Twisted pumpkin hat

This weekend I spent at Leakycon in Boston. Ok maybe not of interest to everyone, but hours spent in academic paneling and wrock concerts means that I have a few projects to share. The first one is a baby hat made from both a stashed book and yarn. I love when just the right elements are among what I already have.

Pattern: Elf Hats - Twisted Pumpkin by Alison Hansel
Pattern Source: Charmed Knits
Needles: US 8 / 5.0 mm
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cotton DK
Size: small

For the most part I enjoyed this pattern, though if I were to make it again I might omit the spiralling on the "stem." It is a clever idea, but in practice was sort of fiddly to do. I am not so sure that this project is really Harry Potter inspired (the premise for the whole book of patterns), but it is cute, so you won't hear me complaining too much.

Scooter Accident

Around here, scootering is a way of life. Chiquita likes to scooter everyday, sometimes for hours. This week we had an accident though.

Knees are still very ouchy, but she was so pleased that the palms of her hands weren't the same way. "Look mom, my [fetchings] kept them safe." And to think only that morning I was teasing her that maybe it was getting a bit warm to wear them 24/7. (Please note how well these have stood up to near constant use for over a year, despite scootering and life in general.)

Starfish Blanket

Sometimes I choose patterns because the construction looks intriguing. While other times my focus is on the finished product. The baby starghan managed to be both.

Pattern: Baby Starghan (Star Afghan) by Beth Espina-Cole
Yarn: a random cone of worsted weight cotton
Hook: G/4.5 mm

This project had been in my queue for ages. The actual crocheting was really mindless, but the unusual shape provided just enough entertainment. And I love that this blanket is worked from the center out, which meant that I could just keep making it larger as long as I had more yarn.

I wish I could say something here that is sappy and sweet. But around the house, this project has been nicknamed the starfish due to the combination of the shape and pale pink color. With the 20 dc into ring beginning as it's "mouth", I have started to have visions of giant starfish wrapped around babies. Hmm, maybe I should reconsider offering small children to the elder gods of the deep...

Think Positive

In a further trend of knitting from books I already own, I recently started a striped hooded sweater from Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. One of the nice things about the pattern in this book is that they are really classic looking patterns, which means more things that I can make for baby boys. (There just seems to be so much more that I want to knit for baby girls in general!)


The problem is that I am looking at the amount of the turquoise I have is looking a little dubious. It is a fingering weight rather than the called for DK weight, so I have it doubled, and it is going a little faster that I hoped. But I only have the hood and seaming left to do. Think happy thoughts for me!

Sweet Baby Jayne

To continue the trend of hats and baby items, I present to you... a baby hat! And not just any baby hat, for this is a cunning baby hat. If a baby gets strolled down the street in a hat like that, you know he's not afraid of anything. (If none of that made any sense to you, do not fear. They are just references to Firefly, the source of this pattern inspiration.)

Pattern: Sweet Baby Jayne (a free Ravelry download)
Yarn: Wool-ease in Rancho Red and Gold & Patons Kroy sock yarn in Mellow Yellow (doubled)
Needles: US 8 / 5.0 mm

This hat was super easy and fast to make. About the slowest part was stopping to make a pompom template and then using it. Pompom! Surprisingly fun to do, this took very little yarn to make. I wonder if anyone else would appreciate one of these?

This hat is just the most recent in a list of projects I have been knitting for someone involved with science fiction and fantasy conventions for her first child due in September. She is not in the fandom, herself, so I don't just need patterns from any series in particular. Any other good recommendations out there to ensure this baby turns out adequately geeky if my knitting/crochet can do anything about it?

Sunflower Tam

Seriously, the weather in New England is absolutely crazy. One day it is in the 80s; the next day it is in the 50s and clammy. In shear self defense, I have taken to knitting almost exclusively hats and baby items. What do all of you do?

Pattern: Sunflower Tam by Norah Gaughan
Pattern Source: Knitting Nature
Yarn: Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash in color 814
Supplier: Webs
Needles: US 8 / 5.0 mm
Size: child

Can I just say how much I love this book? Honestly I bought it sort of suspecting that I would never knit anything from it, but as I was flipping through it recently for inspiration I was totally stuck by this hat.

Unfortunatley I don't think I quite have the confidence to wear such a thing, but fortunately my daughter does. She loved it, and immediately started digging through the stash to pick out some yarn with which I could make it.

And I am really happy to report that is is really fun to knit too. I had a little trouble figuring out the instructions for RT, but it wasn't that bad by trial and error. And I am not sure how much better it could have been worded. I think I just had to see it to understand.

By the way, blocking a tam on a plate is the best idea ever. I am not sure where I first heard of this idea, but it is awesome. Sorry, there are no pictures of it on child, she ran off with it as soon as it was done blocking.

Baby Odessa

So having finished a stardard sized Odessa for my niece (the pattern is very stretchy and fits a child to an average adult well), I had a master plan to make a second one for her soon-to-arrive sister with the leftover yarn and beads. I love how the colors mixed better on this one.

Second verse same as the first:

Pattern: Odessa by Grumperina (now available as a free Ravelry download)
Yarn: Mind's Eye Yarns DK Merino
Needles: US 4 / 3.5 mm
Beads: Size 6 from the Beadworks

Modifications: The baby sized version here was knit with a cast-on of only 80 instead of 110.

Whew! It was a little close there. Only 5.5g left!