Simple Sweeter Sweater

I actually finished this sweater months ago. Yep, months. It's been waiting for buttons all this time. I have been wanting to make my own homemade buttons from found driftwood. Likely it would take very little time to do it, but I just haven't had the chance to set up my miter saw since I moved. So finally, I gave up on waiting and bought these rustic looking buttons instead. Within 20 minutes I went from a project-in-waiting to an actual wearable piece. (I also found the striped boot cuffs I knit months ago that are just waiting for the fleece boot socks to be cut and sewn...another 20 minute project that is just waiting to be finished)

This wasn't a difficult sweater by any means, it's just a series of rectangles, five to be exact. I like asymmetry in a sweater, so that was the first detail I designed. Next I decided that I was going to use much bigger needles on the bottom and smaller on the top so that you get this ethereal fairy look to the piece. I echoed the shape of the sweater in the sleeves making romantic bell sleeves.

I used 100% cotton yarn for this, making it my first project completed in all cotton. I love the feel of a natural fiber; linen and cotton are my favorite. (I haven't tried bamboo yet, but I suspect it's similar) The only thing I would warn about is that cotton isn't as strong as other fibers, and tore relatively easy when I accidentally tripped on it. Though, I don't think it's normal to trip over your yarn, so I wouldn't take it too seriously.

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.

Craft Failure and Craft Success

Sometimes you just have to fail. This was a frustrating failure though. The project from beginning to end was horrible. I broke two needles, and the strips of fabric kept catching on the presser foot. The kids kept trying to talk to me and I was already SO frustrated that I ended up being frustrated with them.

(not fair, bad mom...I KNOW)

When it was done it was colorful, but horrible. Misshapen, oblong...AWFUL. But, I'll still keep it, failures can be good things. They make you remember how NOT to do things, which is good. But more importantly, it's how you learn. (This is where my 11 years of technical support comes in handy) I know now to use another presser foot, and to roll and secure the fabric before I start...and I know to use a big, sharp needle. And I know to wait until the kids are asleep for this one. I will revisit this again because I like the idea of being able to use up my little bits of fabric.

(especially the fabrics that aren't your favorite because the pattern doesn't show as much)

((and especially for the fabrics that ARE your favorite because you will smile every time you look at the bowl...like the Lime Dot in the middle of this one))



Thankfully, this day had a craft-silver-lining; in the evening after I put the kids to bed I turned on the Oscars and set out to learn how to knit a cable. With the Stitch n' Bitch book on my lap and the Oscars on the tube I made this neat little cable. It was SO easy, I was really surprised. It seems like my knitting learning curve gets steeper and steeper, so it was nice to have an easy win.

I have so much more respect for knitters now. I had no idea the time and energy and patience that went into these projects. It really is amazing.