Sweet Pea

i found a tiny amount of red heart soft yarn in my "stash" (which is really just a cardboard box with LIVE PLANTS written on it full of yarn) and i really wanted to use it. but it was such a little bit.. so i decided to make a baby thingie. it's not a sweater, it's a shirt... it looks kinda like a kimono to me but i dunno.

heres a picture of the edging, crab stitch (reverse sc) which is totally optional in the pattern but i'm friggin obsessed right now.

so anyway, the pattern, yes?

Materials :

soft WW yarn (about 2-3 oz)

US aluminum size F hook

scissors

ch 43

• 1) dc in 4th ch from hook and in each of next 4. make V stitch (dc, ch1, dc) in next st. dc in each of next 6 sts, make V stitch in next. dc in each of next 12 dc, V stitch in next. dc in each of next 6 sts, V stitch in next. dc in each of last 6 sts.
• 2) turn, ch3 to count as first dc. dc in each dc, V stitch in each ch1 space.
• 3-5) repeat Row 2
• 6) turn, ch3 to count as first dc, dc in each dc up to the first ch1 space. dc in ch1 space. skip across all the next dc's to the 2nd ch1 space, dc in ch1 space and in each dc across to 3rd ch1 space. dc in ch1 space, skip across all the next dc's to 4th ch1 space. dc in ch1 space and in each remaining dc. this makes the arm holes
• 7) now instead of turning, make a slip stitch to bride the last stitch of the previous row to the first ch3 of the same previous row. ch3 to count as first dc and you will now be working in rounds.. dc in each dc around, join with sl st to top of beginning ch3.
• 8-15) ch3, dc in each dc around, join with sl st to top of beginning ch 3.
  at end of round 15 do not fasten off
  work 1 round of crab stitch (reverse sc)
• fasten off and attach yarn to neck and armholes respectively to repeat crab stitch edging process

this is my original pattern, please do not sell the pattern since i provide it for free here. print a copy for personal or charitable use, thanks.

Mari

My Friggin Update

uhh it's been a while eh? :) i been busy. school is taking a big chunk of my time even when i'm not at school... lotsa homework. but hey i'm almost done! i dunno whether to be happy or worried though. not because i can't get through it or i don't think i can get and hold a job in that area, but because i always get a "im going to be sick in my stomach for a couple weeks regardless of my capabilities and the actual effects of change" feeling when things for finally actually do change. like when i first moved here i didn't tell anybody but i thought everyday i was gonna have a heart attack or an aneurysm and fall over dead. yeah. k so i'm a weirdo, but we already knew that.

anyways also besides school being almost done, paulie and i moved from that detestable "apartment" behind the salon... the salon wasn't even there when we moved. the "landlady" let the sewer backup and the pipes remain unfixed for a week, so the lady who was renting the building for business up and left. well, of course. we at that time were in the process of getting the heck out of there. and we moved to an awesome place with a pool and tennis courts and a playground, where the maintenance people actually do stuff instead of snoop around uninvited and unannounced, banging on stuff and sawing things on into the night. also now we dont have to worry about running over high school and middle school kids who like to "skateboard" in our friggin driveway even though they don't: a) live there, or b) know how to skateboard.

i think now is a great time for some pictures!

here is a dress i made while in school, on a doll i got at the dollar store. it's crochet and i never wrote out the pattern.. that bulge in there is a panty under her dress that was too big so i nixed it later

this is a baby sweater i made before we moved, it's supposed to be for my mom's friend's baby but i'm not sure if she ever gave it to her.. the pattern is one i found online, i'll have to look on my desktop (on laptop now) later and link it. Here it is! it's from Deb's Crafts page :)

paulie saw some geese crossing the street, they are cuuuute

saw these cookies at Pick n Save... they look like the water tower in Calumet City (and paulie-clones)

spensive ginger ale...

hat i made for mom.. it's knit and i'm sure i can recreate it for a pattern post...

remember that post with the "my brother with his trophy" thing? he was in the NEWSPAPER and didn't tell us. mom found this in his room... he's the guy in the middle holding up the trophy

heres my mom and my face. my face is really fat, it looks like a giant potato next to my mom's :)

here's me and paulie at culver's. this was moving day i think, and we took my mom to eat.. guess what she got? FRIES!! and then she ate them like a little bird... that's why i had to hold her down and force feed her a nice big steak that night

this is the day after we started, we went to Sammy's, a Chicago style hot dog place in Wisconsin. it was very cool and the hot dogs were awesome

here's me and paulie being cute. we had just got all the boxes and furnitures in and found a spot with ok lighting :)

ya, we felt pretty good about getting it all unloaded finally

then they decided we needed new carpet :) wahooo! lol. this isn't how it looked when we moved in (lol that would be crazy) this is after they tore up the old carpet before we got nice new one.

yep yep.

my next post hopefully wont be too long from this one..

:)

Mari

Slouchybaby

i made a baby version of the Kinda-Slouch hat :) by accident. when i saw how cute it was i couldn't unravel it. the brimmy thing is stretchy so i'm thinking it would probably fit a baby from birth/few months to a year. depending on the stretch o' hat and the size o' head.

i used US size 9 dpn's (set of 4) and a tiny bit of Caron Simply Soft. i apparently had forgotten that i told myself not to use this yarn for knitting because it snags on friggin everything. but its soft and cute so i dunno, fooled again.

here goes the pattern :)

cast on 45

distribute evenly onto 3 needles. (15 sts each)

join into circle (eh, triangle) being careful not to twist the stitches (because that will give u a sort of hare-lip or curtain effect which supersucks)

work in (k1, p1) around, this makes the moss stitch pattern. do this for about an inch or an inch and 1/2

switch to stockinette stitch, which is just plain knitting around.

on the second round of knitting, start the increases. there are only 2 rounds of increases & they are identical:

*(k1, m1) 3 times. knit thru to the last 4 sts on needle and work (k1, m1) 3 times. knit last stitch on needle*, repeat from * to * 2 times more.

after both rounds of increases you will have 81 stitches total

continue to work evenly in stockinette stitch until hat measures total of about 7 inches or more.

then start the decreases :

1. (k next 7 sts, k2tog) around

2. (k next 6 sts, k2tog) around

3. (k next 5 sts, k2tog) around

4. (k next 4 sts, k2tog) around

5. (k next 3 sts, k2tog) around

6. (k next 2 sts, k2tog) around

7. (k2tog) around

at the very end you will have only 3 sts total. slip these onto one needle and knit them together. i put an extra sl st after the k3tog cuz it made a soft point and also reinforced the closure of stitches.

fasten off yarn, weave in ends.

this is my original pattern. do not sell this pattern, or distribute in any form of publication or email. link to my pages to share. feel free to print out a copy of the patterns for your personal use.

Mari

Mouse Ears Hat (edited but not "fixed")

**An Edit In Response To Many Replies:

10/10/2011 -- I made this hat intending it to fit a 2 year old child, but people are coming up with a much smaller size. While my version fit its victim snuggly, different hands create in different sizes. This pattern was posted for fun and for free, after I made it for one specific child with no other size adjustments. I'm not a professional designer and there's no refunds on freely shared ideas, all I can say is I wanted to share, sorry that it's not perfect. **

it's supposed to be able to fit a 2 yr old, but i don't have a 2 yr old on hand to see if it really does :) i usually don't care if nobody comments on my posts but it would be helpful to me if those who try this hat would tell me what size it actually is. anyways here's the pattern (crochet!!!)

Materials used:

1 or 2 oz of WW yarn (i used caron one pound)

Size I hook (i used US size aluminum)

scissors

Hat:

ch 2

1- make 8 sc in 2nd ch from hook. join with sl st to top of first sc.

2- make 2 sc in each sc around. join with sl st to top of first sc. (16 sc around)

3- make (sc, 2sc in next) around. join with sl st to top of first sc. (24 sc around)

4- make (sc in each of next 2 sc, 2sc in next) around. join with sl st to top of first sc. (32 sc around)

5- make (sc in each of next 3 sc, 2sc in next) around. join with sl st to top of first sc. (40 sc around)

6- make (sc in each of next 4 sc, 2sc in next) around. join with sl st to top of first sc. (48 sc around)

7-19) make sc in each sc around. join with sl st to top of first sc. (48 sc around)

20- work one row of reverse sc.

Fasten off yarn, weave in ends.

Ears: (make 2)

ch 2

1- make 8 sc in 2nd ch from hook. join with sl st to top of first sc.

2- make 2 sc in each sc around. join with sl st to top of first sc. (16 sc around)

3- make (sc, 2sc in next) around. join with sl st to top of first sc. (24 sc around)

4- make (sc in each of next 2 sc, 2sc in next) around. join with sl st to top of first sc. (32 sc around)

5- make sc in each sc around. join with sl st to top of first sc. (32 sc around)

Fasten off yarn, leaving a long tail to sew ears to hat.

Enjoy!

this is my original pattern, please do not sell. do not redistribute in any form of publication or email. link to my pages to share. print out a copy for your personal use if desired.

Mari

What's been going on

ive never really sized anything for anyone else besides myself, my mom (my size) and paulie (he's right there to measure when necessary). but i am in the process of making a hat for my almost 2yr old god daughter/cousin. hehe. i just scaled down a school age kid hat and hopefully it fits :)

the day before yesterday we were involved in a car accident :( this is paulie's poor car in the pictures below. he was picking me up from Cousin's Subs (where i went to eat after school) and a car full of 20somethings and/or teens coming out of a Kmart parking lot slammed into us

all those lights are busted.. there was glass and plastic all over the street. we were going 10mph and when they hit us the car spun about 90 degrees. and then they decided to keep driving, but paulie jumped out of the car to grab their license number and they decided to spin around and come back.

before the cops came the kids in the back seat hurried up and left, and the driver switched seats with the passenger. they didn't have insurance, and their info was incorrect on their ID's (the cop asked and i have ears so i heard lol). the driver claimed she was sliding on ice.. but the car hit us very hard, they were accelerating actually.

so paulie has to get his car fixed, luckily he has insurance and the other driver was at fault.

and that's what's been going on :)

Kinda-Slouch (a knitted hat)

LOL i keep forgetting that the pics show up in reverse order of upload...

i made this hat :) this is the "goofing around pretending to be stereotypically french by attempting to tilt my hat at a 'jaunty' angle...

a kinda slouchy hat can also be worn a-la-ragamuffin, especially if you have cute eyeballs over which the hat can float. and you will not be scrolling down in vain, i promise you a pattern at the end of this rainbow...

that hand is as much a mystery to me as it is to you..

the back

this is the one that should have been at the top if i'd been paying proper attention.

i used caron simply soft (like 2 or 3 oz from a 6 oz skein) and US size 8 dpn's (one of 15 pairs i got from amazon, yay!)

cast on 75

distribute stitches evenly onto 3 needles (25 each) and join into round without twisting work

work k1, p1 around, for about half an inch. you can do more if you prefer, but i did about 5 rounds. this would normally give you a rib stitch, but since you have an uneven # of stitches it will give you a moss stitch.

once you have the desired length for your "brim", start the increases like this:

(k1, m1) 7 times, working evenly across 7 sts. knit across the remaining sts on needle.

repeat for each needle, so you have 21 increase stitches.

knit across evenly for 1 or 2 rounds

repeat previous increase, so that you have 21 more increase stitches. you will now have a total of 117 stitches.

knit across evenly for about 6", so your hat will measure about 6 and 1/2" before you start the decrease. if you prefer, you can always make it longer or shorter by adding or decreasing amount of rounds.

start the decreases like this:

(k1, k2tog) 7 times, working evenly across 21 sts. knit across the remaining sts on needle.

repeat for each needle, so you have 21 decrease stitches.

continue to decrease in this way, until you run out of "remaining stitches"

then switch to (k1, k2tog) around.

you will not come up even on one of the rounds, but that's fine, just k the stitches that don't fit.

eventually you will end up with 2 sts on each needle. transfer all to one and work (k2tog) 3 times. slide the sts over to the other end of needle and k3tog the last 3 stitches.

fasten off yarn, weave in ends, enjoy hat :)

this is my original pattern. please do not sell this pattern, or distribute it in any form of publication. link to my pages to share, and print out a copy if you like for personal use.

Mari

Nook Case

i made a case for my Nook ;)

paulie got it for me for my birthday, and i am struggling with paranoia about it...

i really, really reallyreally don't want to break/scuff/scratch/drop it. cuz i have a terrible history of so maiming all things electronic

my lining skills are second-hand... i cut the cloth too big and pretended i did that on purpose :)

i call it "rouching" lol. or something.

so anyway if any of u have a Nook or similar sized e-reader it's really easy to make a case (mine is crochet, i will eventually get around to making a knit one, also just as simply made)

i used an aluminum size J hook (US) and some chunky yarn because i wanted the thing to be squishy enough to protect the Nook in case it got dropped. heh.

here's what i did:

chain 16

sc in 2nd ch from hook and each across, putting 3 sc into the last sc.

then turn your work and make an sc in each of the loops on the foundation chain.

yes, you're going in a non-circular circle.

when you get to the last chain of the loopies on the foundation chain, put 2 sc's in there instead of one or three. yes, 2.

join with sl st if you prefer. i know some people don't like to join but i do because i always lose track of my rounds if i don't. stich markers, schmitch markers.. shutup.

now just keep making sc in each sc, until you have about 28 rounds. this is how many rounds my case has but yours might need more or less depending on some things that are not in my control.

fasten off when your e-reader fits inside :)

i made my lining by cutting a rectangle (if you ever took home economics or had a maternal/paternal figure that had a sewing machine, you have probably been forced/encouraged to make a pillow case for a grade or otherwise) and sewing it into a pouch.

its easier to cut one piece and fold it in half and sew up 2 sides rather than cut 2 pieces and sew them together evenly. especially if you dont have sewing pins.

...then sew the pouch into the case. that part should be done by hand and not by machine, because it will get messy.

i hope this has made sense :)

Mari

There's Yeen in it Though...

i've gotten a few hats done for a yahoo group that i joined.. i'm kind of lurking on the edges of a chemo cap group. but other than those few things i haven't done much knitwise :( tried figuring out sleeve cuffs which was fun but i ended up ripping out all the work and using the yarn for a crochet amigurumi guy.. he still waiting for his legs :)

we're finishing up 3rd term at school. i'm happy to see it done and curious about my next classes. i hope they're fun but i won't be surprised if they're not. i had an instructor this term who is like-able as a human being but not as an instructor of a me. i wrote this and why in a review of my instructor, and then was taken out of the classroom to be confronted about my words. i don't know if this is a common practice.

i came home from school today with a brown coat instead of a black one. i don't know when the switch happened, but it's exactly the same brand and style as my black one. it's a size smaller though... and i have no idea when or how this weirdness happened. we were in the library when i finally realized it wasn't my eyes that were being stupid, the coat was really brown. i miss my black coat.

here are some pictures! since i don't have a pattern :( i feel weird posting without pattern..ing...

here's a cute beach picture. miami beach, fl

this is some of the yarn that i found at the dollar store. caron bliss. this is the yarn i used for a chemo cap :) pink, i mean. the rest i'm using for a blankety thing

these are the cornish hens i made yesterday :) they were so cute and yummy! i washed them, slathered them in soft country crock and season-all, and baked them covered for 2 and a half hours

i like how the little wings were all tucked in :) she's well done, or her leg wouldn't be trying to come off over there lol

Mari

Oh Yeah!!

alright i was looking for a picture to snazz up this post but i couldnt find one...

yesterday my christmas present finally came in the mail lol. paulie got me a gift certificate for amazon.com for like a billiondy dollars. so i'll be getting some goodies in the mail :)

i found some pretty awesome stuff at amazon, i dunno, i never shopped there before but i got a crapload of books and knitting needles. it was fun looking at all the stuff people list on there too. like 1 cent toilet paper roll holders. lids to salt and pepper shakers. robotic transformer 5 inch platform heel boots to complete your mechanical outfit. rubber band balls. key thingies, you know the ones that little kids like to steal from the hardware store for no good reason except that theyr bright and circular..

and last night i got cookies. mmhmm. yummy ones. and the house is so hot inside that if i dont put them in the fridge they bake themselves over and come out all soft and melty :)

also!!! i found some yarn at the dollar store. ya, the one where everythings a dollar. it was caron bliss, and its friggin slippery. but it knits up fluffy and thick. so i'm practicing my art of hat with that stuff. pretty nice actually if you have the patience for a little bit of wriggle. its kinda reminding me of like a little wiggly hamster. so cute.

Mari <3

Knit Homespun Scarf

after i made the first homespun hat pictured in a previous post, i ended up making a second one because i have a tendency to misplace things and find them again at odd times :P eh.

i had some left over yarn from that skein so i decided to see if i could crank out a matching scarf.

it was a success :)

i dunno the exact amount i used but it was literally just enough. u cant see this in the pictures but since the homespun has a thick and thin thing going on with it, the scarf has a repeating wavy hourglass shape to it. very cute

i used size 13 needles (i dont have regular straights so i just used 2 dpn's and was careful not to let them slip off the end)

basically i just cast on 20 and knit until the yarn ran out, which was fortunately a long enough size to wrap around my neck twice and tie in the front. this yarn is very stretchy and squishy, and will probably stretch with use too.

Mucho Grande

we watched that movie called resurrecting the champ, with samuel jackson, a couple days ago. was pretty good. we stole his mucho grande phrase and it's really fun using it :)

yesterday started my third term at school, we're getting more into the big stuff and even though the whole experience is still fun it somehow feels less friendly and more ehh.. rule-ish? i mean it's still friendly but they have that mom look about them like when you get in church and she looks at you with her eyeballs and says "behave". you know you better. or else. lol

and holy crap, if you do not own a pair of velour lounge pants go friggin get you some and put them on. cuz .. yes. dont get the smooshy walmart kind with the giant seam on the inside thigh, go to like at least k-mart and get something sturdy, where the velvety stuff is short enough that you can't pick out pieces of it with your fingers. srsly omg.

i just saw a huge dead bug on my windowsill and now i cant stop staring at it. its right next to my flower pots! and what the heck is a bug doing getting in my house and dying?! lol i mean shutup. i mean it's winter, there shouldnt be any bugs out braving the cold. it is a gigantic looking thing too, like a locust or something. ewwww.

oh ya i have pictures :)

from like christmas and recently? probly a month ago...

this is my face!

my brother's kids

lol cuteness

is it a nibble or a kiss? the world may never know..

oh yeah, we are decoratin' a charlie brown christmas tree

even as skinny and goofy looking as it was, i still did an awesome job :) lol it looked better with the firggin presents under it tho