A Little Knitting

Another First!

2012-01-04T10:22:00.000-06:00

I realize I'm late on this trend, but what's new? I L.o.V.e. these new cabled fingerless mittens that I made over break for myself. They are perfect for wearing around the house on cold winter days. I tend to be freezing all the time in the winter, and this added layer is right up my alley.

I love the cables and the pattern is really easy to knit as well. Knitters, you can find the link to the pattern here. A couple notes...I didn't have the yarn she suggested so I ended up using Red Heart Eco in this charcoal color. I tend to be a looser knitter, so I went down to a size 7 double point needle and they fit perfectly. I followed the rest of the pattern as written. Let me know if you have questions!

It's been a long time since I made something for myself. Our holiday travelling gave me time to do some more creating, so I'll show those to you later this week.

If you look closely at the picture, you will see the magnetic nail polish I got as a gift this Christmas. It's so fun! Paint it on as a solid color, then put a magnet over it and you have these cool black stripes. I completely recommend it and I'd love to get some for myself in silver too. It's available at Sephora.

Christmas Gift Number Two

2011-12-29T17:08:00.000-06:00

I've mentioned before that I'm getting two nephews in the spring. I think the little guy that is going to be wearing this hat just may very well share a birthday with me!

Christmas Gift

2011-12-27T09:42:00.000-06:00

I finished two small gifts up in time for Christmas. My sister and sister-in-law are both expecting in April. Is it any wonder I had a pregnancy dream Sunday night? I've been surrounded all weekend! I thought both boys could use a gift under the tree (apparently I am not destined to have nieces). This first hat is for my Funk nephew...a brown and cream elf hat. I was scared of all the stripes, but it actually worked out well.

We are enjoying a low key beginning to this week after a jam packed weekend. Lots of great time with family and lots of good food, even with all the "restrictions!" My sister will tell you that the dairy free dip I made for Quinlyn was better than the regular version.

I hope your Christmas was filled with awe and wonder at the birth of our Savior.

A Little Sewing

2011-12-20T21:32:00.000-06:00

I'm not what you would call a seamstress, but I can sew a few straight lines. Several months ago I made slip covers for all the throw pillows in my house. Replacing those gets expensive, and I was pretty sure I could make envelope back covers for them and get a fresh new look for a fraction of the price. It was fun--and amazing how much more quickly a sewing project comes together than a knitting project! If you know me at all, you know that is my favorite part.

I knew it was time for a different challenge, so I decided to make a case for double point knitting needles. If you are a knitter, you will love having a case for your double point needles. That way, they are all together in one place, you can easily keep them in your project bag, and they are well protected. They also each have a little pocket that they slip into, and that is pretty fun as well.

This is the second stab at it. Well, maybe the third if you count the fact that I totally ripped out the prototype and started over at one point. Thank goodness for my husband who, surprisingly, has a great knack for the construction of sewing projects. He talked me through several hiccups in the process.

I'm super pleased with it and it made a great gift this holiday season.

Now I'm turning to last minute knitting projects. Yep, I have several. And we are just a few days from Christmas. What would the season be without a little eleventh hour knitting?

Anyone else do this, or am I the only one? What gifts do you still need to get finished before Christmas?

Cabled Ornaments

2011-12-15T09:17:00.000-06:00

Thanks to all of you who left encouraging comments and sent emails in response to my last post. You guys rock!

I needed some unique gifts for an exchange this week. I happened upon a pattern from Knitting Daily and knew I had found what I was looking for. Cabled ornaments! I needed four gifts, so went with four different colors.

It's hard to tell because of my *superior* photography skills, but this is a silvery blue. I love it.

I haven't worked with this yarn in awhile and forgot how much I liked it. It's got less stitch definition, but it's got a really good look to it.

And perhaps my favorite way to display them...in a wooden bowl. Looks like I need to add these to my list of things I'm making for myself.

Here's the link to the pattern for Cabled Ornaments if you are interested in making them yourself. It was a fun pattern to work on, just interesting enough so you don't get bored!

It's Been One Year

2011-12-12T07:03:00.000-06:00

Today is the anniversary of my gluten free life. It was about this time that I posted my Thoughts on Going Gluten Free. I had just been diagnosed with celiac disease. I was feeling awful physically, emotionally and spiritually. I'm happy to say that a year has brought about much change and healing.

Right away my Vitamin D levels rebounded from a scary low. Within a month I lost my dull headache, regained some energy and didn't feel like I needed a nap at every turn. The fog was lifting. While the new diet was frustrating at times, it was apparent that I was on on the right track.

It's amazing that in restriction you find freedom.

At first I wondered what I would eat. And then I began finding all these wonderful blogs, written by people who shared their stories and also their gluten free creations. And I was happy to be able to cook food for my family that seemed "normal." Navigating eating out seemed impossible at first, but even that worked itself out.

I kept reading and reading. I discovered that the genetic links with celiac are strong. In the past year we have found out that Emersyn has celiac disease. My sister does too, and as a result of her diagnosis, we found out my nephew also reacts to gluten.

Both my sister's gastroenterologist and a specialist that we saw at KU Med Center believe that my mom's death from pancreatic cancer had its roots in undiagnosed celiac disease. That's heavy information to process. I've read that celiac is a premalignant condition and it makes perfect sense. A damaged small intestine becomes permeable and begins to let "toxins" into your system, things that would normally be filtered out in the digestion process.

Within the last month we discovered that Quinlyn is also gluten intolerant and her system is currently reacting to dairy, eggs and soy as well. For the next three months, we will be avoiding these things too. My abrupt annoucement that I was done taking holiday orders had much more to do with this information than it did an influx of holiday orders. Gluten free baking needs eggs. Soy is in nearly everything processed. Check your labels, you will see it in one form or another...soy lechitin, soybean oil, it's there. And dairy...well let's just say Quin's favorite food was cheese. Who would have ever thought that I would long for the days of being "just" gluten free???

Yet I know that in restriction you can find freedom and healing. And I'm hopeful that even with these new restrictions we will get there as well.

It feels like I've become a housewife from the forties. I'm making things from scratch that most of you can pick up at the grocery store. I'm looking at every gathering, school day and function and trying to figure out where there will be food so that I can make something for my girls that will be similar to what everyone else is having. It's much less about the food that they are giving up, because I know I can make them good and healthy food, and much more about being set apart. It's hard to be different.
I'm also trying to figure out how to trust others will take care of my youngest's dietary needs, when it's hard to believe that anyone else will read a label with the scrutiny that I do. At four, she's pretty "gluten savvy" already, but not quite up to reading labels on her own.

I'm not going to lie. There are days I'm beyond exhausted. I also know that there are far worse things than food restrictions. I'm trying to be intentional about remembering the blessings on this road--there have been many. It blesses me to tears to see Em's friends look out for her. They just know. It blesses me when someone makes something they know I can eat. It blesses me when people just recognize the struggle.

Life is taking more of my energy these days and cooking for my family is almost a full time job. But you know what? I wouldn't trade it. It isn't easy, but it is worth it.

All that to say...I'm not sure when I will begin taking orders again. For now I am pausing to focus on my family. I trust I will know when the time is right. Until then, thank you all for your support, for your knitting orders and recommending me to your friends. I can't thank you enough.

I will still be blogging here and there, however. I've got a group of 4Hers that will be needing some resources.

Brims and a Blogging Break

2011-11-15T19:10:00.000-06:00

This is one of my favorite mother-daughter duos. It's too bad they live a whole state away! I'm loving how grown up Emma looks in her new black brim and Beth is super stylish in the charcoal. Aren't they adorable???

As of today I will not be taking any more orders until sometime after Christmas. I'm also taking a little bloggy break for the forseeable future. I need a couple of weeks to regroup--I'll see you back here before you know it.

Logan

2011-11-10T14:30:00.000-06:00

Here's my very grown up nephew, Logan.

Cute boy, cute hat and gorgeous fall foliage. Makes for a great six year old photo shoot!

Twins!

2011-11-09T12:36:00.000-06:00

I sent off two of the cutest little matching hats. Unfortunately, I forgot to photograph them. Yep, that's kinda how it's going around here lately.

They were this dark pink color.

But they had this kind of flower. Very sweet.

Yesterday was Jeff's birthday and we have spent the last several days celebrating. Date night on Friday, his favorite carrot cake on Sunday, and presents on his actual birthday. Seems like a good birthday to me! Happy Birthday, Jeff!

Amy's Brim

2011-11-08T17:40:00.000-06:00

I'm very excited to see my friend Amy wearing her new charcoal brim! I have a feeling it's going to be really cute on her! Thanks for the orders, Amy!

Quin's Hat

2011-11-04T16:12:00.001-05:00

Since Em has an earflap hat, Quin needed one too. I needed an easy way to differentiate between the two. Since Em's has pink border and ties, I went with black on Quin's. It needed something else, so I added the snowflake. She thinks she's pretty cute!

Happy Weekend! I've got one hour until "date night" starts...probably should get moving!

Hawkeye Hat

2011-11-02T10:36:00.000-05:00

This is the first black and gold hat that I have done, which is kind of surprising considering I am an Iowa girl. My cousin ordered this one for a friend of hers who just had a new baby boy. I would have said new little boy, but he's over nine pounds and that my friends, is NOT little!

I know this blog has been quiet lately. I'm enjoying lots of knitting time, but it's taking me a long time to get it posted. I've got some new things in the works, so it's been fun to think about patterns and different yarns and look on Ravelry for inspiration.

My sis and I took a whirlwind trip to St. Paul to visit my dad post surgery. What a blessing to find tickets on special--and a direct flight even. We have given thanks many times for the Lord's provision to allow us to go and for my dad's successful surgery. Thanks for joining us in prayer!

Try to stay warm today!

Hailey's Hat

2011-10-28T08:11:00.000-05:00

Hailey is going to look so cute in this hat with her fun coat this winter! Thanks for the order, Amy!

Scarlett's Hat

2011-10-26T18:17:00.000-05:00

Little Scarlett is going to look so cute in this hat! This is the first of its kind in this size--I like the color choice-it will really make a statement!

Gifts

2011-10-25T16:50:00.000-05:00

Someone I know ordered a gift of hats for some out of state relatives. I love that these are going to be worn all winter! And not only will they be functional, but they will also be a good reminder of Kansas.

Ivy and Essie

2011-10-21T05:00:00.000-05:00

These two....such cute sisters!

Essie is totally rockin' the pink brim...forwards or backwards--cute either way!

And Ivy in the aqua. Under that hat is an adorable little bob. These two sisters are so cute together---I have a feeling they are going to be the best of friends someday. Thanks again, Greta for the order!

How can another week be gone so quickly? Is it a sure sign of aging when you say things EXACTLY like that? It's been a busy, but good week. I picked a boatload of peppers...the upside of not having any tomatoes for salsa is that you have an abundance of peppers to figure out something for. I'm working on Cowboy Candy and habanero jelly. YUM. I'm just finishing up a five hat order (that's you, Amy!) and getting ready to enjoy another fall weekend. You can bet I will be pushing for using the fireplace if it stays this cool.

And I just got this. Rest assured that I will be making something apple this weekend. Jeff's love tank will be full and my kids will be fascinated with how the peeler/corer/slicer works.

Lovely

2011-10-20T12:49:00.000-05:00

Doesn't Chandelle look lovely in her hat? She was just out East visiting family, running in a half marathon and enjoying some sight seeing too! I'm glad to get to see her getting some use out of her hat and looking so lovely at the same time!

Reese's Hat

2011-10-19T09:32:00.000-05:00

Making hats in this aqua color makes me happy. I made several for the Arts and Crafts Sale and every single one of them sold. It's a really fun color and easy to coordinate with! This is Reese's winter hat. She's got a black coat and with her blonde hair, it's going to be really striking! Can't wait to see her in it!

A Few More Earflaps....

2011-10-18T16:26:00.000-05:00

Three more earflaps to complete the order....

Shades of periwinkle and purple to start.

A really great brown!

And blues and magenta to finish it off.

Stripes

2011-10-14T08:40:00.000-05:00

I just made this hat (twice) for my nephews. If they happen to get a brother in the spring, I just may make a third! I'm holding out for pink this time though!

More Earflaps

2011-10-12T08:38:00.000-05:00

Two more earflap hats for brothers. There's a very subtle coloring difference in this yarn...browns, black, maybe a fleck of gold. The hats worked up nicely in this chunky yarn.

Erica's Hat

2011-10-09T18:42:00.001-05:00

My friend Kimberlee ordered a brim hat for her sister's birthday. She was right on in picking green....how great does Erica look? Gorgeous!!!

Erica is also Maggie's mom. I think I'm seeing a brim hat Christmas card this year!

Jessi's Hat

2011-10-05T09:28:00.000-05:00

My kids are in love with this varigated pink yarn on Jessi's hat. It's got lots of beautiful shades and even a little bit of a purple. It's really fun and it's going to be super warm this winter.

Pink Brim

2011-10-04T15:11:00.000-05:00

This pink brim will be either Ivy or Essie's...they are close enough in age that they will share the two hats they have. Either girl will be really cute in this one!!

Ervin's Hat

2011-10-03T09:39:00.000-05:00

On Saturday we got to hang out with Ervin and his parents and siblings for awhile. So fun! Greta ordered several hats for her kids and since they were in town for a photo shoot, we got to see them for a bit.

We went with navy and white for Big Erv's hat. I love it. And the knot on top too.

He wasn't so sure about me taking his picture. This is how we started out.

Gradually he warmed up to me.

And then finally we were feeling the love. So stinking cute!

Thanks for stopping in for a bit Funk/Fuji clan! We had a great time seeing you!

Henry's Hat

2011-09-30T15:17:00.000-05:00

Here is Henry's new hat for winter! I love the kind of random stripes and the bit of gray in it.

Happy Friday! So glad to say that we are fever free in our house at this point....let's hope it stays that way!!!!

Yarn Love

2011-09-28T14:49:00.002-05:00

This is random, but I love all this yarn together in one place like this.

This was an order from a couple weeks ago...gotta love blue and brown.

Today is day three of fever for the littlest one in our house....I am just hoping that we are getting it out of the way early this year. Missing preschool, gymnastics and Wednesday night is cause for serious heartbreak in our house.

Earflaps

2011-09-27T14:56:00.000-05:00

Earflap hats are not easy to photograph! I am currently working on an order for six earflaps for an extended family picture. I'm halfway done! Before I did them, I wanted to do one as a practice, so this is Emersyn's hat for winter. I'm hoping she will continue walking to school (unless it's just too cold) and this type of hat will help keep her warm. It's a very chunky yarn which will be super cozy in those frigid months!

Quin has been sick today and doesn't have much energy. During her long nap this afternoon, I worked on an IN STOCK page for this blog. There is a menu at the top of the page and the farthest right choice is IN STOCK. These are items that Emily and I made for the Arts and Crafts fair which are now available for immediate shipment. So before you place an order, take a look and see if there is something already made that you would like to purchase.

Chandelle's Brim

2011-09-26T09:07:00.001-05:00

Chandelle ordered a charcoal brim for her fall and winter wardrobe. I'm so excited to see her in this! She had a couple scarves that I tried to match with flowers. Let me know how I did, Chandelle!

Our weekend was wonderful. We spent time around the fire outside two nights, I made jam for my sister and these which were so, so yummy with a cracker and cream cheese. This morning I am freezing...so am looking forward to the sunshine coming out in full force!

And it turned out to be another beautiful fall day!

One Week Ago Today

2011-09-24T17:43:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe it's only been a week since the Arts and Crafts Fair. Earlier this week I promised more pictures from that event and then completely forgot about it. Thankfully, I ran into Tami at the library today and she reminded me.

It's not the first thing I've forgotten this week....like yesterday how I totally left out the apples in my coffee cake. It was fine, but I'm guessing I would have liked it better with the apples. My sister is seriously worried about me at this point.

Anyway.

All photos courtesy of Kimberlee, who helped me feel in touch with the sale last weekend.

I think Emily did a great job with making the booth look great!

Pod

2011-09-23T14:52:00.001-05:00

This beautiful pod is going to Megan for newborn shoots. I promise her pictures are going to make it look way better than this!!

It's a gorgeous creamy color and it's going to work great for boys or girls! I love the button on this flower as well...it's fabric covered with some fun turquoise I came across.

I'm very excited to have a weekend at home. I'll be knitting and cooking and soaking up this gorgeous fall weather. What are you doing?

Knitting and Driving

2011-09-22T16:23:00.000-05:00

Okay, I wasn't actually doing both of those at the same time, but I was a passenger last weekend and we had a lot of seat time on the way to Iowa and back. Here is one of my creations

I love the vintage button on this flower. It's one of my favorites!

Tina and Sophie

2011-09-21T10:02:00.000-05:00

How cute are these two? This is my friend Tina with her daughter, Sophie. Tina ordered a hat for Sophie in 2010 and it still fits, and looks pretty cute on her too!! Here is Sophie modelling her hat. I sent Tina a black brim earlier this summer. I'm delighted to get a picture of the two of them together in their hats. This was taken at a recent fun night at Sophie's school.

A Word of Thankfulness.....Actually Quite a Few

2011-09-19T15:43:00.000-05:00

I kind of feel like I just won an Academy Award. I have so many people to thank for the gloriousness that was this weekend. SO, I'm just going to start a little tribute list. I hope I don't forget anyone and I hope I don't get cut off for a commercial...

First, we had a great time at the wedding. It was a little cooler than I hoped, but it was so fun! The kids all made it down the aisle, so that was an added bonus.

The friends who made this last weekend possibe in my absence. Without further ado and in no particular order.....

Beth: Beth came to Kansas from Arkansas this weekend to help out with our Vintage Soiree sale. She fit more stuff in a Honda Fit than I could have imagined. Her willingness to take my place at the sale meant that I could sleep easy knowing that everything was well taken care of.

Debbie: Debbie, my long time Vintage Soiree partner, graciously said she would handle things while I was gone. Nevermind that she was juggling an infant, a sale and hosting people at her house. She made it look easy! Here's a picture of set up on Friday.

Emily: I'm not sure Emily knew what she was getting into when she said "Let's do a booth at Arts and Crafts" last spring. A little morning rain put a damper on things, but didn't ruin the day. Thanks so much for handling all the "day of" stress and doing it with ease! Here's Emily looking cute at the booth (more photos tomorrow)

Kimberlee: Kimberlee did her part to make me feel like I wasn't missing out on a lot of fun. I had so many photos to go through in my inbox--so amazing to see all the details. I know it took a lot of time to snap the pictures and send them my way and I am VERY appreciative! Not only that, she ran a full length mirror down to the Arts and Crafts fair for Emily to use--and you know it's not easy to navigate all those people. Thank you so much for being such a servant!

Sara: Sara let us borrow a bunch of muslin fabric to give our hat display a nice backdrop--it gave it a much better look than some of the other ideas we were batting around. She also loaned a bench for display.

Dana: Dana gave Emily much needed breaks and moral support throughout Saturday. Thank you for donating your time, Dana!!!

And to all of you who purchased hats, texted me pictures (SUE AND TERA) and gave such encouraging, positive comments, THANK YOU.

This girl really has some great friends.

Isn't It Ironic?

2011-09-14T15:54:00.001-05:00

Anyone singing the Alanis hit from my college days with me? It's like rain....on your wedding day...
It's been going through my head all week long.
I'll get to the irony in a second.

First, you need some info! A Little Knitting at the Arts and Crafts Fair: Our booth is located on East Grand, in front of Mary's Mats and More. It's on the same block as Emprise bank, but the south side of the street. Get there early! Emily Dalke will be working there--she's a great knitter and has a bunch of really cute hats and scarves there. I just dropped all my "stuff" off over at her house, so she is set to go. There will be a few brims and some pods as well.

And since no post is complete without a picture, here is a hat that went out for an order this week. The classic blue and brown combo, which I love.

And this green one is the last installment for the weekend's festivities.

And now for the irony. This is a big weekend. I'm involved in two different sales--an antique sale and a craft sale (who DOES that???). And with as much preparing and anticipating that I've done....I won't be at either of them.

We leave on Friday morning for my cousin's wedding in Iowa. My girls are thrilled because they are flower girls. I am excited because we get to spend time with the fam.

While I'm going to miss seeing friends, customers and all of YOU, I know that we are in the right place this weekend. So have a great time at the fair! Eat a caramel apple and some kettle corn for me. THEN stop by 108 S. Lincoln while you are in town and find some great vintage treasures as well!!!!

And if you think of it, text me pictures of the sales. I can't wait to see how things go.

The Last Few

2011-09-12T12:28:00.000-05:00

Only a couple more hats to post before the big weekend! I love this color combo and if you can't see it, there is green in the flower that is perfect with this yarn. This is a chunkier yarn in the new pattern, which I think turned out great! It's super soft too, so that's an added bonus.

Brown

2011-09-08T10:30:00.002-05:00

After this hat, I have two more hats to make to meet my goal for Arts and Crafts fair. How do you decide how many to make? What sizes? What colors?

It's a shot in the dark, people. I hope that we have guessed well, but it's hard to say!

Options

2011-09-07T10:30:00.000-05:00

Two options for flowers on this one. I was in the mode of making flowers so I just took pictures too. The fabric one may be a bit on the large side, but so cute with a tiny baby face, don't you think?

Orange

2011-09-06T10:30:00.000-05:00

Here's an adult size in my favorite color. Love this for crisp cool fall days!

Gray

2011-09-05T15:12:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty much sold on the new pattern. It's fun to make and a little diffferent, so that makes it interesting to knit too. I've done a series of newborns and another adult size that I will be featuring this week. Here's the first.

This one is a 0-3 month size and I did a little change on the pattern--for you knitters, it is purl side out instead of knit side.

I know everyone is talking about the weather change and I'm so grateful. It gives me hope that I won't be trying to sell winter hats on a day that's over 100 degrees.....

Eli

2011-09-02T07:46:00.000-05:00

In honor of football season officially kicking off this weekend and just because he's really, really sweet....here's Eli in K-State colors:

You can see more adorable pictures of Eli on Megan's blog Snapshots of A Good Life. What a cute and cuddly litle guy! And under that hat is a whole head of hair---so adorable!

I hear that it may be cooling off this weekend! Let's hope!

Love

2011-09-01T10:30:00.014-05:00

This hat was just too cute not to be on a model. I love it and I think it would make a fantastic photo prop! I need to see if I can do a newborn in this style--I would love the texture in the photos.

I bribed Quin a little bit to be my model on this one.

I think the ivory with the red is very striking. What do you think?

Neutral Stripes

2011-08-31T14:20:00.000-05:00

I really like this combo for a boy. The cream has just enough texture in it to make it interesting and the brown brings it all together. This color combo will be hats for two of my nephews this fall.

I spent the morning with Emily setting up a trial run of our booth for Arts and Crafts. It's getting so close!!!!

New Design

2011-08-29T08:20:00.000-05:00

A hat like this has been in the back of my head for a long time. Something done with a chunkier yarn look, but something kind of open in the pattern. Typically lace work is done is super fine yarn. This is the first prototype that actually worked out. I've searched high and low for patterns similar to this and haven't found anything that looked like what I wanted. So on Friday I went to the library, checked out two knitting books and searched for lace stitches that were sort of what I was looking for. I am pleased with the results. I love this gold/mustard color with the charcoal edging. I currently have a red one on the needles, so hopefully I can blog that later this week.

Happy Monday!

2011-08-24T10:25:00.016-05:00

Here's a kid sized dark purple with a cream flower.

My friend Kimberlee always hosts a back to school coffee for pretty much everyone. It's tons of fun. She always says that she will give out high fives or kleenexes depending on which you need. I'm always in the high five category. We are ready for fall, I know Em loves school and thrives there, and getting back to school schedule will be good.

I think I could go either way this year. The girls have played together so well this summer, that I feel like we are really going to have a transition to just Quinlyn and me. Thank goodness for preschool, gymnastics and playdates, I guess!

Fun Stripes

2011-08-23T10:23:00.002-05:00

I love this combo for a boy. The green is what sets the whole thing off.

Today is our official "last day" of summer. I'm teaching this morning and then we are hitting the pool for one last farewell to summer. It's been a good one.

Reese's Brim

2011-08-22T10:22:00.000-05:00

Here's a black brim for Reese. She's got some options on flowers this time! I really like this one.

But I really like the green as well.

My favorite thing about this one is the aqua covered button for the center.

Jeff took the girls to Newton yesterday afternoon for some errands. The house was totally quiet! I created flowers while they were gone, which I loved.

Inventory

2011-08-18T10:40:00.000-05:00

Continuing to build inventory over here. This is a crazy time of year with school starting and gearing up for teaching (2 classes this fall). I always have great intentions to get a lot of preparations out of the way early, but I'm still not quite finished.

Here's a look at what else is keeping me busy! This is the "staging area" in my guest bedroom. There is still plenty to be done. Here's hoping that the school schedule allows for some knitting time!

Baby Boy

2011-08-15T08:18:00.000-05:00

I think these little knots on top are so cute for newborns. It's the last official week of summer since we start school next week. That is a good cue to me that I should be making some more progress. And soon.

Browns

2011-08-12T19:49:00.000-05:00

Here's a fun brown with a taupe stripe and a tweed stripe. I noticed I was very low on boy hat options for the Arts and Crafts sale, so that's why the big run of boy hats this week. I'm still trying to stock up for the sale in September, but orders are starting to come in, so I'm dividing my time between both.

We are having a girls weekend over here. Jeff is in Colorado for the weekend. We were sad to see him go so soon after his mega trip for work, but sometimes we don't get a choice in these things. We made a run to Walmart this afternoon to finish up the items that still remained on the school supply list and THEN we ever-so-cleverly invited ourselves to my sister's for supper. GENIUS! Hoping that it's pooling weather tomorrow!!!

Happy Weekend!!

Baby Earflap

2011-08-11T11:35:00.000-05:00

I had an order for a hat similar to a photo prop hat that I made last year.

Here's Maddox modelling the photo prop only hat. It's just not practical for day to day wear with those long cords.

I just made a simple modification to make an earflap hat. I think it's going to be really cute!

Beckett

2011-08-10T12:37:00.000-05:00

Here's Beckett (we like to refer to him as Baby Beckett in our house) modelling his baseball hat. He's so much bigger than this now, but still just as cute!

2011-08-08T10:51:00.000-05:00

I photographed the two of these together because I was having a hard time getting the dark flower on the cream hat to show up as deep purple. I continued to look black no matter what. I think I need to spend some time figuring out my camera, what do you think? I love the cream and the eggplant colors together and I was delighted to see a deep purple like this on the cover of the newest Country Living, which arrived in my box about two days after I finished this hat. Nothing like a little affirmation in color choice.

What a great Monday morning! Cool and rainy...a batch of gluten free zucchini muffins in the oven (with chocolate chips of course!) and best of all Jeff has returned from his work trip so our family is back to normal.

Another Boy Option

2011-08-05T15:59:00.000-05:00

I really love this combo for some reason. Super simple, I know, but still good.

Stripes

2011-08-04T15:24:00.000-05:00

I think I need a few more boy options for the fall, so here is one of them. I forgot to take brown yarn with me on the trip, so I was a little more limited than I wanted to be. I like the red and black though!

Why Knit?

2011-08-03T12:41:00.000-05:00

Why in the world would someone want to knit? Two very good reasons...

It's something to do on long car rides i.e. my trip to Iowa over the weekend. It was a quick visit, but still required about 16 hours of drive time. I was in the back with the kids watching movies and knitting. Yay for my brother-in-law who drove the whole way. Keep in mind I didn't knit the WHOLE drive--someone had to dole out the snacks.
It's a great creative outlet for me. And I am in serious need of that these days. Jeff is wrapping up a 10 day trip to Oregon for work, and getting a little creativity in my day helps ensure that I don't go nutters.

With that in mind, my friend Charla emailed me a picture this morning that made me literally laugh out loud. The blog that it came from can be accessed by clicking here.

What do you think, knitters?

Purple

2011-07-28T13:48:00.000-05:00

I completed this 0-3 month hat last weekend. I had some time to myself and since my hubby vetoed the idea of painting the kitchen cabinets, I got a bunch of knitting done. Lucky for me, that also meant some time for shopping.

Orange and Turquoise

2011-07-27T08:27:00.000-05:00

I do love this color combo! I am not so in love with the yarn, unfortunately, so I need to do a little more experimenting. This is just my first stab at it and I needed to get something done so that I had something to work from. Does that make any sense? So I will keep playing with it and hopefully figure something out!

Thanks to my husband for calling this the Miami Dolphins hat....I had to look it up and sure enough, this is similar to their color scheme. Who knew? Well, besides Jeff of course...

Black

2011-07-26T13:00:00.000-05:00

I love this fabric. Imagine my sadness when I went to Joann's this weekend looking for more of it and it was GONE. I'm hoping they get it back! I had visions of it as a throw pillow. For now, I will make do with a couple flowers.

GIVEAWAY

2011-07-25T16:22:00.000-05:00

This hat is part of a giveaway that starts today! Click on over to my friend Anna's blog and read all about it!

There are several different prize packages, each outlined in a different post. You can enter one or ALL! The grand prize is a Wii!

All of the donations go directly into the Woods' adoption fund. They are getting closer and closer to making Blake part of their family. I'm excited to see how many entries there are and how much closer we help them get to their goal.

What are you waiting for? Click here to find out the details!

Brown, Blue and Cream

2011-07-22T10:39:00.000-05:00

Up until this morning I thought this was my favorite boy hat. I really do love it. And then my friend Kimberlee shared a link with me and said that she thought this color combo could be good inspiration for a hat. And now the hat floating around in my head in the orange and turquoise color combo is my new favorite.

Any time you think of a color combo that you think is good hat inspiration....let me know!

Brown and Taupe

2011-07-19T18:03:00.000-05:00

As I look at the stack of inventory that I'm building up for the Arts and Crafts fair, I am struck by the fact that I have more girl hats made than boy hats. I'm ready to remedy that! Here's a chocolate and taupe combo that I just love.

What a great Tuesday I have had. Catching up with a friend this morning and letting our kids get to know each other, time at the pool and a super generous mother in law. I'm feeling really blessed today.

Tina's Hat

2011-07-17T17:13:00.000-05:00

This was a very special hat for me to make. I have been blessed with amazing friends at each stage of my life, and high school is no exception. I had some great girlfriends during high school and thanks to Facebook, am still able to stay in touch, which I LOVE.

This hat is for my good friend Tina--who was one of my nearest and dearest during those crazy four years we call high school. She was recently diagnosed with cancer from an unknown source and is currently undergoing chemotherapy to battle this. She and her husband live in Iowa with her two kids--both under the age of five. I'm so glad that she is able to get her treatments at the University of Iowa--I know that their treatment of cancer patients is cutting edge and top notch. My mom did her treatment there too and always received the best of care.

I used a cotton yarn, which will hopefully be a little bit more "breatheable" for the summer months if needed. I'm throwing in a couple flowers because I want to give Tina a little versatility to match what she is wearing.

The cream flower as the neutral.

My new favorite--yellow and gray. One of a kind becuase that's all of that particular fabric that I have!

And I'm throwing in the aqua and red because Tina's just cutting edge like that.

Join me in praying for Tina, her husband Peter, and their two kids Sophie and Hudson. The verse that I have been praying for them is from Psalm 27:13.

I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

I'm praying that even through this trial, the Lord would make His goodness evident through provision, care and ultimately HEALING.

Helping Out a Friend

2011-07-12T09:22:00.000-05:00

Happy Tuesday! Hope you are all off to a good start....it's 90 here and just after nine in the morning. Going to be another warm one. This weather has made exercising in the early morning a must, and even that isn't comfortable! Don't get me wrong though, I'll always take summer over winter--even being a knitter at heart.

My friend Anna and her family are in the process of adopting a little boy named Blake. Soon she will be having a giveaway on her blog featuring all kinds of fun goodies. This hat is going to be one of them! You can check out the preview of the giveaway by clicking here.

This is Blake!

Currently there is a Facebook challenge going on--to see if 200 people will each donate $5.00 to the Bring Home Blake Fund and then post a status about it. There are so many connections in this world and your donation could spur on many others! You can read about the challenge by clicking here.

I get very excited when something that seems small and insignificant like knitting....or five dollars....can have such a huge impact. How about you?

Green Brim

2011-07-11T12:33:00.000-05:00

I love working with this green yarn. It's not a color I do often, but it's gorgeous and I love the step out of the ordinary.

It's truly ironic that I'm kicking the knitting into high gear just as the temperatures reach the 100 degree mark and hold steady. September feels just around the corner! Good thing I'm back on my iced coffee kick to keep me cool....

Black Brim

2011-07-06T10:30:00.000-05:00

You know how I always come up with a new favorite flower? Well, it's happened again. Here's a beautiful faded aqua flower with a fun red button. I totally love it. It's also the lining in my purse, in case anyone is wondering. It makes me happy each and every time I see it.

Pink

2011-07-05T19:54:00.000-05:00

I got a little knitting done over the holiday weekend. Here's a pink with a fun flower. We enjoyed time with friends, good food, time with family and some fireworks this weekend. A good reminder of how blessed I am.

Hope you had a great holiday as well!

Charcoal

2011-07-01T08:16:00.000-05:00

Another charcoal brim. Apparently I've run out of creative titles. I love the dots on this pink fabric.

It's hard to believe that I've posted three times already this week. I'm in productivity overdrive over here. Perhaps it's just catching up. I've got painting projects going too. And a pretty long list of things that should be done before the summer is over....and now it's already July! Which means, I need to kick it in gear.

What are you doing this summer?

Vacation Brim

2011-06-30T18:31:00.000-05:00

The first hat that I made while on vacay. Good thing knitting is relaxing for me, or I'd never get to take it on vacation! Em has asked me no less than 10 times today when she can make a hat. Looks like I know what my evening will include. We are starting small with a newborn size. Hopefully a picture coming soon!

We're Back!

2011-06-29T06:55:00.001-05:00

Our family has been gone for the last week. We took a trek up to St. Paul to visit grandparents and enjoy the city....it was great to be gone! We had great weather and my girls got to not only experience their first time flying, but also get spoiled by their grandparents for several days. Win-win situation, right?

Because we flew, my knitting time was cut waaay down. Not that I minded! Who would want a 10+ hour car drive over an hour and a half flight? Not this chick. Anyway, I'll be putting the finishing touches on a couple hats this week and will post those soon. I've been concentrating on brims. And FYI knitters, I had no trouble with airport security and my knitting stuff. I was a little concerned and didn't want to have to throw anything away. I think domestic flights are good with it.

Here's a brim that I finished for my new Australian friend Lisa. You can check out what she says about the hat here. How cute is she? I think she looks fantastic! The charcoal/mustard combo is one of my faves.

Today is re-entry day from vacation. The girls are still sleeping. Jeff and I both skipped working out today. I got a full eight hours of sleep last night. I have some cold brew coffee all set to go so that I can reward myself with an iced coffee later today.

Have a great Wednesday!

New Purse

2011-06-22T08:19:00.000-05:00

I know this isn't knitting, but it does have a cute flower on it! Awhile back, I asked my sister in law if she would consider sewing a purse/tote for me. I found some fabric and a pattern that I liked and she agreed to take on the project. I'm so glad she did, since I don't own a sewing machine and couldn't do it anyway!

Love.

I got a little crazy on the polka dots, but figured, why not? The inside is a fun aqua color.

And then for a splash of color a flower brooch that I can change out as I want to. It looks darker in this picture than it is, it's really a fun coral color. I used the purse lining fabric to make a fabric colored button.

Here's the whole thing. Kelsie, thank you SO MUCH for making this for me! I love, LoVe, LOVE it! You can see more of Kelsie's work by clicking here.

2011-06-21T13:06:00.000-05:00

Just finished another one of these cute little baseball hats for a cute little baby that I get to go visit tonight! Can't wait!!!

Cream and Gray

2011-06-16T14:00:00.000-05:00

I finished most of this hat over the weekend. Why on earth is it taking me until Thursday to post it???? We have had VBS this week and it's been a great, but BUSY, week because of it! It's actually flown by and we will be wrapping up tomorrow. I'm very thankful for a smooth week and the kids seem to be loving it, which makes me happy too.

It rained today and consequently our almost daily trip to the pool was cancelled. We are spending our afternoon catching up on things we've neglected all week. Somehow my girls aren't as excited about having clean rooms as I am.

I also realize I haven't given my usual summer disclaimer. Fun summer activities leave less time for knitting...so things on this blog will be slower than they were over the winter. Just wanted you to know. Happy Thursday, everyone!

Reece's Rainbow

2011-06-10T11:22:00.000-05:00

My friend Anna and her family are adopting a baby boy through the organization Reece's Rainbow. She's got a Father's Day giveaway going on her blog that you can be a part of. It's an AWESOME giveaway that you can be involved in simply by donating to their adoption fund. Click here to enter the giveaway. Click here to read the story about how the Lord worked in their hearts to make this adoption possible. Here's a picture of their sweet little guy! Happy Friday, everyone!

Grab This!

Blue and Gray

2011-06-08T10:27:00.000-05:00

I love this color combo for a boy! Very simple, but still a great hat.

Blue Brim

2011-06-06T09:25:00.000-05:00

I had just enough yarn to finish this hat. Seriously, like 12 inches from running out. I love it when things work out! I would have been less than happy to have run out, so this was a great end to my weekend!

Exciting News!!!!

2011-06-02T08:55:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to share this with you for awhile, but needed everything to be "official" before I did. It's finally all official, so here it is: A Little Knitting will be at the 2011 Hillsboro Arts and Crafts Fair!

I'm always busy with an antique sale that same day, so having a booth has never been an option. This year my friend and fellow knitter, Emily Dalke, will be running our booth. She and I have been making hats like crazy for the last couple months...okay, maybe not like crazy, but we've been busy. We hope to have a nice variety of sizes and colors of hand knitted hats from little tiny newborns to adult. There may even be a scarf or two!

I'm totally indebted to Emily for this great idea. You will enjoy her knitting as well---she will have some fun color combos and new ideas too!

So mark your calendars for Saturday, September 17th.

Vintage Flower

2011-06-01T10:30:00.002-05:00

I love this flower, but it's going to take "just the right person" for it.

I had a cute old vintage tablecloth that I have been wanting to repurpose somehow. It had its fair share of holes and discolored spots. I decided it would make awesome flowers. Paired with these funky green jewel buttons, they really make a statement.

Black Brim and Summer Ideas

2011-05-31T08:59:00.000-05:00

I had a little flower making session on Sunday afternoon. The girls were resting and all was quiet. It was a good reward to myself after doing all the chores that were put on the back burner when we went to Wichita on Saturday. This was one of the flowers from more new fabric I picked up.

Several of you have asked me about our summer schedule. Last year I made out a calendar with a different activity for each day. I don't have a calendar yet this year, but I do have a lot of ideas. This idea began when I realized that our household runs a lot smoother (as in much less fighting) when we have a bit of structure to our days. There is so much I love about summer that I want to look forward to my kids being home and out of school too.

This summer we have a daily schedule. I write down all the things that we are doing on a small dry erase board that I'm keeping on the fridge, including both fun things and chores. So far I've gotten some big tasks crossed off my to do list, and I've had help in the process! Today the tasks are: make beds, laundry, floors, sort toys in the basement, decorate journals and POOL. The girls know their tasks up front and they get to decide when they do them. My only stipulation is that chores come before fun activities. It's amazing how much less complaining we've had in getting chores done. Don't worry, there is plenty of time left in the day for the girls to play.

Here are a couple of links that I have found to be interesting. I think this site has a lot of fun art type ideas, and both my girls love art. We are going to do some science type projects and this site has some interesting looking activities. I saw this over the weekend, and am just waiting to find some big craft sticks so that we can have some fun summer jewelry! We will also do some cooking and menu planning.

I highly recommend getting together with a friend and looking for ideas together. Two laptops + kids having a playdate = twice the ideas in the same amount of time.

What about you? Do you do any planning for summer?

New Flower

2011-05-30T13:41:00.000-05:00

Here is another one of the new flowers...just to show you what it looks like on a regular hat.

Cream

2011-05-27T13:34:00.000-05:00

I've posted this combo before in a newborn size. Love it either way!

Have a wondeful holiday weekend!

Beth's Brim

2011-05-24T17:56:00.000-05:00

This brim is a late birthday present for my friend Beth. Considering the fact that she has her pool all ready to go for the summer, she's not likely to be needing this for some time.

You already know that I heart orange. This flower is no exception.

And this is a new flower style that my friend Kimberlee recommended to me. I think it's very fun! Beth gets the final word on which flower she wants with this hat.

Charcoal and Yellow

2011-05-23T20:21:00.000-05:00

A fun gray and yellow to start the week!

We've enjoyed much these last few days...time with new friends, old friends and family. It was a gorgeous weekend, even though it included a few tears. We are wishing our Rachel the best as she transitions to life after college and looking forward to a trip to California to visit!!!

Options

2011-05-20T10:30:00.000-05:00

This is the same hat with two different flowers.

Of course I love the aqua and yellow combo. So cute!

But I also had this fun pink flower and decided to see how it looked. I liked it as well!

NICU hat

2011-05-18T05:10:00.000-05:00

This hat was meant to be posted last Friday, but I was gone and even though I had it all set up, something went haywire. So this one is off to the NICU to brighten a little one's day.

Blue

2011-05-17T11:17:00.000-05:00

Here's the second part of Emily's order. A chunky blue yarn with a fun pom on the end. I think the combo of this and the brown stripey from yesterday are going to make for some really cute newborn photos! Thanks for the order, Emily!

Brown Stripey

2011-05-16T13:32:00.000-05:00

Emily's order included a couple of different photography props for her friends' newborn. The first is a brown and neutral take on the stripey hat. It's going to be super cute!

Stripes

2011-05-12T08:07:00.000-05:00

Here's a new stripe pattern for a newborn. Not your typical baby boy hat, but fun nevertheless.

Charcoal

2011-05-10T16:34:00.000-05:00

Not much time for knitting these past few days. Here's a charcoal with a fun new material.

Our weekend included an antique sale, camping, and a family gathering. It was a great Mother's Day celebration! On the agenda for tonight is to get our garden in...late I know, but so it goes.

Brown and Blue

2011-05-06T20:41:00.000-05:00

More very fun vintage fabric from my weekend trip, which is already a whole week past! Where does time go? Anyway, this is a really great muted blue with some brown and white flowers on it--looks very cute with a brown hat.

We had a fabulous Vintage Soiree today. Check out pics from our Hillsboro sale today by clicking here. It was the perfect day for a sale....a little windy, but I'm not complaining one bit about that.

Have a fabulous Mother's Day weekend! Ours will include some camping and a family gathering. Can't wait!

Blue

2011-05-04T10:30:00.000-05:00

Here's a fun subdued blue. I think it's a gorgeous grown up color for a girl.

Grace

2011-05-03T10:30:00.002-05:00

A couple months ago Jana contacted me about making a hat for her soon to be born niece. This is one cute baby!

Once again, Megan did an awesome job with documenting her newborn sweetness. You can click here to see the rest of the family photos captured during this session. There is quite a family resemblance in my opinion!

Spring Green!

2011-05-02T12:49:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's May! Maybe it's the cooler than I'd hope for weather we have been having. Maybe it's because there is a lot of activity in May that I am involved in and I'm just in denial. Hard to say. Anyway, I spent part of the weekend with some of my girlfriends in Sparks, Kansas at an antique/flea market. It was dreamy to be away for a bit and the weather was perfect! Plus, time with girlfriends always means good conversation and I'm all about that.

My purchases were minimal. Seriously, I had all this birthday money just waiting to be spent and all I came away with was a bit of vintage material for flowers and some buttons! Who am I???? I did not drag my camera along, but my friend Kimberlee did and you can read all about it here.

Those I hang out with are good to me and let me do minimal driving so that I can knit. One of the many things I love about my friends.

I did get this gorgous green for flowers. I am in love with it! You will be seeing more of it, I promise.

And this is the flower I originally made for this hat, but I wanted to show you something from the weekend because I was so excited about it. A little something different this time with a fabric covered button for the center. Lots of possibilites here, too.

Happy Monday, everyone. Are you going to be as crazed as I am this month?

Pink

2011-04-28T13:40:00.000-05:00

This fabric was picked out by my friend Kimberlee who went yarn and fabric shopping with me a couple weeks back. It think it's very fun and kind of whimsy!

Purple

2011-04-27T15:17:00.000-05:00

Here's a new fabric that I think has all sorts of potential for coordinating hats. Here it is with a plum yarn.

I wish I would have had a hat along to keep me warm on the first grade field trip this morning. I've been drinking coffee since I got home in hopes of warming up. Who would have thought that this late it would have been so cool? I'm anxious to hear Em's report on the afternoon children's theater when she gets home.

Brown Combo

2011-04-26T12:55:00.001-05:00

This is a fun new combo for a boy hat. The band is a tweed yarn--kind of an oatmeal color. I really like all the specks of color it has in it. I'm anxious to try it with some other color combos too.

Black and Pink

2011-04-25T10:30:00.000-05:00

A fun black and hot pink to start the week off right. I have lots of new fabrics and yarns out for this week's knitting. I'm taking a break from brims and working on some regular hats for a bit.

Hoping you all had a blessed Easter weekend. Ours was low key and really enjoyable. I took some time to take a few pictures of my girls in the last couple weeks. Here are some of my favorites. Looks like it's time to update the frames at our house!

It is so rare to get an actual smile out of this one. I'm so pleased when it happens!

Em is starting to look so mature. Her freckles are really popping out already this spring and she just wants to keep growing her hair as long as I will let her. And in the last couple weeks she's lost 2 more teeth. There will hardly be any left if it keeps going at this rate!

This was our Easter morning before church use the timer on the camera picture. I'm amazed that this is the first and only that we took. Good thing, we were running behind as it was.

New Flower

2011-04-21T13:15:00.000-05:00

Here's a new fabric that I picked up a couple weeks ago.

I love this fabric with pink, I love it with red. Here it is paired with a fun little brown newborn hat.

The First of Its Kind

2011-04-20T13:54:00.000-05:00

Wait, that doesn't make sense. You have seen countless charcoal brims. How much do I love a mustard flower with it? A lot is the answer to that question. BUT the flower isn't what makes it different. What makes this hat unique is that it's going to Australia! How fun is that?

Erin's Hat

2011-04-19T11:14:00.000-05:00

Here's Erin modelling her new brim. Darling, I say! She looks fabulous in it, don't you think!?! Erin, thanks for the order! I loved making this one for you!