New sweater for Hailey!

The pattern is from http://peonyknits.blogspot.com/. Check it out... it is so incredibly quick to knit and is done top down which I LOVE. I made one in a matter of hours. It would make a great gift, especially if you need to knit something quick.

UPDATE: I think I may have to redo the arms, might be a little tight on my bind-off. Also needs to be blocked.

Warm Ears Taos Hat

I finished a fun project... a free pattern for a hat made with Taos yarn. I have never used this yarn and I like it. This hat was an easy, fun project that only took one skein of yarn. Plus, I got to use several different techniques. I wondered how it would look on because, to me, it looked kind of like a circus hat or something. But, it looks really good on my daughter. The pattern is from Crystal Palace. This project can be done in a day or two days, very quick.

Cell Phone/I-Pod Covers

The other day I finally learned some new techniques. I found this great pattern on Ravelry for cell phone or I-pod covers and they are really nice. The pattern called for a turkish cast-on and an I-chord cast off, I've never tried them. So, I figured it was time for me to learn something new. I should do this more often because it wasn't very hard and I got the hang of it on my first try. Now I am attempting to felt these little suckers and that is a whole other story.

I was told that the Brown Sheep Lanaloft worseted would felt beautifully. Well... I don't know what I'm doing wrong but it's not working to good. They have been in the machine for 30 minutes and they are barely felted. I'm considering these for the bazaar at my childrens school along with the market bags. Both projects are quick and inexpensive, a great combination! Oh... the patterns were freebies from ravelry.com.

What's next?

On to the next project... I made a vest with a matching hat for my niece for Christmas. The patterns are new from Lisa Ellis Designs and I LOVE them. On to making the matching scarf now. These patterns are so quick, easy and simple to make. They knit up fast for quick gift giving. I'm making one for my daughter for Christmas also.

http://lisaellisdesigns.com/

New Projects

My new projects this week have been a beanie hat for my nephew and a scarf type hat (Calorimetry) for my daughter. She doesn't like wearing hats or her hair back, she has to have her ears covered, so I thought maybe it would work to keep her hair out of her face while playing tennis. Both patterns were free on Ravelry.com. For the classic rib hat I used Cascade 220 superwash. I like the yarn a lot but I'm not sure I like the decreases on the crowning. Plus, I think I made it too long. It really has to be rolled up but it may work for him. It was a basic, simple, quick pattern that knits up really fast.

I love how the Calorimetry turned out. I used Noro Kureyon and the colors are beautiful. It is a little big but I think I can place the button to make it fit her. If not, it will go to someone else and I'll make a smaller one.

Felted Lunch Bag

This last weekend when I was making the market bags I started thinking about lunch bags. I found this great pattern (free) online on http://www.ravelry.com/ and I love it. I made the bag with some leftover Reynolds Lopi yarn that I had, wasn't sure how it would felt but it did fine. It only took 2 skeins on size 13 needles. I probably could have gotten away with a 10 1/2 like the pattern called for. During the felting process the yarn did shed a lot, and needs to be trimmed, but I think it turned out really good. I just need to decide on a button and let it dry. I'm thinking this might be a great teacher gift for Christmas. The pattern knits up pretty quick and is very, very simple. The best thing about these felted wool bags is they are naturally insulating.

The second picture shows the bag from the side, it is folded in like a regular brown paper bag and it is large enough to fit Tupperware too.

Felted Purse

Here is a fun felted bag I made the other day. I bought some hand painted wool yarn from the Bev Galeskas trunk show (Fiber Trends). I LOVE this yarn, it is so pretty and the bag felted really nice. The pattern was relatively easy and was free from Bev when you purchase her yarn. I never knew you could felt in cold water but it felted perfectly. This was a free pattern with the purchase of the yarn, check out their website, www.fibertrends.com.

Going Green - Market Bag

I saw these market bags on Ravelry and I love them. I've made two so far and my daughter already snagged one for her lunch bag. They do stretch so I'm waiting a few days to see how much they stretch. I used the Lily Sugar'n Cream cotton, very economical. It was a very easy pattern, it only took me a few hours to make while watching TV. The pattern was a free download from Ravelry.

OK... I've now made about 10 of these and I'm considering them for a bazaar at my childrens school. Everyone seems to really love them.