Stuff (aka: I have no cute title for this post!)

Its winter here in the Midwest, but its been a strange one.  We've had some record highs, and some typical lows, some snow, some rain, and some beautiful sunshine!  Along with parenting my 3 kids, keeping up on housework (which seems never-ending in the dreariness of winter), and hanging with my hubby, I've been keeping myself busy with a few projects.

First up is a Beard Hat in Colts Blue & White, as requested by another Indianapolis native.  Modeled here by my ever patient husband (he's probably modeled 16 of these hats for me now!)

Then a spring-inspired Swirl Hat modeled by my lovely daughter :)

Next, I made this quilt in a fit of crafting frenzy when I realized I didn't have a gift for one of my college roommates who just had a new baby!  I love how it turned out.

Lastly was this teeny tiny newborn Stripey PomPom hat for a friend of ours who wanted a hat for her soon-to-be-born daughter to match one she purchased for her son, but in girl colors.  She requested the pompom have stripes.  That was a new one for me, but I was pretty happy with the outcome.




And so as not to leave my other boys out, enjoy this shot of my littlest "reading" a book (love his smile!) and a photo my husband took of our oldest checking out the skyline of Chicago on a trip they took together this month.

Translation

There's not a lot new to share on the blog lately.  I have been busy as a bee working on patterns that you've already seen pics of so I'll only share a couple new ones.

Twin Owl Hats

Swirl Hat with flower and coordinating scarf

Something strange that happened is that recently my Raincloud Pattern has been popping up on French blogs all over the place.  I can only guess that somehow clouds are a popular theme and people were searching for patterns to make their own.  I have had many sweet compliments on the pattern and have enjoyed seeing people use the clouds they made for coasters, garland, and various other household decorations.  Recently I was contacted by Fabienne, a French blogger at Archibald & 3 petit points, offering me a French translation of my Raincloud Pattern.  She was kind enough to allow me to post the translation on this blog and put it on hers as well.  You can find her version here, and you can see the French translation on the Raincloud Pattern page.

Mixed Breed

I was recently contacted by a previous client to see if I could make her a baby sweater and rattle set for her new baby girl.  She wanted the sweater to feature an applique of a dog similar to her beloved little pet - a black half scottish terrier half cocker spaniel with a schnauzer haircut!  We did a little digging and found a great applique at my favorite doggy-related Etsy store.  The sweater turned out very sweet in red and white stripes with the black dog.

The rattle pattern was another Etsy find.  While the seller of the pattern does not allow them to be made for sale in large quantities, she granted me permission to make one for my client.  Such a cute cute pattern!  I was a little confused by the sewing on of the legs of this guy, but once I got it all tacked down I was very satisfied.  And best of all, the client was very happy with how it turned out!

School Year Wrap-Up

Well its officially summer break here, which means 3 kids in-house all the time, playdates galore, trips to local attractions, and even a chance for a family vacation next month!  All this also means I am having to work harder to fit crafting time in :)  I won't complain though, I am truly truly enjoying this time with my kids.  My oldest was in first grade this past year and I realized for the first time that, while its nice to have time to do work while he's in school, I really missed him.  He left at 8:30 am and didn't get off the bus till almost 4.  Then there was homework, after school activities, dinner, and only about an hour to actually enjoy time together.  Next year my middle child will be in first grade and I am already anticipating how much I'm going to miss the older two!  Luckily I still have one at home to keep me company though.

Anywhoo... I have gotten a few things done in the last few weeks.  I wanted to make an extra special gift bag for my kids' teachers because of all the love they put into teaching them this year.  Last year I did a movie-night themed bag for Eli's teacher, but I wanted to do something a bit different this time.  Just like last year I made simple patchwork-style gift bags using some fun coordinating fabrics and lined them.  This time I added an interior pocket and a fabric flower turning these totes into almost a fashion accessory!  I posted a pic of them on the Knits and Knots Facebook page and got a lot of positive response. I had several follow-up orders and I had fun seeing how they each turned out with different fabrics.

I was contacted by a photographer for some seasonal hats for her fall/winter newborn photo shoots.  I loved the outcome of both of these sweet toppers.

And my last project is the most fun of all :)  This sock-monkey photo prop set was commissioned by a girl who had seen one online and tried to order it for her soon-to-be-newborn baby only to find out the woman selling them had closed her shop to new orders because she was swamped with business!  I couldn't blame her as the idea is simply darling.  Its a sock monkey earflap hat and matching diaper cover with the cutest little tail on the rump.  Unfortunately for me I don't have a good model to show it off, so this was the best I could do.

Show and Tell

I have been slacking in my blogging as of late!  It has been a whirlwind around here with someone in the house being sick almost at all times.  I really think that from the moment we brought our youngest home we have not had one single 7 day period without someone having some form or illness.  I am still taking orders and finishing items, but getting around to blogging about them all is proving more difficult to find time for.  Good news is that the last 36 hours we've had some crazy winter weather (or Snowpocalypse according to some) and the kids have been off school.  We're off again tomorrow meaning I finally have a bit of a breather to get caught up on things!

So, here's a quick view of what I've been up to as of late:

I got "real" tags!  These woven tags are from Custom Couture Label Company on Etsy.  Dianna was amazing and a huge aid in helping me get just what I wanted.  I'm thrilled with how they turned out!  The second pic is the back-side of the smaller tags.

I made a beautifully soft and squishy blanket for Loree of Loree Alayne Photography to use in her shots.  I can't wait to see a sweet little newborn cuddled up on this!

Gina Giraffe is back, this time paired up with a Sweet Traditions hat. 

Inspired by the many beard hats floating around the internet, I came up with my own pattern and made a hat for my brother to wear on his ski trip in Colorado last week.  It was such a hit that I now have a line of 5 more hats that I'm working through for various family and friends.  My husband has had lots of fun modeling these silly creations for me!

I worked up this quick spring hat for my daughter in a fit of longing for warmer weather.  It will go great with her Easter dress this year.

And lastly, another photo prop for Loree Alayne Photography, a cute earflap hat with extra long ties.  The beauty of this hat is that it is a neutral color.  Left alone its great for boys, but add a little flower clip and you've got a darling girl hat too!

If you aren't already aware, Knits and Knots has a facebook page and I do a much better job of posting new pics almost daily there.  Come join the fun!

Lots O' Hats!

In fall everyone's looking for a good hat to keep their little ones' ears toasty.  I've had a variety of different orders lately with lots of fun colors!  I'm pretty lucky to have several in-home hat models to test out my sizing on, and to just enjoy the cuteness of these little toppers :)

Owl Hat

I recently had a request for an owl hat to be used as part of a little boy's Halloween costume.  I thought the idea was brilliant, and couldn't believe I hadn't done something similar for one of my own children in the past!  Looking on Etsy I found a super cute pattern that allowed the user to sell items made from the pattern (not always true!).  While the pattern wasn't as thorough as I am used to I was able to complete the hat and make it look just like the example.  I was thrilled with how it came out!  It was made with a bulky yarn and is super soft and should be VERY warm, which is good since it was so cold at Halloween this year :)

The customer also requested some mittens made from matching yarn.  We chose to go with a thumbless mitt because of the age of the baby, and it had a connecting cord to keep those little mitts from getting lost when baby inevitably pulls them off!

Pattern Review - Wee Wooly Toppers: Buzzbee

 In preparation for my 12 hr flight to Korea to I had to consider what project I was going to bring along, because I crafter can't be without a craft for a whole week!  I wanted something small enough to complete on the trip but interesting enough that I would actually want to work on it.  I figured it would be fun to use that time to make something for Alex.

I did my research on Ravelry.com and decided on the Buzzbee hat pattern, which is part of a set of hats for babies called "Wee Wooly Toppers" by Wooly Wormhead.   I loved the simplicity of the pattern and the interesting construction.  It just plain looked unique :)  I had my older two kids help we pick out yarn at our (new!) LYS, Nomad Yarns.  We went with a super soft wool, Ella Rae - Amity, in a beautiful shade of blue (colorway 24)

Now, unfortunately I did not work on the hat AT ALL the entire trip!  I was to excited/nervous/anxious to do anything but watch movies on the plane.  There was no way my brain could concentrate on anything else!  But as soon as I was home and over the jet lag I dove right in.  The hat worked up in no time flat, and even with a new baby in the house I was able to finish it in about 3 days (3 nap times, that is).  The pattern was very well written, but it is kinda bare bones.  She expects that you'll be able to look up some techniques on the internet or in books - this is to cut down on the pattern cost.  Less tutorials by her means cost saving for you.  Specifically, this pattern required a cable cast on.  I had not done that one yet and had to look it up online, but found a great tutorial and didn't have any issue making the pattern work. 

You can see the finished product is just so stinkin' cute!  I think the model has a bit to do with the cuteness factor though :)  While he absolutely hated having it put on, once it was tied and he was distracted he didn't seem to mind.  And I bet you we'll all appreciate the extra layer of warmth come winter time!

Old English Sheepdog Set

Baby rattle/sweater sets are becoming my new favorite order!  I get the fun of both knitting and crochet and there's a lot of creativity that goes into trying to make a set that matches really well.  I was contacted a few months ago to see if I could come up with a set that involved Old English Sheepdogs (OES).  Of course I was thrilled to do it and figured it would be simple to find just what I needed.  I was WRONG!  It took me quite a while to find a place where I could order an OES applique for the sweater.  I really wanted to do a felt applique like I have used on most of the sweaters I've made, but no one (I mean NO one) is making them!  Luckily I came across MischyfPaws on Etsy.  While MischyfPaws didn't have any appliques available for purchase, she sold lots and lots of doggy products, and was willing to work with me to produce an embroidered OES patch just the right size for my needs.  

I think the sweater turned out so cute with the client-requested colors of purple/lavender an in the tiny size of 0-3 months.   I opted for only 4 buttons on this one as trying to squeeze 7 in seemed like just too crowded.

Making the rattle match was a bit challenging, but I decided to go with this fun fur yarn held double with a worsted weight in order to make the stuffie shaggy like a real Sheepdog. 

Overall this set was a good challenge for me - it forced me to try new materials and I ended up with a product I am proud of!

Little Lady

I got the chance to make one of my favorite patterns again, this time with a ladybug theme.  The sweater and ladybug rattle are made in a soft washable yarn.   I had Steph from TwoKazoos make the ladybug.  She does such a great job and I always end up with just what I'm looking for.  The little plush rattle was made to match the applique exactly, which I just get such a kick out of! 

If you were thinking of buying handmade this Christmas its not to early to place an order.  Since handmade items take time and care to produce, put your order in early to guarantee we can get it to you in time for the holidays!  If you're interested in a sweater set or any other Knits and Knots item you can visit the Custom Order and Pricing pages for more info.

Retreat and Refresh

My family and I were fortunate enough to be invited to a friend's lake house this weekend, and we had the most wonderfully relaxing time!  We spent all day on the lake exploring all different modes of water transportation and soaked up the sun and good conversation with friends.  I also was able to score some good knitting time and worked up a little sweater for my most recent order.  I will be attaching the little ladybug below it as soon as it arrives from Two Kazoos.  Add a few buttons, whip up a matching rattle and the set will be complete!  I love it when vacation makes my work that much more fun :)

Cotton Candy

I finally got around to making something out of that lovely cotton yarn I dyed at the end of February.  Loree had requested another hat* for her photography props - this time one in an "aviator" style (with short earflaps and long braids).  I was kind of dreading working with the thick/thin yarn because I just wasn't sure how it would knit up, but I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to work with! 

I started by making a skullcap style hat and then pick up and knit stitches on each side of the hat for the earflaps.  The short earflaps really helped hide some of the bulges from the thick part of the yarn that showed up along the cast-on edge. Really, the hardest part of the whole hat were those braids!  It was really difficult to get braids of a consistent thickness out of thick/thin yarn.  I ended up making the braid out of 6 strands of yarn.  I tried to offset the thick parts of the yarn so that at any spot along the braid there was at least one "lump".  It took some work, but I ended up with two sections of braid that were pretty good.

When it was all said and done I thought the hat looked like cotton candy!  A sweet little topper for sweet little babies :)

I also recently purchased some new tags/stickers and business cards.  The hat made a nice backdrop for some photos of the business cards!

*see the "Elfin" stocking caps featured on Loree's blog!