Knitty Fish Hat

Another Pinspiration...made by me...but inspired (obviously) by Pinterest. I did not follow the free pattern, and chose instead to wing it. I also simplified it a bit, choosing not to do the shaping around the mouth. This hat is actually SUPER simple. If you can knit in the round, you can make this hat. The only strange thing I did was at the tail, and it was just because I didn't want to stop and look it up.

So here's my non-pattern...

Figure out the size of hat you need to make based on your yarn and needle size. Once you've done that cast on the lip color and knit until you get enough to roll up nicely (see how it looks like lips?) Then switch to the next yarn (keep them both attached) and alternate the colors any way you like.

Somewhere about halfway down the fish start reducing every once in a while. I knit-2-together every 8 stitches for a full round, then I just knit a few more rounds and decreased the same way again. It doesn't have to be exact, the point is to reduce slowly so that it looks even.

Once you've made it as long as you want, and decreased it enough, split the stitches evenly onto two smaller needles (or stitch holders); the front half of the hat on one needle, and the back half of the hat on the back needle. Then alternating one stitch from the front and one from the back place them on needle the same size as the circular. Once this is done you knit a couple of rounds and you'll see the increase for the tail (it sort of self increases since you "doubled" the number of stitches by going from circular to linear) Strange I know...I was just sort of winging it...but it worked.

After a few more rows you'll want to take half the stitches and put them on a holder. With half the stitches still on the working needle you can increase and decrease to your hearts content...every fish in the sea is different...so have some fun. But if it helps I increased 1 stitch on the right and the left on every knit row, 3 times, then I began to decrease 2 on the inner side of the fin while keeping the outer the same. Then towards the end I decreased 2 on the inside fin and 1 on the outside fin until I had just one stitch left, voila. Fin finis. (ha ha)

Tie on the yarn to the other half of the fin and repeat (or forget what you did and wing it like I did)...zoiks...what kind of knitter AM I?!?!

For the fins, this part was easy, I picked up 15 stitches for the top fin, then knit the front and back of every stitch so that the 2nd row has double the stitches. Then do a k1p1 rib until you like the length of the fin and bind it off. Easy Peasy. For the side fins I picked up 10 stitches, and the rest was the same. Now...once I did this I did not like the way the fin waved around, so I took the loose yarn ends and weaved the edges of the fin to the hat. Since there was an increase it naturally fans out to a rainbow shape, and holds it's shape better.



I liked the dead fish eyes from the original pattern, but Luke wanted a LIVE fish and requested button eyes (what can I say we LOVE Coraline). So button eyes it is. He loves this hat.

This pattern is super changeable so that your fish can be any color, length, size, etc etc. There is more than one fish in the sea you know! This is a fun knit, a quick knit and one that will delight the recipient (even if it's yourself). You can also use up your old scrappy yarn stash and make a rainbow fish. See how much fun this is...and you haven't even started yet!

Here is the original hat, click on the picture and it will take you to the original pattern.

My Very First Quilt

I made this quilt in November of 2009, it was the first quilt I ever made but I never got a chance to post about it. I thought about it because I just unpacked it from one of my MANY craft boxes. Seriously, all in all there were no less then 12 boxes for the craft room. Between books, fabric, yarn, beads, glass and paint I have more than filled the mudroom/craftroom/piano-room in our new home. (by new I mean REALLY old...and rented, so not ours at all...I'll save that for another day, but I'll tease you with trap doors and slanted floors...YAY!)

Since this quilt was the first I ever made it is uber important to me. I had always looked upon quilting as something I would never, could never do. All of those hours spent pouring over tiny bits of fabric, meticulously cut and placed. No thanks! I don't spend hours pouring over anything that is going to make me go blind. I am an ADD crafter...get in and get it done before I get bored.

But, thankfully it turns out I can quilt the same way I do everything else. I hate planning, I hate patterns...I like to sit down, decide what I'm doing and then do it. Sometimes the project takes a turn here and there, but that's what makes it fun! In this case I started as if I were making a basic strip quilt. I pieced together all the blues I had, and all the greens I had. Then I put the blue and green together to make the sky and grass. Next came the appliqued tree, which I did in corduroy because I wanted lots of texture for the baby.

At this point I carried the panel around with me everywhere I went because I was so proud of it. (I swear this is true) And if anyone stopped to ask about it I'd give them the old "What, this? It's just something I threw together..."

Since this new-old-rented-house-o-mine is painted with turquoise trim and orange walls I think my quilt will fit in just fine hanging on the wall. And if not, it doesn't matter because it makes me smile, so I'll hang it anyway.

The Sister Pillow

After my almost giveaway yesterday I completed the sister pillow. I decided to make them different, but in the same style. I used the same yarn, but a slightly different sized block. I changed the placement a little, and some of the fabrics differ. I didn't have much choice on the fabrics...the ones that I used were among the last remaining dregs of some old favorites.



I love this one as much as the other, even though they are different I think they compliment eachother. (But I'm still not giving them away) Now I have to go back to the drawing board for the giveaway because I used up too much of the pretty yarn...I think there might be enough for a single coaster. Coaster for one anyone?


I'm kidding...but look what I did make with the scraps. I know it doesn't look like anything, but you should FEEL it. It's so soft and squishy. I finger-crocheted it late last night after I put the kids to bed. I was watching Netflix (such a time waster, but SO addictive) and lying in bed and I wondered what it would look like if I used my fingers to crochet the remenants of this gorgeous yarn. And here it is...I know it doesn't look like much, but it has SUCH potential. What a wonderful scarf it would make! The design would be loose and wild and so SO warm. I only wish I had more yarn!!! And I know it might seem strange to use your finger instead of a crochet hook, but honestly it was fun. And it might be a good way to show kids the process of crocheting, I might give it try on my kids and see how it goes. (Not with yarn this expensive though)

And the feet go to the Quack Pack

I worked most of the night filling orders. I love making new designs. Not that making old designs is bad, sometimes the brainlessness of knowing exactly what to do already is soothing. But I love the design process. Deciding how to make it work, and seeing it all come together. I had a custom request for a ducky easter basket. I had a vision in my head what it should look like, but the vision in my head, and even the sketch on the paper often proves difficult to produce exactly as shown. In my head the duck had feet and a tail.

In the final product simplicity of just the beak and eyes proved better I think. I made the feet, and they're adorable, but I couldn't make them fit right on the duck.

It ended up being awkward. I want these too be used, and played with. I make the body parts on these fun so that kids actually like messing around with them. The pigs tail is stretchy, the ducks beak is flappy, ears are floppy, etc etc. I want kids to have fun with these. But somehow the feet were too much, so here they are...lonely lonely feet. They'll have to go into the drawer for another day. (Actually it won't be too long until they have a home) I cut the pattern for a new bag. Actually it's a back pack...nay...a quack pack. (or duck sack if you prefer the term ruck sack). I'm working on the rigging system. It will involve grommets, and the straps will retract when the bag is opened and cinches when the bag is put on your back. The bottom of the straps will be the duck legs...and on the bottom...the lonely feet. Lonely no longer. Alas though, the Quack Pack must wait. I have many orders to fill and can't sew him yet. If only I had entire days to sew instead of a few hours after I put the kids to bed or before they wake up. (And if only I was better at putting them to bed on time!)