Cupcake Hat

I had a lot of fun making these hats! Hope you do too.

Pattern: Cupcake Hat by Becky Veverka
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft (worsted weight)
Needles: US 7 DPN
Notes:

This pattern is written to fit a small child. Here's what I did to come up with three sizes that will fit babies for The Preemie Project:
For sizes 1-3 lbs(3-5lbs,6-8lbs)
CO 40(48,56)
Work ribbed cup color until 1 1/2"(1 1/2", 2")
Knit frosting color until 3 1/2"(4", 4 1/2") from cast on edge
Work decreases
I haven't decided if the 2" length of the cup color on the size 6-8 lb hat is right or if it would look better at 1 1/2".


It took a little time for me to figure out how to make what the pattern calls a nubble, because I was reading too much into the instructions and trying to make it harder than it is. Basically all you do to make a nubble is to cast on extra stitches by knitting into a stitch and placing the loop back onto the same needle (this is like the first cast on technique I learned when I started knitting), then bind off the required number of stitches. On the smallest hat I made a nubble from four stitches instead of five as instructed.

Thanks, Jean!

For those who read this blog on a regular basis, you know how much The Preemie Project means to me. It truly has become one of the joys of my life. So imagine how touched I was when I went to Jean's blog today and read about the contest she's running. Not only has she knit a hat and a pair of booties for the little babies, but she is going one step farther by encouraging others to do the same. Her kindness means so much to me. The contest rules are simple: knit a hat and a pair of booties, mail them to Laura, then leave Jean an email letting her know they are in the mail. Your name will then be entered for a chance to win. The prize: a beautiful seagrass basket, just perfect for knitting. So, if you've been thinking about helping out, now would be a good time. Remember, the hat and booties don't have to be fancy, just be sure to use very soft yarn that can be machine washed and dried (no wool please) and also refer to this guide for sizing (be sure to scroll down some to find the finished hat circumferences, which are a little smaller than the actual head sizes). You will find the address of where to mail your donation at the bottom of the same page. Here's a simple set I made the other day.

It only took three hours to knit the whole set. See, I told you it was easy.

Hat
Pattern: Knitted Preemie Hat-double pointed needles
Needle size: US 5
Yarn: Bernat Softee Baby (Sport D.K.)
Notes: I cast on 56 stitches and knit until the hat measured 4" from the cast on edge, then began the decreases. This hat measures 11" in circumference, which will fit a 3-5 pound baby. For those not comfortable with knitting with double points, you might try this pattern.

Booties
Pattern: Michelle's Preemie-Newborn Booties (and a nice hat pattern too)
Needle size: US 5
Yarn: Bernat Softee Baby (Sport D.K.)
Notes: I cast on 25 stitches and followed the pattern as instructed. The sole of these booties measure approximately 2 3/4" in length, which will fit a 3-5 pound baby.

I hope this will help you get started. The Preemie Project needs hats and booties for all sizes of babies from 1 pound to 11 pounds, so any size you come up with will fit some baby. The trick is to make a pair of booties to match the hat size. I have figured out the needle size and the number of stitches to cast on for all weights of yarn for these two patterns. If you need some advice on sizing, I'll be glad to help out. Just leave a comment and an email address so I can get back to you or you can find my email address by clicking on the View My Complete Profile link located on the top right of this blog.

PS. If the set you make doesn't match in size, send it in anyway. It will still be used.

Yarn Shopping

Well, I haven't cast on the second Embossed Leaves Sock yet. Instead, I've been working on hats and booties for The Preemie Project. Soon I'll be setting up the sewing machine to make little blankets. Our donation deadline is coming up in a couple of weeks and I want to be sure to get a few more things completed by then. I also keep looking at this...

It's some of the goodies I bought with the gift certificate my sister gave me for Christmas. The book is called Sarah Dallas Knitting. The yarn is for a couple of projects in the book--mittens and slippers. I'm very tempted to start these now. I also picked up this book...

Knitters', Crocheters', Weavers' & Spinners' Travel Guide 2006
It lists literally thousands of yarn shops across the United States and includes information like addresses, phone numbers and websites--all organized by states. I've had fun just reading the names of the stores. Some names are really reaching to be cute. I thought about sharing a few that made me laugh, but that wouldn't be very nice. You'll just have to get a book and check it out for yourself. One thing I know, this book is coming with me on my next trip, because yarn is the best
souvenir. I'm sure you agree!

I Didn't Tell You...

...I was knitting a sock. It's the Embossed Leaves Socks designed by Mona Schmidt from the Winter issue of Interweave Knits. I like knitting socks, but I never feel a great need to concentrate all my energy on finishing them on any kind of time schedule. So, sometimes I will finish a pair in a reasonable amount of time and sometimes it takes me months. With this one I've been taking my time, knitting a few rounds whenever I feel like it. However, yesterday I had the urge to knit on them all day. It's amazing how fast it goes when you do that. This is a great pattern and yarn (Koigu) and I'll share all the details later when I finish the second sock, which could be next week or next month...you just never know.

Keeping It Simple

I've had a bad cold this week and feel kind of lousy, but not so bad that I can't knit. Keeping it simple is the best way to go when you don't feel well, so I've been making hats and booties for The Preemie Project--trying to use up some Bernat Cotton Tots yarn I've had in my stash for awhile. I love the blue in this hat. It's called blue berry. It makes me happy just to look at it. A nice change from the all white knitting earlier.

The weather has been a little cooler, so I've been wearing my felted clogs a lot. They are breaking in nicely and I'm enjoying them even more than I thought I would. Last night I was looking for something in the pantry and knocked an unopened bottle of Tabasco Sauce off the shelf. I experienced a sinking feeling as I saw the bottle falling and knowing that it would land on the hard tile floor near my feet...my clog clad feet! The bottle survived, but the plastic lid broke and sauce squirted out onto the wall and my pant leg. Somehow the clogs were spared from all but one drop which I wiped off quickly before it had time to absorb into the fabric. That was lucky! Now the pants...that's a different story.

Pretty Picture

While looking through my photos, I came across this picture I took last summer in Estes Park, Colorado. It reminded me to thank God for the rain he sent to us last night and brought to mind this scripture from Revelation 4:11.

You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.

Just wanted to share.

The Saga of the Clogs

The challenge: to felt the clog on the left to match the one on the right, but first the saga...

Two summers ago, while on a vacation in Colorado Springs, I purchased yarn and a pattern (Fiber Trends) for these clogs. I was a relatively new knitter then, so I let the store owner figure the amount of yarn I would need for the project. She had made these clogs before and even had a sample on display in the store. I trusted she knew the amount of yarn I would need.

Last spring I finally got around to knitting them and guess what? I found out I didn't have enough of the dark color to make both clogs. Oh well, I would just order more and it wouldn't really matter if it was the same dye lot because I could hide a mismatched color on the inside of the double sole if I needed to. First I decided to felt the one clog, just to make sure it was worth the effort and expense. It felted beautifully.

Finding the yarn (Cascade Pastaza) in the right color was more of a challenge than I thought it would be. Finally ordered some though and was happy to discover on it's arrival that the color was a close match. However, the yarn sat in the stash until just a couple of weeks ago.

Now, almost a year later the second clog is knitted and ready to be felted, which brings me back to the challenge. Will I be able to shrink it to the same size as the first one? I took notes on the length of washing time from earlier, but that probably won't help much since I've bought a new washing machine since then.

Well, I don't know why I had any doubts...

This one took longer to felt for some reason (the new machine maybe?) and didn't felt as evenly at first, but I think it's a good match in the end.