Cake Pop Bouquet

I was so happy with the way these cake pops turned out. I made three different types of cake and dipped them into different coatings. Some got peppermint chips, some got nuts, some got edible foil stars, and some just got swirly color.

I think they look great!

New Baby = Hat and Booties

I made these tiny little things for my cousin's new baby. I liked this yarn quite a bit, and was happy to make baby things using colors that weren't pastels or primary. The hat pattern is Lyric, but I changed it a little bit because I ran out of time to make it taller.

The little boots are Magic Slippers, and were very easy to make. I was happy there was no seaming at all. The yarn is Patons Stretch Socks in the Mineral color. I also changed the Magic Slipper pattern a bit because I was worried the baby would kick them off. These are a cross between socks and slippers. I hope they stay on!

Hairy Aran Pixie Hat

So the first hat I made for Quinn did not fit and I had to make another one. I love how this hat turned out, and I should have made one for myself. The earflaps button on and off, so the hat can be customized. I changed the Lyon Hat pattern by pixie-ing the top - the decreases are less round, and result in the pixie shape. To get the hairy effect, I held two yarns double: the creamy yarn is Sirdar Denim Sport Aran, and the blue yarn is Lion Brand Fun Fur Stripes.

Jester Hat for Quinn

I made this Jester Hat for my little nephew Quinn's first birthday. His mighty Irish noggin was too big, and the hat didn't fit. I am listing it on etsy; it's too nice to let it sit on the shelf. This was an great pattern and makes up quickly, so I have time to knit another one for him before it gets cold here. 

For this hat, I used two wool yarns: the gray is Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Superwash in charcoal heather, and the purple is Lion Brand Wool-Ease in grey ragg. Both can go right into the washing machine. The pattern was a free Ravelry download, Jester Hat, by Elizabeth Morrison.

The yarns are aran weight and I cast on 72 stitches. This gave me a hat that measured 6 inches across the ribbing when measured flat, and 7 inches across the body, with a total height of 6.5 inches. Quinn's head measures 19 inches around. If I need to add 6 more inches of ribbing, then I think I need to add another 36 cast on, for a total of 108 stitches.

Boot socks!

Boot socks for me! I have been wearing the same old-school wool boot socks for the last 20 odd years. They are just beginning to wear out.

It's hard to find good warm wool socks locally, and when I do find them, they are made for men. I wanted to try knitting a pair, so I cast on 44 stitches of this Cestari Traditional Wool 3-ply, and made a sock using the Basic Sock Pattern from Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns. Then I made another one. Using a heavier weight yarn made the knitting go quickly which is a great big plus for me, the world's slowest knitter.

Next time, I plan to make the leg longer, so that my calves stay warm too. I have 4930 yards of this Cestari yarn in my stash. That's a lot of socks.