Category: knitting

challenge, knitting, me-made-may, sewing

Me-Made-May 2014!

christinahopgood
This is the first year I’ve decided that I have enough handmade clothes to last me throughout the whole of Me-Made-May!  I made my pledge today over on So, Zo.  Here it is:

I, Christina of http://www.cutiefulchristina.com, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May 2014.  I endeavour to wear at least one handmade item (excluding underpants which are mostly handmade) every day for the duration of May 2014.

I won’t be able to wear unique items every day, I just don’t have enough.  But I might be surprised!  Some days I find myself wearing 100% me-made clothes (excluding footwear and bras) – and some nights too!  I have 2 pairs of handmade pyjamas which are in high rotation.  Plus I think I have an advantage because I have a bunch of knitting as well as sewing!

Why Participate?
1. I really love the handmade/sewing online community and I like to participate as much as I can.  It’d be nice to get some new readers too!
2. I’m looking forward to finding some holes in my handmade wardrobe and filling them!  For example, I like to wear t-shirts and pants on weekends and I have no handmade t-shirts.  Billions of skirts though.
3. This will give me a chance to figure out why I don’t wear some things I made.  And then when the month is over, I will be able to re-work or chuck out the stuff I don’t like!
4. It’s fun to do challenges!

I’m going to take photos of each handmade outfit and post them on my blog – possibly not daily but in a weekly round up.  I prefer that format on other people’s blogs so I should stick to that right??

Links
Here’s where you can sign up on So, Zo’s blog
Here’s a link to the flickr pool where people will post photos
Here’s a link to the Me-Made-May Pinterest board

Will you join Me-Made-May??

beanie, cardigan, clothing, diy, hat, knitting, wool

Simple knitted beanie(s) pattern!

christinahopgood
Scroll down for the pattern!
I just finished knitting a beanie from the leftover yarn from my Miette cardigan.  I don’t know if I’d actually *wear* it with the cardigan, since it’s all a bit matchy-matchy but I love it!  I’m going to wear it a lot in winter, so comfy and warm.
But this is actually the FIFTH TIME I’ve made this pattern.  Firstly  I made a dark burgundy one for my good friend who went through chemo and needed a hat.  She loved it so much and wore it almost every day of her bald period, and I knitted her another one in white too.  She wore the white one for “good”.
The red hat before I gave it away.  Yes I’m wearing a mens flanny.
I also knitted a cream coloured one for my mum, and then a nice dark blue one for Charles!  I made Charles’ one bigger than the ladies’ ones so it was nice and comfy and roomy, and then I put a pompon on top!  And now he loves it!

 So here’s the pattern!  It’s from the March 1973 edition of Stitchcraft (do they still make that?).
You’ll need some nice 8 ply (worsted weight) yarn (I used a bit less than 2 50g skeins), and some 3.25mm needles (UK size 10, or US size 3), and 4mm needles (UK size 8, or US size 6).

With the 3.25mm needles, CO 108 sts. Work 6.5 inches of k3, p3 rib, decreasing 3 sts evenly on last row: 105sts.
Change to 4mm needles and starting with a k row, work straight in stocking-stitch until hat measures 2 inches from top of ribbing.

Shape as follows: 
1st row: k. 7, (k. 2 tog., k. 9) 8 times, k. 2 tog., k. 8. 96 sts. 
2nd row and every alternate row: purl.
3rd row: (k. 6, k. 2 tog.) 12 times: 84 sts.
5th row: (k. 5, k. 2 tog.) 12 times: 72 sts.
7th row: (k. 4, k. 2 tog.) 12 times: 60 sts.
9th row: (k. 3, k. 2 tog.) 12 times: 48 sts.
11th row: (k. 2, k. 2 tog.) 12 times: 36 sts.
13th row: (k. 2, k. 2 tog.) 12 times: 24 sts.
15th row: (k. 2 tog.) 12 times: 12 sts.
17th row: (k. 3 tog.) 4 times: 4 sts.

Break yarn, thread through remaining sts, draw up tightly and fasten off.
To make up, press and join back seam with remaining yarn (I used a crochet hook). Fold ribbing in half to right side, or wear as desired. You can also make a pompon for extra cute.

To make Charles’ hat bigger, I cast on 12 extra stitches initially, so that at the end of the ribbing I had decreased 3 sts to 117.  Then the shaping:
1st row:  k. 9, (k. 2 tog., k 10) 8 times, k. 2 tog., k. 10. 108 sts.
3rd row: (k. 7, k. 2 tog.) 12 times: 96 sts.
5th row: as for 3rd row in above pattern.
7th row: as for 5th row.

So basically you extend the shaping by one row, but still decrease 12 sts each time.  You could make it even bigger if you wanted!  Sometimes I like to wear Charles’ hat because it’s so roomy and comfy, so you might want to just make a bigger one!

I hope this pattern is useful!  It’s honestly a really great hat!

Matchy matchy!