Wee Folk Hats

 Sibling Hats

If you're 5 years old and have a new little baby brother...

I think you should have matching winter hats.  And Woolly Wormhead's Quynn hat is the perfect hat pattern for siblings and wee folk.  Quynn is by the talented hat designer who calls herself Woolly Wormhead.   Woolly is British, so I love that she says her baby and childrens hats are for wee folk.  

Lately I've been knitting a lot for wee folk.  I really should be knitting Christmas gifts but I just can't help myself and have been knitting hats for little ones instead.  I love knitting hats for babies and children.  Off the needles this week are these adorable pixie-style winter hats for one of my husband's employee's wee folk.     

Baby Quynn

Woolly Wormhead's adorable Quynn hat is designed in Noro's Kureyon yarn.  I agree, Kureyon's color palette and striping is a winner for this hat pattern.  I chose my Kureyon yarn in boyish colors of variegated browns and greys,  color #149.

For the new baby (born just a month ago) I knit the 16" newborn/3 month size.  I am a tight knitter so I cast on with size #9's and knit the hat in size #7's as the pattern recommends.  

Big Brother Quynn

For the big brother hat, I knit the child size 20" diameter hat.  To properly finish the hats,  I soaked them in Soak liquid wash to soften up their Kureyon wool.  It does the trick nicely.  Then I pinned and blocked the hats on my knitting blocks.  Lastly I fully air dried them on a sweater rack. 

This was my first Woolly Wormhead hat project and I loved knitting this pattern.  I not only love the design but love that you can knit this hat in so many different sizes for siblings.  I've always loved matching wee folk hats...

because growing up, my little sister and I always had them!  

Baby, it's Cold Outside

Holiday Gift Set

I love knitting gifts.  I recently gave this holiday gift set to Kaitlin who is a grad student at the University of Nevada, Reno.  Thank goodness it is cold in Reno so she can wear it this winter.  Here in Northern California where I live, temps have been in the 60's and even 70's so my own hand-knits have not even seen the light of day.  

I loved putting this gift set together using Classic Elite's Fresco yarn in color Cinder.  This was my first time knitting with Fresco and I loved knitting with it.  Fresco is a lovely combo of wool, baby alpaca and a bit of angora.  It works up beautifully on the needles and creates such a soft and luxurious knit fabric.

 Climbing Cables Hat

As for the gift set details, I chose Hannah Fettig's Climbing Cables Hat for the hat.  I found and purchased Hannah's PDF pattern on Ravelry.  The pattern is in chart form and is an easy pattern to follow.  You can view my project on Ravelry with my personal notes and height alteration I made to it.

Fresco Lace Cowl

For the cowl, I chose Cecily Glowik's Fresco Lace Cowl .  Kaitlin is very fashionable and I love the style of this cowl which is like an infinity scarf then doubled up into a cowl size.  You can find my personal notes for it on Ravelry.  Kaitlin loved it and said "it's perfect to wear on cold mornings around campus". 

I highly recommend both patterns and thank both designers for their beautiful designs.  I look forward to knitting a set like this for me....

maybe to wear next winter!


(Baby, it's cold outside gift tag by Knitterella.)

Great Scot!

My Scottish Souvenir 

A souvenir from Scotland...

I've just finished knitting my Rose Red beret by 

Scottish designer, Ysolda Teague. 

 K1 Yarns Knitting Boutique

On holiday in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2011,

I brought along a shopping list to buy Scottish Orkney Angora yarn so I could knit Ysolda’s Rose Red beret.  After a morning tour of Edinburgh Castle, I couldn't wait to find K1 Yarns Knitting Boutique and shop for yarn!  It was an easy find for a tourist..just off the Royal Mile in Old Town.

 Orkney Angora St Magnus DK

Oh, which color to choose for my Rose Red?  Ysolda's version in scarlet red is divine but since I don’t wear red, I naturally chose my favorite color turquoise instead.

Getting Started

The Rose Red pattern is knit from the top down beginning with an i-cord. It’s a bit fiddly at first on the double point needles but it gets easier every round. Since this is a lace and cable pattern, I used stitch markers for each lace repeat to help keep me on track.

My Rose Red

I loved knitting with this yarn, love Ysolda's pattern and love my Scottish souvenir!

Hats Off!

Donation Drive Hats

Hats off to Knitting Fever for their donation drive collecting warm goods for Hurricane Sandy victims!

After Hurricane Sandy my husband and I gave a donation immediately to the Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy Relief.  As a knitter though, one can't help but want to send warmth like a nice warm hat.  As I said before, I have to limit my knitting time due to hand surgery earlier this year but I can certainly shop for hats!

Yesterday I went shopping for mens hats to send back East for Knitting Fever's donation drive.  I found 13 cool beanies at Tuesday Morning.  They were $15.00 hats for only a $1.99 each!  They are easy-care acrylic which is best for this type of donation.  I am packing them up today and shipping them off to New York.  I hope they bring warmth to those in need.  

If you want to help, you can take donations to participating yarn stores for Knitting Fever's drive and Knitting Fever will pick up the shipping costs.  (Yay, to Knitting Fever!) Or you can ship them directly (like me) to:

Knitting Fever, Inc

Attn: KFI Sandy Relief

PO Box 336

315 Bayview Avenue

Amityville, NY 11701

The employees at Knitting Fever are busy sorting and then delivering the donations themselves around the Long Island region.  

Again...hats off to Knitting Fever for being such a wonderful company that truly cares!

Make it Better

 Craftalong Hats 

I love the power of crafters!

Crafty bloggers, Brett Bara from Manhattan Craft Room and Natalie Soud from A Dose of the Delightful have organized a way to get warmth to Hurricane Sandy victims in their region.  It's called Make it Better:  Craftalong for Sandy Relief. 

They gave a shout-out to fellow crafters to knit, crochet or sew warm hats, socks, blankets, scarves, sweaters and mittens and they will deliver them to those in need. 

I wanted to knit hats but due to having hand surgery earlier in the year, I have to limit my knitting.  I still wanted to help.  So the other day I went thrifting and found 13 gently used (even new) hats to send to the craftalong.  Of the 13 hats, four were actually hand-made by someone else's loving hands.  I have hand laundered them and they are now on their way to New York City.

My hope is that the hats bring warmth, comfort and a smile to some young girls and ladies who could use a warm winter hat as they recover from Hurricane Sandy.  

Brett and Natalie have received over 2,700 items (and still counting) from fellow crafters.  They are now busy delivering the warm goods to various shelters in the Rockaways area of New York.  The deadline for their drive has ended but there are still many other groups collecting goods to help those in need.  

One of my favorite companies Knitting Fever in Amityville, New York (home of my favorite designer's yarns) is accepting donations of warm clothes and goods and are delivering them around Long Island which was hard hit by Hurricane Sandy.  They hope to continue to accept donations and distribute them for as long as there is a need.  Please visit the Knitting Fever Facebook page or their blog for more information and ways that you can help.  

With a little help from my friends...

 Louisa Harding Charity Event

I believe one person can make a difference...

and a group of knitters can make a huge difference!

My plans are in full swing now for my Louisa Harding Charity Event.  I could not be doing this event without a little help from my friends and the kindness of strangers whom I have never met.  

I have received fabulous support from the knitting industry, local knitters and even a few famous British ladies.  Mum's the word for now...but I will be revealing some exciting details for the fabulous prizes and silent auction very soon!

I have shared the event details with Louisa and she told me, 

 "When I decided in January to take on this trek, I had the idea that I could raise funds by asking my knitting friends to help.  I really had no idea that they would be sooooo supportive. 

 It really has been over whelming."  

Sardi Hat

So like Louisa, I am enlisting a little help from my friends
and fellow knitters to embrace
Louisa's Himalayan Hiking Hats 

and help raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

I will be offering Louisa's Sardi and Karuwa
Himalayan Hiking Hat kits 

 for a *donation at my Louisa Harding Charity Event. 

And as mentioned above, there will also be a fun prize raffle and silent auction. 

Karuwa Hat

And the fun will not end that night... 

With a hat kit donation, you qualify for my "FREE" 

Louisa Harding Charity Knit-Along Class 

at Knitique on Saturdays, 

October 13th and 27th from 4:00PM  to 6:00PM

for support and help knitting your hats. 

You're Invited!

Louisa Harding Charity Event

Friday, October 5, 2012

6:00PM to 9:00PM

Knitique, A Yarn Boutique

8741 Elk Grove Blvd

Elk Grove, CA 95624

RSVP (916) 714-7719

For more information and to donate for Louisa's Himalayan Hiking Hats,

please visit:  http://www.louisaharding.co.uk/macmillan/

*minimum hat kit donation is $25.00

Louisa Harding Himalayan Hiking Hats photo credit:
Stephen Jessup

Climbing Mountains

Designer Louisa Harding & husband, Stephen Jessup

I still remember the first time I looked through 

a Louisa Harding book.  It was actually two books, Louisa's 2007 Venezia Felice Mai Dopo and Venezia Una Volta pattern books.  Page after page, Louisa's gorgeous designs and her husband Stephen's beautiful photographs (he's the photographer for her books) transported me to a magical place.  I never knew hand-knitting could be so beautiful!

After discovering Louisa's books and yarns, I signed up for knitting lessons. The first Louisa Harding pattern I ever knit was Louisa's Scala Wrap from that Venezia, Felice Mai Dopo book.  I even wore my Scala Wrap when I met Louisa in person back in 2009 when she visited Northern California from the UK. 

 Louisa's designs, yarns and books have given me such knitting pleasure and I have made treasured friendships all around the world with fellow Louisa Harding admirers.  So when I found out that Louisa was climbing mountains...I just had to help.

In January, 2011, Louisa's husband was diagnosed with Lymphoma.  She and her family received exceptional care from Macmillan Cancer Support.  As you can imagine, Macmillan Cancer Support can not give their vital services to families facing cancer without people supporting them.  So Louisa is now supporting them by joining Team Macmillan on their fund raising Nepal Hiking Challenge in November and by raising donations with her Himalayan Hiking Hat patterns she designed for her incredible endeavor. 

Last May, I organized a Himalayan Hiking Hat knit-a-long in the Louisa Harding group on Ravelry to help create support and awareness for Louisa's Himalayan Hiking Hats and fund raising effort.  In my heart, I have yearned to do so much more.  So a week ago I wrote to Louisa's American yarn distributor, Knitting Fever, and they are now generously helping me so I can raise more funds for Louisa. 

Thanks to Knitting Fever, I am organizing a local Louisa Harding Charity Night where I will be offering Louisa Harding hat kits for donations to raise funds for Louisa's charity, Macmillan Cancer Support.  All proceeds will go to Macmillan Cancer Support, Charity Registration No. 261017 and will be donated on Louisa's Just Giving page.  To date, Louisa is at 60% of her personal fund raising goal of raising 5,000 GBP's for Macmillan Cancer Support.  My personal goal is to raise $1,000 US Dollars for Louisa and Macmillan Cancer Support. 

So, if you're a knitter who has been touched by Louisa Harding as I have or if you or a loved one have been dealt the C-word cancer (as my family has, as well), I hope you will help me support Louisa to reach her fund raising goal.  

It's easy to help.  If you're a knitter, simply go to Louisa's Himalayan Hiking Hats page and download her hat patterns and then make a donation for them on her Just Giving page.  I've knit the Annapurna and Karuwa hats so far and they are a delight to knit.  There are hat designs for every skill level and naturally, they all have Louisa's signature look.

Perhaps the simplest and single greatest thing you can do is to help me spread the word to fellow knitters of Louisa's Hiking Hats and their story.  There will be seven total Himalayan Hiking hat patterns in all.  Currently there are three patterns to download and according to Louisa, three more patterns will be released next week.  The seventh hat pattern, Louisa, will actually be knitting on the Nepal hike.  Louisa's aim is to have her photograph taken wearing a different Himalayan Hiking Hat on each day of her seven day hike.  I can't wait to see the photos of Louisa wearing each of her hats!

As for my Louisa Harding Charity Night,

I will be releasing more details over the next week.

Since I don't own a yarn store, 

my friend and knitting teacher, Danielle Bowen, 

owner of Knitique, A Yarn Boutique,

is graciously hosting my event for me.

Louisa Harding Charity Night

Friday, October 5, 2012

6:00PM to 9:00PM

Knitique, A Yarn Boutique

8741 Elk Grove Blvd

Elk Grove, CA 95624

(916) 714-7719

Stay tuned for more details!

Details will also be posted on 

Knitique's Facebook page. 

Catching up!

Jubilee Tea Party

 I'm back to knitting 

and 

back to blogging!

I never intended to take such a long break from my blog.  

Frankly, the Jubilee Celebrations wore me out a bit 

and I've had a busy summer.

I also haven't knit much this year 

due to recovering from hand surgery in March.

I'm back now 

so stay tuned!

PS:  The photo above is from my local knit shop, Knitique's 

Jubilee Tea Party where we wore our Vivian hats that we knit 

and felted in a class to celebrate
Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.

Tea Party Treats

 I also helped decorate and cater the tea party
which was so much fun!

Fit for a Queen!

 Fit for a Queen!

Ta da...

here's my first "post surgery" project,

a knit and felted hat

that even Queen Elizabeth II 

would look lovely wearing!

I haven't been so excited about knitting in such a long time...

this hat was so much fun to create and embellish!

The hat pattern is Vivian by Designer, Lisa Cruse.

Vivian is Lisa's signature hat and is named for her grandmother. 

I have admired Lisa's felted hats for quite some time and am so excited that I finally made one.  

I think Lisa's hats could very easily become addicting.  

The possibilities of embellishing them are endless.  

I had the chance to chat with Lisa by phone yesterday. 

I found out that we both share a love for Victoria Magazine,

tea, cooking, travel, romantic style and pretty hats. 

Lisa is really more of an artist than a knitter. 

She has been artistic all her life and her love of color, fiber and creativity are evident in her designs. 

I admire her ability to turn a  felted design into a work of art.  Her trademark style is magnificent embroidery, wool needle felting, applique and silk flower embellishing on her designs.  

Her most recent design is her sweet Bertie Bonnet....

which looks like it stepped right out of a Jane Austen novel from
the Regency period.  Lisa travels the world and does workshops on her embellishing techniques.  

I would love to take a workshop from her someday!

Pre-Felting

My Vivian hat is a test knit for my lys Knitique. 

Knitique is having a class called "Fit for a Queen" 

where you can learn how to knit, felt and embellish your hat.  

The hat class will celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee 

with a tea party on the Jubilee Weekend where we will all wear our hats, of course!

Lisa's hat pattern is well written and an easy knit. 

Most knitters can probably knit it in just a few days. 

The magic begins for this hat once you felt it and then 

embellish it. I've done a bit of felting before and am always

 a bit nervous during the felting process, fearing that my project may shrink, too, much.

I kept a pretty close eye on my hat during felting.

After the hat is felted, it's time to block and shape.

Lisa has great tips and  techniques
for felting and blocking on her website. 

For the Vivian hat, she recommends blocking the hat
with a dessert plate "right side up" 

in the brim to make it flat.
I followed her advice and it worked like a charm!

Fit for a Queen!

I think the most fun of this entire hat making process is 

embellishing the hat!

I've had interest in millinery and flower making so I chose to decorate my hat 

with silk style "raggedy roses".

I was inspired by Lisa's Raggedy Ribbonry Roses kit 

that you can purchase on her website to decorate hats. 

I used "regal colors' and tartan trim, 

 "Fit for a Queen", of course!

Now, I can't wait to wear my hat 

to the Diamond Jubilee Tea Party!

(In the photos:  Adorable hand-made Union Jack bunting by Etsy seller Betty and Barlcay, 

Emma Bridgewater Union Jack Tea Pot and vintage Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Mug.)

Go Red for Women!

Fair Isle Hearts

Are you a "Lady in Red" today?

Today is,

 National Wear Red Day 

for the fight against women's heart disease.  

I am supporting

  Go Red for Women
and helping spread the word.

I don't have a red dress 

but since I'm  heading down to my favorite knit shop today...

 I'll be sporting my 

Katie beret with red hearts and 

my Scottish tartan scarf,

red, of course!

What are you wearing today?

Knitting in the Details!

 Knitting in the Details

First there was Knitting Little Luxuries...

now there's Knitting in the Details. 

I'm a true-blue fan of knit-wear designer Louisa Harding's books!

Knitting in the Details has 24 projects presented in four sections (embellishing ideas) in the book: 

Embroidery, Beading, Added Elements and In the Details. 

This book features Louisa's trademark romantic style, pretty flowers and embellishments and is sure to inspire knitters of all ages and skill levels.

Lisette's Vintage Treasures

(I'm ready to knit in the details!)

Besides beautiful patterns and photographs (taken on the coast of France), I always enjoy Louisa's introduction in her books.  Her introductions always give a glimpse of who she is and how special her family and knitting are to her. 

This book's introduction shows us her personal studio filled with her vintage treasures.  She says "In my studio, I have an evergrowing collection of boxes, tins and jars that contain my many treasures".   How about that...I do, too!


This excerpt from the book really sets the stage for this book on embellishing:

"My desire to collect all things that sparkle or glisten is insatiable.  I love anything that looks as if it has a hidden story, such as a vintage brooch at the thrift shop, a jar of old belt buckles in the dusty corner of my local haberdashery shop, and my mother's jewelry boxes filled with broken trinkets.

I'm not only a collector of vintage buttons and embellishments, I'm a huge collector of Louisa Harding yarns.  I'm so glad I'm a stasher...I've already selected four projects to knit from the book with yarns from my stash.

Here's a look at my four favorites from the book: 

 Erin

My favorite hats to knit are Louisa's berets!  As soon as I saw her Erin beret with its pretty embroidered flowers, I knew it would be my first project from the book.  It's knit in her luxurious Grace Wool & Silk yarn with oddments of yarn for the embroidery.

I'm currently knitting Louisa's beautiful Cameo shawl in Grace and purchased all the Grace colorway my LYS had.  Luckily for me, I have enough Grace to knit this beret and her Victoria gloves from her Knitting Little Luxuries book to wear with my shawl.  What an ensemble it will be!

 Nina

I adore pretty and lacy knits so I love Louisa's Nina scarf!  This project is embellished with beads and pretty flower embellishments.  Louisa says "Although it looks complicated, this scarf is very simple to knit-the excitement is in the beads".

It's knit with four balls of her sparkly Jasmine yarn and one ball of Jasmine for the flowers.  Luckily for me, I just happen to have Jasmine in my stash, too!

April

April is my favorite garment in the book.  This "tres chic" bolero features Louisa's trademark flowers and button embellishing.   Louisa offers two versions, one knit in Hulda a discontinued yarn (I have enough in my stash) and one in Rosetti.

Louisa knit the flowers in her Grace yarn and adorned them with petal-shaped buttons from the Parisian store La Droguerie.  Luckily for me, I'm going to Paris in May so you know where I'll be button shopping!

 Ella

Louisa's Grace yarn range is my most favorite yarn to knit with.  I love her Grace Wool & Silk and her Grace Hand-Dyed.  Luckily for me, I have a huge stash of her Grace Hand-Dyed to knit her beautiful button embellished Ella scarf. 

Her Ella scarf is knit in three hanks of Grace Hand-Dyed or there is a bulkier version knit in discontinued Hulda requiring three balls.  I love that it is embellished with mother-of-pearl buttons. 

Knit Details!

Can you tell, I love this book and love Louisa's idea of...

 Knitting in the Details! 

The Knitter Issue Two

The Knitter Issue Two

I've always loved British magazines. My favorites are the UK's Country Living, BBC's Homes and Antiques, The English Home, Red and Good Food. I can now add another great British magazine to my list, The Knitter.

The Knitter magazine is my new favorite knitting magazine. Issue Two has just hit the US newstands. I picked mine up today and love all the spring knitting inspiration!

Here is a sneak peak of my favorite patterns in this issue:

Meg Lace Dress by Louisa Harding

I love this lacey little number by my favorite designer Louisa Harding! The pattern is from her Summer Classics book and is knit in her Mariposa yarn.

Rosie Posy Tea Cozy

I think tea and knitting make a perfect pair so I can't wait to knit this gorgeous Rosie Posy Tea Cozy by Loani Prior. It is knit in DK yarn and designed to fit a round 6 cup tea pot. Hmmm...I'm sure I have a teapot in my collection that will work!

Chic Spring Beret

I have a thing for berets...so I love this Chic Spring Beret by Jane Crowfoot. It is knit in four colors of Paton's Smoothie DK. It says it is a great introduction to fair isle in the round since it has only three stitches between every color change. This knitter is ready to give fair isle a try!
Issue Two is filled with so many other great projects and designers including the cover cardigan by Jean Moss.
I would love to hear what your favorite pattterns are from Issue Two of The Knitter!