic Jack O'Lantern online and thought it would be a fun, easy project to kick off the month of October. Plus, we hardly have any Halloween decorations, so I thought this would help make up for the lack of spirit. Brynn and I headed out to JoAnn Fabrics for some supplies. I downloaded a pumpkin template from the internet and increased the size to fit on one sheet of computer paper, then cut it out. I then traced this template onto a piece of orange construction paper and added a bit of green for the stem.

After doing that, I began to peel the plastic coating off of the self-adhesive magnetic sheet - what a bear. I must have gotten the wrong type of magnetic sheeting. It was nearly impossible to get the darn stuff off. I bought two sheets, but will be taking the other one back for sure. Brynn's old toddler group used to make magnets all the time, so there must be a product that is easier to use.

After I had removed enough of the plastic, I placed the pumpkin onto the magnetic sheet and cut around it, creating a large pumpkin magnet. I then used the scraps of magnetic sheet to put together a variety of shapes for the girls to use to create Jack O'Lantern faces. I am pleased with the way that it turned out and all of us have had fun switching up the faces throughout the day. I don't think Brynn fully understands the concept, because she prefers to use every shape each time, stating that her pumpkin has "hair, cheeks, chest and eyebrows." Nevertheless, it was a success!