Cold Day

 

When I woke up this morning, it was -12F outside, and I had brunch plans with one of my best friends. I didn’t want to change my plans, so I made sure to dress as warm as I could. I have never been happier about how many warm things I have knit! Along with a pair of jeans, t shirt, hoodie and winter coat, I work hand knit mittens, socks, and hat. It was still a bit cold because it was so cold outside, but I was warmer than I would have been if I did not have my hand knits. They really are warmer than most of the store bought stuff I have. 

Tommy’s Hat

 I finished Tommy’s hat today. It felt good to finish something again. This was a really fast knit! Funny thing is that I have made this pattern twice for Eric, but it has never knit this fast. I am obviously getting faster when I knit, but I also think knitting in church helped. 

Now, I need to decide which yarn to use for Chris’s hat and make another one. (I am leaning towards the leftovers from Noel’s hat.)

Back to Hats

I have finished the back, left front, right front, and 1 1/3 sleeves, and I have to stop crocheting for now. My right thumb is not appreciating all of the work I’m putting into this sweater. It doesn’t seems to care how much I want to finish and wear it. It doesn’t care that the more I finish, the more in love I am. It just wants a rest. 

Now, I am going back to my first love, knitting. I don’t need my thumb for that as much. I even have two projects that need to be finished by mid November. Today, I picked up Tommy’s hat and got a lot done in it without causing further pain. I expect it to be done by the end of the week. Then, I will start a hat for my brother-in-law. I am fairly confident that I will be able to finish it in a week or two. Hopefully, my thumb will be better by then. I am considering making one for my dad, too. I need stuff to knit in church, and hats are perfect for that. I just need to find enough people who will wear them. 

Marleah’s Hat

 

I finished Marleah’s hat yesterday while watching conference. This hat was so much fun to knit! I’m a bit sad I’m done and have to go back to knitting a biting one for my nephew. I may do this one again for myself even though I try not to knit the same thing more than once unless it is socks. Of course, I broke this rule when I made the beanies for the kids this summer. We’ll see if I still feel this way when I finish the other projects I have planned. 

The Reaction

I finally sent the box with my niece’s purse and hat and my nephew’s candy last weekend. They got it today, and seem happy with their presents. My sister sent me a video and some pictures of Samantha with her special items.  Tommy texted me himself to thank me for the candy. This auntie’s heart was so happy! I love those kids and am sad they are growing up so far away. Hopefully, his hat and her candy are done soon and shipped out before it gets cold. 

Samantha’s Hat

 

I made my niece, Samantha, a hat that matches the purse I made her in June. I love the way it turned out! I feel like it is the perfect hat for this little girl. I used some of the left over yarn from the purse and a free pattern from Ravelry. I was honestly loving the pattern and may consider making one again. I just have to find the right person.

The Hat Saga

 My friend and I are planning a tea party at her house a week from Saturday. We started planning it about a month ago on a rainy afternoon as we dreamed of nicer weather. We decided we wanted it to be a bit fancy and include hats and jewelry. I ordered a hat and glove set last week when Chad got paid. My plan at the time was to order two hats; one hat was the color I wanted, and the other had the gloves and costume jewelry I wanted. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t be delivered until after the party. I found another set that I likes even more that was supposed to be delivered in two days, so I ordered it. Then, the problems began. 

The day the set was to be delivered, Amazon sent a notification that it needed to be relabeled. I was told I needed to choose a locker location for it to be delivered, and I chose a gas station down the highway a bit. Then, I got another notification of an address change with another delay on the package. I was starting to get worried and decided that I could just make one if it wasn’t delivered. I told my friend my issues and encouraged her to order hers as soon as possible just in case. Then, a few minutes after I got home from our rainy walk, it was delivered. 

Im in love with this hat! Im going to have to find another reason to wear it. Maybe I’ll be fancy for Halloween. 

Decision Made

I have decided that I am going to work on the mystery knit along. I really want to do a triangular shawl and would love to do something with lace again. I was considering using up the sparkly yarn left over from my niece's purse, but I can't stop thinking about a yarn that Noel didn't want for her hat that I loved at Hobby Lobby. I'm going to go to Hobby Lobby this week to pick it up. The yarn is so pretty. I really hope they still sell it. 

I am also going to start one of the hats. I bought a kit in the winter for a hat that I liked that I have not started yet because I couldn't find my circular needles. I have since bought new circular needles, so I can get started on it. I will probably put it on hold when I am able to start the shawl. 

Narrowing my Options

Now that the purse is done. I need to decide what to make next. Have have yarn and patterns for at least 3 more hats. My original plan was to get these started next, but I am not sure I want to make a hat right now even though they are all different yarns and patterns. The other project on my list is a mystery knit along that I signed up for a few months ago and started getting clues for last week. (Clues are sections of the pattern that are released on a weekly basis. This one is in three increments.) It is a shawl that I may for may not have the yarn for in my stash. 

I am leaning towards the shawl. It has been quite a while since I made one, and I am kind of itching to do something different for a little while. I can always go back to the hats later. The problem is I need to decide on the yarn and cant buy more yarn until Monday if I’m not happy with what I have. 

I know this isn’t the hardest decision ever made, but it is where I am right now. Make the hat that I have everything picked out for, it make the mystery shawl that I will probably need to buy yarn to make. I may have to do both. 

The Third Hat

 

I finished Eric’s hat last Friday and gave it to him yesterday. I think this one turned out the best. The yarn was better to work with, and I already knew what I was doing for the most part because I had already made two. No matter the reason, Eric likes it, and I am satisfied with the final product.

I enjoyed making these hats, and I love that the pattern is customizable. It is possible I will make another one in the future, but I am happy to be done with it for now. I am not usually the type of person that knits the same pattern more than once (other than socks). 

Now, I am working on the purse for my adorable niece. I will post pictures before I ship it to her. 

Hat #2

 

I have finished Sean’s hat. This one took longer because Sean has a bigger head than Noel. I think I made it a bit too long, but he seems to like it. I’m going to work on Eric’s next. I think I will make it about 5 to 10 centimeters shorter (the pattern designer is from South America), but his head is about the same size. I am at a point where these hats are a labor of love. 

One Done

 I have finished the first of 4 hats. I did Noel’s first because she needs it for a camping trip she is going on in June, and I wasn’t sure how long it would take. Now, I am working on Sean’s. I should have chosen to do Marleah’s since I will see her next weekend. Maybe I can finish Sean’s at at least start hers before I leave on Friday.