In The Pink

My friend, Harriet, game me some yarn recently.  Thank you, Harriet!  She did not have a specific use for the yarn and she asked if I’d like to knit it up.  My pleasure!  This is Berroco Comfort DK yarn in the “Kitten” color way.  I made up a bunny using a pattern called “Bonbon”.  This is Bonbon Bunny #5 for me. I love this pattern.

Here is the pattern link:

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bonbon-13

I decided this yarn would also look great in a cap.  In the past, I have made lots of chemo caps using Berroco Comfort DK yarn.  It’s an easy care yarn and it’s nice and soft.  Here is the hat knit up in a pattern called “Alternating Cables Cap”.  This is my own design.  

You can find the pattern link here:

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/alternating-cables-cap

I am really enjoying my knitting over the past few weeks while we have been spending so much time at home due to the pandemic. I am finding that I am doing a better job of casting on and sticking with a project until completion.  I still have MANY unfinished objects/works in progress.  

Hat Knitting: Alternating Cables Cap

 

Alternating Cables Cap

Knit in Berroco Vintage DK

 

I've been doing a little hat knitting this week.  My local yarn shop has a great selection of Berroco Vintage DK. I was curious to see how this yarn would knit up in my Alternating Cables Cap pattern.  Turned out really nicely and it was a relatively easy and quick knit.  Turns out the hard part was taking a decent "selfie" to show off the hat. 

 

Ummm, this photo is no good. Try again...

 

 

Mmmmm???  Fail!

Okay, keep trying.  Don't get that weird angle where it looks like you have a big 'ol double chin.

Oh, okay.  I can live with this picture.  Hat looks great and I don't look like a total dork.

 

When I originally came up with this hat design, I used Berroco Comfort DK. I love his hat in both Berroco Comfort DK and Berroco Vintage DK.  I think Berroco Vintage DK may just be my new favorite yarn.  I think this colorway is called Lilac and it has a very delicate tweedy quality, with subtle flecks of other colors in the fibers.  LOVE it!

Knotted Rib Hat

It felt good to knit a hat this week!
It's been a long time.

I saw this pattern on Facebook and decided to make it the hat since I had suitable yarn.  I used Cascade 220 Superwash (worsted weight).  When I finished the hat, I noticed the pattern called for Cascade 220 Superwash (aran weight).  I had never heard of this before. Maybe it's new!?  I think aran weight yarn is slightly thicker or heavier than worsted weight.  The pattern called for US Size 7 needles which is what I used.  The hat fits perfectly on my wig stand, Miss Wiggy.  To me the hat seems a bit short so I imagine the fit is more of a skull type cap.  I haven't even tried it on myself yet; I am sure it will fit someone. 

The pattern is called Knotted Rib Hat and the pattern is free. The pattern can be found HERE.

Bow Tie Cloche in Blue and Cream

Another  Bow Tie Cloche

I sure like this pattern.  This time I paired Cascade Fixation in cream (off white)

with a pretty blue Berroco  Comfort DK. I love the combination of these colors. 

Berroco Comfort DK is one of my favorite yarns for chemo caps and this yarn must be a bit finer/thinner the other DK yarns I've used for this pattern.

This hat is not as slouchy as the other Bow Tie Cloches I've made. 

 I think it's a really good size. 

I am planning to make another Bow Tie Cloche with the cream colored Cascade Fixation along with Berroco Comfort DK in pink (Rosebud... my favorite shade).

Alternating Cables Cap (Free Pattern)

Alternating Cables Cap

I improvised this hat design and typed up the pattern over a year ago. The hat looked great on my wig/hat stand "Miss Wiggy," but the hat was a tad short on a person.  I finally got around to knitting up the hat one more time and inserted a few rows, here and there, to make the hat long enough.  The hat is rather loose fitting but I am really happy with it.  I think a hat like this, with ribbing and cables, is really flexible for sizing since it's so very stretchy.  As is, this cap will fit lots of folks. My son tried it on and I think it fit him pretty well, too (he's over 6'1" and is almost 16 years old).  Soon I plan to knit another one of these caps in pink and I plan to go down a needle size to see how that works.  I think it will work just fine.  This hat is knit in Berroco Comfor DK and used nearly the entire ball of yarn.

The pattern is available as a free download on Ravelry; for the Ravelry link click HERE.

It is also available as a PDF download by clicking HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

Mini Mochi Fair Isle Hat

I was so happy with my Semi-Swedish Hat using the fair isle technique, that I quickly cast on another fair isle project.  I had a false start with other yarn, but I am very happy with the combination of yarn I am currently using.  Fingering weight yarn, 144 stitches per round, size 3 needles... tiny stitches. Despite the small scale and number of stitches, this is knitting up pretty quickly... partly because it's so fun to knit that it is difficult to set down.  I just started this three days ago.  I love Crystal Palace's Mini Mochi yarn... the colors are so pretty.  The colorway I am using is called "Crayon Box".

Semi-Swedish Hat

Semi-Swedish Hat

Pattern link on Ravelry is HERE.
For this hat, I used yarn from Knit Picks: Telemark in Skyline (blue) and Drift (cream). The yarn was part of a kit to make fairisle Christmas stockings.  This is my first real attempt at a detailed fairisle project.  I would like to make some mittens to match. That will take some work to figure out.  This is my first knit for the Ravelry "Ravellenic Games".  I cast on this hat during the Summer Olympics Opening Ceremonies.

The brim will lay flat when I put this on my noggin but otherwise, the brim tends to roll up. I have not blocked this yet. The pattern designer recommends sewing in a fleece liner to keep the brim from rolling.

The Lizzie Hat

The Bell Sisters on Ravelry have some very cute knitting patterns.  This is The Lizzie Hat and the pattern link may be found HERE.  This pattern inspires creativity and is a great stash buster.  You can vary the types of yarns used (of course) but you can change colors as little or as much as you would like.  I started with white at the brim and switched to a varigated sort of yarn (with strands of white, blue, and lavendar twisted together).  The braided portion is created as you knit in a very unique and clever way over a few rows; a VERY COOL technique that I now have in my bag tricks.  For the bulk of the hat, I used a heathery blue/lavendar colored yarn and then alternated between this yarn and white yarn for the decreases at the crown.  The nice texture in the hat is a basket weave pattern.  I altered the decreases a bit, not because I was being creative... I just re-read the pattern incorrectly (ummm, multi-tasking... tv watching and knitting... and too lazy to unknit a round).  Next time I will follow the pattern! Doh!

The LAST Cupcake Hat

I am officially tired of Cup Cake Hats.  This is another Odessa Hat modified to resemble a cup cake.  I promise... no more Cup Cake Hats!  I have to tell you though... I have been craving cup cakes for several weeks now.  Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting, Yellow with Chocolate Frosting, White with White Frosting... you get the idea.. I am NOT picky!

Another Cupcake

Another cupcake hat.  This hat is a modified Odessa, a pattern I've made several other times (I LIKE it THAT much!).   The link to the Odessa pattern (by Grumperina) can be found HERE.  My pattern alterations can be found on my Ravelry Project Page. 

Here's a photo of an ORIGINAL Odessa if you'd like to be reminded of that.  This one has no beads but the pattern can also be done with beads with really special results.



Another Cupcake

Another cap for Camp Happy Times.  As you can tell, I am really enjoying the cupcake/birthday theme.  My hat is based on a pattern called "Cupcake Hat" by Bonnie Jacobs (the pattern link is HERE).  I used a speckled blue yarn (Berroco Comfort DK) for the pleated paper cupcake liner (Berroco Comfort DK).  The chocolate cupcake peeking through is Tahki mercerized cotton in a rich, slightly glossy rich brown.  The pink frosting and I-cord cherry on top are also Berroco Comfort DK.  I made some modifications to the original pattern, which called for worsted weight yarn.  The modifications I made can be found on my Ravelry project page (click HERE).

Hey Cupcake!

Another cupcake hat for Camp Happy Times. This time around I knit the stranded portion much more loosely with better results.  The cupcakes don't get so distorted when I put the cap on the hat stand.  I added some contrasting color at the top and I like how that turned out.  I will use that idea again.  These cheerful hats are fun to make.

Cupcake Cap #2



Cupcake Cap for Camp Happy Times

I had a "light bulb" moment yesterday morning after casting on this rolled brim hat. I intended to make a rolled brim hat with a cupcake applique like I made the other day, but I deep in the cobwebs in my brain I remembered seeing these adorable mittens (Click HERE to see them) on Ravelry.  I added a little row of this cupcakes to this plain hat.  I've not done much "colorwork" like this.  I think I knit the cupcake rows too tightly. The hat sort of pulls in over these rows and when I put the hat on my foam hat stand, the poor little cupcakes get distorted.  Darn it!  Good idea for a cap; execution not so good. I will try again.  I hope a little girl with a small head picks this hat at Camp Happy Times.  If it's loose on the wearer's head, I think the cupcakes will still be discernible and cute.



A Baker's Dozen

Thirteen chemo caps packaged and ready to go.  It's a good thing my husband and son have such big feet... nice big shoe boxes.

Each cap is in a gallon-sized zip close bag.  I include a personal note which includes the pattern name, type of yarn, fiber content, as well as care instructions.

I think when I talked to my acquaintenance at work, Dan, this time last year (he does volunteer work for Orchard of Hope) and I promised to make some caps for annual Walk of Hope, he suggested I make about 8 or 10 caps.  I said I'd shoot for 12. When I counted them today, I have 13.  Yay!  I made the final cap this weekend.

Lace Trimmed Chemo Cap by Mary Keenan
Berroco Comfort DK in "Rosebud"
I especially love the top of this cap.

Camp Happy Times

Some of my best childhood memories were made at Summer Camp.  I went to Bible Camp with my good friend, Rene', a few times.  I went to MADD (music, art, drama, and dance) Camp a few times with my friend, Susan (Camp Magruder was on the Oregon Coast... awesome!).  In sixth grade, we had Outdoor School, and we learned about various ecosystems in nature (in the woods in Oregon... so VERY cool).  When I was in middle or high school, I found a Summer Camp in Newport, Washington (on the Idaho border outside of Spokane, Washington)... it was advertised in Sunset Magazine.  I was lucky enough to go there two times... it was right on the Pend Oreille River.  Awesome!  Thanks, Mom and Dad... it was great. Camp fires, camp fire songs, mosquito bites, paddling a canoe, white water rafting, swimming, arts and crafts, target shooting, skits around the camp fire, cold mornings with dew on the ground and the smell of wood smoke in the air, scavenger hunts... why on EARTH do they not have Summer Camp for adults!?  Sign me up, I want to go...

I heard about Camp Happy Times on Ravelry last Summer.  Camp Happy Times is a Summer Camp in Pennsylvania (U.S.A.) for young cancer survivors (age 5 to 21).  This time last year, an organization called Halos of Hope was collecting knit caps for the kids attending the camp.  Unfortunately, I learned about the need for caps too late last year, but this year... I did not miss out. 

On Ravelry, I saw the theme for the caps this year is cupcakes and cake!  You see, Camp Happy Times is 30 years old this year so they are asking for cupcake-theme and cake-theme caps.  How fun is that?  I've always wanted to make a cupcake hat (there are lots of adorable patterns out there).  I've decided on this pattern (click HERE for the link to the pattern I found) since I have the perfect yarn in my stash to whip up a few. Unfortunately, this pattern is not free, but I think I can justify $2.99 this month for a fun cap!

Tonight I whipped up this cap.  Actually, it's a rolled brim hat I made awhile back but I added a knit applique that looks like a cupcake.  I like the cupcake; it was fast and easy to knit up... but my sewing... oh, how I ruin nice knitting with poor hand sewing. Some day I'll figure out how to sew nicely.  In case you are wondering, that IS a Devil's Food cupcake with vanilla frosting and pink sprinkles! Yum, I am making myself hungry...

More information about Camp Happy Times can be found at www.thevaleriefund.org

Edited 05/28/2012 to add this:

I was trying to go to sleep last night and it occurred to me that there was so much I wanted to say about Camp Happy Times and clearly I got side tracked reminiscing about my own camp experiences.  The thought of a child being diagnosed with cancer is so overwhelming to me.  To think of a child and their family going through that makes me sad... the stress, the fear. Why did this happen to me, why did this happen to my family.  I can only imagine the feelings a family must go through.  The sense of loss... bad things CAN happen... you lose your innocence and your sense of feeling normal when something bad happens to you. You could feel alone and isolated if you did not know others who had experienced what you are going through.  Camp Happy Times has got to be a great place... where young people can go, have a good time, make friends, and be with others who understand.  Happy 30th Birthday Camp Happy Times!  I am sorry there is a reason for you to have been created 30 years ago, but can only imagine how many young folks you've helped in 30 years.

Eyelet Brim Cotton Caps

My new FAVORITE hat pattern... Eyelet Brim Cotton Cap
Pattern link HERE.

I was tempted to alter this pattern but am glad I followed the pattern as written. I considered using a provisional cast on to make it easier to add the brim at the end.  But, as it turns out, adding the brim after the cap is knit, makes the brim turn out away from the wearer's face.  I really love this cap and am especially happy with the striped version.  I am done with my caps for the Orchard of Hope's 12 Annual Walk of Hope on June 9, 2012.

Used more stash yarn from my Mom (Thank, Mom!)
Sierra Pacific Crafts Little Grins (acrylic / cotton blend)

With the left over bits, I am making face scrub cloths (crochet)... nothing goes to waste!