Freebie: Dotted Baby Hat

Here's a quick freebie for those of you looking for an easy, but adorable baby hat to make in an evening or two.

It has a rolled brim and dotted with purled stitches for a little dimension and finished with a knotted top.Size - Newborn
Yarn - Gedifra Mayra Yarn (shown in color "cement")
Needles - U.S. 7 needles of choice for knitting in the round (I use small circulars) and a set of U.S. 7 DPNs for decreasing at top of hat.

Directions:

Body of Hat:
CO 66 stitches. Place marker to denote beginning of round.
Rounds 1 -8: Knit in stockinette stitch (every row knit).
Round 9: K3, *P1, K5, repeat from * until last 3 stitches, P1, K2.
Round 10: Knit across
Round 11: P1, *K5, P1, repeat from * until last 5 stitches, K5.
Round 12: Knit across.
Repeat rounds 9-12 until hat measures four inches from cast on edge.

Decreasing Crown of Hat:
Round 1: (K9, K2tog) repeat until end of round
Round 2: (K8, K2tog) repeat until end of round
Round 3: Knit across
Round 4: (K7, K2tog) repeat until end of round
Round 4: (K6, K2tog) repeat until end of round
Round 5: Knit across
Round 6: (K5, K2tog) repeat until end of round
Round 7: Knit across
Round 8: (K4, K2tog) repeat until end of round
Round 9: Knit across
Round 10: (K3, K2tog) repeat until end of round
Round 11: (K2, K2tog) repeat until end of round
Round 12: (K1, K2tog) repeat until end of round
Round 13: (K2tog) repeat until end of round (6 stitches remain)

I-Cord for top of hat:
Place 6 remaining stitches on one dpn. Knit 6 stitches for an I-cord (*Knit a row. Slide row to other end of needle. Do not turn the work. Repeat from * for two and a half (2.5) inches.
Cast off 6 stitches. Weave in ends. Tie I-cord in knot at top of hat.You're done! Congrats! Now place the hat on a cute, little baby...

Freebie: Ribbed Sweater Vest

This weekend it finally feels like fall is here. It's slightly chilly with the cool breeze and the leaves are beginning to change to shades of crimson and marigold. This is the time of the year that I enjoy the most. I get out my cuddly sweaters, my cherished hand knits and of course - the dog's fall wardrobe.

While I was unpacking my sweaters I ran across a J Crew sweater vest that I own. It's a chunky knit sweater vest in a creamy off-white. It's a go-to item for fall because I can wear it over a simple long sleeve T-shirt for cool weather or I can pair it with something warmer like a fine gauge sweater for cold weather.
Inspired by how versatile the piece is I decided to whip one up for my little Mia. She's the dog, if you remember from last winter, that gets chilled to the bone in 60 degree weather. So I thought that a sweater vest would give me the option to layer it over other clothes when the temperature starts to plummet.
Well here is the final product. Knit in an acrylic yarn for easy care it took about one hour. How easy is that? Nothing beats the speed of U.S. 15 needles!
The vest is knit in a 1x1 ribbing for the ability to stretch to fit a wide range of chest measurements. If your dog is larger than Mia (the sweater dimensions are listed on the pattern), the chest probably doesn't need alteration but perhaps you'll want to make the body of the sweater longer (remembering to insert a buttonhole every 9th row). The vest is also knit so that you don't have to pull the sweater over your dog's head. It can button up on the chest (my dogs don't mind sweaters being pulled over their head so I tacked closed the opening but still have functional buttons for looks).

Take a look (download here) and please - leave me a comment to tell me how it went!!
**Thanks to a knitter, it was noticed that there was a error in the finished stitch count in the first pattern (says at the collar there are 20 sts when it should say 18 sts). I have corrected the error in the pattern currently linked to. However, if you have downloaded a copy prior to 1/22/10 you might have to correct your stitch count at the collar from 20 sts to 18 sts).**

Freebie: Varsity Dog Sweater

Here it is ya'll! I finally sat down this afternoon and wrote up the pattern. I didn't have any test knitters so if you find a mistake please email me and let me know.

The sweater is written for 3 sizes (shown on my poodle is the medium) and would be the perfect sweater to knit for your pooch in your favorite team colors.

The pattern is available in pdf format for free here. Please leave a comment and let me know how it goes!

Happy Fall!

Freebie: "Stripey Baby Leg Warmies"

I was at Target the other day doing some shopping when on the end of an aisle were some pairs of leg warmers for babies. I have to admit that I was somewhat baffled as to why a baby would want leg warmers when I read the back of the package explaining all of the different uses. All of a sudden it seemed like a pretty decent idea.
I've been working on a baby gift for this winter that includes some items for the cloth diapering mama - wool soakers, cloth diapers, cloth wipes, waterproof wet-bag, etc. Then I thought that it would be cute to include some leg warmers especially since it will be a January baby. I didn't want to shell out $15 for a pair of acrylic leg warmers that looked insanely easy to knit myself. So I sat down this week and finished a pair in 2 evenings.

Here are the details if you're interested.
Yarn: Cream Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino (left over of a skein) & Forest Green Louet Gem Sport Weight.
Needles: A set of U.S. size 2 double pointed and a pair of U.S. size 5 needles
Gauge: I'll post this when I have a chance to measure it.

Pattern:
CO 48 stitches on U.S. 5 needles (this makes the cast on edge stretchy) in main color (for me it was the green). Move stitches over to smaller needles and space evenly over 3 needles (16 stitches on each needle). Place marker to denote beginning of round.
Beginning knitting in round on U.S. 2 needles in K1, P1 ribbing for one inch. After you have knit one inch in main color ribbing switch to stockinette stitch for the next 6 inches of knitting as follows:
Round 1: With main color (MC) knit one round
Round 2: With contrasting color (CC) knit one round
Repeat rounds 1 and 2 making a striped warmer. Carry the yarns up the inside of the leg warmers making sure to twist the yarns when you start a new color. This twisting will prevent gaps. Also make sure you keep an even gauge when you switch yarns. Pulling too tight at the beginning of the round causes bunching of the colors and the leg warmer won't look seamless.
After repeating rounds 1 & 2 to complete the striped stockinette portion for 6 inches (total length so far should be 7 inches) switch to main color and work for an additional one inch in K1, P1 ribbing.
Cast off using U.S. size 5 needles so that the bind off is stretchy (you can also use any stretchy bind off of your choosing).
Feel free to change up the pattern using a solid color, more colored stripes, ribbing the whole way, etc.

This used up the little portions of 2 skeins that I had laying around. Perfect stashbuster! And much cheaper than $15... Enjoy!

Freebie: "Crofter Baby Shorts"

Here is a freebie for you! I am still trying to use up the occasional single skein of yarn that I have laying around. This weekend I came across Crofter Dk by Sirdar. It's a Fair Isle effect Dk in "Shade 51" (how specific!) Since they didn't name the shade, I would describe it as a Fair Isle in the colors of muted pinks, purples and blacks.

It's an easy pattern so I didn't make a pdf file for it yet. Hopefully I'll get around to it, but here are my notes in the mean time. This is sized for 0-3 months since I only had one skein to make them.

Crofter Baby Shorts

Materials needed:

• 1 skein of Crofter Dk (50g/184 yds)
  
• One pair of U.S. 3 circular needles and set of U.S. 3 dpns.
  
• Darning needle
• Marker for beginning of round
• Stitch holder or scrap piece of yarn

Work Body of Shorts: Cast on 92 sts on U.S. 3 needles (using any method that you prefer for circular knitting) . Work in 2x2 rib for 1 1/4 inches. Then switch to stockinette stitch and work in the round for an additional 6 more inches (total inches = 7.25).
Work Leg Openings of Shorts: At the beginning of next round knit back and forth on first 7 sts in 1x1 rib for 7 rows. Cut yarn and leave long tail. Slip next 39 sts. Place marker. Knit next 7 sts in 1x1 rib (place marker). Repeat 1x1 ribbing for a total of 7 rows and break yarn leaving a long tail. *You should have two sets of 7 sts between markers with 39 stitches on both sides of them.*
Using a 3 needle bind off technique, bind off the two sets of 7 stitches together. You will now have two leg openings of 39 stitches each with a 7 stitch grafted crotch area.
Work Legs of Shorts: Place one set of 39 stitches on a stitch holder or a length of scrap yarn. Working on one set of 39 stitches at a time, join yarn to the first stitch past the worked crotch. Work row in stockinette stitch. When you reach the end of the first round where the crotch section is, pick up 9 sts evenly across the area. Continue working in the round for 2.5 inches. Then switch to 2x2 rib and work for another 1 inch. Cast off using a stretchy cast off technique or using large needles (you don't want the leg openings to be binding). Repeat this section for other leg.
To Finish: Weave in loose ends and enjoy!

Addendum: Here is another pair I whipped up (this time making the crotch in stockinette stitch and folding under the cuffs, not making them ribbing):

Baby Burp ClothTutorial

Some family friends are having a baby in July and I wanted to make them a handmade baby gift. I'm so busy knitting the "Playmat" blanket that I wanted something that could be done quicker than a week of intense knitting (and something easier to wash). So I decided on some burp rags. I feel like a lot of stuff you buy in the stores is really expensive, a little to "goofy baby", and not a always high quality. So I sat down and in an afternoon I was done with a baby shower gift - 6 burp clothes and a baby bib to round out the present. They turned out adorable and were really easy to make. For the burp rags I made up the pattern (available here for download from 4-shared) and for the bib I used the shape from Martha Stewart available here.

Quick note on the pattern - I scanned my pattern and it is a 17 inch long burp cloth. But my scanner is a normal size paper scanner and I didn't want people to have to increase the pattern size so it is only half of the original pattern. To make the full pattern print two copies and paste them together on the line indicated (one will be right side up and one will be right side down). This will make the full pattern that you place on the fold of your fabric. That sounds more confusing than it is!

Here's the tutorial:

Items needed:
-1/2 yard (depending on how many you are making) cotton fabric in pattern you like
-1/2 yard (depending on how many you are making) terry cloth fabric that matches main fabric
- 1 package of Warm and Natural Cotton Batting in craft size (this makes the burp cloths thick and absorbant)
-Scissors
-Matching thread and bobbin
-Sewing machine (or do it old school with needle and thread...)

Directions:
















Print pattern and place the pattern on the fabric fold line (the pattern is half of a complete burp cloth). Cut a piece of the main cotton fabric, terry cloth, and the cotton batting. You will have 3 total pieces (one of each fabric).
















This is how the pieces should look when you unfold them.
















These are the three pieces that I cut.
















You will now stack the fabrics to get them ready to sew together. Place the cotton fabric RIGHT SIDE UP on your surface (iron to make it lay flat). Place the terry cloth fabric on top with the RIGHT SIDE DOWN (iron to make it lay flat). Place the batting on the top most layer (doesn't matter which side is up or down. Iron to make the whole stack flat and line up). For this picture I just folded the corner over to show you the stack.













Pin the whole stack around through all the layers. I like to place a lot of pins...
Then bring the stack to the sewing machine and sew all the way with a 1/2" hem around leaving a 5 inch or so opening on one end open so you can turn the piece right side out.
















Turn right side out and iron the piece flat. Pin the opening closed. You will sew the opening closed in the next step when you top-stitch around the whole piece.
















It's back to the sewing machine! Starting where you have pins to close the opening, top stitch (that is just plain stitch, or in many cases I use a decorative stitch my machine does) 1/4" in from the edge all the way around. This gives a finished edge and closes the opening. Trim thread ends and...













Ta da! You're finished... One down and a couple more to go!





















This shows the front and the back of the burp cloth.
















My fininshed stack. I used odds and ends of fabric that I had. Some I used flannel as the top and the bottom of the burp cloth. I also ended up using a decorative stitch to top-stitch around in a coordinating thread and it made it look even cuter!
Have fun!

Yummy Yarn and Freebie Baby Hat

I was just at my local yarn store looking for some leather handles for a bag I've made and came across this yarn from Crystal Palace Yarns called "Mini Mochi". I think it looks so yummy!!! I can't wait to cast on my next dog sweater project (I just thought of Mia when I saw this yarn). It's 80% merino wool and 20% nylon and is machine washable! You can't ask for a better yarn. If this knits up well I can see many projects in the making...
I also picked up Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo to knit up a chemo cap for my church group and a skein of Crofter Dk Shetland in a variegated pink that knits up in a fair isle effect. I'll blog my results with these yarns when I start knitting with them.
I've recently finished 3 baby hats for charity. All of them I whipped together using left over skeins of yarn. For the project at left this is the pattern I'm posting for free:

Varieagated Baby Hat Freebie
Size: 0-4 months
Yarn: Lion Brand's Wool Ease Yarn in Eggplant and Knit Picks Andean Silk yarn in black(scrap skeins of each). Any worsted weight yarn would work. (**note: The Andean Silk yarn makes this hat handwash only)
Needles: U.S. 6 circular and double pointed needles
Gauge: 10 sts & 11 rows = 2"sq. on U.S 6 in colorwork pattern for body of hat
Pattern: Cast on 64 stitches on U.S. 5 circular needles with main color (MC). Work 1.5 inches in 2x2 ribbing (K2, P2) in the round with MC.
Body of hat:
Round 1: K2 with main color, k2 with contrasting color (CC) across the row.
Round 2: K2 with CC, K2 with MC across the row.
Continue knitting rounds 1 and 2 until hat is 4 inches from cast on edge.
Deacreasing Hat: With CC knit aross round.
Round 1: Changing to CC knit across round
Round 2: *K6, k2tog (repeat across round)
Round 3: Knit
Round 4: *K5, k2tog (repeat across round)
Round 5: Knit
Round 6: *K4, k2tog (repeat across round)
Round 7: Knit
Round 8: *K3, k2tog (repeat across round)
Round 9: Knit
Round 10: *K2, k2tog (repeat across round)
Round 11: Knit
Round 12: *K1, k2together (repeat across round)
Round 13: *k2tog across round
Break Yarn and pull end through remaining stitches and pull tight. Weave in ends. Using a clover pom-pom maker make a medium sized pom-pom with MC and CC. Attached to top of hat.


**If you're interested in making this larger here are some suggested stitch counts to increase the size:

Newborn , cast on the 64 stitches as suggested.
3 - 6 months, cast on 72 stitches (do color-work section until 5 inches from cast on edge)
6 - 12 months, cast on 80 stitches (do color-work section until 5 1/2 inches from cast on edge)
1 - 2 years, cast on 88 stitches (do color-work section until 6 1/4 inches from cast on edge)
2 - 3 years, cast on 92 stitches (do color work section until 6 1/2 inches from cast on edge)
3 - 4 years, cast on 100 stitches (do color work section until 7 inches from cast on edge)

Again, check gauge and increase/decrease needle size as needed. I don't have children heads of all sizes to check size so plop it on your model as needed and make the height fit. Use the decrease round as written for all sizes.

-Sarah

Freebie: "Izzy's Hooded Dog Sweater"

Izzy's Hooded Sweater is finished (click on name for link to free pattern)! I've been working on a dog sweater for those of you with a slightly larger dog than my 6 and 9 lb. dogs. My aunt has a dachshund/poodle/schnauzer mix that is about 18 lbs. So using some Paton's Shetland Chunky Tweed yarn in Sea Ice (a light blue) I casted on a dog sweater on some whopping U.S. size 10 needles! This pattern goes fast!
Izzy's hooded sweater is a great first dog sweater pattern. It's quick and easy with minimal skills needed - knitting, purling, simple increasing and casting off. Since the sweater is knit in a pretty loose gauge, it stretches easily and fits a larger range of dogs.
If you're interested in knitting this and have a smaller puppy, simply cast on the same number of stitches and knit the pattern on U.S. 7 (for a 5-8 lb dog) or 8 needles (for a 9-12 lb dog). The only modification I would make would be increasing the amount of stitches between the leg openings to 3 -4 stitches on each side of the beginning of the round marker instead of the recommended 2 (for a total of 6-8 stitches between legs instead of 4).
I hope you all enjoy this pattern. Since I don't have test knitters, please let me know if there is a typo/problem.

Addendum: I saw on Ravelry that a user was confused with knitting the leg openings. Basically what the directions are trying to explain is how to knit the small section between the leg holes and the main back section at the same time. I do this by cutting of a "long tail" for between the leg holes (or using a small ball of yarn) and using the main ball of yarn for the larger back section (or you can pull from both ends of a skein). Since you can't knit in the round when you are knitting around the leg opening you are knitting back and forth on the circulars. After you cast the stitches back on to close the leg openings you start knitting back in the round with the main ball. I hope that helps with any confusion in my directions!! If you need additional help click here for a quick post on the step-by-step leg openings.

Enjoy!!

Freebie: "Leaf Dog Sweater"

Here it is! I've been busy all day with a new project but I promised that I would post the new dog sweater pattern and I'm keeping my word (even though it's 1:00 AM!!) Drum roll please...

Leaf Dog Sweater (Click on link to be taken to 4shared for a pdf download).

I hope everyone enjoys this sweater as much as I do. I wrote the pattern up as I knitted it. If you see any errors (hopefully there aren't any). Please let me know so I can update the pattern.

Again, this fits my small 6 lb dog and I made one with slightly thicker yarn and it fit my 10 lb dog.

Freebie: "Snuggie Dog Sweater"

Finally! It's posted - I named this dog sweater "Snuggie" because all I want to do is snuggle any dog wearing it. The superwash wool is a smooth, tight knit with a lot of shaping that hugs your dogs curves. My pups love it! Here are all the details:

Size: Fits my maltese who is 7 lbs. In a bulkier yarn or doubled yarn it would fit a larger dog. Going up a size in the needles and making the sweater a tad longer, it fit my 11 lb poodle with ease with no changes to yarn.
Yarn: Moda Dea Superwash Wool in main color and contrasting color (or any worsted weight yarn)
Needles: U.S. 6 circulars and U.S. 5 dpns
Time it takes to knit: About 5 hours.
I have posted the pattern on 4shared in pdf format so it's easy to print and follow. If you have any questions please email me. Also, if you download the pattern, I would appreciate a comment so I can see the finished result!! Have fun!

1/15/2009: Errata - I just got an email stating there is a typo on Row 25. It states P15, inc 1 st, p5, inc 1 st, P15 (35 sts total) and instead it should be P14 sts on each side.
Please let me know if you see further errors...

Freebie: "Chevron Dog Sweater"

Good Evening! Just call me the dog sweater lady!! For the past 2 days I have been working on a new dog sweater for Mia. I wanted to knit up an item with the skein of hand-dyed yarn I just made and thought that a dog sweater would be perfect.
Here are the details:
Pattern: Chevron Dog Sweater (click on the link for the free pattern for a small dog)
Book: Mia and Maddie Designs
Author: Sarah Gattis
Main Yarn: Paton's Classic Wool
Main Color: Hand Dyed
Needles: 16" U.S. 5 circular and set of four U.S. 5 double pointed needles
Skeins: Less than 1 skein
Notes: Gauge isn't listed but is 8 sts and 16 rows = 2 inch square and the finished product was designed to fit my Maltese. She is 12 inches from base of neck to beginning of tail and her chest measurement is 13 inches. This is a great pattern with 2 chevron cables going down the sides of the back. The neck is knit in ribbing and so is the back cast off edge and leg cuffs. Simple sweater to knit since the chevron cable is an easy 4 row repeat. No seaming needed. The sweater is knit from the neck down and the legs are picked up in the round. If you would like the sweater to be machine washable, choose a different yarn that Paton's Classic Wool because it will felt in the washing machine.

I'm back... (& dog bed freebie!)

It's been a couple days since I've posted because I haven't been feeling well. But I'm feeling a little bit better so thought I would post some pictures. I needed to make another dog bed so I have posted the pattern I whipped up in order to make the bed. It turned out really well and is an easy pattern. Take a look HERE. The base of the dog bed is knitted as a rectangle and picked up stitches around the side make an oval dog bed with a stuffed bolster. The idea can be easily altered to make a bed of any size.

Here are the details:
Pattern: "Simple Dog Bed"
Book: My own pattern in pdf format available here
Author: Sarah Gattis
1st Yarn: Adrienne Vittadini Paloma
1st Color: Black
2nd Yarn: Lion Brand Homespun
2nd Color: Charcoal
3rd Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease
3rd Color: Black
4th Yarn: Paton Cha Cha
4th Color: Black
Needles: U.S. 9 and U.S. 10.5 circular
Skeins: 1 skein of each yarn

Notes: Please feel free to use any yarns you have laying around. I had a single skein of each of these yarns in my stash. This is the perfect project to play around with different colors and textures. I double stranded most yarns to knit them up on size 10.5 needles (makes the project go quicker). The most important thing I learned while making the beds is the importance of a tight gauge for the bolster knitting. If the gauge isn't tight enough the stuffing pops out (which is irresistible to our canine companions!!!) For one bed I used Lion Brand's Thick-n-quick and it knit up really stiff on the U.S. 10.5 and stuffed really well with the fiber fill.

Freebie: "Manteau de Madeline" Dog Sweater

After making little Mia a dog sweater the other day I felt my dog Maddie shooting me evil eyes that she doesn't have a new sweater. Maddie is a little harder to get sweaters to fit since she is small but has a bigger chest (like all poodles). So I whipped together a personalized dog sweater for her and wrote up the pattern to post here. Since we make "girly" clothes for Mia I made Maddie's sweater a little more gender neutral in blue and light blue accents. This sweater could easily be made in shade of pinks or purples. Have fun with the color combinations! In the pattern I wrote in the areas that you can personalize for your little pooch to make a perfect fit. Hope you enjoy: "Manteau de Madeline"!

Washcloth / Dishcloth Freebie

I just finished knitting up some quick dishcloths for my grandmother as she loved the ones I made her for Christmas. I was on the airplane and had no access to patterns so I knitted up two different patterns - a 4 x4 column with a yarn over edge - and a bobble pattern that seemed to be perfect for scrubbing (either dishes or yourself!) If you're looking for a pattern that keeps your attention and doesn't get boring but also is easy to remember, here they are! Pictures are included. Get it here: Ladder and Bobble Dishcloth Pattern

A Freebie! Knitted Wool Soaker Pants

I have been a crazed knitting lady lately. I must have made at least a dozen items in the past 2 weeks. One of my new favorite projects to knit are wool soaker pants or shorts for babies. Having knitted several pairs, I made a pattern inspired by a Debbie Bliss pattern but knit in a worsted weight yarn for a quick knit. It's a perfect gift for a baby shower in merino wool if they cloth diaper or for any baby in a cashmere or cotton blend. Try it out and let me know what you think (it's currently only sized for 3-6 month olds): Ruffle Baby Longies