Black and Gold Beanie

Patterns: Sideways Wedge Hat and Michelle's Booties
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft worsted weight
Needles: US 7 straights

I used only one strand of yarn for the hat and smaller needles for a finished size of 6-8 pounds.

This Hawkeye set will be donated to The Preemie Project. The good news is that I can deliver it in person. Ever since I've joined this group, I have hoped for a chance to travel to Iowa and meet everyone in person. In less than two weeks it will finally happen. I can't wait!

Baby Hats and Booties

Two sets for The Preemie Project for babies 6-8 pounds. Both hat patterns are from the book Natural Knits for Babies and Moms by Louisa Harding. I bought the last copy of this book at my LYS. The owner said it sold out quickly. No wonder. The patterns in it are adorable and simple enough for a beginner. It includes several baby sweaters, a blanket, these hats, booties and even a pattern for a maternity sweater and a nursing sweater. The baby items would all make nice gifts. I want to make each one.

The booties I made for the hats are a variation of my favorite pattern. I use this pattern all the time, because it knits up very fast and is so versatile. I've tried others that I like, but this is still the best.

The yarn I used is another favorite of mine--Little Lehigh by Kramer Yarns (45% cotton, 35% acrylic). It's very lightweight for a cotton yarn and it's machine washable and dryable. Perfect for baby items.

Needles used for both hats were US 5 and US 7 straights. It would be easy to knit the hats in the round if that is your preference.

Brazos Bend Bike Ride

It's a challenge to get outside for a trek in our part of Texas during the summer, because it is usually very hot and humid. Tuesday we were surprised by a break in the heat and actually found a little time to take the bikes to Brazos Bend State Park for ride after supper. The Trek-along socks came too.




Trekking (XXL) Color 115

This is my first attempt at short row heels and short row toes. I'm using the Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts method. She claims that this technique allows you to knit plain socks mindlessly (even when brain-dead). I had my doubts about that, but now I'm convinced! As soon as I'm finished with these I'm trying short rows on a pair for me.

We biked the 40 Acre Lake Trail and then the Elm Lake Loop Trail. These are two of the most popular trails in the park. These trails see a lot of traffic on the weekends, but were nearly empty this time of the week. Alligators are a common sight here. We saw several, but didn't stop to take pictures. Next time, I promise. The goal was to get some exercise and I didn't want to keep stopping.

Brazos Bend is only a short drive from our house, but the scenery is completely different. Where we live is open farm land, but the park is a mix of woods with huge mature oaks, swamps and lakes. Wildlife is abundant and birds are plentiful. And this day, the sky was beautiful!

Market Bag

I learned about this reusable shopping bag from Debbie. It will work great for this purpose, but I can think of some other uses too. How about a poolside tote for carrying your towel, sunscreen, book, etc.? A bag for children's toys (as long as they are big enough not to fall through the holes)? Another container to store the overflow from the yarn stash? I bet you can think of more.

Pattern: Market Bag designed by Robyn
Yarn: Lily Sugar'n Cream, 100% cotton worsted weight
Needles: 16" circular in US 10 and straight needles in the same size
Notes:

I used just barely over 2 ounces of yarn for this bag. The variegated colors of Sugar'n Cream come in 2 ounce balls. The solid colors come in 2.5 ounce balls. Each cost $1.27 per ball where I shop, so this is a very economical project to make.

The handles of this bag are knit in the round and the body is knit back and forth. I originally thought that I could use a circular needle for the whole project. However, the wraps always seemed to slide over the stitches when they were on the cable part of the needle and I spent a lot of time repositioning them. It was frustrating and time consuming. I changed to straight needles and it was smooth sailing from then on.

This pattern can be easily modified to suit your tastes.

Watermelon Set

I'm on a roll with preemie hats this week. This cute watermelon hat is from Ann Norling Pattern #30, More Kids Caps. This pattern sheet features instructions for a basic rolled cap and six specific designs including watermelon, sunflower, crayons, lace, sport helmet, and checkerboard with stripes.

I made my watermelon hat smaller by casting on 56 stitches, which gave me a hat that will fit a 6-8 pound baby. The yarn used is Lion Brand Cotton-Ease (worsted weight) and the needles used are US 7 dpns. This hat is simple to make and you could come up with your own version easily without a pattern. I think the hardest part is deciding where to place the "seeds" and then being satisfied with the results. Maybe I should add just one more...

This set will be donated to The Preemie Project.

The pattern used for the booties is a variation of this one, of course.

Black and Gold

Not the usual colors for a baby, unless you are a baby at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. This hospital is supported by The Preemie Project and is located on the UI campus. To kickoff the Hawkeye football season, The Preemie Project will be donating black and gold spirit hats and booties this fall. The hat pattern I used was written by Marcia. I think it's just perfect for this project. If these colors remind you of a bumblebee, then check out Libby's creation. It's really cute!

Striped Hat
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft worsted weight (black and lemonade)
Needles: US 6 dpns
Finished Size: 3-5 lbs

Michelle's Booties
Yarn: Same as hat
Needles: US 5
Finished Size: 3-5 lbs

Bathing Beauties

Pattern: Fiber Trends Bathing Beauties, Ribbon Lace Washcloth and Soap Sack by Evelyn A. Clark
Yarn: Rowan 4 ply 100% cotton
Needles: US 4 straights for cloth and dpns for sack

These cloths and sacks are fun to knit, take only a small amount of yarn and make a very nice gifts. On this particular set, I used a provisional cast on for the first time. Trying a new technique on a small project is a good way to learn. The pattern sheet from Fiber Trends includes instructions for three cloths with matching soap sacks. Each set requires approximately 115 yards of fingering weight cotton. The washcloths measure about 7"x10" and the soap sacks measure about 3"x5". I'll be making more of these.