tiny hat pattern part I

These are some of the baby hats I've been making, unfinished and unblocked, but I think you can see how cute they are.

And here's a rudimentary version of a pattern for the green one, which is probably a child's size small:
On US5 circular needle, co 11 stitches.
Work in tweed stitch (WS: p2, *slip one with yarn in back, p1* to last stitch, p1; RS: k1, *slip one with yarn in front, k1* to end) for 22 inches.
Bind off.
Pick up 80 stitches along the long edge, leaving about one inch at the end, and join in a circle. Knit one round.
Work this pattern for three inches:
Rounds 1 & 2: k2, p2;
Rounds 3 & 4: p2, k2.
After about 3 inches, place markers every twenty stitches, and decrease. Every other round: kt2tog, maintain pattern to next marker, repeat.
Continue this decrease until 16 stitches remain. Finish.
Sew a large button on the overlap.

Too Much Spinning!

It is lumpy and inconsistent and weird and I completely love it.

Maisie's Skirt

DSC03372
Originally uploaded by lydia eden

I made myself a wrap skirt from this beautiful fabric about three years ago. I never wore it, and last summer, I pulled it out of the closet and realized what it need was about 15 inches off the length. Since shortening it, I have worn it often and I love it. When Maisie was visiting last week, I made her a matching skirt from the scraps. I stopped myself before making a third one for "dolly," but it's pretty clear to me that I should never be a stay-at-home mom, because I would indulge in this sort of creepy behavior all the time.

The Pillow of the Living Dead

This project was loosely inspired by Debbie Stoller's "Poster Boy" in Stitch 'n Bitch NATION.

Intarsia might have been a more natural approach to this sort of thing, but instead I ran the off-color yarn behind the working yarn, catching it every few stitches. This gives the sort of flecked appearance to the large patches of each color, where the off color shows through a little.

I used two different dk weight cotton yarns. One is a mercerized in a sort of lime-ish green, and the other is a slubby black. Unfortunately, I cannot find the labels for either, but I'm pretty sure I ordered both from WEBS. The needle was a 24" size 6 circular needle.

I cast on a lot of stitches (160? 164? The width of the chart plus eight, times two, whatever that is) with black and worked two rows in stocking stitch. Attached green yarn and knit 4 stitches in black before beginning chart. Followed chart, then knit 8 in black, repeated first row of chart, ended with 4 stitches in black. Continued in this way, with eight black stitches at each side. After finishing the chart, I knit one row in black, worked one inch in k1 p1 ribbing, then cast off.

Finishing:

I used fringe to close the bottom.


At the top edge, I crocheted some button holes and attached odd large buttons.



Oh right, here's the chart, which I colored by hand, for whatever reason.

p.s. here's picture the image comes from:

an illustrated guide to turning two shirts into one reversible market bag

I have been making these bags, a little obsessively.

1. Begin by choosing two shirts that complement each other. (For me, incapable as I am of committing to any decision, this is the hardest part.)


2. Iron them!


3. Using a buttonhole as the center, cut a rectangle about 18 inches wide and deep enough to include the pocket of the shirt. The exact dimensions of this piece can be altered - as long as the other pieces match. (click image for helpful notes!)


4. Lay the cut piece on the other side of the shirt front, lining up the buttons with the button holes, then cut around, so they are the same size. Let's call these piece A (with button holes) and piece B (with buttons). Eventually, they will form the top of the bag.






5. From the back of the second shirt, cut a rectangle (piece C) the same width as piece A and piece B (18 inches, or as wide as you made them) and long enough that piece A + piece C + piece B = approximately 32 inches. For instance, if your piece A and piece B are 18 by 8 inches, your piece C should 18 by 16
(8 + 16 + 8 = 32)


7. Repeat steps 3 through 5, beginning with the second shirt.

7a. Optional pocket - to convert the existing pocket, sew along the open edge, reverse-stitching 1/2 inch at each end. Use a seam ripper to open the upper seam.


8. With right sides facing, sew the long edge of piece A to the corresponding edge of piece C, then the long edge of piece B to the opposite edge of piece C. Sew up the edges. Do the same with D, E, and F.

You now have two pouches of the same size - about 17 by 16 inches. Lay them side by side, inside out.

9. To form a flat bottom, flatten the corners and sew across the corner of both bags, as in the picture. Snip off the corners.


10. To make the strap, cut a strip about seven inches wide and about 40 inches long. Shorter, obviously, if you want a shorter strap. This 7 x 40 rectangle can be hobbled together from odd pieces, and you can sew it however you want - odd angles and varied fabrics are good. Fold edges to center then fold in half, pressing and pinning to set the shape. Sew the length of the strap, near the edge, then back about a quarter inch further in.



Insert an end of the strap between the inner and outer pouch, at the seam, and pin in place. Do the same with the other end of the strap - from experience, I say, make sure it's not twisted.

11. Sew the pouches together just below the buttons, turning and sewing up to the edge, then reverse stitching back every few inches, being careful to choose places between the buttons/button holes on both sides of the work. (Click the picture to see possibly helpful notes.)




Reinforce the straps by sewing twice around a box where the strap is attached.



Finished!

Dorothy Parker Poem

It's finished! Sort of. I haven't completely decided yet about the underground part.



I think these flowers are pretty:

Guess What