Free Online Pattern: Baby Booties

It's been awhile since I've posted a free online pattern. While looking at a couple blogs it was recommended to check out a pattern for baby booties by the blog Pickin' and Throwin'. So I headed over there and was surprised to see a pattern for some baby booties that are totally seamless. They are knitted on dpns and the bottom of the sole is finished with a 3-needle bind off. So when you're finished all you need to do is sew in your 2 yarn tails. Not too shabby!

So here are the details:
Pattern: Baby Booties
Designer: Pickin' and Throwin'
Yarn: Recommends dk or sport weight
Needles: Recommends U.S. 5 dpns
Notes: I made 3 pairs of these. The first pair I knit with Cashcotton dk yarn. The pattern does not list gauge - but I know that I'm a loose knitter and a lot of the comments mentioned that the booties turned out huge - so I used U.S. 3 needles. Boy am I glad I blindly made this choice - the booties still turned out pretty large! And I wasn't really a fan of how the Cashcotton yarn turned out. Since it's mainly a cotton yarn, the booties kind of lack shape.
So the second time around I picked some Reynolds Soft Sea Wool which is fingering weight yarn. I also chose to go down another size in needles to U.S. 2 dpns. This was the magical combination - small needles and a springy yarn. I also chose to knit the cuff in 1x1 rib instead of the 2x2 rib. I think it looks cuter that way.And then I knit this a third time (can you tell I enjoy this pattern?) This time I used Lorna's Laces Swirl DK and used U.S. 1 needles for a tight gauge. These turned out to be my absolute favorite combination. Thick, plush, and soft... yum!
Other than the modifications in needle size and 1x1 rib, I knit the pattern as written (I still need to add the tie for the booties through the eyelet round). It's a fabulous pattern. I memorized the whole pattern after the first booty was knit and there are no typos. So it's going to be a great project that will be easy to transport to doctor appointments, etc.
So head on over to Pickin' and Throwin' and check out the pattern. It's a great gift and a pair only takes about 6 hours. Have fun!

Free Online Pattern: Garder Yoke Cardi

So I started up knitting today for the first time in a couple months. I had a project sitting on my knitting pile screaming to be finished - all it had left to be completed was an arm! So I picked up and dove in and in less than an hour it was finished. And I have to say it turned out beautiful and really soft!
Pattern: Garder Yoke Baby Cardi by Jennifer Hoel (available free online)
Yarn: Calls for 3 skeins of Knit Picks Andean Treasure. I used 2 skeins of Sublime Yarn's Soya Cotton DK in Navy.
Needles: Calls for U.S. 4, I used U.S. 3 needles.
Details: This was a great pattern! Easy to follow and turned out so freakin' cute! I made the arm length shorter because I only had 2 skeins of yarn on hand and because the baby is due in July so long sleeves aren't necessary. Luckily I made that choice because when I casted off the sweater I had a whole 6 inches of yarn left! I was sweating towards the end and was so relieved when my last stitch was casted off.
It was wonderful to be knitting again. Hopefully I'll get rid of this nausea soon so that I have the energy to sit down and knit more often. Sam and I are excited to find out the gender of this baby in the coming month. So I'm sure my knitting will be revamped once we know if we can knit pink items or blue items.
So if you're looking for an easy pattern that turns out super cute and knits up quickly, this pattern is for you. Thanks Jennifer Hoel for taking the time to write up this pattern!!

Christmas Presents (Spoiler Alert for Family)

(This is a picture of Mia when we got her at Christmas 2 years ago)

Okay, Okay... Christmas is in like 5 weeks! Crazy! Usually I have all of my shopping done by now and present are wrapped waiting for the Christmas tree. However I'm a little behind schedule this year due to all the craziness with my health.

This week I checked off my mother-in-law and sister-in-law off the "To-Do" list. I got both of their presents done. I knit a pair of Garden Trellis Mitts by Sharryknits (available free online) for my sister-in-law. (Sharryknits website seems pretty basic and I don't see the mitt pattern on her actual website. The link is to the free pattern on Ravelry - must register as a user to get access - again, free). The mitts were easy and fun to make. I knit the fingerless mitts in Panda Silk Dk (a mix of bamboo, wool, and silk) on U.S. 5 needles. The only alteration I made to the pattern was knitting 10 rows of ribbing at the beginning of the pattern instead of the recommended 7. This pattern turned out easy and seam free!

The most exciting thing I brought away from the pattern was learning the sewn cast off. I have never used this cast off before but used the tutorial from woolywonder (click link) and it was easy and most important - stretchy! I'll be using this cast off for MANY things. Nice to add it to my knitting arsenal.

The other project I finished this weekend was Robin's Egg Blue Hat by Rachel Iufer. This pattern was easy but also had some nice touches. My yarn (I used Plymouth Yarns Mushishi) was a worsted weight yarn instead of the bulky required. So I upped the number of stitches to 92 (instead of 80). Otherwise I followed the pattern as written. The hat fits nicely, a little loose (which my mother-in-law requested) and has a little pizazz to it for a simple cap. I still need to look for a couple standout buttons to finish the hat. All in all, great pattern.

So those are two of my finished gifts. It was a lot of knitting time but hopefully they like the finished items as much as I do. I'll have a hard time getting rid of the mitts - I L-O-V-E them!! I might have to make myself a pair!

Pictures will come post Christmas - I don't want to ruin the surprise entirely for any family who might check the blog.

October Crafts & Free Online Pattern

This month I placed an order with the "Fat Quarter Shop" and received some beautiful fat quarter bundles. I ordered the Aspen Wildwood Fat Quarter Bundle (bottom right) and another bundle (top left) that was clearanced and no longer offered. Fat Quarter Shop mailed out my order quickly and it was packaged really professionally. I will surely shop there again! Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to make with my purchases...
I'm also finishing up my sister's wedding gift. Scrapbooking takes so much time! But it's almost finished and should be ready for her wedding this weekend.
The top right is a preview of the stroller blanket I am writing up as a freebie. I still need to finish the seaming and sewing on the fabric backing. With so many other projects as a higher priority, I'm trying my hardest to get it finished. But I realized with this project that I HATE seaming garter stitch. Stockinette seaming is much, much easier and cleaner-looking.
The bottom middle picture is another Bobbled Bloomer by Kat Coyle in "Boho Baby Knits". I'm addicted to the pattern!! This time I made it in a cotton yarn so it's purely decorative and not functional as a diaper cover (how functional can bobbled bottoms be anyway?)
I did, however, make a pair of baby socks to match the bloomers with the leftover yarn. It's a free pattern available online by Valley Cafe called "North Country Cotton Baby Socks".

Crafty Links

Here are some crafts that I've found inspiring and would love to create...
1. Free Halloween Doodle Embroidery Patterns: Perfect for a treat bag or even a onesie.
2. T-Shirt Yarn Tutorial: I've made some (boy is it fun and turns out great). I'm slowly working on a scrap rug for under the dog dishes. Tip - use your sewing machine to reinforce the T-shirt seams.
3. Daily Drop Cap: Each day there is a new decorative initial from Typographer, Jessica Hische.
4. Don't Get Out of Bed Pants: pdf pattern available to make your own PJ pants (learn from my mistake and don't use a pair with an elastic waist unless you stretch the elastic to make the pattern... mine turned out with a tiny waist!)
5. Let's Make Pet Pouches: Little pouches perfect to make to carry "poop bags".
6. DIY Boxer Shorts: My hubbie has asked me to make him boxers since I bought my serger.

Online Patterns: Projects sitting in my Queue

I love my Google Reader! It has to be the handiest way to keep up to date on all the blogs I follow. And following all sorts of blogs is pure inspiration.

Every time I open Google Reader I am confronted with the hard work and creativity of individuals over in blogosphere which just gets my creative juices pumping. But I can't work on every project that I am inspired by. Unfortunately I just don't have time (or the right recipient). So these projects make their way into my "Queue of things to do".

I have quite a long list of "To-Do" projects. They range from knitted dresses to sewn juice pouch purses. And since these bloggers have spent the time and energy to share their creative works for free with the world - I want to give a little "shout out" to some of the ones that I have been itching to make. Hopefully you will find a project that you find as interesting and inspired as I have. And if you feel so inclined to try your hand at making one of them - leave the author a comment. They love to know that someone loves the project as much as they do...

Zipper Pouch Tutorial from Twelve22
Adult Twirly Skirt Tutorial from House on Hill Road
Kid's Tiered Skirt Tutorial from Kuky Ideas
Kid's Ruffle Sleeve Top Tutorial from Sparkle Power!
Juice Pouch Purses from Crafty Chic
Baby Kimono from Habitual
Poodle Stencil from Real Simple (I want to use the stencil for a wax paper stencil on a bag)
Nine Patch Door Stop by Oh, Fransson!
The Market Skirt by Made
Fabric Blocks by Sew, Mama, Sew
Softie Scottie Dog by Allsorts
Roman Blind Tutorial by Jen Duncan

Thanks, bloggers! And I hope I make it to your project soon...

Free Online Patterns: 20 from STC Craft

The publishers of STC Craft have put out an online collection of 20 free patterns from a wide selection of their books. Patterns are available for crafting, sewing and knitting and look like a lot of fun. Some of the projects I have made because they are a part of the books I own (apparently I own a lot of STC Craft books!)

The patterns include (these aren't the titles of the project but an explanation of what they are):

• Knitted Flower Washcloths from "Weekend Knitting"
• Sewn Garden Gloves from "Weekend Sewing"
• Patchwork Pillows from "Last minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts"
• Knitted Hats from "Handknit Holidays"
• Stamped Journal Covers from "Printing by Hand"
• Knitted Baby Booties from "Vintage Baby Knits"
• Knitted Handwarmers from "Punk Knits"
• Felted Necklace from "AlterKnits Felt"
• Fabric Envelopes from "Last Minute Fabric Gifts"
• Knitted Pointy Hats from "KnitAlong"
• Knitted Ruffle Scarf from "Knitting New Scarves"
• Stripey Socks from "Weekend Knitting"
• Knitted Sweater from "Custom Knits"
• Stamped Fabric Produce Totes from "Sewing Green"
• Knitted Mittens from "Knitting New Mittens & Gloves"
• Knit Bag from "Greeting from Knit Cafe"
• Knit Baby Bonnet from "Vintage Baby Knits"
• Fabric Needle Case from "Kids Embroidery"
• Kids Tunic Dress from "Weekend Sewing"
  

So take a look at the website and see if there are any projects that you can start for holiday gifting.

Happy Crafting!!

Baby Socks from Harris Tweed Pattern

I posted before that I made a pair of "Harris Tweed Socks" (available for free download), the first adult sized socks that I've knitted in years. Well, since I had a little bit of the skein of sock yarn left over that I decided to knit up a pair of pint sized socks... itsy bitsy baby socks. I casted on 32 stitches and followed the pattern changing the heel flap, instep, and toe box to match a little baby sock I had on hand for size reference. They turned out really cute! Since socks have such a basic overall pattern to them I figured it would be easy to wing a smaller size. Sure enough, it was! So feel inspired and next time try your favorite sock pattern... in a really small size!

Free Online Pattern: Harris Tweed Socks

I finished my first pair of adult sized socks in a couple years! I hate knitting socks because once one sock is done you have a whole other one to knit (unless you knit them both at the same time using the magic loop method...) But I'm getting ready for Christmas and this is one present off my "to-do" list!
These are the "Harris Tweed Socks" by Ali Green available online for free here.
This picture didn't turn out all that well - the coloration is a little off and the detail isn't really obvious, but this was a quick, fun pattern to knit up. I used a wool/bamboo blend yarn (with a little bit of nylon for strength) in a blue and green coloration. These are soft and hopefully will wear well. I did make an alteration to the pattern - I made my toe box the "traditional" way instead of the really wedged toe like the pattern suggests.

Free Online Pattern: Baby Sophisticate

I've got many things finished and some things in the works. It's been a crafty week for me - a lot of sewing, some knitting, and some photography. I always notice that when my urge for creativity goes up it is indicative of high stress. This week has just been hectic! So crafting is the perfect therapy for me - slows me down, gets me thinking, creating, and focuses me on the here and now. When I'm finished and look at my completed project I have a sense of peace and control.
This week I whipped out in an evening the baby sweater "Baby Sophisticate" by Stockinette. The sweater is written as a classic "Grandpa" sweater - a button down cardigan with a large fold-over lapel. I didn't have enough stash yarn on hand and liked the basic idea for the sweater but wanted it to be unisex so I came up with a pull-over style. I haven't placed the button on the collar yet (I will wait until I know who the recipient is so that I can pick a button that is more feminine or masculine). I will definitely knit this pattern again as written. It's quick and fun and Stockinette's version is just so darn cute! Take a look at her blog for the "real" version - which is much more successful than my adapted pattern.

Another Pair of Soakers... I am so addicted!

Okay, okay - I can't help it! These things are just so enjoyable to knit and relaxing. Simple shaping but the patterned crotch area keeps things interesting (the possibilities are endless!) This time I decided to knit Justine Turner's Knitted Soakers in a skein of purple Cascade Yarn's 220 Paints and the accent color is Knit Picks Palette yarn in gray (I doubled the strands since it's fingering weight. The soakers took me 2 evenings to knit and will be gifted this coming winter. I think I might sew up a pair of cloth diapers for the baby gift (the recipient mother is very eco-friendly!) I'll let you know how that goes.

Another Confection Baby Shrug

This was such a fun pattern to make that I couldn't help but knit another one last evening. This "Confection Baby Shrug" is such a cute, quick pattern and used a single skein of Jaeger Yarn's "Chamonix" in colorway 904 (a muted grayish purple). I really did enjoy knitting with the Chamonix and will buy more skeins of this yarn - it's a mix of angora, wool and nylon. The finished knit was thick and soft (I did knit the shrug on size US 6 needles which is a small needle for this bulky yarn but I like the thick knit it produced).For the back on this shrug I put in a panel of “King Charles Brocade”:
1st row (right side): P2, K2tog, (K1, yo)twice, K1, sl1, K1, psso, P2
2nd row and every alt row:K2, P7, K2
3rd row: P2, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, sl1, k1, psso, p2
5th row: P2, k1, yo, sl1, k1, psso, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, p2
7th row: P2, k2, yo, sl1, k2tog, psso, yo, k2, p2
8th row: Same as 2nd row
I repeated these rows 4 times total.

Free Online Pattern: "Confection Baby Shrug"

This is a cute, quick pattern that can be made up in a matter of 2 quick evenings. I am mailing out a baby shower gift this week and wanted to spruce up the purchased dress with something handmade. I browsed Ravelry and came across this free pattern from Tonya Wagner called "Confection Baby Shrug." She rates the shrug as "easy" and I have to agree. It's not a super beginner pattern since there are some increases and lots of stitches to pick up around the edge - but if you have knit almost anything before this pattern should be easy for you.
I chose to knit this shrug in Rowan Yarn's All Season Cotton in color #178 Organic (an off white) on US 5 needles. It took just a tad over 1 skein of yarn. I did shorten the arm length from 3 inches of stockinette stitch to 2 inches because I wanted it to be more like a 3/4 length sleeve for a summer baby. I also knitted the sleeves in the round since I hate any seaming and I am sure glad I did that. There is no reason why you would knit them flat and seam them unless you're not comfortable knitting in the round on double pointed needles. The only other changes I made was knitting a lace pattern down the back panel. The pattern is written as knitted in plain stockinette stitch the entire way. In the middle 9 stitches on the back panel I knit a panel of lace:
1st row (right side): K1, yo, k2, sl1, k2tog, psso, k2, yo, k1
2nd row: Purl
3rd row: k2, yo, k1, sl1, k2tog, psso, k1, yo, k2
4th row: Purl
5th row: k3, yo, sl1, k2tog, psso, yo k3
6th row: Purl
I repeated these rows a total of 5 times for the back panel (for the 3 month old size). The resulting lace panel I think is suitable for a baby girl or baby boy. It's an easy 6 row repeat and spruces up the shrug a little.
I hope you all go over to Tonya Wagner's blog called "The Shizknit" and check out her patterns!

Free Online Pattern: Better than Booties Baby Socks

Here is another pair of baby socks that is my favorite pair to knit for charity. You can knit a sock a night and I have the pattern memorized already! Really, if you're looking to do some charity knitting or looking for a baby sock pattern check this one out! This time I did the decorative top edging but I decided that I would focus on the beautiful Panda Silk yarn by Crystal Palace Yarns and I knit the socks in plain stockinette stitch. They turned out beautiful I have to admit!
I also used up a left over skein of "who-knows-what" and made another pair. Take a peek...

Busy Little Bee

I've been a busy little bee - crafting and enjoying the summer sun! So I apologize for not updating this as often as I would like! I have several projects in the pipeline (including my first quilt!!) But I haven't had time to upload pictures from my camera. So you'll have to wait in anticipation for the multiple pairs of socks, a couple wool soakers, some hats for charity, and an extremely cute sweater that I've made. I'll also update you on the quilt that I started (and will hopefully have finished piecing in the next couple weeks).
I grabbed a couple knitting books from the local library and used a couple of skeins of extra yarn for some charity hat knitting. I set the goal that I would finish 100 hats for charity by the end of the year. I've finished about 40 hats already, but the year is more than half done - so I better get working!
Here is a charity hat that I knitted from the book "101 Designer One Skein Wonders" edited by Judith Durant. The hat is the "Edge of Lace" hat. I added a row of bobbles and for symmetry added another section of garter stitch above the bobbles. It made it a little more interesting of a hat. The hat was knit in some left-over Gedifra Mayra yarn.I'm glad that I have the opportunity to review books from the library before purchasing them for my own library. I was actually quite disappointed with the 101 designer one skein wonders. There were only a couple of projects that I was interested in making - and that was just because the patterns were free. Most of the projects in the book are generic and not all that useful. I know it's hard to have a super ingenious, useful projects to make out of a single skein of yarn - but that's the challenge and interest of the book. Take your imagination and let it run wild!! In contrast, I ran across a really fun one-skein project that's available for free online from the talented Susan B. Anderson (author of some amazing books). The pattern is called, "Ribbit" and it uses a single skein of a new yarn called "Spud & Chloe". I haven't worked with the yarn, but I am super interested since it's a mix of wool and cotton, my favorite combination yarn! The colors look luscious and I will be on the look out for a couple skeins! Hmmm... all the things I could make with it.
I'll get my camera out and update this site soon. I promise!

Free Online Pattern: "Better than booties baby socks"

Like I said in my previous post, I finished a couple pairs of socks using the freebie pattern online available by Ann Budd called "Better than booties baby socks."
It's a great pattern that was a lot of fun to make. This pair of socks was made on U.S. 1 needles with Panda Silk yarn that I purchased at my local yarn store, "Knit Around." The single skein made two pairs of socks with about a 4 inch tail to spare! The skein of yarn was full priced at $9.00 - so each pair of socks turned out to be about $4.50, a good price to pay for socks that are so soft and luxurious! I really recommend this pattern and as I said before, I would rate the pattern as a medium-difficult pattern as there are a couple tricky steps if you aren't familiar with sock construction. But they are a breeze for a seasoned knitter. Total time to make a pair of socks is a couple of evenings. Have fun!

Free Online Pattern: "Pleated Purse"

The blog, My Spare Time, has a free pattern available online called "Pleated Purse". I needed a roomy small bag to take with me to appointments and decided to give it a whirl. It's a straightforward design and is quite cute. However, there must be a mistake with her measurements (or I just can't read her Ikea-like picture directions) because the pleat dimensions just didn't work. So I came up with my own pleat dimensions after a bunch of fussing with it. The basic shape of the bag is cute with a center pleat and side pleats. If you are a seasoned sewer (or better at reading diagrams) - try this pattern out. I made the bag in some cheapo cotton fabric from JoAnn's that I had laying around. I never do a good job at a project the first time around, so I'll make this pattern again with the revised dimensions in a nicer fabric when the bag gets worn out.Total bag cost - $6. Total time - With lots of fussing = 6 hrs. Next time? Probably 4 hrs.

Free Online Pattern: "Reversible Shoulder Bag"

A project I just recently finished was the "Reversible Shoulder Bag" by Lula Louise. The pattern for the bag is available online from their website for free. It even has a step-by-step tutorial to guide you through making the bag.
I made this bag with the idea in mind that it would be a great market tote. My cousin is getting married this next week and I wanted to make a handmade gift for them. She and her soon-to-be husband are pretty "green" so I thought it would be nice to make them a package for the market (the tag in the picture with the flower is just a removable tag I made describing the bag for my cousin). I included in their gift the Reversible Shoulder Bag made of denim and a blue checkered shirt fabric and a set of four produce bags. The produce bags are a brain child of mine. If anyone is interested leave me a comment and I'll post the directions. I wanted to spiffy up the produce bags so I adorned them with labels from vintage fruit crates and added grommets to put the string through the bag. They turned out nicely and I think will make a nice gift.
The shoulder bag took a good 8 hours to make. But the produce bags can be pumped out once you get the hang of how to "conveyor belt sew them".
Now I need to make myself a bag...

Online Pattern: Wool Diaper Cover by Ottobre Studio

A couple weeks ago I finished these soakers in Malabrigo Yarn Worsted Merino in the color "Pollen". They turned out decent. The last time I made them I had a hard time figuring out the directions since they are translated kind of poorly into english. But once I made them, I thought of ways I would like to improve on them in the future and wanted to try out my ideas...
Here's the info on them:
This is my second pair of soakers using this free online pattern from Ottobre Studio. The first time around I couldn't stand all of the seaming. So I improvised a bit and used a provisional cast on starting with the section that started the decrease. I also decided to insert a 2x2 ribbing in that crotch area as well. When the decrease and increase crotch section was finished, I just picked up the provisional cast on stitches and joined in the round. This way I started with the crotch and finished working up towards the ribbing edge. I then finished with picking up the legs in the round and worked stockinette and then 1x1 ribbing. There was no seaming involved!! Great idea!
These were fun to make. I'm not sure if Malabrigo yarn was the best choice of yarn. It's a pretty fluffy, soft merino yarn so they might not hold up really well (or will felt and shrink immensily). So we'll see... But it only used about a half of a skein for the smallest sized soaker

Online Pattern: Buttercup Purse Finished

Good Evening Crafters! Long time, no see! But I've been a busy little bee... Crafting up a storm and now I need to blog up a storm to get all my finished projects listed here and on Ravelry...
I made the Buttercup Bag from the blog Made by Rae today. It was a quick and fun project using only a fat quarter of fabric for the outer and a fat quarter for the lining. I used some extra fabric that I had from the Birdie Sling by Amy Butler that I made.
This is a great small purse pattern. I was impressed with the ease of the directions and the professional nature of the design. It reminded me of an Amy Butler pattern (maybe that's why I liked it!) I've never used a magnetic closure before and it was a fun thing to do and really made the bag useful.
I didn't make many changes to the pattern. As you can see, I used a contrasting fabric for the handle and the top of the bag. I also chose to omit the optional button tab since I used two different fabrics. I also chose to use fusible interfacing on the handle and the top of the bag to give it a little more "oomph." I also did not follow the directions for the handle and instead made the handle 2 inches longer than called for and just cut out one piece (instead of 2) and sewed it like a tube, turned it right side out and top stitched down both side. I then attached the handle like a normal bag, sewing it in when I sewed the lining and outer together instead of attaching on top of the bag.
It turned out great and was about a 2.5 hour project. I think I may make another one to use up some of the scraps I have around. This is the perfect gift for people since it uses less fabric and is on the quicker side to make.
Thanks "Made by Rae" for sharing such a cute pattern to the online community!