Knit Pom Pom hat

I love making the ruffle hats, and wanted to try to knit something similar for boys. I used pom-pom yarn to make this little blue cap.

Once again, I experimented with the pattern and tried something new decreasing at the top. I did not intend the hat to have this open pattern at the crown. I'm not sure if it is practical, but I do think it is cute.

I'll be donating this cap to Marine Corps Kids.

More ruffled hats

I love these little ruffled hats so much, so I am making a few more.

The top photo is of two of my adorable great-nieces, Ava and Emmie, wearing the hats that I knit for them. These girls are so cute, and I love them!!!

The second photo is of a similar hat that I made to donate to Marine Corps Kids. I simplified the pattern for this one eliminating the patterned ribs and modifying the reduction pattern. I probably could have made this a few rows longer, but I think it came out really cute. Thank you to my friend Sue who gave me the pink Ruffelina yarn to make these with!

I did it!!!!

I set out to knit my dear husband a hat. I'm still a beginner knitter (though I think I've mastered the ruffle scarf) so this is an achievement. It's not perfect. You can see a few small holes near the top closure, but overall I'm very proud of myself.

I didn't have a pattern. I went to the yarn store to buy yarn to match his jacket. Then I talked to the wonderful ladies at In a Yarn Basket for simple cap patterns. I wanted to do something with a vertical rib, and while I know how to do that in crochet, I have no idea how to do it in knitting. Julie suggested doing a rib edging and then continuing up with the purling to create an invented rib. My question then was how to reduce at the top. She said, "bring it back when you're ready and we'll figure something out".

So, I went home and started knitting. It's a bit slow going with my eye, but the plain yarn was much easier to see than the novelty yarn (which stinks because I really want to finish the ruffle scarf that I'm making for myself!). Today I got to the point where I was ready to reduce, but since we had an ice storm and the roads are bad, I couldn't go back to the store. So..... I winged it! (Wung it?). I continued the purl pattern, and did patterned reductions in the middle of the knit sections. I didn't think it would work because I had an odd number of sections, and an even number of knit stitches, but with a little creativity, I found a way to do it.

It's still a beginners work. I wish the stitches were a bit tighter and more neat, but I like it, and more importantly - he likes it!!!

Slow go, Matey

Last November I was diagnosed with a probably Central Retinal Vein Inclusion. Basically, this is a blood clot in the eye which results in some small hemorrhages, retinal swelling and distortion/loss of vision. Initially, the vision loss was very minor, but over the last two months it has gotten significantly worse. This problem is quite annoying but not horrific. While my general vision is horrible, with my contact lenses I still have 20/20 vision in my good eye.

The good news is that there are treatments, and in two weeks I will go for my first injection. I'm trying to be brave, but I admit that injections in my eye are a bit nerve-wracking. In truth, I'm not too scared by the injections themselves. I know that the doctor will numb my eye, and the hope of improving the vision makes the injections almost welcomed. The part that scares me the most is the spring clip that will hold my eye open. Thinking about that gives me visions of Clockwork Orange that just freak me out. I'm trying not to focus on that, and to focus on the fact that relief will be coming.

The distortion in the bad eye, and the huge difference between the two eyes have created some challenges - including making crocheting and knitting significantly more difficult.

As a result, I don't have many projects to share. When the eye gets painful, I put on an eye patch and do my best pirate imitation. I believe that as a pirate, I should be really good with a hook, and that crocheting shouldn't be too hard. My knitting project has been difficult though - it's hard to see the yarn and my depth perception is off.

I want to knit a hat for my husband and hope that by using a non-novelty yarn, I will have an easier time seeing the stitches and completing the project. I bought some yarn today, and will try to start that project later this afternoon. Wish me luck!

Jennifer's Scarf

My neighbor Sue was nice enough to give me 3 skeins of Bernat Ruffelina. This is another ruffle yarn made in breast cancer colors, and a proceed of the sales last Fall went to breast cancer research.

Sue must have known that I was ready to start a new project and needed some ruffle yarn! I made this scarf for a co-worker whose birthday is this week. She's a truly lovely person, and I think that she'll like this ruffled pattern. I hope so!!