Sun hat...

I wanted a sun hat with a brim I could wear when I was working in the yarn...so I scoured the patterns on Ravelry and this one jumped out at me. I didn't want any old hat...I had high standards!
My hat criteria:-
It had to have a brim...check.
Knit with cotton....check. ( Especially since I'd just bought "Sugar'nCream" at Michaels for a $1 a cake.)
Made to fit, me....check. (I took a bunch of measurements.)
It is cute, but it's a lot warmer than I thought it would be. The Grand Poobah says I look a lot like Martha Washington's chambermaid, and you know I have to admit...I do!
It probably won't get lots of wear, no doubt I'll go back to wearing my baseball hat!
Pattern:-Sunshine & Lollipops by machen/machen found here http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sunshine--lollipops (Ravelry link)
Yarn:-"Sugar'nCream" approx 2 skeins.
Needles:-Sz#4
The hat was a fast easy knit..started at the top and worked down. The hat band and inner brim was knit using a contrast colour.( I choose light purple to offset the dark purple, gray, navy and green.)
I do wear it...occasionally.
Happy knitting everyone and don't forget your hat and sunscreen!
Mags.

Cheating

I always feel like I'm cheating when I knit top down....and I know it's because I don't have to worry about the dreaded seaming!
I'm such a perfectionist about my seams it causes me no end of grief! I even took a seaming class, but it didn't really help with the worry!
Doing top down, means I just have a very few ends to weave in and I'm done! Yeah! Problem solved!
Pattern:-Siesta by Carol Feller. This is a free pattern here http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/siesta/ (Ravelry link)
Modifications:- I lengthened the sleeves by about an inch....because of my old lady arms.
This is a lovely very easy to follow pattern.
Needles:-Sz#5
Yarn:-Naturally caron.com 'Country'. Now this top was supposed to be DK yarn but I somehow bought worsted weight...oh well, it got the job done and I love it! It will be more of a spring fall weight top than a summer one!
I love the i-cord edging and although it was a pain to graft the i-cord edges together it does make a nice neat finished edge.
I have promised to knit a friend a cardigan...now I must choose pattern and yarn!
Could it be there is another top down/cheat in my future.
Probably!
Happy knitting everyone.
Mags.

Can you believe this??

Can you believe this..another project, wasn't it just yesterday I posted? Okay..lets get real here...there was not much work involved in this one. (hee hee)

This is a special birthday card for wee Jamsey who will soon be 7!

The notion to do this came last night so I just used materials I had on hard.

My knitting is pulling in a little because I used chunky pink (face) and the background is worsted weight!

I love the googly eyes.

Pattern:-http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/happy-faces (Ravelry link)I love Ravelry for ideas and patterns!

I did the embroidery and the hair with sock yarn and machine sewed the knitting to one of those cheap cardboard frames.

Happy knitting.

Mags.

It's a girl!

My friend Sandy is happily anticipating her first grand baby..and guess what.."It's a girl!" I bet the pink was a dead giveaway.(heehee)
I have knit for so many baby boys this is such a treat.
Yarn:-Crystal Palace Merino 5 100% superwash. (nice yarn to work with..altho not so much if your have ripped out a piece 5 or 6 times! )
Needles Sz#7
I originally was going to do a shrug but just didn't like the u-shape construction, so I bought a little pattern on Ravelry.
Pattern:-Bitty Bolero by Pixie Purls
This is a great little top down pattern, practically seamless.
Modifications:-the collar was supposed to be knit in 2x2 like the ribbing on the sleeve cuffs, bottom and curved front edge but I probably wasn't doing it right because I hated that my stitches looked wonky. I decided to just do a garter stitch collar. I added a little I-cord loop and pink elephant button.
I decided to add a little hat to complete the look.
This is "Lilly's Hat" a free pattern on Ravelry, but I changed it up..a lot.
Lilly's hat is knit bottom up...mine top down.
I did more increases on the crown, added a few more rows for a little longer length but finished with the same ruffles on the bottom. I added a little flower. Awwww.
The modifications here saved me from casting on 352sts and joining without twisting!
Now I just hope everything fits. Babies grow so fast in the first few weeks and new Moms get so much stuff, do babies really even get a chance to wear everything they get??
The Grand Poobah just asked me if I was knitting socks to really complete the look...my answer was a resounding "NO"...I just seem to have lost my sock mojo!
Hope you are all enjoying the summer.
Happy knitting.
Mags.