Crocheted toy pillows... Star Wars Fleet

I found this pattern for Rudy the Rectangle at Michaels.  Instantly fell in love.  Here is my first Rudy for Chewy. 

Then Cartman wanted an "orange jedi" one.  so this is what I came up with.  He calls him anakin, but he reminds me more of plo-koon (and he's obsessed with the movies, not me, took me 3 months to figure out what the hell a 'plo-koon' even was!  Google that shiz.) 

Now I am inspired.  I'm creating a whole jedi fleet.  Even a few from the Dark Side.  Watch for more guys either here or on Ravelry.  Here is Yoda...

May the Yarn be with you...

The life of a mom...

I haven't posted in a long time.  sorry about that!  Sick kids, went on a mini vacation, been knitting up a storm and just finished the book Friday Night Knitting Club.  I'm working on some new coffee cozy patterns and possibly an ipod case, so stay tuned.  :)

Skater Baby photo instructions on Brim

Here are some photo instructions on making the brim of the Skater Baby hat

I cut a 6 inch strip of plastic canvas. I created a curve that made the entire piece 1 - 1.25 inches wide.

Next I wrapped it in duct-tape. This helps prevent snags while inserting, makes it harder to see through the stitches and also provides a bit more stability so you can bend it.

Fold the knit fabric so the Cast on edge (CO) is on top. Insert your needle through the first stitch on the CO round and the first stitch on the round on the needles.

Knit like you would a regular stitch

And pull through both stitches.

Eventually you will add the brim. the wrapped plastic canvas is bendable, use this to your advantage when trying to work around the stitches. Don't get too frustrated if it's tight and difficult. it will get easier and you can push the brim through more of the hat if needed. Push it out of your way, into the closed casing.

May the Felt be with you… Felted Lightsaber ~ baby size

Felted Lightsaber ~ baby size

May the Felt be with you…

© Emily V (aka Coffeebra!)

 

Yarn:

Feltable wool.  I used Patons Classic Merino in gray and leaf green.

 

Size 11 DPNs

 

Cotton batting/stuffing

 

Gauge – to be honest I didn’t bother with it. 

 

Cast on 15 stitches in Gray wool and distribute evenly amongst 3 DPNs.  Using the 4^th DPN, knit approx 20 rounds.  Switch to the Green.

 

Knit 15 rounds

Next round: *k2tog, k3, repeat * to end (12 stitches)

Knit 15 rounds

Next round: *k2tog, k2, repeat * to end (9 stitches)

Knit 9 rounds

Next round: knit 3, k2tog, knit 4 (8 stitches)

Knit 5 rounds

Next round: k2tog, knit 2, k2tog knit 2 (6 stitches)

Knit a couple more rounds

Next round: k2tog all stitches (3 remain) and leave a 6 inch tail.  Draw through remaining stitches and weave in the ends, leaving the bottom (cast on edge) open.  

Stuff with batting/cotton and seam the open edge closed.  Felt as you normally would.  (I have a front loader so I use 1 capful of Charlie’s detergent and put project in a pillow case.  I throw in a towel or pair of jeans and do a “speed wash” with an extra fast spin) 

Shape the felted project and lay to dry.  Felt a second time if needed. 

You may add decorations, sew on buttons and such for an older child.  My proect was for a 6 month old, so I left off all adornments. 

This projects, if knit in all brown with a red tip can also be made as a Harry Potter or sorcerers wand. 

Skater Baby!

I knit this super simple hat for Chewy, my youngest.  It's sooooo cute on him!!!  Below is the pattern.  For the brim, I actually dismantled a cheapie store bought hat and stole the brim from that one, but I've seen online that you can cut one from plastic canvas.  I do not have a template for that right now, but will make one up and post soon.

Skater Baby! ~ Brim Hat

© Emily V (aka Coffeebra!)

Size: Childrens – 6-12 months (You can adjust the size by

adding or decreasing the cast on stitches by multiples of 8)

Yarn – Aran/Worsted weight “4”, I used Mission Falls 1824

Wool.

Needle – US size 7, 16” circular needles, Cable needle and US

size 7 DPNs

Also will need a stiff brim of sorts. You can make one out of

plastic canvas or thick cardboard. I used the brim from a cheapie hat I bought.  (if you are making your own brim, the measurements I used were 6inches across, 1.25 inches wide and a slight curve.  You can take a 2 inch thick piece of material (whichever you have chosen) and make sure when you draw a pattern that there is a slight curve but that the brim material doesn't exceed being 1.25 inches wide at the thickest part.   Also, if you wrap the plastic canvas in duct-tape, it provides a much easier glide and more stability.

 

Gauge – 20 stitches, 28 rows 4x4 inches

 

Cast on 72 stitches. Place marker and join in a round, being careful not to twist. Work in k2p2 ribbing for 16 rounds, or until piece measures 2 inches.

 
Fold brim to inside and prepare to join to current round to form casing. Insert left-hand needle into first st from the cast-on round, then k2tog with first st of current round. *Insert left-hand needle into next st from cast-on round, then k2tog with next st of current round; rep from * to approx halfway across round. At this point, insert your plastic brim so that half of it is inside your casing and half is out. Continue to form casing, pulling the knit brim up on top of the plastic brim and encasing the plastic brim as you work. The casing should fit snugly around the plastic brim.    

Once you have joined the entire brim around, knit all stitches for approx 5 inches. You can join a new color to make stripes. In the hat pictured I did 8 rounds of the main color (MC) and then 3 rounds of the contrasting color (CC), then 3 rounds of MC and 2 rounds of CC and finished the hat in MC.  (note: where the plastic brim is the widest, the stitches will be tight to maneuver for a couple of rounds.  Just try to knit a little looser in that area to help ease things fro the next roound.)

 

Begin decreasing the hat with the following pattern… 

Decreases (changed 1/17/08 for better shaping):

Row 1: K6, k2tog (63 stitches)

Row 2: K5, k2tog (54 stitches)

Row 3: K4, K2tog (45)

Row 4: Knit

Row 5: Knit

Row 6: K3, K2tog (36)

Row 7: Knit

Row 8: Knit

Row 9: K2, K2tog (27)

Row 10: Knit

Row 11: K1, K2tog (18)

Row 12: Knit

Row 13: K2tog (9)

 

Break yarn leaving a 6 in tail, thread through remaining stitches and draw up tightly. Fasten and weave in

ends.

Free for personal use, please do not make these to sell.  If you do I might have to hunt you down and hit you with one of my muppet fur thongs.  It's a free pattern, so no need to get all piratey.  ;)

Baby Brim Hat

This is turning out soooo cute!!!!  I can't wait to finish and post pictures.  I'll post my pattern too.  not too creative, just a basic hat but with a k2p2 brim that's folded over and knit up to avoid seams/sewing.  I put a piece of plastic (actually stole that from a cheapie store bought brim hat) in the brim while I was knitting it closed so it curves and is just too cute for words.  :) 

Pics are a coming! 

Knitting at the gym...

Anyone try it?!  A friend mentioned knitting while on the recumbant bike.  I soooooooo need to try this!  I'm way behind in the hat for my youngest, hell, winter will be over by the time I have it done at this rate!  Maybe I should take the needles to the gym.  ;)

So much to do!

Since the holidays I've been a busy gal!  Knit a couple hats you can see on Ravelry, been enjoying our new hot tub (YAY!) and I found a treasure!  My dad and grandma's recipes!  I've started a blog where I can share some of them.  check it out... http://nevaskitchen.blogspot.com/ 

Hopefully now that the kids are back in school, DH is back at work and we are all back in a routine, I can spend more time knitting and cooking and actually posting to these blogs once in a while!  ;)  

Who knew so many fiction books were about knitting?!

I just picked up another one yesterday.  Knitting Under the Influence

Looks like a book I'd read.  Hell, there is a martini glass on the front.  They had me at the cosmo!  

I have 2 other knitting/chick lit books I want to read:

Friday Night Knitting Club

The Knitting Circle

Know of any others to suggest?

Gauge... friend or foe?!

Why is it that when I use the fancy yarns, the yarns that cost more than a latte or two, the yarns that feel sooooooooo good, that don't fall in the "muppet" category, I somehow manage to screw stuff up?  

I bought this awesome crochet hat pattern and have been making cute brim hats for my kids and then for my best friends kids.  When I use cheap acrylic or bargain store cotton, they come out fine.  When I use "fancy-schmancy" yarn I always screw up and the hats are too small.  I check gauge, sorta.  I make notes of what yarn and hook combo makes what hat size, but nope, my not so nimble fingers always get nervous with the fancy yarn.  I'm so worried I'm gonna run out, mess it up, ruin it, that subconciously I think I make myself screw up.  Blah.  

Off to frog some dreamy berreco Pure Merino and pray it will work up again in the right size this time.  

Mama Needs a New Hat! - My Cable Hat Pattern

Inspired from many many a cable hat, I couldn't find one I love, especially one knit in the round, so I made my own. Enjoy!

Mama Needs a New Hat! ~ Cable Ski Cap

© Emily V (aka Coffeebra!)

Size: Womens – average.  (stretches to fit small/average/large)

 

Yarn – sport weight “3” 

Needle – US size 9, 16” circular needles, Cable needle and US size 9 DPNs

 

Gauge – 18 stitches, 24 rows 4x4 inches 

 

Stitch Glossary:

C4B – slip next 2 stitches on a cable needle and move to back of work, K2 then K2 from cable needle

C4F – slip next 2 stitches on a cable needle and move to front of work, K2 then K2 from cable needle

 

Cast on 80 stitches

Row 1-7:  K2, P2 rib

Row 8: K10, make 1 to end (you now have 88 stitches)

 

You can change to another color at this point if you wish

Cable

Row 1: Knit all stitches

Row 2: Knit

Row 3: C4B, K4 around

Row 4: Knit

Row 5: Knit

Row 6: Knit

Row 7: K4, C4F, around

Row 8: Knit

Repeat those 8 rows two more times, then rows 1-4 again at the end.

 

Decrease:

Row 1: K6, k2tog (77 stitches)

Row 2: K5, k2tog (66 stitches)

Row 3: Knit

Row 4: K4, K2tog (55)

Row 5: Knit

Row 6: Knit

Row 7: K3, K2tog (44)

Row 8: Knit

Row 9: K2, K2tog (33)

Row 10: Knit

Row 11: K1, K2tog (22)

Row 12: Knit

Row 13: K2tog (11)

Row 14: k2tog to end, K1 (6)

 

Break yarn leaving a 6 in tail, thread through remaining stitches and draw up tightly.  Fasten and weave in ends.  

Free for personal use, please do not make these to sell.  If you do I might have to hunt you down and hit you with one of my muppet fur thongs.  It's a free pattern, so no need to get all piratey.  ;)

Muppet Fur Thong!

Muppet Fur Thong!

© Emily V (aka Coffeebra!)

 

Materials-

v      2 types of muppet fur.  I used Yarn Bee Luscious and Elf Eyelash

v      Size US10 (6.0mm) knitting needles

v      Size J/10 (6.0mm) crochet hook

v      Vodka Martini (or comparable alcoholic beverage)

 

 

Gauge – WTH?!  Who makes a gauge swatch for a fur thong??  If you must, I could guess it’s roughly  4 stitches and 4 rows make 1 inch square.

 

Size – Ladies S/M it stretches to fit! Bonus!  J

Techniques used:

v      Knit

v      Knit 2 together  (K2tog)

v      Make 1 (m1)

v      Basic crochet chain

v      One healthy dose of smartassery

 

Pattern:

Make Martini, then grab yarn…

 

Using both yarns together throughout, Cast on 20 stitches.

Take a sip of your martini

Rows 1 – 3: Knit

*Row 4 (and all even rows) – k1, k2tog, knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1

Row 5 (and all odd rows) – Knit *

Repeat * - * until there are 6 stitches left

Knit 4 rows

Take another sip of martini

K1, k2tog, k2tog, k1 (4 stitches remain)

Knit 12 rows

Now k2tog so there is one stitch remaining.  Insert crochet hook and chain 15 (or amt needed to fit your body type)

Finish first martini, make another and take a sip. 

Hold up to your crotch area and see if it’s long enough.  Ask a friend to help or snap pics to post on flickr[1]

 

Switch back to knitting needles, and complete the back as follows:

Row 1 – k1, m1

Row 2 – Knit

Row 3 – k1, m1, k1, m1

Row 4 – Knit

Row 5 – k1, m1, k3, m1

Row 6 – Knit

Row 7 – K1, m1, k5, m1

Row 8 – Knit

Bind off.

Finish 2^nd martini, make 3^rd and take a sip.

 

Now make a slip stitch and insert crochet hook into the top right side of the front triangle, chain 25 (or amount needed for your body type, again it helps to hold up to yourself or ask a friend or passerby to help) and insert hook in top right of the back triangle slip stitch and bind off.  Repeat for left side.  Weave in ends.  Chug martini, put on the thong and surprise your loved one!

Free for personal use, please do not make these to sell.  If you do I might have to hunt you down and hit you with one of my muppet fur thongs.  It's a free pattern, so no need to get all piratey.  ;)

---

[1] not responsible for possible drunkenness, hangover or pregnancy.  Also not responsible if pics of you in your muppet thong end up on flickr, google images or youtube.  That is a possible side effect if presenting thong to a sober partner.  Do not operate heavy machinery while knitting or drinking or without a license.