Conquering 2015

Best wishes to you, your family and friends. I have a feeling 2015 will be a spectacular year!

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Free Pattern: Baby Vest

2015 is welcoming two new babies (that I know of so far). Both are late winter boys so I needed a pattern that can be worn in spring. I stumbled upon this cute, and FREE, baby vest pattern. Pattern ✅ Now all I need is the yarn… http://pure-craft.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/easy-peasy-garter-stitch-baby-vest.html

Knitting Takes Balls

Knitting takes a lot of balls, skeins or sometimes a hank or two. Winding up yarn can be a bit of a hassle and time-consuming. If you are anything like me I don’t want to waste precious knitting time on ball winding. Enter this pretty quirky idea. Now if I could only get my hands on a mixer…

Follow the Yellow Line

Use Caution! Slippery When Wet!
Boy they weren’t lying! The boyfriend and I decided to make a stop in Atlanta before heading back to San Francisco. I lived in the metro area many years ago, so it is nice to come back and visit. We (along with my sister and her bf) headed to Stone Mountain Park late in afternoon. The park is really pretty and has a vast number of activities to do, such as play in fake snow and ride a sky tram. We only hiked up the Walk up Trail to take in the view. Essentially, you are walking on smooth rock the whole time. Since it was raining the night before, there was water running off everywhere.

This made for interesting walking conditions. The trail isn’t that long (2.5 miles round trip?), however, we had to walk super slow due to slick conditions.

Despite our caution, 3 out of 4 of us ended up on our butts at some point😳. However, we made it to the top. Cue victory music!

Happy Monday everyone!

Handmade Hats

I hope that you had a great Christmas holiday. I know I did. Nothing like mom’s cooking, hanging by the fake fire, and watching Christmas movies. This year I gave all the men handmade hats. I tried to match the hats to their personal styles.

Dad got a beanie will call “Stacks.” It is a series of ribbing that changes direction every 10 rows. I made it using an acrylic blend I found in my stash.

Boyfriend was the recipient of a basic stockinette beanie made from another ball I found in my stash (wool/acrylic blend). I think once upon a time I was trying to use the yarn to make a sweater with this yarn.  I had started a back panel, but I abandoned it awhile ago. The boyfriend was very happy, as this is the first hat I have made him.

M (my sister’s boyfriend) is now the proud owner of Graham. I used Lion Brand Heartland in King’s Canyon. I L-O-V-E this pattern. My favorite stitches tend to be simple texture patterns such as Graham’s broken rib. I am already trying to think of a way to incorporate this stitch into a future project (scarf? Pullover sweater?).

Hats are such a quick and satisfying project to make for the holidays. They are super practical and the recipient(s) is/are always so amazed by the love that went into their gift.

What Christmas knits/crochet projects did your family/friends receive this year?

Christmas Keepsakes

My mother keeps everything: old report cards, 30 year old tricycles, baby clothes…etc. As much as we try to get her to purge, there is just some stuff you have to keep forever. One of those being handmade Christmas ornaments. Over the years, my mother has acquired so many ornaments that she has two trees. One is the “adult tree” and the other is the “children’s tree.” Looking at the ornaments, I was amazed how long they have lasted. Most of the ornaments were made in the 80s and are still going strong. I don’t know if it their limited use or serious adhesive, but at this rate my kids will have them on their trees.

What Christmas keepsakes do you hold on to?

Just Bought!

I am a knitting addict. I can’t go many places without a project in tow. Since I am starting my holiday travels today, I headed to my “dealer” (aka LYS) this morning. I made it a quick trip and came home with 200 grams of deliciously soft Cascade Heritage Yarn (Merino Wool/ Nylon blend) in Deep Plum and Mustard. Can’t wait to get it on the needles to make Selbu Modern.

Afros and Hats

For about 20+ years I chemically straightened my hair. However, when I move to San Francisco, the cost and the fog made me think twice about keeping up this habit. So about 2 years ago I embarked on the journey of transitioning from chemically treated hair to natural hair. I have to say I am really happy I made that decision. I love having the option of big curly wild hair or straight hair. I will admit I am not a “hair person.” I love my hair to be as low maintenance as possible while still looking cute (is this a contradiction?) Therefore, I generally wear some form of Afro.

However, wearing my curly hair presents a problem when it comes to hats. The hats often end up squishing my hair down, and I get a serious case of “hat head.” Initially, I was quite saddened by this, as I really enjoy a great knit hat. I switched over to making more headbands and wraps, but I longed for a good hat. Especially on bad hair days.

After a little research I discovered that Tams/Berets were what I needed more of in my life. They have all the appeal of a hat, but they are slouchy enough to accommodate my curls. Tams/ Berets tend not to cover your whole head, which alleviates total hair compression. I have made one Tam so far:

Nine Dwindling Cables Tam  

This winter I am going to try and expand my hat selection. I am thinking one of these is next:

Veranda Tam by Kirsten Hipsky

Cafe au Lait Tam by Kathryn C

Selbu Modern By Kate Gagnon Osborn

Anyone else have a large hair + hat problem? What’s your favorite hat design/style to make?

California “Snow Day”

No it isn’t really snowing in San Francisco. However, due to “hurricane- like winds” and potential flooding, school was cancelled for tomorrow. Woot woot! A whole day to watch Netflix and knit… Wait do I have enough yarn for a project!?!

Deep breath! I forgot that I bought a skein of Lion’s Brand Heartland in King’s Canyon on Saturday. Thank goodness for thinking ahead! A whole day and no project would equal extreme knitting depression.

I am making my last Christmas gift of the season using the free pattern Graham by Jennifer Adams. I really like that this pattern is unisex. Depending on how it turns out I might make another for me 😊. Here’s to keeping my fingers busy!

Oh Christmas Tree!

Yesterday morning I was stuck in a rut. I had no idea what to do with my students. I had no time to prep crafting materials for multiple children so I scoured Pinterest for a winter activity. I came across this cute idea of a pipe cleaner Christmas Tree. An activity that is easy to talk during and works on motor skills? Perfect! The tree featured on the Pink and Green Mama blog is a store bought kit so I got to thinking how I could make it from materials I already had. I rummaged through my craft box at work and lucky for me I had all the necessary materials.

Whit’s Pipe Cleaner Christmas Tree

Ages: Preschoolers and Kindergarteners
Materials: Green pipe cleaners, wooden dowel, wooden block, hot glue gun, craft beads, scissors
1) Apply hot glue to one end of the dowel. Place it in the center of the block and let dry.
2) Wrap the pipe cleaners around the dowel so that the two ends stick out. Scissors may be used to cut pipe cleaners in half to vary the length of the “branches.”
3) Hot glue a “star” on top of the tree.
4) Give the child some beads and have he/ she string the beads on the pipe cleaners to “trim the tree.”

Result: The kids loved it! They were actually fighting for the next turn. This tree is easy to make and fun to play!
Warning: Monitor small children when using beads!