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!

Lil' Pumpkins

Wow, fall is here already! Although, today was easily in the upper 70's; which is an uncommonly warm day for late September. This year I decided to make a set of matching pumpkin hats that the girls will be able to wear from now through Thanksgiving. I hope that I can convince Brynn to wear hers as she hunts for her own pumpkin in the patch (I'll be crossing my fingers until then). I love the way that the hats turned out.

The pattern was pretty easy to follow. The way that I got the ribbing was to use a fpdc stitch. I wanted the fit of the hats to be snug, but not to pull on the stitches. In other words, I didn't want a holey look to the hats. So, for the larger one I increased for the crown until there were 5 stitches between each fpdc and 4 between for the smaller hat. Brynn is 3.5 years old and Parker is 9 months; both hats fit great! I had never created a curly tendril prior to these hats, what a neat technique and very simple: chain 20-40, then repeat (2sc, 3sc) to the end of the chain. These are definitely great caps that work up very quickly. I think the pattern would make a cute tulip cap with brighter colors for the spring, so I may modify the stem a bit to try it later on.

Birthday Fish Hat

I saw this hat pattern and knew that it was the perfect gift for our buddy Cole. Cole turned four this past Saturday and I finished the morning of his party. It was a fun project to do, even though I am not a fan of having to do so many finishing touches. It was a hit at the party.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of the birthday boy wearing the hat - it was a bit crazy with kids during the gift time. I did, however, get Brynn wearing the hat right before heading to the party.