Summer Accessories?

Hats are not usually my knit of choice.  I have recently found out that I have quite a small head.  Despite having shared DNA with a brother who we nicknamed Charlie Brown, on account of his rather large noggin, I have a small head.  Maybe even 'circus' small.  My kids (who are 5 and 7) can almost share hats with me.  Maybe this is why I embraced the big curly hairstyles of the nineties with such gusto.  To create an optical illusion for my rather puny head.  Either way most hats seem to accentuate this problem instead of disguising it.  I am going out landsailing for the fourth of July and while during the day the temperature in the middle of a dry lakebed, in the middle of the desert, is sufficiently hot enough to want me to shave the aforementioned small head, the nights are frigid.  Tank tops and shorts are gratefully traded in for down parkas, wool gloves, and hats.  This makes the campfire that much more enjoyable because while you are cooking your s'more you are warming yourself as well.  Anyway....back to the hat.  The Hinagiku hat was just what I needed (a free Ravelry download).  Snug at the bottom with all that lovely slouchiness at the top to create the illusion of a proportionate head :).

I don't have the tags for this yarn....just something I had stashed.  I didn't knit the pattern up as written.  Instead of the daisy stitch for the crown I just did moss stitch.  K1P1 for two rows and then P1K1 for two rows.  It looks very close to the Daisy stitch but it is a lot simpler.  Other than that small alteration I knit it up just as written.

Now while taking these photos I realized that I have a bit of sun on my shoulders from a weekend at the lake.....and I'm wearing a sundress and hoping the wind will die down so we can go swimming later...let's pretend that its winter and I'm heading out for a sleigh ride with my new tres chic hat.  A hat that is warm and comfortable.  Now if you were blessed with a head that is just the ride size, lucky you, don't be put off my this hat.  I assure you it will look good on any size head....I had my kids try it on and they are of the "charlie brown head" camp.  :)

Happy summer knitting!

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Magic Wallets

This last weekend I made some magic wallets.  Ever heard of those? 

The wallets that magically move your money back and forth under the elastic inside.  I tried three different types of 'binding' inside the wallet to hold the money.  Elastic, ribbon, and elastic cording.  I found the cording was a little fragile and the wallet couldn't hold it's rectangular shape as well.  Here is 1/8 elastic.

Here is one with a pretty ribbon of the same width.

I thought these would make a fun way to give a gift card.  With Itunes, and Kindle books, and all of the other online shopping that goes on now I know gift cards can be a common present.  My niece wants gift cards for her birthday towards horse back riding lessons.  I hate giving kids gift cards (even when they want one) because it just seems so boring.  At least this way the opening is more fun...and they get a fun magic wallet to boot.

I used the tutorial from here.  She has a pdf to download as well as a video...easy peasy.  No sewing needed.  Just fabric, ribbon, mat board and glue.  I did change the size from the original tutorial.  I made these wallets 4" x 2 1/2 " and when I cut the fabric rectangles to cover the board I cut it 5" x 3 1/2".  I found the elastic had more give and also it seemed to hold whatever was placed inside a bit more.  If you don't want to give a gift card this size also held dollars folded up just as easy.

So head over and whip one up...they go super fast, are very versatile, and I think whoever you give it to will love it!

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Our Fairies

After many months of no knitting....I'm back.  I have a few things finished and ready to show but I thought I would share this knit because it would make a great gift for Christmas.  I know it's only June and over here we are definitely gearing up for the beach but if you started now you could easily have a family of fairies knit up by December and ready for whatever children are in your life.

In April I knit up some fairies for my kids and a couple of their friends.  Unfortunately I did not take a single picture of all four fairies together so you will have to make do with the two that live here with us.  This is the fairy I made for Avery.  With all the fairies I chose the child's favorite color to match the flower case, the skirt/hat and a strand of their hair.  My kids both have blue eyes so their fairies match them. 

This is the fairy that I made for Jack.  My boy is partial to red so a red hat it is....

Here is the back of our girl fairy.....love those wings. 

This is the flower sack in which each fairy lives.  Jack couldn't find his flower, which is red, so here is the purple flower.  I made sure each fairies skirt/hat matched their flower....

Here is the flower all laid out.

So far this spring our fairies have been hanging from tree branches, and playing in the flower beds....

Here is the ravelry link to the magazine that the pattern was found in.  All four fairies are much loved and played with so cast on....

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