weaving in ends.

Okay, I really like knitting. I like picking out patterns, I like casting on, and I like the process of knitting. But you know how when you eat a meal, it's best to eat the part you don't like first so that you can end with your favourite foods?

















Why does weaving in have to be at the end?



(this hat is a very quick hat for a student. He asked for green. I don't like how the decreases came out, I have to remember for next time so that I don't make the same mistake again).

(Who am I kidding? I'm definitely going to forget again).

frogged!

I had to frog the brown hat. It wasn't coming out the shape that I wanted, and I think I should add earflaps.

Sigh.

Not much knitting

Housework definitely gets in the way of knitting. (Not that I'm getting a lot of housework done, I'm kind of puttering while watching Kiki's Delivery Service. I think I prefer Spirited Away, but the animation is good).

Here is what I got done yesterday:
I put the ear tufts in this morning. Yeah, my house may be messy, but the hats have tassels.












And then I cast on for a hat. I cast on 70 stitches and knitted in the round for 4 1/2 inches, then started decreases on dpns. I think this is going to be a bear.










And now, off to do housework. Maybe if I actually focus on it instead of thinking about knitting?

Stripes!

So yesterday I mentioned that I'd post pictures of the hat and a half that I knitted in the afternoon:

(The pink yarn is the wool I pilfered).












I still need to add the tufts for ears to the first one and weave in the ends. And now I have an idea for bunny hats that are like the Rabbids. I have sewn Rabbid heads before but I haven't tried knitting them.

Not Obsessed. At All

Okay, so I mentioned that I had cast on for another one. I finished it today. It's already been on a baby's head.


While delivering said hat, I cast on for a hat with a similar shape, but just stripes. I finished that hat, and then had to raid my friend's stash for more yarn so that I could knit at work. (My job involves a lot of talking, which while yes, does involve a lot of hand motion, doesn't actually require it).

(I now owe my friend a ball of pink Patons Merino, in case anyone is wondering)

I'll post pictures of the new hats tomorrow - the sun was gone by the time I thought about pictures for the striped hats.

*I think this picture is better than my previous ones, even with my phone. I should really continue looking for that battery.

Hoot!

Okay, I've now been completely distracted from panda hats. While in a yarn shop the other day, my friend and I saw a hat like this although in different colours.

So I had to try it. Except that I'm on a yarn diet, so I used some Patons Merino wool from my stash.

Yesterday morning I cast on:
I didn't think to take a picture until I was a *few* rows in.

Aren't my new addi turbos great?










Once I had knitted 6 inches, I transferred to my dpns. I do like my dpns, but I think straight needles would have been easier. And I knitted as if I was doing a 3 needle bind off to join the two layers together and start the brown. This might have made more sense if I had thought to take a picture, but here's a picture from when I finished the brown:














Then I duplicate stitched on eyes and laced on a beak. I know the pattern calls for separately made eyes, but I've been practicing my duplicate stitch, and hey, I'm going to use it wherever possible! (Or at least until it is no longer a novelty).

Here's the finished owl, ready to be mailed off for the now 6 week old baby. I'm a bit late. eep.








I really liked making this. I actually cast on for another one before I finished this one (stitching and ear fluff making is not very portable).

If anyone is reading this, sorry about the poor picture quality. I've been taking pictures on my phone as my camera battery has gone on an unannounced vacation. Seriously, who loses a camera battery? And to be honest, even when my camera is back in commission, it's not like I am going to be able to take great pictures. Here's a blog with great pictures

Oh, and here's the link to the owl pattern, if you want to try to make one for a baby or child you know. There are different owls here and here

(also, I have no idea why there are huge gaps. between the pictures and the words. I choose to blame blogger).

Hairbands!

Okay, so this post has nothing to do with the panda hats I am working on, but hey, a cute, quick, craft.

I saw this idea for headbands on http://www.oneprettything.com/ and I thought, hey, I can do this! Even if it isn't knitting!

So then I looked around some more, just because there might be an even easier way to do this, and I found this post which doesn't involve cutting hair elastics. Cutting things can sometimes make me nervous. (I don't cut very often while knitting)

The stuff:
okay, so the picture is blurry. I can't find our camera, sorry.













And here is the finished product:
cute, no? I tried to take a picture of me, using the mirror technique I've seen others use, but, wow, was it blurry! And the bear was convenient.

So it was pretty quick and easy. I wish I had some lace or something to make a fancier one, but I used what I had on hand.