KnitterlyNotions

Hi All! Today I thought I would share the pattern for this hat that I whipped up yesterday. It is 3-6 month size, or perhaps a bit more. I made it for Hats and More for War-Torn Syria, so I used animal fibers, 2 strands of fingering weight held together. It was approximately a lighter worsted (such as Caron Simply Soft). Here goes. Lighter worsted yarn, or 2 strands of fingering weight held together Size 4 needles Cast on 52. K2p2 across. K2p2 for 1 1/2". End on a wrong side row. Body: Row 1. Switch to stockinette, knit across, increasing 2 stitches evenly to make a multiple  of 6. Row 2. Purl. Row 3. Knit. Row 4. Knit 3, purl 3, continue across. Row 5. Knit. Row 6. Knit 3, purl 3, continue across. Row 7. Knit. Row 8. Knit 3, purl 3, continue across. Row 9. Knit. Row 10. Purl. Row 11. Knit. Repeat rows 4 through 11, twice more. Row 28. Purl. Row 29. Knit. Row 30. Purl. Row 31. Knit 4, k2tog. Continue across. Row 32. Purl Row 33. ...

Summer is ending. :) Tiri turned 5, and she started going to school all day, and riding the bus! Here she is after she got home on her first day. It was pouring  when I took her to the bus stop that morning, so not a lot of Kodak moments at that point. It was drizzly when she got home, but warmer. December is coming, so I'm working on the baby hats for the donation in Freddy's memory. I'm wavering between donating 3 times 36, or 4 times 36. For sure, I'm taking a set to Sacred Heart, Luther Midelfort, and the hospital in Rice Lake. I'm also tempted to take a set to the hospital in Black River Falls. I haven't been back to that hospital since Jerek and I left there with an empty car seat after he handed our baby boy to a stranger to take him for his autopsy. Here are some of the hats I've made for December: Today I bought three plastic shoe box type storage containers, one for each for-sure hospital, and am starting to sort them. It...

I mentioned in a previous post that I was working on a donation in memory of Freddy. The name evolved a few times, but ended up being  The Freddy Project Memorial Donation 2015 . On December 10th, Jerek and I went to Eau Claire, WI and I delivered 72 hats to two hospitals and a crisis pregnancy care clinic. 72 hats, divided by 3, equals 24 hats per place. Each place for 24 because Freddy would be 24 months. Sacred Heart Hospital got this set: Luther Middelfort Hospital, part of Mayo Clinic Heath System, got this set: And Apple Pregnancy Care Clinic got this set: 72 babies will wear my hats in Freddy's place. I hope their mothers love them as much as I love Freddy.

This is Fritz. :) He was born May 11th at 1:23 pm. Labor was long and I ended up getting an epidural so I could calm down and deal. (Fear+tension+pain cycle is totally real, though my fear was about something happening to Fritz rather than labor itself.) I almost caved and asked for a cesarean, but ended up having the epidural instead. I apparently am really good at pushing out babies. I pushed a whole ***three minutes*** to birth my 8 pound 2 ounce son. With nary a tear. Hardest part of recovery was a backache from the epidural hitting the place my chiropractor always says is out of place and making it spasm and be sore. He's a great little guy. I've been having lots of fun taking pictures. ;)

I've been slacking a bit with the knitting and crocheting. Just feeling slow, and my hands aren't as happy as they were. I think I need to have my chiro work on them again tomorrow. I can't *not* make things though, so here is what I've managed lately. This one was made mostly during my birth class. I'm thinking of keeping it, if for no other reason than that. :) Charity hat. I was going to take it to WIC, but we shall see. It might go to the Yarnology knitting group instead. These are for Fritz. I called them Diaper Bag Booties and Diaper Bag Hat. They were supposed to be a set but the hat came out rather bigger than the booties. They should both fit him eventually though. They are in the diaper bag, for those times when you encounter unexpected chilliness. Charity hat using a whole small skein I got on clearance at JoAnn's. It's very soft, but a pain to work with as most boucle yarns are. These two use scraps that I found at...

I learned a new thing.  www.picmonkey.com  is a way to make neat photo collages for free (there is also a paid upgrade version.) Here is what I have so far. :-D There is teeny Tiri, and there is pregnant Rachel! :) Also Rocker Chick Tiri. Teehee.

I've made a few donations yesterday, the latest one yesterday! :) These hats went to St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Wabasha, MN on December 8th 2014. Donated in memory of Freddy. These items went to Wabasha County WIC on December 9th, 2014. I made the small hats in the zip bags, and a lovely lady from Ravelry sent the rest of the things. Donated in memory of Freddy. Donated to Luther Midelfort Hospital, part of Mayo Clinic Healthy System, in Eau Claire, WI on December 19th, 2014. Donated in memory of Freddy. And last but not least.... 6 hats went to Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, WI yesterday, January 3, 2015. If all goes well, I'll be taking a group of items to Buffalo/Pepin County WIC this coming Tuesday. :)

I've been working on baby hats to donate the last couple of days. 8 done so far, and some of them are pretty darn cute! I'm particularly proud of the football one and the pink, black, and white star one. :) I love appliques, but I tend to only crochet those, so when I'm on a knitting kick they get pushed to the side. Not sure yet where these will go, either WIC or a hospital. I'm sure wherever they go, the babies who get them will look absolutely and utterly adorable. :) All but one of these is done in worsted weight yarn (bottom left-hand hat in the group shot was made with Sidar Crofter DK weight) and a size G crochet hook. What hats will tomorrow bring? It seems to have remembered that it's the end of December in Wisconsin, and the low last night was -9 degrees. I saw a post on Facebook today that talked about wind chill advisories. What does that have to do with hat making? Oh, that means it is my season. :) MAKE ALL THE HATS! :-D

The title of this post has been a hot topic for the past 20 weeks, and finally, last Friday the question was answered. First, though, what do you think? :) Here it is (look at the ties): Yep! Another little boy. And now we need to think of a boy name. Oh dear. As he is due in May, the knitting is a bit more of a challenge. It might be spring, or maybe not quite, but he will for the most part be a warm weather baby. I've never had one of those, and it makes the knitting require more thought, to say the last. I'm doing some booties (this is a boughten pattern from Ravelry that is loads of fun, and I have another pair done but for ties) and I have made him a hat too. I'm rationalizing that even if it's warm, he can still wear a hat, right? ;-) I bought a skein of brown variegated today that will be booties and who knows what else, and I was also eyeing up a skein of baby sock yarn that I have had for several years, bought and saved for a baby project to kee...