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Masks, Masks, and More Masks

I took a rather long hiatus from my normal crafting activities (and this blog) due to the pandemic and my focus on sewing masks.  Shortly after the pandemic hit, masks were in short supply and there was suddenly an urgent need for those who could sew to make them.  I can sew, so I went in to mask production mode.

In the beginning it was crazy.  I bought whatever gender-neutral fabric I could find.  Elastic was nowhere to be found, so I sewed straps.  Friends donated fabric and thread when I couldn’t find any.  It was a true community effort.  I found a hospital-approved tri-fold mask pattern, and proceeded to make several hundred masks for my friends, family, and to donate to hospitals, vet clinics and the like.

After it seemed that all my friends and family had something they could wear, I switched over to being more creative.  I started out by designing a more fitted mask.  (And it evolved as I went.)  I added a “pocket” to hold a nose clip so the clip could be removed.  I was able to get my hands on elastic and figured out a way to make it adjustable with O-rings.  Then I started getting really creative by piecing the fronts of the masks of the masks together like a quilt to make things like dinosaurs and puppies.  I loved the creative aspect of the design, if not the reason for it.  Check out a few of my favorite below!

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House Spirit Cardigan Pattern

The shower theme for my new nephew was Harry Potter, so naturally I wanted to make him something Harry Potter themed.  I searched for existing Harry Potter patterns, because I knew there were a lot of them, but nothing really stood out to me.  A lot of the fashion from the movies prominently used stripes (in the scarves, in the ties, etc.).  My mind kept coming back to the thought of a cardigan and stripes.  I decided to make a baby cardigan that while not explicitly referencing Harry Potter, nodded at the theme with the color choices.  The pattern features four areas of bi-colored stripes.  I decided to use the color schemes from the four houses from Harry Potter for the four regions. The idea of using the colors also added some symbolism.  Using all four represented wishing the best qualities of each house on the baby:  courage, loyalty, intelligence, and leadership.  I chose to use a variety of buttons to add a little whimsy.  I ended up making a second sweater for my daughter because it was just too cute!

The pattern is available in sizes 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-18 months, and 18-24 months.  If you need another size, I can make that happen!

Buy the pattern for $5 on Etsy here or on Ravelry here.

Materials:

Go to this link to buy a kit with everything you need to make this cardigan on Amazon.

  • Worsted weight yarn in two to nine colors (You may choose to use two alternating colors for all of the striping or use different colors for each quadrant and the band, as I did.  I used yarn I already had at my house, but most of it was Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice.  The colors I used where charcoal grey [A] for the bands, scarlet [B], gold [C], green [D], silver [E], blue [F], bronze [G], yellow [H], and black [I])
  • US 8 24” circular needles
  • US 8 double pointed needles
  • Tapestry needle
  • Buttons
  • Needle and thread to sew on buttons


Stitches Used:

Please comment below with any questions!

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Dinosaur Popsicle Holders

I’m so late posting about these!  It’s September, and everyone has started going pumpkin spice crazy.  At least here in Houston it is still in the 90s, so it’s still popsicle weather, if not popsicle season.

A couple of months ago I saw some popsicle holders on Pinterest and thought, wouldn’t that be a fun knit or crochet project?  They are effectively a popsicle cozy, and I make cozies all the time.  I came up with several ideas I wanted to make.  My two-year-old is obsessed with dinosaurs right now, and I knew he would love a dinosaur popsicle holder.  It seemed natural to crochet a dinosaur body and let the popsicle be the tail.  These turned out too cute, and my two-year-old loves them!

Buy the e-book with all three patterns for $5 on Etsy here or on Ravelry here.

Materials:

Go to this link to buy a kit with everything you need to make these dinosaurs on Amazon.

  • Worsted weight yarn in a variety of colors (my favorite is Vanna’s Choice)
  • Size H tapestry needle
  • Tapestry needle
  • Popsicles!


Stitches Used:

Please comment below with any questions!

 

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Sunrise at the Beach Drop-Stitch Scarf Pattern

It’s hot in Houston right now.  Like miserable sweating within two minutes of stepping outside hot.  I decided I wanted to make something I could wear despite the heat, and I have had an idea for a drop-stitch scarf in my head for months.  The airiness of it is perfect for the heat of summer!

The design of this scarf ended up being a humbling experience.  I made a drop-stitch scarf from a pattern a few years ago.  I assumed when I saw the scarf that the look was achieved by knitting a few stitches and then yarning over several times.  However, the look was achieved by creating a large stockinette tube and then ripping out over half of the stitches.  I wanted to cry because I was wasting so much time knitting all these stitches only to rip them out.  I vowed to make another drop-stitch scarf someday with yarn overs.

When I started working on this scarf, I tried using yarn overs from the beginning.  It didn’t work.  I tried setting up a foundation row and then using yarn overs.  It didn’t work, either.  I tried knitting several rows and then using yarn overs.  It still didn’t work.  Guess what?  I ended up knitting a large tube and ripping out the stitches.  At least this pattern is a little more exciting than just stockinette stitch.

Since the pattern is relatively simple, I had a very specific yarn in mind to achieve the look I wanted.  I wanted a lace-weight yarn to make the scarf as light and airy as possible.  I wanted that yarn to be two ply with each ply being a different color.  I also wanted a slow color change so that I would end up with vertical stripes.  I looked for quite a while, and ended up stumbling upon Schoppel-Wolle Edition 6, which was perfect!  I chose the Aunt Emma colorway.

Buy the pattern for $5 on Etsy here or on Ravelry here.

Materials:

Go to this link to buy a kit with everything you need to make this scarf on Amazon.

  • 50 g of a lace weight yarn (I used Schoppel-Wolle Edition 6 in Aunt Emma)
  • US 7 24” circular needles
  • Tapestry needle
  • Beads for fringe (optional)

Stitches Used:

Please comment below with any questions!

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Buffalo Plaid Ankle Sock Pattern

I’ve had it in my head for a while that I wanted to knit some buffalo plaid ankle socks with a black sole, but I was struggling with how to make the stranded colorwork work over the instep portion.  If I carried it, the tension would end up funky and likely too tight.  If I cut the contrasting color every row, that would be a nightmare to work in all of the ends, and I would still probably end up with weird tension.  I also didn’t want to work it in rows and then sew the sock together.  Then an idea came to me.  What if I worked it in rows, but instead of leaving an edge I created a wrap and turn connection similar to what is used in short rows?  I tried it, and it worked beautifully!  The socks are worked all in one piece with a nearly invisible “seam” along the bottom.  I couldn’t love these socks more.

Buy the pattern for $5 on Etsy here or on Ravelry here.

Materials:

Go to this link to buy a kit with everything you need to make these socks on Amazon.

  • Sock yarn in two colors (I used Premier Yarns Wool-Free Sock Yarn in Black (MC) and Red (CC))
  • 5 Size US 1.5 (2.5 mm) double pointed needles
  • Tapestry needle


Stitches and Techniques Used:

Please comment below with any questions!

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Sweet As Honey Cardigan Pattern

It’s been a while since I’ve written a post.  Honestly, it’s been because life has just been hard the last two months.  My husband has been away for a work a lot.  I’ve been juggling a full-time career and two toddlers.  The baby has been going through an extremely difficult phase.  She’s been fussy, clingy, and not sleeping.  As in getting up four times a night not sleeping.  For almost two months.  It’s been some combination of teething, a possible dairy issue, and most recently a cold.  On top of all that, I’ve had pneumonia.  There has been no time for knitting.  But today, I had a day off and finally typed up the sweater pattern I designed for her birthday.  I love this pattern, so much!

As my daughter’s first birthday was approaching, I decided to make her a bee-themed cardigan to go with her “First Bee-Day” party.  The cardigan was blue to match her beautiful blue eyes, and featured capped sleeves for the warm weather.  All of the edges feature I-cords to give a soft, rolled-edge look.  The sweater is knit as one piece because seaming is my least favorite part of sweater-making.  I hope you enjoy the pattern!

Buy the pattern for $5 on Etsy here or on Ravelry here.

Materials:

Go to this link to buy a kit with everything you need to make this hat on Amazon.

  • Medium sport weight yarn in two colors (I used Lion Brand Babysoft Yarn in Bluebell [MC] and Pastel Yellow [CC])
  • US 8 24” circular needles
  • US 8 double pointed needles
  • Tapestry needle
  • Buttons
  • Needle and thread to sew on buttons


Stitches Used:

Please comment below with any questions!

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Egg-straordinary Easter Hat Pattern

One of my goals as I try to get my knitting pattern business off the ground was to create a pattern inspired by every major holiday this year.  When I thought of Easter, my mind initially jumped to bunnies and Easter bonnets, but there are a lot of bunny and bonnet hats out there already.  Next my mind jumped to Easter eggs.  A colorful Easter egg pattern could be really fun to make!  And the idea was born.

Ever since Lion Brand came out with their bonbons yarn, I’ve been wanting to make a project out of them!  I finally did it, and here is that project.  This hat was perfect because I wanted make an Easter egg inspired hat with lots of colors.  The bonbons brights colorway came in a sport weight yarn, perfect for spring weather.

Buy the pattern for $5 on Etsy here or on Ravelry here.

Materials:

Go to this link to buy a kit with everything you need to make this hat on Amazon.


Please comment below with any questions!

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Buffalo Plaid Earwarmer

Buffalo plaid has been everywhere this winter season.  If you know me, you know I’m not that in to fashion trends.  However, something about buffalo plaid really appeals to me.  Since spring decided to let winter have a big last hurrah (at least I hope it is the last), I decided to design one more winter pattern:  buffalo plaid ear warmers.  The pattern features buffalo plaid stranded colorwork and a turban-like twist in the front.

Buy the pattern for $3 on Etsy here or on Ravelry here.

Materials:

Go to this link to buy a kit with everything you need to make this hat on Amazon.

  • Worsted weight yarn
  • 3 size 6 double pointed needles
  • Tapestry needle


Stitches Used:

Please comment below with any questions!

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La Vie Boheme Headscarf Pattern

I designed this headscarf for my sister to wear at a competition she was judging in which she needed some sort of head covering.  I loved it so much, that I made one for myself!  The pattern features garter stitch, short rows, and a modified seafoam stitch to create lots of fun texture.  It works great with a variegated yarn.

Buy the pattern for $3 on Etsy here or on Ravelry here.

Materials:

Go to this link to buy a kit with everything you need to make this hat on Amazon.


Stitches Used:

Please comment below with any questions!

 

 

 

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Valentine’s Cozy Roundup – Day 6

It’s the final day of my Valentine’s cozy roundup.  Tomorrow is the big day:  Valentine’s Day!

The pattern for this cozy was shared with me by my friend Liz over at A Little Crochet by Liz.  The cozy pattern is available at Dakotah Knits.  The heart pattern is  modified from Repeat Crafter Me.  Because the heart pattern as written was too large for my cozy, I chained 9 (instead of 11) to start and removed two single crochets from Rows 1 through 6 and  one single crochet from remaining rows.  I also removed rows 5 and 13.

Enjoy!