Sunday, July 31, 2005

Knit Flower Pattern -


Easy knit flower -

Using one strand of yarn, cast on 150 stitches. For the next and final row, bind off all the stitches.
Here's how - Knit 2 stitches. Pull the first stitch over the second stitch and then off the needle, leaving one stitch. Knit 1 and repeat to the end. After you have bound off all your stitches, you have a long length of yarn. Divide it up so that you have 5 or 6 loops. These are the petals of the flower. Thread a needle, catch the tops of the loops, and pull them together. Secure tightly. This will make a cute and simple flower. Sew the flower to you hat.

Pattern for Fun Fur Rolled Brim Rib Knit Hat -




The Pattern -

First, let me say that I was given this pattern on a torn, faded and photocopied piece of paper by a lady in a yarn shop who sold me too much yarn for this project. (Five balls of yarn when I only needed three... grrrrrr). I have no idea who is the original creator of this beautiful, fun and easy winter hat. If you are out there and want credit, please email me about it. I did not intentionally steal it.

I am sharing the pattern with you because some very nice reader of my blog requested it. I hope you have a lot of fun with it too.

Materials List -

Size 17 knitting needles.
Fun Fur - 2 balls, because you knit with two strands together.
Worsted Weight Yarn - 3 balls, because you knit with three strands together.
I used Plymouth Yarn "Encore" knitting worsted weight 75% Acrylic 25% Wool.

However, the hat I am making now is made up of Caron "Simply Soft", a worsted weight, 4 ply 100% acrylic that is labeled as a #4 weight on the label. I love this yarn! It is very soft, and comes in gorgeous bright colors and is incredibly cheap! Just use something that is or will work like a "chunky" yarn.

Don't worry about gauge too much. If you think the first hat you make is too big for you, decrease the knitting needle size.

This hat is intended for an adult size head. Mine is 22 inches and it fits nicely. Meaning - it's not too tight!!!! Tight hats give me a headache. grrrrr...

Instructions -

Fun Fur -

Cast on 44 stitches with two skeins of the fun fur working as one strand of yarn. Do stockinette stitch, (knit one side, purl the next) for three inches.

Worsted Weight -
Change to three strands of worsted weight yarn, working as one, and knit a rib stitch.
Row 1 - * knit 1, purl 1* repeat across row.
Row 2 - *purl 1, knit 1* repeat across row.
Knit this pattern for 8 inches.
This makes a total of 11 inches for the hat. Lots of coverage for your head and it is very flexible.

Shape crown -
Row 1 - knit 2 tog all the way across. Row 2 - purl 2 tog all the way across. That leaves you with 11 stitches. Easy, huh?

Cut off, leaving a long tail. Thread onto a large eyed needle and weave through all 11 stitches, remove from knitting needle, then go back again.Pull yarns tight and anchor. Sew the back seam.

Because the fun fur is knitted on such large needles, I rolled it up and just took a small stitch to keep it in place at the back.

Done!

This whole project only took me about 5 hours the first time I did it. And, I must say that it is very easy and a fun, fun hat.

Additionally, I added an easy knit flower to the top for an added feminine touch and balance for the furry brim. See the next post for the photo and directions. If I was better at blogging, I would have both in the same post, but I don't know how to put a photo at the end, or even in the middle of one post.
sigh.

Friday, July 22, 2005

Furry Brim Rib Knit Hat


Furry Brim Rib Knit Hat Posted by Picasa

I just adore this hat! I am new to knitting and let me tell you, it's so much fun to find a pattern that knits up really fast and looks good when you are done. I have since added a knit flower to the crown and the hat now looks balanced.

The story that goes with this is a little bitter. I, as I said, am new to all of this knitting stuff and I have been checking out the few yarn shops nearby. I went to one called "Yarn" and found a dusty store with piles of knitting books heaped in stacks making it difficult to peruse them and a few rather dusty examples of things to make hanging from a peg board on the wall. However, sitting on the counter right next to the cash register was this hat. Oh, how pretty!

There were several ladies in the store at the time, all at least ten years older than me and since I'm in my sixtieth year, that's saying somethin'. Busy, busy, busy they were talking about this and that and the other and I began to feel, well, invisible. I am not the kind of person who walks in and says to no one in particular, "Can you help me?". I usually wait. I just assume that the person who is supposed to respond will start the process when they are ready. I find myself waiting a lot. Is having a patient nature a character flaw in today's world? I don't know. I just know I stand and wait. A lot.

About 940 seconds later, one comes over and asks what I want today. I say, "Do you have the pattern for that hat available?" She says, "Yes, it's around here somewhere." And off she goes digging under a big pile coming back to me with a handwritten, photocopied and slightly ripped piece of paper. "Here it is. Do you want some yarn for that?"

Now, again, I am loathe to ask for something and not give something back, so I say, "Well, how much yarn does it take?" She looks at the paper and tells me that the ribbing pattern calls for knitting with three strands of yarn on size 17 needles. The fur is a two strand process. So, I figure I need a total of 5 balls of yarn. However, the pattern also has notes for the matching scarf and the scarf is knitted with two strands of yarn on size 17 needles. Hmmm... I am on shaky ground here. I don't know if I want to make a scarf to match, because for all I know I won't make such a nice hat to begin with and all of my learning will just be me, putting my time in, but not wearing the product.

I stand there looking blank, but the mental motor is whirring. Finally, I ask, "What kind of yarn do you recommend for this hat?" At that point, her face brightens and she goes to a bag on the floor and pulls out a wool/polyester blend in off white and then finds the white eyelash stuff, too.
"Let's see." she says. "The hat needs three strands and the scarf needs to strands and the eye lash is two strands too. You should get five of the wool blend and two of the eyelash."

Now, I am new to this, but I am thinking, "Isn't that a lot of yarn for just a hat and maybe a scarf that I won't make?" Of course, by this time I am in hunger mode. I really want the information on that scrappy looking piece of paper 'cause I really want to make that hat. It never even dawns on me to question her thinking about how much yarn I really need. I feel like an idiot. Just like I feel when going into an automobile showroom and asking to see a certain car, I know that the salesman is going to push and push and push for the most bucks for the car and then will add the guarantees and extra warrantees and service contracts. I know it's going to be a horrid experiece, but I have to go through it to get what I want.

As you have surmised, I am not very Zen.

And I really want (there's that not Zen thing again) the instructions on that flimsy, torn, yellowed piece of paper.

So, I say, "OK" and off we go to the register with the seven balls of yarn, the to-be-cherished piece of paper and my credit card. Five minutes later, and $43.28 dollars poorer, I am out the door with a purple plastic bag holding my new stuff.

When I get home, I immediately rewrite the scrawl, cutting it down to neat lines, spellchecking it and saving it onto my PC, onto a CD and even onto my Zip disc. This piece of paper has now taken on the importance of an ancient scroll and is locked down forever. I print it out.

Five hours later, using size 17 needles, I am the breathlessly proud parent of one fuzzy brim rib knit wool/polyester/fun fur trim hat. I put it on. It is 92 degrees outside. I look ridiculous in this hat. My dark brown hair peaks out from beneath the rolled brim and my glasses poke out beyond the fuzzies. But, I am happy. I put it on the gold painted head and leave it on my kitchen counter to look at during the day.

Not very Zen, but hey, I figure I'm here, I might as well jump in and enjoy all the stuff I'm creating around me. And, I mean that literally.

Anybody else read "TheSeth Material" by Jane Roberts or see the movie/DVD, "What the Bleep Do We Know?"

PS - I have enough yarn left over to make at least 8 more hats. Anybody want one???

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Knitting Needle Fold and Roll Bag - FREE PATTERN!


Knit Needle fold and roll bag Posted by Picasa

Of course, if you make a new quilted tote bag to put all your new knitting stuff into, you must have one of these to go along with it. I made it a couple of weeks ago and took notes as I went along. I am posting the pattern on my website -
http://www.tallit-embroidery.com/DownloadFreeStuff.html
It will be in a PDF format. I'm really glad I made this thing. My knitting needles were poking holes in various plastic bags and becoming lost. I hate losing things. I guess it is in my nature to take care of what I have and I just love to make the job pretty! I hope you like making this version of a roll up bag. It would be good for paint brushes and chop sticks, too!

Knit Needle Fold& Roll Bag


Knit Needle rolled bag Posted by Picasa

And this is what it looks like when you close it, roll it and tie it up. Pretty! Doesn't it look great with my new quilted knitting tote?

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Knitting Bag for Dilettantes


Knitting Bag Posted by Picasa

Here is the knitting bag I made. Perfect for every dilettante. It even has a gorgeous quilted purple satin lining so my new yarns won't scratch themselves up while I am tugging on them to make another hat. My 7th grade Home Ec teacher would be proud. It occurred to me however, as I was falling asleep last night, that I put the handles on wrong. Aren't most totes made with the handles attached to the same side? Think about it. If you open it up to put something in, if the handles are attached side by side, there is no obstruction. But putting the handles on the way I did, there is the possibility that the tote won't open wide enough to put an elephant foot into it because the handles will get in the way.
sigh.
That's what happens when you just make stuff up with your scissors and pins. Where was my head and what was I thinking?
Fortunately, the other mistake I made is that the handles are extra long. So, that elephant is not out of luck.

First Knitted Hat


First Knit Hat Posted by Picasa

I think I got a bug. And, I got it bad! I knit this funny furry hat when we went to visit my granddaughter in Denver in January. It made sense then. It was cold outside. However, it is not making any sense now. As the following posts will show, I am still learning how to knit (badly for now) and am stuck on hats.
Where does this stuff come from? Why can't I just forget about learning new stuff and just keep on developing more fully what I already know?
I think Mr. Spock said it well when V'ger's nature was being questioned, and the answer is; "Curiosity Mr. Decker. Insatiable curiosity."
I think I am destined to stay at the dilettane level forever. Maybe my inner self is just a skate bug. You know, the kind that skate on top of lake water?

Saturday, July 02, 2005

Hand Painted Heart Stool


Heart stool Posted by Picasa
This is one of my first forays into hand painting wooden furniture. I used artist's acrylics and painted over a base coat of "Kilz" primer. What fun it was doing this project! And truly fun to look at. I gave it to my husband to take into work and I still hear compliments about its' cheerfulness. Now, isn't that what life is all about? Stuff that makes people smile some during their day?
W.C. Fields said, "Start everyday with a smile and get it over with".
This stool makes that work.

Painted Kitchen Table


Painted Kitchen Table Posted by Picasa
Ah now and here she is, our newly painted kitchen table. Isn't she pretty? It only took me about 10 days to do all the layers of color. It seems I don't like just using a paint brush to lay on a slab of color. Now I have to paint a base coat and layer darker colors one on top of the other, or else I can't sleep at night! It seems my eyes crave depth and interest and apparently I am so hungry for it, I am actually willing to do the work to get it. Yikes! What is happening to me?

The table is still elevated on books of higher learning. It's nice to have a use for good information, but I don't think the authors meant to be appreciated in quite this way...
I still have to paint on several layers of polyurethane to protect the paint, so we will not be able to use our new altar for food sharing until the middle of August. It's so humid here, it's gonna take that long for the poly coat to cure. Oh well, I get to look at it everyday and that's satisfying.