I made a bag to carry more things I'm making!
Sadly, it's currently housing a freshly-frogged knitting project.

I bought this fabric more than a year ago at a local quilting shop with the intention to make a sewing/knitting/grocery bag, so of course, I just now made a sewing/knitting/grocery bag.
Why I hadn't spared the 30 minutes before I do not know!

Thought I would at least show this bag a little respect by photographing it and giving it a humble little post after ignoring the poor fabric like that.

Here's to you, cute scissor quilting cotton!

/baby aviator

I made (and love) a hat.
It is mini.

Also, I've been away for far too long and wanted to say hello!
It's been a little crazy in the sewing room lately because I am into another round of bridesmaids' dresses, so I've been trying to take knitting breaks (I call them "knitting breaks" even though they are really "television breaks". This is a technicality) as often as possible.

I needed to make something for an awesome kid's first birthday, and after sifting through countless cute baby things, this is what I found.
A baby aviator hat.

The pattern: Regan Baby Aviator Hat
Note: If you are a Friday Night Lights  fan, you'll want to click and check out the pattern designer's name. Things like this entertain me.

The ravelry page: here

After sewing on the buttons, realized that I am a horrific baby project planner. This thing is for a baby, yet it has buttons (worry not, I sewed them down real tight) and is made of scratchy wool. I still need to add an organic bamboo knit lining so the baby's parents won't assume I'm trying to give the little guy a skin condition.

I used (Cascade 220) leftover from my stormy turban WHICH, completely coincidentally, has been named Project of the Week over at Kollabora! There's a flattering little write-up on their blog with some suggested materials and design ideas. Thanks, Kollabora! I totally appreciate it.

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend and the first days of fall!

/cabled hat no.2

Oh, I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Mine was really fantastic. I'll admit I have a lot of catching up do do around these parts after spending the better part of December party planning and gift making/buying, but I'll begin with...

Another cabled hat! This time I bought a skein of Cascade Magnum, for the sole purpose of making a red hat. It looked like fluffy red cotton candy before I knit it up, which is a bonus.

I made the shorter version of this pattern. It was still longer than I wanted, so I just wear it with the ribbing flipped up. Crisis averted.

I've actually been done with this for weeks, but thought I'd get better photos before posting. I should have known that would never happen with everything Christmas going on. So, you get an awkward photo of me adjusting my hat wearing a crazy looking cowl. 

Note: The cowl has since stretched out and is looking much more drapey, which convinced me to make three more of them as Christmas presents! The absolute best zone out in front of the TV project ever. I recommend.

It's been unseasonably warm here, so this hat hasn't been too useful yet. Soon I'll be going on the annual post-Christmas trip when I get to do my once a year cross country skiing adventure, and will certainly be wearing this guy. That is, if my mom doesn't steal it from me first. (I'll be watching my back, mom.)

 

/emily knits?

I've finished my first two knitting projects ever! As per Renee's suggestion, I picked up Twinkle's Town & Country Knits from the library (and finally got a library card!). I need to mention that the book is only $13 on Amazon because... srsly. That's a steal.

I knit up the New Haven Hat in Wool-Ease Thick & Quick, which was really not thick enough (although very quick, indeed). Yeah, I wasn't going to spend $20 on yarn for an experiment. I was supposed to use size 19 double-pointed needles, but couldn't find them anywhere in town which was a BIG bummer. I settled on size 19 circular needles knowing they'd be a giant pain, but resolved this by figuring that if my first knitting project turned out crazy, it could only get better from there.

And it did.
(Turn out crazy, that is.)

The stitches get super warped halfway up the hat, and the cables start at different heights (I still have no idea how that happened.) I doubt that any attempt to block/steam the stitches into being normal will succeed with this blend. If not, who am I kidding - I'll still wear it! I'll need to make up some fishy fashion lingo for this one to legitimize it... estate-grunge?

Now, I'm not so sure I can count this cowl as my official second knitting project. It was made of the absolute worst yarn possible I had lying around so I could practice with circular needles. Only halfway wearable because of questionable fiber content, but I like the open look of using size 19 needles with a sport weight yarn. I want to get some of those GIANT plastic needles I've seen in craft stores - I think they were size 25?! Something like this would be pretty awesome if it were bigger and made with hand-dyed yarn... oooooh  idea!