Masterpiece and a new design: Diamond Transitions Hat

As I've mentioned before, I have started teaching classes at my local yarn store Stash - A place for yarn.  I began with teaching a toe-up afterthought heel sock class, which inspired publishing a sock pattern for my students.  Next request for a class topic was a color work class.  Color work is one of those techniques that often scares people because it looks so difficult but in reality it's not.  When planning for the class, I decided that I wanted to design my own hat pattern to teach from.  I had never designed a chart or a hat pattern but I'm very excited about what came of it.  Hope you enjoy it too!

Diamond Transitions Hat

My finished Project details
Pattern: Diamond Transitions Hat by Natalie Martinez Rush
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Sport Weight in Currant and Callalilly
Cast on date: Jan 22nd, 2015
Finished date: Jan 27th, 2015
Notes: Ever since I knit the stockings for my family, I have come to love knitting colorwork and how it looks.  I was asked to teach a class and I figured this was the best time to try my hand at designing a hat to teach colorwork with.  I had so much fun playing with this chart!  I really wanted it to transition into another color as I love how that effect looks.  Once the pattern was set in my head and the chart on paper, this hat knit up quickly!  Of course, now little Miss Carmen requested a pink one so while the pattern currently only has a size medium, I will be adding to the pattern as more sizes are fleshed out.  If you buy it now, ravelry will alert you when the pattern is updated!  So excited about how this came out and hope you enjoy knitting it if you choose to!

This pattern can be purchased via Ravelry by visiting this page here or the link below.

The pattern can also be purchased as part of a kit from my local yarn store Stash - a place for yarn.  The kit comes with a copy of the pattern and 2 skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Sport Weight yarn in the colors of your choice. Special price of $20, plus shipping, US only.  She has a lot of options so please call the shop for further details.

Happy Knitting!

Masterpiece: Sockhead had for my dad's 80th!

Let's catch up with some of my finished objects from this past 6 months...

The first finished object or as we call them in our podcast "Masterpieces" I'd like to share with you is the Sockhead hat. I made this my dad for his 80th birthday, which was on May 32nd, 2014!  He requested a thin hat for nights in Panama when it gets cooler a while back but it took me a bit to find the perfect yarn/pattern/inspiration to get this project started and completed.  I'm so excited how it came out and I love love love this picture of him in it.

I also love these 2 pictures of my first model in it.

 

Project details
Pattern: Sockhead Hat by Kelly McClure
Yarn: The Unique Sheep Verve in the insecta gradiance colorway
Cast on date: May 16th, 2014
Finished date: May 28th, 2014 Just in time for his birthday!
Notes: This pattern says to knit for a bit longer than I did.  I didn't want it to be slouchy on my father and after I finished it I was worried it wouldn't fit it.  I was so glad when he tried it on and it fit perfectly!  I enjoyed this pattern as it was simple and quicker than I thought.  I love knitting with sock yarn so I may have to make a couple more of these for others in my family.

Happy Knitting!

Have you finished any knitting projects lately?

FO round up

There has been knitting/spinning/crocheting and PLENTY of it lately!  As I've already mentioned, the Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup has brought on productivity like there has never been in the barknknit house!  I am focused and I have plans each month and love it!  I have managed to knit all things the last two months but I am pretty worried about November.  I have two big projects to complete...my BROOM and my OWL and still have classes, Tri-wizard tournament, yule ball, and Headmistress Challenge to do.  This might be the month I don't get all things done....but I WILL try!

I've been able to get a lot of Christmas gifts knit and have more planned this month.  I'll be doing the same kind of collage as I did last month for the term but I wanted to throw up some FO pics for today's post.  Bring some knitting back into this knitting blog. haha.

Today we'll focus on hats!  There were  a couple hats knit last month and 2 more planned for this month.   Since most of these are gifts I can't say who they are for but here they go.  These three were all done using the Rib-a-Roni hat by Jane Tanner.

Always my favorite model! :)



This is one of three matching hats, this is the biggest of the three.

This is my model when CGR is sleeping and need to post my class. 

I also sent my SIL who is expecting a baby sometime between now and the end of Dec.  We just hope that baby wants to stay put a little longer but he/she is wanting to break free.  Her due date is Dec 24th but not sure she'll make it that far.  She had her baby shower a couple weekends ago and I sent her some hand knits so she'd have a gift from us to open and the baby would have some hand knits to keep him/her warm.  You know every baby need some cute knit items.

Aviator hat and some booties

Well, hope you enjoyed the round up!  There has been more productivity but you'll just have to wait to see it all in the collage, which should get posted soon!  I'll also share more of my projects through this month as I'm working on them.  Lots going on...especially since this is the last month of the Fall term.  December is a break month but it will be planning for the new term that starts in Jan!  So fun!

Happy Knitting!!

PS...yes, I realize green has been my theme lately.  It's not even my favorite color but I just happen to have a lot of it in my stash right now.

Baby Knitting!

Since we have a new baby in the family, everyone should have known that would mean BABY KNITTING!! My first comment about this is that baby knitting is so fast and everything is so cute!! I mean anything that is baby size is always cuter! Second comment is that my nephew is SO adorable that he just makes things look even cuter!!

I, of course am bad with deadlines and instead of having these items knit when little Owen was born back in Nov....they were sent to him in January! At least I made them about 3 month old size so they fit him now! I used the Child's Placket-Neck Pullover that was published in Last Minute knitting Gifts. Originally I had wanted to make the body one color and the sleeves the yellow but once I got to thinking and realized I'd have to sew together, I came up with doing the upper body the second color. I'm really glad I made this choice. I think it came out perfect!! I used some Dream in Color Classy in Midnight Derby that I had left over from my FLS and the DIC Butter Peps was sent to me by Jasmin from the Knitmore girls and it was left over from her Ariann.

Can we say ADORABLE??

He looks so much like pictures of my dad when he was a baby. He's like a little Vicente! :) I love it! I can't wait to meet him!
After I finished the sweater, I decided that he had to have a matching hat!! So, I sort of just made up a pattern for it. I cast on, knit seed stitch for a bit, knit for a little bit, switched colors, kept knitting, decreased and did the top. It fit him perfectly too!

All in all, I think my first official baby knitting was a huge success!! Before this I only had knit bibs...so I'm pretty proud of myself. I already have some baby knits planned for my best friend from high school who is due this summer and another sweater for Owen for his first birthday.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Knitting!