Hats.....Hats....and More Hats......

There are two things that seem to go together....winter and hats.  Last holiday season a lot of the family received socks....

This year it was time for a change....so it was time for hats!  Of course you have seen the Minion invasion.....now you can see a variety of other projects that came off the needles this season.

Each hat was different and used a variety of skills.....as you can see below.

My sister-in-law is a very big fan of the Jayne hat and when she saw that I had made one before she wanted one!  So I broke out the needles and got busy knitting her a Jayne hat.  So you can understand her reasoning....her hubby is rather tall and can be easily seen in a crowd.   However,  she is not so lucky and she wanted a hat that was loud enough she could be seen in a crowd...I believe this hat will achieve this for her ;)

The yarn used were Lamb's Pride bulky, colorway "Orange You Glad", Lamb's Pride bulky, colorway "Wild Mustard" and Mirasol Sulka, 208.  If I am to make this hat again, I may have to find a substitute for the Mirasol Sulka yarn because they have discontinued this color.  I am sure I can find a russet color that will work with it....I just have to go on a quest.

My brother-in-law loves the color black and dark grey. When I saw this hat pattern I thought this had Tim's name all over it.  I believe he has a sweater that matches it already ;)  He seemed to like it because he had it on a lot after Christmas.  This hat was a bit of a challenge because of the cable design but it was really fun to knit. 

The pattern is found here:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/twisted-raveler 

I used Knit Picks City Tweed Aran/HW in the color Obsidian (55% Merino Wool, 25% Superfine Alpaca, 20% Donegal Tweed; 100g/164 yds; 4-4.75 sts = 1")

This hat was for my dad.  He loves the color blue and I thought he would enjoy the cabled look of this one.  I didn't get it done in time for him to open it on Christmas day but he did get it the next day.  He would have had it on Christmas had I not messed up the cable design and had to frog the whole thing and start over....Cabling is fun but if you mess up too much in it you have to re-do ;)

The pattern is found here:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/happy-husband-hat 

I used Knit Picks City Tweed Aran/HW in the color Cobalt (55% Merino Wool, 25% Superfine Alpaca, 20% Donegal Tweed; 100g/164 yds; 4-4.75 sts = 1")

This hat was for my uncle....he loves fun hats and sock monkeys.  So when I saw this hat pattern I knew it was for him.   All of the color changes and the appliques made for an interesting change from a standard hat.  I believe he enjoyed it too, he laughed and immediately had to try it on ;)

The pattern can be found on Knit Picks website here:  http://www.knitpicks.com/patterns/Sock_Monkey_Hat__D11238220.html 

I used Knit Picks Palette yarn in Oyster Heather, Brindle Heather, and Merlot Heather (100% Peruvian Highland Wool; 50g/231 yrds; 7-8 sts = 1")


So as you can see, it was a busy hat knitting season.....now on to the next project ;)

Oh My How Time Flies.......

So now that the holiday knitting season is over and almost everyone has received their gifts it is time to start posting the results!!!!

So let me start by saying this has been a fun holiday knitting season with a variety of projects....but let me start out with the hats....

I believe this year was the year of the Minion hat.....for I think I knitted six of them....so if you are in Europe you may see a few of them especially around the French, German, and Swiss border ;).  These hats used a bit of crochet in addition to the knitting.  The crochet was used for the eyes and goggle bands as well as the mouths. 

The pattern was found here:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/despicable-me-minion-hat-2

As you can see here they came in a variety of shapes and sizes.

This hat was completed with Knit Picks Swish Worsted yarn (100% Superwash Merino Wool/123 Yards/5.5 sts=1") in Honey with accents in Black, White and Cobblestone Heather.

 These hats were created with Knit Picks Brava yarn (100% Premium Acrylic/100g/218 yds/4.5-5 sts=1") in Canary for the main portion of the hat with accents in Black, White, and Cobblestone Heather.

So, I have a bit of practice now with Minion Hats.....now on to the next project!!!!!

A Bit Of Fun for Little Halloween Costumes

Ah, the fall has finally arrived to North Texas this week and it has been a wonderful relief.  I have been busy knitting especially since the holidays are going to be soon upon us, but I have not blogged in a little while and for that I apologize.  However, you should see a few projects starting with this post.  

A couple of weeks ago I finished this project for one of my friends at work.  We were looking at patterns and a picture came up of a minion hat and she asked me if I would make one for her nephew.  They are planning for him to wear it at Halloween.  It looked like a fun project so I said of course.

This project was intriguing, because it used not only knitting but also some crochet.  I haven't crocheted in a while so it was fun to try and remember how again.  I used some lovely yarn I found online from Knit Picks.  

I used their Brava Worsted Yarn in Canary, Black, Cobblestone Heather and White.  It is an acrylic yarn knitted on size US 8 needles. 

I am now off to knit the next costume project...you know Halloween is upon us!

Nerding Out with FireFly.....

As many of you know I am a fairly big nerd and as such I have quite a few friends that are as well.  Well one day one of my really good friends asked me if I would knit her two things.  These items are pretty cool things so I figured sure....why not.  They will be fun projects.

The first project was a Jayne Cobb Hat from Firefly the series.  If you know of the series you know its a rather unusual hat....and it is not one that follows any normal knitting rules like even stitches or matching from one side to the other. 

As you can see below:

As you can tell it was a hit with the cat as well as the recipient.....I have had another request for the hat so it is going to be fun to knit it again.....

Ah it feels good to combine my Nerdy tendencies with my favorite hobby.......

Cold Weather Project.....

My sister asked for me to knit baby Frieda a new scarf, hat and mittens set for her winter coat this year.  She had an adorable Jackie O style jacket from the 60s.  It was a salmon color and as so adorable on her.  So I was busy trying to find an ideal pattern for the project.  The only thing I found was an adult pattern that I adapted for her.

Below is what I came up with.....

Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash, color 910A

The pattern is called a fish trap after the nets that fishermen use to trap the fish.  The look is classic just as the coat is so the two look good together.

On to the next project.......

Say it isn't so....more Holiday Knitting.....

Well it seems I have been a busy knitter.  I don't know if you remember or not but over the summer I made a scarf for a friend of mine in Germany.  He liked it so much he requested a hat to keep him warm for Christmas.  So back to the needles I went.  Luckily I was able to find the yarn again so it completely matches.  However, the color is last season's so it is getting difficult to find.....

Of course while i was working on it I had to try it on.  It was a little too big for me but my knitting friend had to get a picture of it on my head.  With the strings coming down through my hair it almost looked like I had added blue dreadlocks to my already unruly hair ;-)

I used US 10 circulars (6mm) with Katia Fabula in color 98 (100 Merino Superwash).  I also added a pom pom to the top with two contrasting colors of Elle Rae Classic wool yarn.