A few more...

Keeping up with a theme, today's post will show off a few hats that I knit recently.  And from these two knits, I've realized that adding cables to a hat provides added thickness and warmth making 'em that much cozier.

The most recent hat I finished was a test knit for Breean Elyse.  And since knitting it, I've fallen in love with cabled hats.  I can't stop looking at them or for them.  This one was a special treat because it was for me.  Zinc is one of my favorite Malabrigo colorways.  And the hint of taupe really helped make the cables pop!

Obstacles Hat by Breean Elyse

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn - Twist

Color: Zinc - 613

Ravelry

Now this hat was knit on a whim.  This was for a friend's mother that recently had brain surgery and as a result needed hats to help protect her from the cold Minnesota winter.  I wasn't even looking to knit a hat but when I saw the pattern and noticed it called for some yarn in my stash, I cast on!  I didn't do the best job paying attention to the plain knit rounds so it isn't as slouchy as the pattern called for but I'm not so sure that's a bad thing.  Because of the chunky yarn and the cables, the hat ended up being fairly heavy so a slouchy hat may have resulted in a hat that wouldn't stay on the head (at least that's what I'm tellin' myself).  :-)  I hope this does the trick and helps keep her head warm!

Slouchy Braid Hat by Cheryl Beckerich

Yarn: Berroco - Vintage Chunky

Color: Lilacs - 6183

Ravelry

Sea Princess

...and how...isn't she! 

This was, by far, the most challenging and rewarding test knit I've ever done.  I really love how this little sweater turned out.  And I had a hard time parting with it.  This pattern gives you a lot of bang for your buck.  It comes in sizes 6 months to 14 years (depending on the yarn you choose)!  The pattern is very comprehensive so nothing is left to guessing. I finished this test knit back in October but waited to blog about it until it was gifted.  This was a late birthday gift for a friend's daughter.  It's a perfect fit and I couldn't be happier that she has it. 

Sea Princess by Anadiomena

Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed

Color: Angel Delight - 168

Ravelry

Bella Bomber

This year I have less Christmas knitting than last year. This is good in more than one way. Other than being crazy this time of year, it gave me more time to (try and) be creative. So my attempt at being more creative...

My niece requested an ear flap hat for Christmas. I debated about buying a super cute Target version that was $12 or struggle with finding a pattern that I was happy with. So! For her birthday (which is the week after Christmas) I wanted to knit Bella's Mittens for her. Finally, it occurred to me that I should knit a matching hat but the only Bella hat pattern I'd seen on Ravelry did not have ear flaps. This is where I got creative! I decided to try my hand at designing one. A fellow Raveler, AmberGale, named it...Bella's Bomber. I've attached a link for notes. I wasn't able to attach a .pdf file (I'm not so html inclined). :-) This is in no way a pattern! I just don't want anyone to be disappointed. You'll still need to refer to Bella's Hat pattern by Holly Easely while knitting Bella's Bomber.

I blocked the heck out of this because I thought it was going to be too small (that's why the cables flattened out so much). It's a hair big now but Malabrigo tends to bounce back a bit so I think it will end up being a perfect fit. Now, I gotta figure out how to make a cord and attach it. I'm so bad at i-cords, mine always are so bumpy. (Not a great pic because it was cloudy and snowing.)

flickr pics
Ravelry project page

Another green Christine

And this one's for me!

So about a month ago Michaels was having a sale on Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick - normally over $6.50 a skein and - on sale for $5 a skein. I had some projects in the queue that called for super chunky weight yarn so I stocked up! I bought over 10 balls of this stuff! I am kind of a yarn snob but I really like this yarn. For a super chunky yarn, this yarn is soft, affordable, comes in a good variety of colors, and has good yardage per skein. If you look at my Ravelry projects, I have knit over five of my last ten finished projects with this yarn. Actually, now that I think about it, I may have blown through the whole wad! Wow!

Ok - on topic. From this yarn I knitted up two Christine Bags, one for me and one for my friend's birthday gift - same color - different lining. Why does lining handbags prove to be such a feat for me? I have yet to just whip one out! In fact, I still have not finished another gift because of the lining. And yet, I still continue to choose projects that require a lining...but I digress. My friend, Bridgett, has knit about ten of these bags and raves about what a cinch this bag is to put together. I think my next one will be. Oh! Note - when you purchase your purse handles, make sure they are symmetrical. The handles I used for my bag were not - it looks a bit wonky but still works.

This is Frankie's Christine Bag...

Isn't she lovely...

...isn't she wonderful...isn't she precious... Cabled Baby Hat