Baby's First Mukluks, a free knitting pattern.

When I deleted the blog last spring I forgot that this pattern was available in Ravelry.

So here it is for your enjoyment.

Baby’s First Mukluks
Size:
Newborn to 6 months
Yarn:
-Red Heart Foxy 100% polyester 50gr/82m
1ball Plum
1 ball Claret
-Patons SWS soy wool stripes
1 ball Natural Geranium
*Please note you will be working with 2 strands of Foxy and that it only used 2/3 of Foxy and 1/3 of SWS .
Needles:
2 circular needles size 5mm OR 5 DPN
1 crochet hook size 5mm
Notions:
Darning needle
Pompom maker or cardboard to achieve same.
Gauge:
2 rows=1cm
With 2 strands of Foxy cast on 24sts.
Close circle and knit 6 rows.
Switch to SWS (1 strand only) and knit 6 rows.
Switch back to foxy, with 2 strands knit 4 rows.
Decrease 4 sts evenly spaced = 20sts.
Knit 8 rows.
Heel:
Work short rows back and forth on the first 10 sts: K9, turn, P8, turn, K7, turn etc… until you have 2sts in the middle. Continue working short rows picking up 1 st each row before turning. When you are back to 10sts, at beginning of main body rows, knit foot.
Foot:
Knit 8 rows.
Decrease 2 sts evenly spaced = 18 sts.
Knit 4 rows.
Decrease 2 sts evenly spaced = 16 sts.
Knit 1 row.
Cast off using the 2 needle cast off method, OR, graft the toe.
* Please note that the 2 needle cast off is my cast off of choice for this project as it is an outer shoe, and the outside stitching will not bother the baby’s comfort.
Finishing:
Darn in tail ends.
With 1 strand SWS make a crochet chain. Chain 50, bind off.
Thread the chain through a large darning needle, and weaved through the 2nd row of knitting of the SWS band, every other st.
Make 4 small pompoms with the SWS and attach to the ends of the chain.

Sneak preview: a new cable

I have had so much fun working with the cables that I decided to try and design a new one.

I wanted waves so the band around the next hat would have soft curves that would lay on the forehead.

There it is, still have to name it:

I like the way the waves make some "eye" on the edges with the bobbles, reminds me of Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Nefertiti waves?

Waves of the Nile?

Cable wave?

You can help me name it.

Aran flapper hat, take 2

I was so pleased with the first hat that I made another one....

This time I wanted a braided cable around the band.

And jangly tidbits...

The cable is swatch 9 chart A right to the edge to make it wavy above the eyes.

For the danglers I made 4 I-cords finished with a crochet cup at the end, still thinking about pearls in the middle.

I left the crown plain on purpose to emphasize the band.

I am pleased with the result and started another one with a really wavy band this time...Stay posted.

Camera, light, action....

Went to town today on a big shopping spree, left on the 8 ferry, was back on the 12, so sweet. I got me flowers.

And a floor lamp to illuminate my knitting chair. My studio is the smallest part of the house and packed to the rafters, if they tried to make this up on a movie set, they couldn't...Anyway I got me a lamp, full spectrum bulbs and started knitting on the alpaca hat...I can see!!!
I Saw in Interweave Knits fall 2008 on page 84 a cover for a new book called Boutique knits. I loved the look of the hat, and the construction. A band around the head, and all the stitches picked up to make the crown. It inspired me.

This summer at a charity sale, I got Alice Starmore's Aran knits for $10!!! I could not believe my luck. When I got home, I have to say that I was a little baffled by all the hoopla around the book. It is a good book of Aran patterns and amazing pictures, but not in my view worth all the money it is fetching at auctions...Anyway, I put it aside. Then when I saw that new hat, I thought I would have fun with cables and went for it.

I started the hat with 34 stitches and got down to enough to make the band around the head (swacth 14A chart A) with bobles every other square to make them stand out more, kept the yarn attached and joined with a chain stitch and crochet, picked up the stitches for the crown, made a band of 5 cabled panels (swatch 14A chart B) only to row 25, and as luck would have it, 90 stitches with a decrease every 7 stitches gave me a beautiful spiral to the top.

When I walked into the living room to show off my latest project, my DD (the other one) asked if I wanted a professional model?

doesn't she look happy with it on?

Mommy can I keep it?

We''ll see.....

Alpaca Sunday

The fall is definitely here, cooler weather and the fish and chips closed for the season...

So the alpaca I washed 2 weeks ago called to me today. Rain outside, feeling slightly sickish, probably a sequel to the very busy summer, I decided to stay in all day and spin.

This fleece is sooo beautiful that I actually took the time to wash, tease and card...




There it is 1 rollag, lofty and soft ready to spin. I got 9 done and proceeded to spin 3. It is now drying in the bathroom, tomorrow I want to knit a hat...

Water Knitting

Today was a beautiful day!!! After a very busy day yesterday at our Annual fall fair I deserved such a day. So I went to the beach....

This idea of knitting seaweed in the water has been nagging at me for a couple of weeks, but the weather and mother nature's lack of bounty on the shore was not on my side. I figured that since I had to keep the seaweed wet in order to leave it pliable for knitting, I would experiment at the beach.

Today was THE DAY!!!

I took a pair of plastic 12mm circulars and sat in the warm water.

At first I tried with any thing coming my way but discovered very fast that it would not wrap around my needle. So I picked some long grass type ones and went for it.
With the seaweed like a ribbon I kept knitting...

The sun was warm and gentle and the water kept me cool and relaxed.

I could have gone on for hours....

After a while I noticed that my hands were pruning, and even though the sun was still full on me I got too cold,

so I rose from the sea with this fun piece of water knitting!!!

Also the tide was coming in, and the sun moving away from the beach.

On my way off the beach I stepped on a sweet piece of driftwood, just perfect for hanging my catch of the day...

It is now drying in the garden. I can hardly wait to go back tomorrow, they promised another hot day, and try to Water Knit some more, this time smaller needles and in the round....

Moving inside.

Fall is in the air I can smell it. The days are gorgeous and sunny, the nights cool and fresh, and my energy is switching to inside. Sunday we knitted under the plum tree, nice to touch base with knitter buddies, I knitted me a pouch to replace my very tired plastic one.

Very simple rectangle which I miscalculated on the width, no problem, half way through felting (with a plunger as we are in low water season), I cut the sides off, re-bound, re-felted and voila. The part I hate the most is zippers!!! I recycled the one from the original bag. Still a bit too soft felt for my taste. When we are more flush with water I will give it an extra cycle in the washing machine to tighten it. It's okay it is working for me.

With Fall I am off to bed at 8 and of course that makes wake up at 4!!!

So I made another hat...

This one is with my homespun alpaca. I spun in the grease because I was impatient, and I can see the difference in the texture of the yarn after washing. Some places have more guard hair than others, a bit rough and twiny feeling. The down parts are so soft and lofty that I bit the bullet and washed 1/4 of the fleece and being Fall it is drying slowly...in the shade.

I do love the spiral though. Plyed the alpaca with pewter beads, and did the ridge in zephyr 50/50 silk merino.

When I got home from work the house smelled warm with baking. DD had made 4 blackberry pies, and washed the dishes!!!!

We dove into 1 at a very early diner wanting to get to desert fast, pie for breakfast, lunch, tea, I wonder if we wil have enough left over to freeze some...

I still do.

29 years ago today I made the best decision in my life and received in return the single greatest gift ever!!!

So to celebrate I made DH a new pair of socks and he is wearing them watching the Belgium Grand Prix wile I blog and get ready to go knitting with my buddies. That's old married life for you...

I loved knitting those, the colors are so yummy.

This last week went on another binge of crochet hats, this time I used my homespun, plyed with tiny beads.
And there is the ongoing blankie project, it is turning out beyond my dreams, fun and lovely.
In my estimates, if I knit 3 squares per day, give or take a few days without, I should have plenty of time to finish it by December. It will be done to welcome my grand nephew, filled with the good energy of all the family and friend's socks.