most favorite-est

do you know natalie dee?  she is a hilarious lady who draws comics that are on-line.

(c) natalie dee

she is also a crafty-needle-arts-type as well, so obviously we love her.

although my jobby-job happens to get in the way of my crafty endeavors and my on-line extracurriculars, i do read natalie dee quite often.  and every once in a while she has a knitting-related gem amongst all of her other gems.

(c) natalie dee

(c) natalie dee

and every once in a while she even has a little unicorn-love.  have i ever mentioned how much i love unicorns?  probably not, because it is a bit of a weird thing.  

(c) natalie dee

free hat pattern!

Here is a pattern for a little baby hat, I call it Zenith.

I used one ball of Filatura di Crosa Aiko from my stash.

Materials:  Approximately 65 yards of worsted weight yarn, stitch marker, 4 or 5 double-pointed needles, size US 4.
Gauge:  16 sts = 4in.
Size: 14 in' circumference

Directions:
CO 56 sts using the knitted cast on method.  do not join (yet).  turn work to WS and knit 1 round flat.

Join for working in the round, and place a marker to indicate beginning of the round.

Knit in stockinette stitch (knit every row) until the hat measures 4 in. from the cast-on edge.

Next round - *k5, k2tog* repeat between * until end of round (48 sts remain)
knit 6 rounds

Next round - *k4, k2tog* repeat between * until end of round (40 sts remain)

knit 6 rounds

Next round - *k3, k2tog* repeat between * until end of round (32 sts remain)

knit 6 rounds

Next round - *k2, k2tog* repeat between * until end of round (24 sts remain)

knit 5 rounds

Next round - *k1, k2tog* repeat between * until end of round (16 sts remain)

knit 5 rounds

Next round - *k2tog* repeat between * until end of round (8 sts remain)

knit 5 rounds

Next round - *k2tog* repeat between * until end of round (4 sts remain)

k2tog twice (2 sts remain)

k2tog (1 st remains).

Pull yarn through the last stitch.  Thread yarn through the tip of the hat, weave in ends.  Block if desired!

knitty + malabrigo = love

i remember when the very first issue of knitty was released. since then, this is the magazine i most consistently come back to for lovely, and generally pretty user-friendly patterns. my latest knitty creation is the lovely citron shawl, made out of malabrigo lace in "frost grey" (i think).

this is a very easy pattern, but a bit slow since its knit in lace-weight.  and, of course, the malabrigo is soft and lovely as always.

more quick knits

this lovely bib took only a brief morning to knit

this is the baby bib o' love from mason dixon knitting + my experimental embroidery, which was generally unplanned, but turned out just around "okay".  

i am now planning to keep making these to have as back-ups for baby showers (since i tend to be caught the night before such events without any present in mind).  

quick knits

my 2010 knitting "resolution" was to take a break from knitting sweaters (due to a severe case of second sleeve syndrome).  instead, i've been knitting a lot of smaller projects, including some baby stuff, which is always fast and always results in an adorable finished object, like this one:

this is the twist hat by stick chick knits, knit out of stitchjones supersocks 100% superwash merino.  the colorway is called "andes mint", which, in my opinion, is exactly what this looks like: delicious!

lionhearted

i may have mentioned once or twice that i have a problem casting on several projects at once.  a direct result of this phenomena is that i often have projects that languish in my knitting bag for quite a long time.  after many, many, months, i just finished one such project, and this one is extra-super-special:

my gryffindor scarf!!

and in plenty of time to wear to see the deathly hallows, part 1!  that's right.  don't judge me.

wednesday's poems

words by anne sexton

Be careful of words,
even the miraculous ones.
For the miraculous ones we do our best,
sometimes they swarm like insects
and leave not a sting but a kiss.
They can be good as fingers.
They can be trusty as the rock
you stick your bottom on.
But they can be both daisies and bruises.

Yet I am in love with words.
They are doves falling out of the ceiling.
They are six holy oranges sitting in my lap.
They are the trees, the legs of summer,
and the sun, its passionate face.

Yet often they fail me.
I have so much I want to say,
so many stories, images, proverbs, etc.
But the words aren't good enough,
the wrong ones kiss me.
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
but with the wings of a wren.

But I try to take care
and be gentle to them.
Words and eggs must be handled with care.
Once broken they are impossible
things to repair.