Newborn owl hat

I knitted this sweet newborn owl hat for my friend Rose's baby boy Dominic.

I didn't really use a pattern for the hat portion. I just cast on with blue on 4mm needles and started knitting the ribbing, then switched to gray for the stockinette part at the top. A "sack"-style hat like this is knitted straight (no decreases for the crown), so it's very simple to do. I grafted the top seam and added a strand of each yarn color for the long tassels at the "ears."

I followed the instructions for the crocheted eyes and beak from Sarah Zimmerman's free Owl Hat pattern.

Hello, Baby Cardigan free pattern

I had a random skein of Caron Simply Soft Paints in Baby Brights Ombre 9801 sitting around and needed to find a project for it.

Then along came the pattern for this sweet baby cardigan at the Spud & Chloe Blog: Hello, Baby. Here's the link to my project page at Ravelry.

When I first stared working the pattern, I struggled a lot with getting the increases on the yoke portion to turn out right. I don’t think the pattern was written poorly; I was just having a difficult time concentrating and getting the correct stitch counts. After starting over four times, though, I finally got the stitch counts right. Whew! It’s such a sweet little cardi, I didn’t want to give up on it.

Update: Now I’m basically just stuck on the last step, which is a knitted-on I-cord edging. I’ve never done I-cord before, so … until I have the time to study up on how it’s done, this project is going to hibernate at 95 percent done. Sigh!

Plush heart free pattern

I made this little Plush Heart from the Knitnoodler's Blog for my sweetie for Valentine's Day. The instructions were very clear, and the project knit up quickly.

Ponytail hat free pattern

If you frequently wear your hair in a ponytail or bun, you know how difficult it is to wear a warm winter hat with those hairstyles.

This free pattern, Hannah, designed by Blake Ehrlich, is just the thing to keep all of your head warm while also nicely accommodating your hairstyle.

Since I have a daughter who's living in a cold climate and studying in a vocational program that requires her to keep her long hair tied up in a bun, we thought this hat would be the perfect solution to keep her head warm and her hair tidy.

I made it in Lily Sugar-n-Cream cotton yarn in Sage 02084.

I kept messing up the knitted ribbing that begins this pattern, so I finally went with a side-to-side hdc rib in crochet for the bottom of the hat, then picked up stitches along the upper edge on the knitting needle and finished the rest of the pattern as written.

I think the pattern is well written; I was apparently just too distracted at the time to get the ribbing right, but I’m positive that I will be making this hat again and will try to do it all in knitting next time!

:-)

Shells and Trellis Hat chemo free pattern

This year, I feel moved to crochet and/or knit caps to donate to patients undergoing treatment at a local cancer center. And although I have purchased many patterns over the years (and will certainly be purchasing many more in the future), sometimes it's nice just to be able to use a free pattern.

The expression goes that you get what you pay for, but I've found that there are LOTS and LOTS of high quality free patterns to be found online if you just take the time to look for them. I will try to share links on my blog to some of the patterns I've found and have particularly enjoyed making because I think you will enjoy making them, too. Be sure to give your love to the original designers who have so generously shared their work!

I found this Shells and Trellis Hat pattern at the Halos of Hope website. Their very worthwhile mission is to provide handmade hats to cancer patients in need. Go support them or donate a handmade hat to your local cancer center today because it's a great thing to do.

Update: Halos of Hope has had to suspend its operations, although its website is still online. So anywhere I've suggested that you, my fellow yarncrafters, should donate your wares to Halos of Hope, please amend that to say "your local cancer center" or any other suitable charity program in your area. The pattern for the Shells and Trellis Hat is also available on Ravelry here.