Punkin hat!

I promised this, and I'm on a really productive roll, so here it is:

Punkin Hat

Nothing's cuter in the fall than a little punkin hat for your baby. This would be cute as a halloween costume for fussy babies who don't like dressing up, but it's also cute whenever. You'll need about 4 ounces of your main color yarn (I used orange for the main color, but conceiveably you could use a different color and it would look like a berry or a flower) and about 1 ounce of another, contrasting color. I chose green, but if you're going with the pumpkin theme brown or darker orange might also be cute. Experiment!

The gauge for this hat is 7 stitches per inch working stockinette in the round

To start, cast on 64 stitches in main color (MC) and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist.

Work 8x8 ribbing for about 4 inches. This makes up the majority of the hat. At this point, we start the crown decreases and change colors at the same time. It sounds harder than it is, trust me. :)

Round 1: k3 *k2tog with Contrasting Color (CC) K3 with MC, P3 with MC, k3 with MC* around.
Round 2: k2 *k3 with CC, k2 with MC, p2 with MC, k3 with CC, p2 with MC* around
Round 3: *k1 with MC, k5 with CC, k1 with MC, p1 with MC, k3 with CC, p1 with MC* around
Round 4: Knit with CC around
Round 5: *k2, double decerease* around.
Round 6: *K1, double decrease* around
Round 7: Double Decrease Around
Round 8: Knit around
Round 9: k2tog around


Knit icord for 1 inch.

BO, weave in all stitches, and enjoy :)

If you're interested in a PDF version with pictures, I have it up for sale at Ravelry.com. Just search for Punkin Hat. Thanks! :)

What's been going on in my life

Not much time left of 2012, is there? To date, I've made 165 projects, 36 of which I made this year, at least 7 of which I've designed myself. I've never really sat down and put the numbers to it, but that's actually really cool.
I'm really embarassed of my website right now. I haven't designed even a single webpage for years, so the entire site is kind of crap right now. I'm redesigning it so that I can put my ravelry patterns up on it for sale, for those people who dont have/want a ravelry account (though they should, Ravelry is the shit!) but it takes an awful lot of coding to get that kind of thing up and running. I still haven't finished the style sheets, I'm embarassed to say, but its coming together, agonizingly slow piece by piece. It doesn't help that I /still/ don't have home internet. It would take quite a bit more income for that to happen, so I only have between 2 and 3 hours at the library to get everything done for the day, in addition to the website. I'm still looking for a job, and I'm also looking into returning to college for at least a semester or two. It depends on the kind of job I end up getting, or if I end up doing this on a larger scale. We'll see on that front.
I also have been having trouble finding the time to knit! For starters, my mother's house was robbed earlier this month, and it's been terrible trying to deal with everything that entails, knowing that it's unlikely to ever amount to anything anyway (a word to the wise: robberies are rarely solved, so its far better to prevent it that to recover from it. Even a fake security system can help prevent you from becoming a victim. Hide your valuables well, and never all in the same place. Most importantly, make sure every door to the outside has at least a deadbolt lock, because it's the most difficult lock to break with brute force, other than a chain lock.) But I've also been helping a friend with an early thanksgiving party, which was super fun. There was drinking, and party games, and most importantly food. Though I wasn't really related to anyone there, it was like being at a family reuinion. <3 I love you guys! That is probably all the knitting distractions I have for this month (that was probably the only thanksgiving celebration I'll attend this year. I'll be making my own feast at home this year with my wife <3) but next month is looking somewhat iffy for knitting. I don't have a lot of knitted gifts to make, but I do have a knitting backlog, and a very important christmas gift to knit up as well. Juggling that, plus designing, plus christmas parties and get-togethers, plus having some semblance of a normal life (housekeeping anyone?) will be a little difficult until at least a week or so into the new year. Wish me fiber luck? Perhaps if we all have enough knitterly good will for the season, we can all get our gift knitting done ;)

Bunny Hat Pattern

UPDATE JUNE 2017: I'm leaving this version up on the blog, seeing as how it's knit to a different gauge and creates a different size from the updated pattern, but this is NOT the same pattern as the one for sale in my store. In my opinion, this one is a lot worse, and creates a hat too small for most newborns. It might fit an older preemie, maybe, but I'm not guaranteeing it;  the proportions are not really right. However, this post is really popular (in particular with certain pattern distribution sites... ) so I'm just leaving it and you get what you pay for.


I promised this for a long time, and I'm finally able to post it: The Bunny Hat!

Here's what you'll need:
- Size 7 Double pointed needles, or circular needles for working magic loop
- A stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round
- A yarn/tapestry needle
- Scissors
- About 2 ounces of worsted weight wool
- Stitch holders for the ears
Gauge:
 Seven rows per inch, working stockenette in the round

Cast on 64 stitches and distribute for working in the round. Join the work, and be careful not to twist it.

Work four inches in stockenette, give or take 1/4 inch for the rolled brim.

Decrease pattern:
1. *K7, K2tog* around
2. *K6, K2tog* around
3. *K5, K2tog* around
4. *K4, K2tog* around
5. *K3, K2tog* around
6. *K2, K2tog* around
7. Knit 8, then place them on a holder. Knit 16 stitches, and place the last 8 on a holder. Knit 8 more stitches to finish the round.
8. *K1, K2tog* around
9. *k2tog* around
Cut yarn, draw through remaining stitches

Ears (Make 2)
1. take 8 stitches off the holder, and place on a double pointed needle. Work Icord for 1.5 inches
2. Decrease at the beginning of each row until only 2 stitches remain. Bind off and cut thread.

Tie the ears in a knot, weave in all ends, and enjoy!