Lost Banner Hat

Continuing on with my Ravellenics projects, today I'm sharing the Lost Banner Hat.  This is a Susan B. Anderson pattern and qualified for our team prize drawing during the Ravellenics.

Susan knit this hat for herself from her own gradient handspun (a Loop batt maybe?) and eventually included a picture wearing said hat in her blog banner.  Her daughter wore it to school one day and it was lost, hence the name.  This was a pattern Susan never intended to publish, but instead something she whipped up for fun.  She had an overwhelming response to the hat, finally relented and released the pattern.  I'm glad she did because I really enjoyed the knit!

With a long, ribbed brim, this hat is really cute because you can flip all that ribbing up over the stockinette portion.  I knit this with my own handdyed, worsted yarn in Snowcone and Lollipop Guild. I then mailed it to Carol to be donated with the other charity items collected.  It should make for a fun kid's hat with all the bright, vibrant colors.  I'd really like to knit another hat for myself out of some gradient yarn.

I put the hat on Lovebug and tried to snap a few shots, but she would have none of it.  (She's very anti "things-on-my-head" right now.)  Squishy modeled it for me briefly, but he too wouldn't leave it on his head.  He is still very attached to his green apple hat from Debby (knittinggrandma) that we received in a swap a while ago and doesn't think he needs another at the moment.

Ravellenics 2012

I suppose it's about time I launched into the Ravellenics knitting that happened this summer.  Ravellenics (previously known as Ravelympics) coincides with the Olympics, so every two years knitters and crocheters and fiber artists gather their fiber and tools and get to work.  There are events and badges, goals and accomplishments, and it is really neat to see what we as a community can do in a short amount of time.

I participated in a few events which included the Frogging Trampoline and the Hand-Dyed High Dive. I also entered items into the charity knitting event, one skein wonders, the mitten event and the hat event.  That sounds like a lot, but it's not really.

For the frogging event (Frogging Trampoline), the requirements were that the item to be frogged (unraveled) must be at least 25% complete, and that you take a before and after shot.  I frogged two items.

First up, the Bathrobe.  I've talked about this knit a lot but never really got anywhere with it.  It'd been languishing on the needles, untouched, for too long.  Every time I went back to the pattern I spent half the time trying to figure out where I left off, and then getting frustrated because the pattern instructions were unclear to me.  Aside from that, the Bathrobe was meant to be for Squishy, who is now closer to 4 than 3 years old and the pattern size I was knitting was 24 months.  Too small!! And too big at the moment for Lovebug.

Before

 After

(I apologize for the quality of some of these photos.  

They were taken on my phone in bad lighting!)

The second item I frogged was Evie's Sweater.  I almost had her sweater reknit after frogging it once already, but I just couldn't come to terms with the density of the fabric.  I was trying to use yarn that was too heavy, even going up a couple needle sizes the sweater was thick and hard to maneuver.  It never would have been comfortable for her to wear.  I really want to knit her this pattern because it would cover the majority of her body and neck and give her tiny body warmth in the winter.  Perhaps I can get myself in gear and get this knit for the coming winter...with the proper yarn!

Before

 After

I also competed in the Hand Dyed High Dive.  This was for yarn and/or fiber that was dyed during the Ravellenics.  I dyed two skeins of fingering weight wool.  One for a prize drawing for Team Itty Bitty Knitters and one as a yarn swap with a friend.

I also knit 2 items, a pair of color work fingerless mitts and a hat during that time, but I'll save those for another day.

Yarn Sock

This will be a fairly quick one today, folks.

Have you ever started working with a ball of yarn that’s so nicely wound up and pretty?  And before you know it, that wound yarn starts looking like yarn barf? 

I don’t know why it happens to me so often.  Perhaps it’s because of the way I stuff my project bags into other bags, throw them around in the car, or leave them sitting out on the couch for the dogs, kids and other people to accidentally (or maybe not) sit on them.  Whatever the cause, by the time my project is finished, I’m ready to rewind my yarn so that I feel a little bit less out of control (hubby would call this my controlling side…lol).

I have been watching Knittin’ On the Fly with Katie (jetgirl1313) for a while now.  One podcast awhile back she mentioned she was knitting a yarn sock.  (That’s not really what she called it, but that’s what I’m calling it.)    She had been gifted something called a “yarn bra?” And then found some patterns on Ravelry that were similar.  I decided to try them out.

So with my Cascade Fixation, a blend of cotton and elastic (interesting, no?) in a very bright red, I cast on for my very own sock.  You can find the pattern by Jennifer Sugarman HERE.  I thought perhaps the elastic in this yarn would make a nice fit for this type of project.

Here’s my completed project.  I’m not sure how well it works yet as I’ve only just started using it.  I tested it out over a larger center-pull ball of yarn (it will only work with center-pull balls of yarn…) and it seemed a little small, so if I were to knit one again, I might be inclined to make it just a tad taller – I think that would solve that issue nicely. 

I’ll keep you informed of what I think, but I’m thinking this will be a nice solution to my problem! :)

Hedgehogs and Hippos

A long while back I shared with you the package I received from Pam in the H is for Hippos and Hedgehogs swap.  I was so happy with my package and the thought that Pam put into all of it.  And boy, did my stash grow!!

It's about time I share with you what went into the package that I sent.  My swappee was Kendra (kendraja) and I was so excited to get started on her package!  Mostly, I was excited that she would love to receive the Hedgehog to Squirrel toy by Susan B. Anderson.  It's part of her Woodland Creatures collection and I've been wanting to knit it for awhile.  This was just the motivation I needed.  Those reversible toys are so stinkin' cute!! (And if you don't remember, everything we included in the box had to be described with an "H.")

I'm going to get right into it because I've got a bit to share.  Starting with the knitted goodies, as I said, I knit the Hedgehog to Squirrel Reversible toy by Susan Anderson.

My favorite part of this toy is two-fold.  1) The "ridges" on the hedgehog - they're such a creative construction, I really enjoyed that part of the knitting and it adds such dimension to the toy; 2) the squirrel's bushy tail.  Now, Susan always indicates the size of pom-poms to use in her toys, but I don't really listen.  I use my Pom Tree or pom-pom makers and make the fluffiest, biggest pom-pom I can stand, and then trim and trim and trim until I feel it's just right.  (I sort of have to start out larger because I have this thing with making the pom-poms look even and appropriately fluffed...)  So the squirrel tail is very bushy...hopefully Kendra likes it as much as I did!!

The poor hedgehog has a secret, and I won't share what it is, but I'm sure you can spot it.  He feels a bit unique...and hopes that no one thinks badly of him for it. ;)   Mr. Hedgehog was knit with Cascade 220 in Dark Brown and Winter White, while Mr. Squirrel is knit with Cascade 220 Winter White and Spud & Chloe Sweater in Beluga.  I have to mention again how amazingly soft and wonderful S&C is to knit with.  I love it!

(Shhh....don't tell!)

The second knit was a washcloth, designed by our very own bee30, Ber.  She was looking for hedgehog cloths and couldn't find any so she designed not one, but three different designs!  I wanted to knit all three but ran out of time.  So this cloth is Hedgehog Washcloth #3 and I love it so much!  Ber - you did an amazing job designing these cloths!

The last knit item is another dishcloth, which I'm calling the Hungry Hippo Cloth by Elaine Fitzpatrick.  Super simple, super quick - I had this one done in no time!

Normally, I like to do dishcloths in fun colors, but I had natural Lion Brand Lion Cotton Solid on hand so that's what I used.

Handmade stitch markers for Kendra's knitting, in the form of dice and Holey markers.  These markers were sort of a pain to make, but it was a process of trial and error and I finally figured out how to make it work.  If you look closely at the picture, you will see that there is a tiny ball inside the larger white ball, and the purpose of the holes is to see the tiny ball inside.  If you'd like to know more about this process, let me know and I'll explain more in-depth.  (I've got a set for myself that I need to finish sanding and coating.

There was a hedgehog switch plate/light switch cover.  I found this idea on Pinterest.  It's super simple and would be a fun craft to do with your older kids.  I'd link it, but I never repinned the idea myself.  Again, ask if you're interested in more details. :)

Because we needed "h" words, and I live in "America's Hometown," I knew I needed to include some hometown swag.  I don't usually do things from my town, but rather just something from Iowa.  But this was a perfect opportunity.  There were "America's Hometown" magnets, Hart Parr postcards (Oliver/Hart Parr tractors were made in my town before the bigger companies took over), Oliver/Hart Parr pin, and a Hometown Holiday ornament.

A hooter gauge (needle gauge), a heart-shaped yarn cutter pendant

Haribo gummies, a huge Hershey's Kiss, and a huge lollipop

stickers of all kinds (horses, Hello Kitty, happy faces and hearts), a hardback Dr. Seuss book and Weekend Hats

Handmade sheep soap made locally, handy pencils, fun erasers for the heck of it, a Knit Happy tape measure

and finally, about 650 yards of 50/50 silk, merino blend in fingering weight that I hand dyed and named "Victorian Rose."

The "H" twist to this swap made it both fun and challenging.  There are things I did choose to leave out of the package because they didn't quite fit, and I thought would perhaps work better in another swap at another time.

I've since taken a bit of a break from swapping as I wanted to knit more things for myself when I wanted to knit them, instead of fitting them in around knitting that had a deadline.  I've found that to be very relaxing!

Giveaway Winner

Thank you to everyone who entered my Fall Giveaway!  It was so much fun to read everyone's comments about their favorite part of fall.  The changing of the leaves is in full swing here and this weekend we did our first round of raking.  We will have several more before winter arrives.  We only have two small trees in our front yard, but each of our neighbors have at least one large Maple tree nearby and each tree releases it's leaves at different times during the season.

Okay, so enough about that stuff right?  On to the winner?

Drumroll......
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And the winner is Lyndsey!

This is what Lyndsey had to say,

"Lots of pretties and gorgeous yarn. I think that is my favorite color this season. As for what I live about fall, I'll quote my favorite little character, "It's autumn? Ah, it is. It's the first day of autumn! A time for hot chocolatety mornings, and toasting marshmallow evenings, and best of all, leaping into *leaves*!"

Congratulations, Lyndsey!  I'll be mailing out your package by the end of the week!

On top of winning 2 skeins of Shelter, Long Johns and the Wood Hollow Mittens pattern, Lyndsey has also won a fall-inspired project bag (made by brownbettystyle on Etsy) and two sets of stitch markers made by yours truly. 

Thanks, again, to everyone who entered.  As I've mentioned, I've been wanting to host a giveaway for quite some time and you all have made this one very enjoyable!  

Fall Giveaway

I’ve been wanting to host a giveaway of sorts for quite some time.  I’ve had one or two before and I really enjoyed them.

I thought about having one to mark my 100^th post, but I didn’t.  I considered one for reaching 1 year, but that came and went before I really had time to think.

I know I will be adjusting to a new and different schedule when Lovebug arrives, sometime having extra down time, and sometimes wishing there were more hours in a day and having more than two hands.

So, with school back in swing, Fall quickly changing the scenery (my favorite time of year), my 2-year blogiversary and the quickly approaching arrival of our baby girl, I thought now would be a good time for a giveaway.

So are you ready to hear what’s up for grabs?  Maybe I should postpone a bit…

…nah…just kidding.

I am going to be giving away 2 skeins of Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in the color Lohn Johns,

along with the pattern Wood Hollow Mittens by Kirstin Kapur.

 (This giveaway is for the mitten pattern only, the hat pattern is not included.)

Photos by Kirsten Kapur

Both of these things remind me of Fall…the changing colors on the Maple trees, the chilling of the air, and the approach of family holidays.  The perfect time of year to knit something warm and beautiful for the cool weather.

There may be a few other small goodies thrown in, but I have yet to make those decisions.  The pattern will be gifted via Ravelry once the winner has been selected.  

A little giveaway to mark a great time of year.

To enter please:

1.     Leave a comment under this post telling me what you enjoy about the Fall.  It doesn’t have to be Fall for you right now, but seeing as how I’m in the US/Midwest, it’s on the brain and I’d love to hear other stories. 

2.     Please include your name and email address or Ravelry ID so I have a way to contact you if you’re the winner!

3.     I will return in 1 week (Tuesday, October 25, 2011) to announce a winner and share the entire goodie basket to be sent to the winner’s doorstep!  (Sign-ups will close at midnight CST on Monday, October 24, 2011.)

So get to it! Leave a comment, have a wonderful week and Good Luck!

ETA: Some people are having trouble with Blogger recognizing their Blogger ID and allowing them to post.  Try posting as "anonymous" and just adding your Ravelry ID or email address in your message.  If you continue to have issues, message me on Ravelry and I'll add an entry for you (raelynne01 on Rav).  Thanks for playing!

Botanic Hat

Over the last few months you’ve seen and heard about several knit items made for the new baby.  It’s so easy to get sucked in to small, quick projects.  Babies are so little that anything you make for them can be finished in the blink of an eye.

Feeling a bit guilty that my knitting had shifted from making things for Squishy, to making things for Lovebug, I thought I should focus on Squishy a little bit.  I have a couple long-term projects on the needles for him, but I needed something quick and easy.

I’ve been perusing Ravelry for a hat pattern I really liked.  I wanted something more than just a basic beanie.  Squishy always loves wearing Mr. Man’s hat when they’re finished, so I thought something a little more grown up would be fitting. 

And every time I would pick a pattern and get ready to knit, it didn’t feel right.  I picked out so many hat patterns.  It shouldn’t be this hard!  But you know how sometimes you have a certain look and feel for a project in mind and you can’t move past it until you get exactly what you want?  That was me and my quest for the perfect hat.

In strides Botanic Hat by Stephen West.  The pattern is written for adults, but several people had modified their version to fit children, specifically toddlers.  Perfect!  So following the notes of several other Ravelers, I cast on exactly as the pattern directed, but with US 5 needles, instead of US 6.  And after the ribbing, I switched to US 6s instead of US 7s.  So by only going down 1 needle size, I got great gauge for my little boy’s head.  Other knitters had knit for 5.5” before starting the decreases so I followed suit.  As it turns out, my little man has a somewhat large head.  Although the circumference is great, the length, is not.  The pattern says to knit for 6” before decreasing.  Since I had left everything except needle size the same, I should have listened to Mr. West.  The bottom of Squishy’s earlobes stick out so this won’t work as a winter hat.  C’est la vie!

Aside from my own mistake, this hat is perfect.  It’s a reversible pattern.  Side A is a 2-color slip stitch pattern that looks much more complicated than it really is.  Because of the construction for side A, side B is a simple 3x1 rib.  I knit this with the same yarn as the Coffee Bean Cardigan for my friend’s son.  Cascade 220 Superwash Wool in Cordovan and my own Woodland Fairies Superwash Wool.  I have a tiny amount of brown left and enough green for another project.

Pictures of Squishy in the hat will have to wait.  At the moment, he won’t leave it on his head for more than 10-15 seconds at a time.  He’s always like this before the cold weather.  But once those winds start blowing, I know he’ll leave it on. 

I’d recommend this pattern to anyone looking for a quick gift, whether it be a child or an adult.  I imagine if you have a child older than a toddler, the adult size pattern would be okay – but I suggest reading others’ notes!  

Coffee Beans for a Little Boy

Do you ever have a plan in mind, and everything falls into place really nicely?  This is how I felt about one of my most recent knits.

Over the summer, while re-organizing my stash, I came across some yarn I had been saving.  I had one skein of superwash wool that I dyed about a year or so ago.  I was originally going for an amber/yellow/brown tonal yarn and instead came up with something that looked pretty pukey.  Some of the color washed out too much, and other spots were too dark and concentrated.  I was really bummed because I had high hopes for this yarn. 

My solution was to over-dye the yarn.  A lot of people over-dye commercially dyed yarn to achieve a color they prefer, instead of letting a perfectly good skein of yarn sit and collect dust. So apply the same concept, except with yarn I had dyed myself. 

I overdyed the yarn with what I believe was blue-raspberry Jell-O.  I think.  It may have just been blue Wilton’s dye, I can’t quite remember.  What I came up with was a gorgeous skein of woodsy greens.   It reminded me of forests and fairies.  At one point, I made Squishy a little pair of fingerless mitts for the cooler Fall days.  Then I set it aside to wait for the perfect project.

So when it was pulled to the top of the yarn bin in late June, I knew exactly what I wanted to use it for.  A cardigan for a little boy.  I had the little boy in mind, and I had plenty of time to get it done.  You see, my friend Lindsay has a son who turns one in October.  And I love this pattern.  The pattern is Little Coffee Beans Cardigan.  It may look familiar to you because I knit the same one for Lovebug, except in pinks and brown, again with my own hand-dyed yarn. 

What’s really funny is I had this green yarn picked out and even purchased the brown to coordinate before I cast on for Lovebug’s cardigan.  But about 3 days after I purchased the brown, we found out we were having a girl and I couldn’t wait and cast on for her instead...using the brown I purchased for this little boy.  Oops! 

Anyway, to make a long story longer, I got occupied knitting for Lovebug and this plan was pushed to the back. 

Enter September and the conference I just attended.  We would be close to Lindsay and Jason, close enough to visit, and so close to their little boy’s birthday I couldn’t not have it finished by then.  I cast on last Thursday and finished it on Saturday.  Knit with Woodland Fairy (my hand-dyed) and Cascade 220 Superwash Wool in Cordovan, this sweater was a breeze.

When we got into town on Sunday evening we went shopping and Mr. Man picked out these lovely green glazed buttons that were perfect.  Sized for 12 months, it appears as though it will easily fit for the cold-weather season.  Instead of doing the eyelet raglan increases, I used M1s to create invisible increases.  (A word to anyone who downloaded the pattern prior to August 2011, the designer has updated her pattern.  I had to remove the pattern from my library and re-download it into my library to get the updated version.  She has included instructions for long sleeves, as well as M1R and M1L for invisible raglan increases.)

A special yarn for a special little boy.  I’m glad I could put it to use.  I love knitting with hand-dyed yarn.  (And even better – I had enough of both the brown and green to knit Squishy a hat!  Stay tuned for pictures!)

Hooked on Handspun

I think I’ve mentioned a time or two that I’ve the craving to knit baby sweaters.  Piles and piles of baby sweaters.  I tried to be patient and wait until we knew whether we were having a boy or a girl.  But my willpower is not that strong.

Now, many of you, I’m sure, have the pleasure of seeing something from start to finish because you spin.  I, on the other hand, do not.  I’ve never spun yarn, although I’d love to try one day.  But I did have the opportunity to see a beautiful pile of roving transform into a beautiful little sweater. 

Back before Easter, I joined in on an Easter swap (do you remember?).  My swap partner was Susan B. Anderson.  Yes, I know, I talk about her a lot on this blog.  She’s completely inspirational and I’d love to meet her one day.  (In the knitting world, she’s a celebrity, and one who’s on the top of my list!)  I was so excited to have Susan to spoil.  Susan had mentioned on her blog wanting to try the roving from Maine Woods Yarn & Fiber.  So I found some very spring-like roving named Hyacinth in blues, yellows, purples, and a tiny bit of green.  Off it went to Susan’s home.

I read on Susan’s blog about how she spun it up and enjoyed the yarn, and I admired all her spinny goodness (it’s nice to see someone appreciate a gift you’ve given).  So you can imagine how shocked I was when one day I get a text from Mr. Man telling me I have a package from Susan Anderson on our kitchen counter!  What in the world could it be??  Why handspun yarn of course!!  Susan had sent me back the yarn she’d spun from the fiber I sent her.  (Along with another little treat, a Spud & Chloe tape measure that I love!)

My plan was to find a pattern, like a shawl or fingerless mitts or a hat, for me, myself and I.  This was, after all, special yarn.   I perused every day, several times a day it seemed.  I'd pick out a pattern and then change my mind.  Find another pattern, change my mind again.  (Do you know where this is going?)  Now is a good time to ask - do you find a pattern and then the yarn to match, or do you find yarn you love and let it speak to you and tell you what it wants to become?  I usually am of the former group.  I have a pattern I've been loving, and then match it to the perfect yarn.


This is the first time I've had yarn tell me what it wants to become.  It didn't just tell me...it was screaming at me!  This had to be a baby sweater.  So the quest was on.  I landed on the free pattern, Puerperium Cardigan.  But it was only written for newborn.   But she'd expanded the pattern to 2+ years, so I purchased Beyond Puerperium, and cast on for the 0-3 month size.

This sweater flew off the needles! It was so fun to see how the yarn changed and what the cardigan became.  In my opinion (and Mr. Man's), this is a girly sweater with the purples, yellows and blues.  So after a good blocking....

.....it deserved girly buttons!  I found these at an LYS I recently found - between the flowers and the polka dots i think it's perfect. :)

Like I said, many of you have seen a project from roving to yarn to project to done.  Now I have too, and I will admit that I'm hooked on handspun.  :)