Thursday, December 22, 2011

Country Loom Winter Hats



I've been experimenting with adaptations to a basic hat pattern for the lovely bubbly Country Loom yarn by Loops & Threads.  It's available in so many colours, and I have many of them!  It works up super soft, warm and snuggly, and the regular yarn for the brim gives it a nice snug fit to keep your ears nice and warm.  The finished result is a fitted hat with a teensy bit of slouch.


I made several versions of hats with this wool, and although they were okay, they weren't quite right.  Finally, I think I've got it, and before I lose my scribble notes and the big tidy up to come in the next couple of days, I thought I'd document 'the pattern'.

Rib is worked on 8.0 mm needles with 2 strands of worsted wool.
Body is worked on 9.0 mm needles with 1 strand of Country Loom super bulky

For small, medium and large:

Cast on 44 (48, 52) stitches.  With 8.0 mm needles work in rib for 6 (7, 8) rows.
Switch to 9.0 mm needles and one strand of Country Loom wool.  Work in stocking stitch for 14 (16, 18) rows.   Decrease by knitting 2 together across, purl a row, knit 2 across, purl a row until you have 6 or 7 stitches left.  Cut yarn leaving enough to sew up seam.  Thread needle through remaining stitches, gather and stitch up seam to the ribbing.  With matching worsted wool, join the seam for the rib, and your hat is ready.

Easy peasy!

If you're interested, I'm selling these hats as well as some other styles  Click here for the Knit and Crochet section on my Etsy shop.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Christmas T-Shirt Time

 

It's Christmas T-shirt time! I arrived home the other day to find hubby all decked out in his ChristmasT-shirt. Now, odds are it was on the top of a pile as I had recently washed it, but it made me smile and I chose to look at it as some Christmas spirit seeping in.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Pom-Pom Ornaments

These little pom-pom bunnies are one of my very favourite home made ornaments. I used tiny plastic candy canes to make a toboggon which I embelisshed with ribbon. The bunnies are made with pom-poms and felt for the ears. I really think the bent ear is cute - and yes, it was deliberate.


Saturday, December 10, 2011

Etsy Treasury Lists

Here it is two weeks to Christmas ... I've done no baking or cooking, in fact the cupboards are a little bare, and I have to go out Christmas shopping for presents still this week, and yet I am busy thinking about plans for next Christmas. I really must get a grip and focus. But I'm really not too stressed, which in itself is amazing.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

My Little Trees

These are my little trees. Aren't they fun? They're an ideal size for a coffee table, side table, top of book case, office desk, ... in short, anywhere you have a little space. And, much like the wreaths, they pack away well and are a good instant-presto decorating touch as all the garland and ornaments are wired on.

The Trees are all Skirted

I have 6 Christmas trees this year, but one of them (which is just the top half of my big tree) is in a pot where a cactus once lived, so it doesn't need a tree skirt. The rest are all decked out with tree skirts of their very own as I managed to make 5 this year. Here is the finished product I last showed you in progress.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Good King Wenceslas and Old World Santa

I painted these large ceramic ornaments for Mum and Dad many years ago. They are similar in size and sit together at opposite ends of the dining room buffet. They were painted several years apart so it was interesting to see them together as an example of one with 'antiquing' effect and one without.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Christmas Wreaths

I have wreaths all around the house. These are such fun to make and you can customize them with all sorts of the bits and bobs that I just love to accumulate. You know - shiny, glittery things.

Old World Santa Cross Stitch #2

Wow, it's been almost a year since my first post which was my first cross-stitch and tiny seed beads Old World Santa series ornament kit - and here finally showing you is the second one that I made last year. I finished it JUST in time to give to Mum & Dad, and though I snapped a photo I never got around to posting it.

Cross-Stitch gets a whole new dimension with the addition of seed beads

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Glitter Balls with Santa Hats

This is my latest little 'upcycling' project with a Dollar Store ornament. I love poking around the aisles this time of year for things that can be turned into something else.