Back to Normal

The charity items are packed and ready to be mailed today. There is a box full of hats for TPP, mittens for Soaring Eagles and a bereavement set for Emmazing Grace. Being a participant in KUO was the motivation I needed to get it all done.



Now it's back to my regular knitting. I want to finish John's socks. He's been patiently waiting for a whole month and I haven't even finished the first one. All that's left is the toe. He hasn't tried it on yet, but it seems to be coming out the same as a pair I made before that fit him well. I should know by as early as tonight if I have the fit right this time.

Preemie Hat Pattern

I liked the hat I came up with the other day so much, that I decided to knit another one...and another one...and...well...it was hard to stop. Since I had so much fun with it, I thought someone else might too, so I wrote out the pattern. Enjoy!



PREEMIE EYELET CAP

Yarn: Sport weight or D.K. weight baby yarn
Needles: US 5 (3.75mm) dpns
Size: 1-3 lbs

Hat:
CO 48 stitches.
Divide stitches evenly on three needles.
Join in the round, being careful not to twist stitches.
Rnds 1-6: *K1, p1, repeat from * to end of round.
Rnds 7-11: K to end of round.
Rnd 12: P to end of round.
Rnd 13: *K2tog, yo, repeat from * to end of round.
Rnd 14: P to end of round.
Repeat rounds 7-14 two more times.
Knit 3 rounds, then begin decreases.

Decreases:
*K6, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round.
*K5, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round.
*K4, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round.
*K3, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round.
*K2, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round.
*K1, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round.
*K2tog, repeat from * to end of round.
*K2tog, repeat from * to end of round.

Knotted I-cord:
Move remaining 3 stitches to one dpn.
Work I-cord for 2 inches.
Bind off.
Cut yarn, leaving a 6 inch tail.
Thread tail on yarn needle and pull through center of I-cord.
Tie knot in I-cord.

Weave in all ends.

Blanket, Gown and Hat

For the Emmazing Grace Foundation.



Baby Blanket
The pattern I used is similar to this one.
Yarn: Red Heart Baby Clouds
Color: Seaspray
Needles: US 15
Size: 22" sqaure



Gown and Hat
The gown pattern I used is similar to this one. I made up the hat as I knitted.
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft Baby Sport
Color: Off White
Needles: US 5
Size: 1-3 pounds



Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

Mitten Knittin'

The sun is shining today, but it's been cold and rainy here ever since Thanksgiving. The perfect weather to stay inside and Knit Unto Others.

Last post, I was looking for yarn in the stash to knit mittens for the Soaring Eagles Project. Since the yarn should be washer and dryer friendly, I ended up in the acrylic bin. What I have in there is mostly pastel colored yarn for preemie hats, but I found some colors suitable for elementary aged children.



I started with a pattern called Child's Mitten. It's based on Elizabeth Zimmerman's adult mittens. I had so much fun with the first pair, that I immediately knitted a second pair.



Next, I tried 45-Minute Mittens (link on the side bar) by Susan B. Anderson, using Lion Brand Homespun and US 10.5 needles. I like the nubby texture of these mittens.



And then, I tried the pattern for Tweedy Mittens, though the yarn I used is not tweedy at all.



Mittens are very satisfying to knit. I could have kept going, but I decided to move on to another charity project for this week. I might squeeze in another pair though. We'll see.

The Finish Line

I finally finished up the skein of *TLC Baby in New Mint Sparkle!

Preemie Diamond Lace Hat



I made this one smaller than the pattern. It's worked on 48 stitches using US 5 and is size 1-3 pounds.



Preemie Rolled-Brim Hat



I cheated on this one. It's knitted with two strands of yarn held together just so I could use up the yarn faster and move on to something else. And wouldn't you know it? I ran out of yarn on the last couple of decrease rows. I substituted a solid green in the same shade to finish and added a solid green pom-pom.

I felt somewhat relieved when I used up all of this skein of yarn. It's nice yarn, a good color, very soft and works well for preemie hats, but sometimes enough is enough. Ready for a change, I went to the stash right away to look for yarn suitable for mittens for the Soaring Eagles Project and guess what I found?



Another full skein of yarn that looks very familiar. This one is Red Heart Soft Baby in New Mint Twinkle. The label may be different, but believe me, it's the exact same yarn. I think I'll try to forget I saw it.

*TLC Baby is manufactured by Red Heart

The Never-Ending Skein

You may remember a while back that I decided to use one skein of yarn and see how many different preemie hats I could come up with. Well, I'm back at it and for the rest of the month I'll be focusing my knitting efforts on Knit Unto Others. I have three hats to show that will be going to TPP Michigan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Preemie Twinkle Hat

This time I made sure to use garter stitch as is pictured in the pattern. Last time I used stockinette stitch (click here and scroll to last picture for comparison). Either way makes a cute hat. I like both. I'm not sure I have a favorite, though I will probably make the stockinette one more often, because it went faster. Both were knitted in the round.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Shadow Stripes Hat

This was a fun one to knit. The design is by Patti Pearce Stone. If you've ever used any of her patterns before, you know she pays special attention to little details. For instance, she could have easily gone with a 2x2 rib for the band of this hat, but instead she came up with a slip stitch combination that is very interesting. It's not hard to execute, but takes a little more effort. When I first began knitting preemie hats I passed over many of her patterns, because slip stitches and yarn-overs were still kind of new to me. I think it's time to go back and see what I've been missing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



I don't have a name for this hat. It started out to be a preemie version of My Hat of Choice, but I changed my mind after the first repeat of the stitch pattern. I've made a grown-up size hat from this pattern that I'll show you some day, so I know the preemie version would have turned out really cute. It just would have taken longer to knit than I had for one sitting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Believe it or not I still have some yarn left from the one skein of TLC Baby--enough for three more hats maybe. So far I've knitted six size 1-3 pound hats and one size 3-5 pound hat from a single skein of yarn that cost only $2.99. Knitting for others costs very little in money and only slightly more in time. Besides, it's fun!

Second Verse, Same As The First

Except this one is blue.



Pattern: Sleeper Sack
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Dreambaby D.K.
Needles: US 3
Size: Less than 1 lb. (chest circumference: 8", length: 11")



This set took about ten hours to make and is my last item for Knit Unto Others. It's been a productive two weeks. Items made for KUO and The Preemie Project include eight preemie sized Santa hats with matching booties and two tiny bereavement sets for a total of forty-four hours of knitting.

Knit Unto Others

Pattern: Sleeper Sack
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Dreambaby D.K.
Needles: US 3
Size: Less than 1 lb. (chest circumference: 8", length: 11")

There's been a whole lot of knitting going on at my house! Participating in KUO has given me the motivation I need to get together a nice donation for The Preemie Project. For me, knitting bereavement clothing it is the most important charity work I do. This gown has become my favorite to knit. It's simple, no frills look makes it perfect for a boy. I only wish you could see it in person, because the picture doesn't do it justice. The Dreambaby yarn is incredibly soft and perfect for this pattern. I still have enough to make another set like this in blue and there are still a few days left of KUO, so why stop now?

That's Enough

I've reached my limit. Eight Santa hats with matching booties for The Preemie Project. I began the first hat last Monday (though I didn't post about it until Friday) and finished the last pair of booties this morning. Each set represents three hours of knitting. I consider this time well spent. Knitting for others gives purpose to my passion.

For the rest of the week, I'll continue Knit Unto Others by working on a bereavement set (also for The Preemie Project). I haven't decided which pattern to use yet, but I have decided on the yarn: Plymouth Dreambaby. I was lucky enough to leave the 300th comment on Megan's blog, Woolly Interlude, and win this great yarn along with some beautiful Lorna's Laces.

Thanks, Megan! You must have handpicked this especially for me. It will be put to good use.

Be Thankful...

and Knit Unto Others. That's what I'll be doing for the next couple of weeks. I'm knitting Santa hats and booties for The Preemie Project until the red yarn runs out or I get sick of it, whichever comes first.



The hat pattern I'm using is my own version. There are other patterns here, here and here, if you would like to join me in knitting for the babies. For the booties, I'm using a variation of this pattern.