Calorimetry

Here is a really great knitting project if you're looking for something that is fun, quick, a little different and practical! My niece, Eliza, has beautiful hair and likes to wear it in a ponytail quite often. Unfortunately, (as you probably know) ponytails and hats aren't always compatible. I decided to try the famous Calorimetry pattern, an enlarged headband that buttons at the neckline. Here's Eliza modeling my version (without the ponytail!)

Many of the reviews on Ravelry said that the pattern tends to run big, so I scaled it down. Eliza is nine years old and her head measures 22 1/2" measuring from her nape and around the top of her head. The pattern says to cast on 120 stitches, but I did 88 stitches. The yarn is Cascade 220 (what else?!) and I used U.S. Size 8 needles for a gauge of 5 stitches to the inch.

The headband is made with short rows, but there is no wrapping so if you've never worked with short rows before, this would be a good project to get a feel for the technique. Because I wanted the hat to be scaled down a bit, I also did thirteen repeats of Row 5 instead of fifteen. I thought it also needed a little something to jazz it up so I decided to add the flowers to give it a real feminine touch! I couldn't find the type of flower I was looking for, so I just came up with my own version.

I don't doubt that someone else has already thought these flowers up, but in case you'd like to try them also, here's how I made them. First, I cast on three stitches and knitted an I-cord about 12 inches long and left a sizable tail.

Next I just ran the needle through the cord at about one inch intervals, so it's reminiscent of that ribbon candy you see at Christmas. I just kind of eyeballed it. I wanted five petals, but you could do as many as you like, depending on the length of the cord.

After you have run the needle through the cord, you just pull the tail to gather it up.

Ta da! One flower done. Just run the tails through the hat at the appropriate spot and attach them securely.

I added a french knot with a contrasting color to finish the flower off. The cord for the white flower was purposely a little shorter so that flower would be smaller. The light turquoise flower measures about 2 inches across. The white one is just slightly smaller.

Keep in mind though that the hat stretches, so don't place the flowers too far down, otherwise they'll end up by the ear.

I got to see Eliza play in one of her basketball games yesterday and I have to say that her headband was a huge hit with all the girls. Obviously, she didn't wear it during the game, but on the way out of the gymnasium, lots of parents were commenting on it. I think she was quite pleased with it too.

Oh and in case you're wondering, her team did win. Go Holy Cross!

Mittens for Eliza

My little niece turns eight this month, so being the only girl in the family, I decided to test out a design I had rolling around in my head. I wanted to make her some snowflake mittens that were a little different. I had hoped to use one of the snowflake designs that Alli had already designed, but they were all too big for my purpose. So instead, I just decided to chart my own design. I like to use wool for mittens and I like to knit them fairly tight. This is just a basic mitten pattern that calls for double pointed needles (although I always use one long circular and magic loop). It's the same pattern that my grandmother used for years to make all of us mittens when we were little.
I've knit it so many times, that I almost don't even need to look at the pattern anymore. I just knitted the mittens and then did a duplicate stitch to add the snowflakes.

It was much easier to do the embroidery before doing the thumbs, as there was a hole to help maneuver the needle around. At first I considered trying to do them with intarsia, but the floats would just be too annoying. I also had added little white stitches around the perimeter of the flakes, but I decided they detracted from the design, so I eliminated them as well.

I also wanted to make the Owl Hat as Eliza loves animals. It's been made and posted on Ravelry a number of times, so it was helpful to read the reviews. The consensus was to move the owl motifs closer to the ribbing, which I did. I had my little grandson try it on for size, and I ended up making it longer. I may have to adjust the height anyway, but I'll have to wait until after the birthday to tell for sure!

It's been so dark and miserable here in the Northeast that I've had difficulty finding any decent light to photograph projects. Whenever the sun has shined, I've been cooped up at work!

Of course, I had to make mittens to go with the hat. There's a pattern called "Give a Hoot" that I wanted to use, but I couldn't get the gauge right, consequently, I ended up doing the mittens myself. They visited the frog pond more often than Kermit! I ripped them so many times, I almost gave up on them entirely. I just didn't like the way they looked. I'm still not entirely happy with them, but I know that Eliza will love them and that's all that counts. Right?

This is yarn that I had in my stash. It's by Sirdar and it's Denim Sport Aran. It was really nice to work with, but I wish that it had a little more wool content. I hope they'll be warm enough!

Of course the down side to this pattern is having to sew all those buttons! I had them left over from the days when I made and sold little English smocked dresses. They were the perfect size, but nine owls on the hat and a pair of mittens equals 22 buttons! Too much sewing when I'd rather be knitting! Happy Birthday Eliza and please try not to lose any of the mittens the first time you wear them!

An Irish Hat

My Christmas knitting projects are all over and done. I managed to knit a hat for both my son and my daughter-in-law, a pair of socks for both Jack and Mickey, a pair of pants for little Marty, and three pairs of fingerless mitts. Of course, because I waited and did them all at the last minute, I didn't get good pictures of any of them. It was dark and rainy and I had to get them wrapped, so all that "work" is undocumented! (What did we do before Ravelry and blogs?) In any event, I decided to just knit something for myself. I like hats with brims and they are so hard to find. Most of them have to either be felted or they're so ugly, you wouldn't wear them anyway. Roxi of Lamb's Ear Farm posted a picture on the knitlist of this new hat she had designed. I immediately wrote and asked (okay, begged...) her to let me know when it was available as it was just what I wanted!

It's called the "Limerick Hat" and although it's not posted on the website yet, you can still order it. I used Cascade 220 Heather in Turtle Green. I decided it was time to really start using up my stash, so I'm trying not to buy any more yarn unless I absolutely need it. Yeah, right. I figure that resolution ought to last for at least another week or two!

The hat is knit in three steps. You knit the brim, which is folded, then you knit the cable band and seam it. Once that's done, you pick up the stitches along one side and knit the top. I altered the directions because it was too peaked for my taste. I omitted the plain knit rounds in between the decrease rounds for the last five rows. It lays flatter and looks more like a traditional hat. Finally, you have to sew the brim to the other side of the cabled band. It wasn't too difficult, but I also had to make the cable band a little shorter to fit the brim, otherwise, there would have been tons of ease to try to work in. It's not a fast knit, meaning that it took me two nights, instead of one, but it's relatively easy.

I would have posted a picture of me actually wearing the hat, but I didn't want to frighten any of you away, besides, my camera has been acting up and I didn't want to have it die altogether from the shock of seeing me actually in a picture!

Snowbaby Again....

First of all, thank you, thank you for all the wonderful emails and comments about the latest bib and cloth! I'm just so overwhelmed with the terrific response! That said, I understand that some of you have had problems with the pdf. It seems to work fine for some, but not for others. I'm not sure what's happening, but in any event, I'm posting the line by line instructions and you can just cut and paste.

Snowbaby Bib

Copyright 2008 by Elaine Fitzpatrick. Permission is granted to make and sell items from this pattern provided that credit is given to me as the designer. Permission is not granted to reproduce the actual pattern, or post it, or distribute it, without my express permission. I worked hard to produce this pattern for you, so please respect my copyright and play nice!

NOTE:  As of May 26, 2018, I have completely rewritten this pattern.  There were a few errors in the original pattern.  I've corrected them and have added a chart.  Hopefully, it will also be easier to read and follow!

Size: approximately 8.75" from neck edge to bottom and 8" wide

Materials: One skein of worsted weight cotton if you are using the bib for meals. If, on the other hand, you want to use it as a “drool” bib, I recommend using a superwash wool. The cotton has a tendancy to absorb the moisture, whereas the superwash wool will wick the moisture and keep baby nice and dry!

Needles: Size 6
Gauge: 4.5 sts. per inch, not critical

Abbreviations:
k = knit
p = purl
sts. = stitches
dec. = decrease
dpn. = double pointed needle
B5 = seed stitch border

Pattern Notes: The edges of the bib are worked in seed stitch over the first and last five stitches (p1, k1, p1, k1, p1) and are referred to as “B5”. You might find it helpful to insert a marker after the first five stitches and before the last five stitches.

When you reach the I-cords on the bib, it is helpful, but not necessary, to drop down a needle size to make the cords slightly smaller.

Pattern: Cast on 13 sts.

Row 1: k1, p1, across row.
Row 2: Cast on 3 sts., p1, k1 across row (16 sts.)
Row 3: Cast on 3 sts., p1, k1 across row. (19 sts.)
Row 4: Cast on 3 sts., k1, p1 across row. (22 sts.)
Row 5: Cast on 3 sts., k1, p1 across row. (25 sts.)
Row 6: Cast on 3 sts., p1, k1 across row. (28 sts.)
Row 7: Cast on 3 sts., p1, k1 across row. (31 sts.)
Row 8: Cast on 2 sts., p1, k1 across row (33 sts.)
Row 9: Cast on 2 sts., p1, k1 across row (35 sts.)
Row 10: Cast on 2 sts., p1, k1 across row (37 sts.)
Row 11: Cast on 2 sts., p1, k1 across row (39 sts.)
Row 12: p1, k1 for 10 sts.; p19; k1, p1 for 10 sts.
Row 13: p1, k1 for 8 sts.; p2, k13; (p1, k1) 2 times; p1, k2; p1, k1 for 9 sts.
Row 14: p1, k1 for 8 sts.; p3; (k1, p1) 2 times; k1; p13; k1, p1 for 10 sts.
Row 15: p1, k1 for 7 sts.; k2; p1; k9; p1; k3; p5; k4; p1, k1 for 7 sts.
Row 16: p1, k1, for 6 sts.; p5; k1; p3; k1; p13; k1; p3; k1, p1 for 6 sts.
Row 17: p1, k1 for 5 sts.; k4; p1; k14; p4; k6; p1, k1 for 5 sts.
Row 18: p1, k1 for 4; p2; k1; p2; k1; p1; k1; p2; k1; p14; k1; p5; k1, p1 for 4 sts.

(Note: From this point on, the first and last five stitches are the seed stitch border. (B5) It might be helpful to place a marker for these stitches.)

Row 19: B5; k5; p1; k8; p1; k4; p4; (k1, p1) 2 times; k2; B5.
Row 20: B5; p3; k2; p2; k1; p2; k1; p12; k1; p5; B5.
Row 21: B5; k5; p1; k12; p4; k2; p4; k1; B5.
Row 22: B5; p5; k1; p1; k1; p2; k1; p11; k1; p6; B5.
Row 23: B5; k6; p1; k7; p1; k3; p5; k6; B5.
Row 24: B5; p8; k1; p2; k1; p9; k1; p7; B5.
Row 25: B5; k6; p1; k1; p1; k8; p4; k8; B5.
Row 26: B5; p8; k1; p2; k1; p7; k1; p3; k1; p5; B5.
Row 27: B5; k5; p1; k3; p12; k5; p1; k2; B5.
Row 28: B5; p8; k2; (p1, k1) 5 times; p3; k1; p5; B5.
Row 29: B5; k4; p1; k4; (p1, k1) 6 times; p3; k5; B5.
Row 30: B5; p4; k2; (p1, k1) 7 times; p4; k1; p4; B5.
Row 31: B5; k2; p3; k4; p14; k2; p1; k3; B5.
Row 32: B5; p2; k5; p2; k1; p9; (k1, p4) 2 times; B5.
Row 33: B5; k3; p2; k3; p1; k4; p3; k4; p1; k2; p1; k3; p1; k1; B5.
Row 34: B5; p1; k5; p1; k1; p4; k1; p3; k1; p4; k1; p2; k1; p1; k1; p2; B5.
Row 35: B5; k1; p1; (k2, p1) 2 times; k3; p1; k5; p1; k3; p1; k1; p1; k3; p1; k1; B5.
Row 36: B5; p1; k5; p1; k1; p2; k1; p7; (k1, p2) 2 times; k1; p4; B5.
Row 37: B5; k7; p1; k13; p1; k1; p1; k3; p1; k1; B5.
Row 38: B5; p1; k5; p1; (k1, p6) 2 times; k1; p7; B5.
Row 39: B5; k7; p1; k13; (p1, k1) 4 times; B5.
Row 40: B5; (p1, k1) 4 times; p13; k1; p7; B5.
Row 41: B5; k4; p1; k2; p1; k4; p1; k3; p1; k4; p1; k7; B5.
Row 42: B5; p7; k1; p13; k1; p7; B5.
Row 43: B5; k7; p1; k13; p1; k7; B5.
Row 44: B5; p2, k1; p5; k1; p11; k1; p8; B5.
Row 45: B5; k1; p1; k6; p1; k11; p1; k8; B5.
Row 46: B5; p9; k1; p9; k1; p9; B5.
Row 47: B5; k10; p1; k7; p1; k10; B5.
Row 48: B5; p11; k7; p11; B5.
Row 49: B5; k6; p1; k17; p1; k4; B5.
Row 50: B5; p29; B5.
Row 51: B5; k20; p1; k8; B5.
Row 52: B5; p29; B5.
Row 53: B5; k12; p1; k13; p1; k2; B5
Row 54: B5; p25; k1; p3; B5.
Row 55: B5; k16; p1; k12; B5.
Row 56: B5; p29; B5.
Row 57: B5; k29; B5.
Row 58: B5; p8; (k1, p1) for 13; p8; B5.
Row 59: B5; k7; p1, k1 for 15 sts.; k7; B5.
Row 60: p1, k1 for 6 sts.; p5; k1, p1 for 17 sts.; p5; k1, p1 for 6 sts.
Row 61: p1, k1; for 7 sts; k3; p1, k1 for 19 sts.; k3; p1, k1 for 7 sts.
Row 62 – Row 64: p1, k1 across row

Shoulder shaping:

Row 65: p1, k1 for 13 sts.; bind off the next 13 sts. knitwise; work remaining 12 sts. in seed stitch as established. You should have 13 sts. on each side. Place first 13 stitches on a holder and work on remaining 13 sts. as follows:

Work one row even in established seed stitch.
(Right side) Dec. 1 st. at neck edge every other row 2 times. (11 sts.)
Work one row even in established seed stitch.
Dec. 1 st. at shoulder edge every other row until 5 sts. remain.
Work one row even in established seed stitch.
(Right side) Dec. 1 st. at neck edge and 1 st. at shoulder edge. 3 sts.
Work one row even in established seed stitch.
Slip these 3 sts. to a dpn and work an I-cord for approximately 12 inches. Fasten off and run end down through middle of I-cord.
Join yarn to neck edge and work remaining side to correspond to other side.
Weave in ends.

Snowbaby Cloth

Copyright 2008 by Elaine Fitzpatrick. Permission is granted to make and sell items from this pattern provided that credit is given to me as the designer. Permission is not granted to reproduce the actual pattern, or post it, or distribute it, without my express permission. I worked hard to produce this pattern for you, so please respect my copyright and play nice!
Size: approximately 8.50" X 8"

Materials: One skein of worsted weight cotton.

Needles: U.S. Size 6 (4 mm)

Gauge: 4.5 sts. per inch, not critical

Abbreviations:
k = knit
p = purl
sts. = stitches
dec. = decrease

Pattern Note: The edges of the washcloth are worked in seed stitch over the first and last five stitches (p1, k1, p1, k1, p1) and are referred to as “B5”. You might find it helpful to insert a marker after the first five stitches and before the last five stitches.

Pattern: Cast on 39 sts.

Row 1 – Row 5: p1, k1 across row.
Row 6: p1, k1 for 10 sts.; p19; k1, p1 for 10 sts.
Row 7: p1, k1 for 8 sts.; p2, k13; (p1, k1) 2 times; p1, k2; p1, k1 for 9 sts.
Row 8: p1, k1 for 8 sts.; p3; (k1, p1) 2 times; k1; p13; k1, p1 for 10 sts.
Row 9: p1, k1 for 7 sts.; k2; p1; k9; p1; k3; p5; k4; p1, k1 for 7 sts.
Row 10: p1, k1, for 6 sts.; p5; k1; p3; k1; p13; k1; p3; k1, p1 for 6 sts.
Row 11: p1, k1 for 5 sts.; k4; p1; k14; p4; k6; p1, k1 for 5 sts.
Row 12: p1, k1 for 4; p2; k1; p2; k1; p1; k1; p2; k1; p14; k1; p5; k1, p1 for 4 sts.

(Note: From this point on, the first and last five stitches are the seed stitch border. (B5) It might be helpful to place a marker for these stitches.)

Row 13: B5; k5; p1; k8; p1; k4; p4; (k1, p1) 2 times; k2; B5.
Row 14: B5; p3; k2; p2; k1; p2; k1; p12; k1; p5; B5.
Row 15: B5; k5; p1; k12; p4; k2; p4; k1; B5.
Row 16: B5; p5; k1; p1; k1; p2; k1; p11; k1; p6; B5.
Row 17: B5; k6; p1; k7; p1; k3; p5; k6; B5.
Row 18: B5; p8; k1; p2; k1; p9; k1; p7; B5.
Row 19: B5; k6; p1; k1; p1; k8; p4; k8; B5.
Row 20: B5; p8; k1; p2; k1; p7; k1; p3; k1; p5; B5.
Row 21: B5; k5; p1; k3; p12; k5; p1; k2; B5.
Row 22: B5; p8; k2; (p1, k1) 5 times; p3; k1; p5; B5.
Row 23: B5; k4; p1; k4; (p1, k1) 6 times; p3; k5; B5.
Row 24: B5; p4; k2; (p1, k1) 7 times; p4; k1; p4; B5.
Row 25: B5; k2; p3; k4; p14; k2; p1; k3; B5.
Row 26: B5; p2; k5; p2; k1; p9; (k1, p4) 2 times; B5.
Row 27: B5; k3; p2; k3; p1; k4; p3; k4; p1; k2; p1; k3; p1; k1; B5.
Row 28: B5; p1; k5; p1; k1; p4; k1; p3; k1; p4; k1; p2; k1; p1; k1; p2; B5.
Row 29: B5; k1; p1; (k2, p1) 2 times; k3; p1; k5; p1; k3; p1; k1; p1; k3; p1; k1; B5.
Row 30: B5; p1; k5; p1; k1; p2; k1; p7; (k1, p2) 2 times; k1; p4; B5.
Row 31: B5; k7; p1; k13; p1; k1; p1; k3; p1; k1; B5.
Row 32: B5; p1; k5; p1; (k1, p6) 2 times; k1; p7; B5.
Row 33: B5; k7; p1; k13; (p1, k1) 4 times; B5.
Row 34: B5; (p1, k1) 4 times; p13; k1; p7; B5.
Row 35: B5; k4; p1; k2; p1; k4; p1; k3; p1; k4; p1; k7; B5.
Row 36: B5; p7; k1; p13; k1; p7; B5.
Row 37: B5; k7; p1; k13; p1; k7; B5.
Row 38: B5; p2, k1; p5; k1; p11; k1; p8; B5.
Row 39: B5; k1; p1; k6; p1; k11; p1; k8; B5.
Row 40: B5; p9; k1; p9; k1; p9; B5.
Row 41: B5; k10; p1; k7; p1; k10; B5.
Row 42: B5; p11; k7; p11; B5.
Row 43: B5; k6; p1; k17; p1; k4; B5.
Row 44: B5; p29; B5.
Row 45: B5; k20; p1; k8; B5.
Row 46: B5; p29; B5.
Row 47: B5; (k12, p1) 2 times; k3; B5
Row 48: p1, k1 for 6 sts.; p24; k1; p2; k1, p1 for 6 sts.
Row 49: p1, k1 for 7 sts; k5; p1; k14; p1, k4; p1, k1 for 7 sts.
Row 50: p1, k1 for 8 sts; p9, k1; p13; k1, p1 for 8 sts.
Row 51: p1, k1 for 9 sts.; k21; p1, k1 for 9 sts.
Row 52 – Row 56: p1, k1 across row.
Bind off in k1, p1.
Weave in ends.

Let It Snow, Baby!

Since I started my blog and joined Ravelry, I have made so many nice friends all over the world. It's so much fun to get to chat with other knitters and see what they're working on. I love seeing other people's projects. Anyway, one of my "new" friends just happens to be almost in my backyard (well, in my State anyway)! Nicole has sent me several nice notes and one of them just happened to mention how much she would like a snowman. Well, I was actually thinking about doing it, but I let her think it was all her idea! In any event, here is my gift this season to all my friends. It's really fun to knit and for some reason, this guy just makes me smile. I hope you'll like him too.


And for those of you who aren't into making bibs, I also did a version in a dishcloth. This would be really nice as a washcloth, if it was done in a soft cotton. I used Peaches & Creme for both my samples, light blue for the bib and mauve for the dishcloth.



You can grab the pdf in the sidebar. I usually also post the line by line instructions, but I don't know that anyone actually prefers that method, so since time is short (for everyone) I just did the pdf files.



I hope everyone has a safe, fun filled holiday!

Test Knits for Alli

Alli has her new designs up on her website and they are all really nice (in my totally unbiased opinion). Of course, I got to test knit four of them! This is great as it adds to my own collection, and some of them might find their way into someone's stocking! (I said "might" Emily!) This one is "Flakes'n Snowmen". It has a "short" border so you can start working on the design pretty quickly. Don't we all like to get to the "good" part?!

Following in the same theme, is "Flakes'n Penguins". I'm a sucker for anything with a penguin so this is one cloth that won't be leaving my kitchen!

I love the color of this yarn for the "Trees'n Snowmen". It's from Peaches & Creme and is called "celery". Every time I buy this color, I always seem to use it up right away. I think that the next time I place an order, I'll forget about buying balls and move up to the cones instead!

I saved my favorite cloth to last. "Happy Penguin" was really a fun knit. I love the way the border and background are all incorporated into one. It gives the cloth a little heft too.

Alli has about ten new designs in all. One has poinsettias and candles which is also really nice and there are a bunch with trees too. If you're looking for some really cute gifts, this is the place you should go. This post really sounds like a commercial, doesn't it? You'd almost think I was getting paid to promote it. Actually, I do get payment in the form of friendship! Still, cute is cute and I think Alli's work stands for itself!

A Hat for Ruby

My brother has a new granddaughter, Ruby, and although she was born this past August, I couldn't decide what to make for her. I have lots and lots of patterns for little girls, but I never have an opportunity to actually make any of them. Usually, I'm pretty prompt with gifts too, but for some reason, I kept putting this one off. Now that I'm going to see my brother for Thanksgiving , I really had to come up with something fast! I decided on this sweet little hat. It's a free pattern that you can get here. I went back and forth trying to decide on the color and then decided to go with a bright red, or a "ruby" red, if you will. I used the Cascade 220 Superwash and U.S. Size 8 needles. It looks just like a little tomato.

It was so much fun to knit and fast. I did the whole thing in about two hours. The pattern calls for k2tog, but I read that someone said the leaves twirl better if you slip one, knit one and then pass the slipped stitch over, so that's what I did. I don't know if this is actually better than the written pattern, because the original is pretty darn cute too, but it worked beautifully, so I can recommend it.

Since the hat was so quick, I decided to do a pair of socks to go with it. I had the idea to try and incorporate the leaves in the toe of the sock, so after a couple of false starts I ended up with these:

I cast on 32 stitches on a U.S. 5. They are really tight and I think they'll be pretty cosy. I'm not so sure that the leaves really work, but they do look cute together. My first version had the colors reversed, but I decided that it looked too much like an olive!

I didn't even bother with a second one. This will probably end up as a cat toy, since one of my cats really has a thing for baby socks!

I'm pretty sure that the socks will fit, but I am a little uneasy about the hat. Babies heads are always so much larger than they look!