I Made it Monday: Banana Silk Cowl

Awkward self-portrait in dusty mirror.  Yeah.  So let's focus on my the most recent finished object and how it came to be.  I'm allergic to animal fibers- eyes water, hives pop up- and it's really lame.  Fortunately, there are a lot of cool, vegan options available: cotton, linen, rayon, and this super cool yarn, made from the bark of banana trees.  WBH surprised me with this it earlier this summer.  I worked on this onstage during a park scene.  It's got a great, hard to describe weight while staying soft and fuzzy.   I wanted to focus on the cool texture of the yarn, so I kept the pattern simple, worked it all in stockinette  and then the ends were sewed together.  Simple, but I like the statement and pop of color it adds.  It will get more use when the weather cools off. 

I picked up a quilt top I made a while back to finish this week.  The plan is for it to cover a superfluous door in the living room, and hopefully stop a draft when things cool down.  It's pinned and ready for some sewing, and I'm so excited to get it up on the wall. 

I Made It Monday: Sock it To Ya

Dudes.  I knit a sock. 

It's just one, and it's not very good, but I broke through the 'socks are too complicated for me' mindset, and powered through, and I knit my very first sock.  Oh yeah, I did.  I found episodes of a show I love online, and as I knit, and thought 'just one more episode!'  it got later and later.   Suddenly it was 3:30am, I was out of new episodes, and I had shaped a heel.  I finished this morning.  

I won't be using it for anything but slippers, but I'm glad I decided to give it a try.  I used Silver's Sock Class, and that spelled it out really clearly.  It's a great place to start.  Now to let my hands rest, and tackle the other.  

I Made it Monday: "I'm Batman!" Knit Beanie

I finally gave in and joined Ravelry.  Because,  you know, I needed something to distract me from all the sewing projects that actually need to be done.  Then, I went and joined the Hat of the Month group.  Again, because I needed a distraction.  Fortunately, this one took only two days of casual knitting while I watched TV.  I surprised Stinky with it the morning after I finished it.  He ran around in it that day, singing "nanananananananananananananana BAT MAN!"  Totally worth the procrastination.

The pattern is the zsa mask pattern  and it is so unbelievably simple- this would make a great beginner project.

shared at Made by You @ skiptomylou.org

I Made it Monday: Pretty Knit Bows

These bows were a gift for a sweet friend turning two this week. Knit in seed stitch from cotton and cotton/acrylic blends, they're mounted on clips and looked so sweet in her golden curls. I think they look a bit like something the girls from Peanuts would wear. Wouldn't they be right at home in Frida's "Naturally curly hair?" I'll definitely be making more.


What did you make this week?

participating in:

I Made it Monday: Buttoned-Up Cowl

This cowl gift for my friend who lives next door, and it's a great last minute handmade gift. Even a beginning knitter could work this up. I'll be writing up a tutorial for a series next month on last -minute handmade gifts.

I Made it: Baby Booties, with knitting pattern

I don't know if this happens to anyone else, but when the seasons change, so do the things I want to craft. During fall and winter, I find myself knitting a lot more. When we knew that Rotten was coming, I whipped up some of these baby booties. They're still a little big, but they'll fit when it's colder. You can change the sizeof the bootie by changing the needle size.

I created the pattern myself. It's super simple, and once you get going, you can whip these up in the time it takes to watch a movie or two.

Knit bootie pattern:

On size 2 needles, cast on 44 stitches.

Rows 1-24: Knit in garter stitch

Row 25: Bind off 11 stitches, knit to end

Row 26: Bind off 11 stitches, knit to end.

Row 27-36: Knit in garter stitch

Row 37: knit two together to end. (ending with 11 stitches)

Row 38: Knit two together, knit one (ending with 6 stitches)

bind off, leaving long tail.

repeat for second bootie

Fold in half (it will be in the shape of a sock) and stitch long straight edge on side halfway down, turn inside out, stitch together to the top. Using tail, stitch around the toe area, turn inside out again and stitch to top. fold top half down, like a sock. Weave in the ends. Repeat for second bootie. All done!

I Made it Monday: Hat to knit in just a few hours

Sorry for the no-make-up face. I know this isn't supposed to be a scary blog. Stinky dumped my make-up all over the carpet in a fit of awesomeness (following what will henceforth be known as the 'cornstarch incident').

Nonetheless, amidst all of the "will-I-won't-I-make-a-team?" stress this weekend, I decided to make a gift to thank a new bruisers coach for all she's done. This hat works up in just a few hours, and you can find the pattern HERE. I reccomend this one. Great weekend project.