Fisherman's Hats

I've been looking for a simple bucket hat pattern with as few pieces to sew together as possible. Then I noticed that the latest summer issue of Ottobre Design had a hat pattern called Fisherman's, that actually had only six pieces to sew together (ok, six pieces times two, as there's the lining too). I made two of them, as usual...

On one side of the first hat I used Marimekko's "Silkkikuikka" fabric in lime green and on the other side plain lime green linen.

The second hat is made of some light-weight striped linen and Ikea cotton. Love them, as do the boys! They're always competing over who gets to wear which hat, so I guess there's a third one in the makings.

Lina Hat

I'm terribly afraid of flying, but once in a while there comes a trip that requires me to get on a plane, and try and survive the flight. As a remedy for flear of flying, I tried knitting: I bought new bamboo needles just for the trip, and found a nice and complicated enough pattern to keep my thoughts away from flying. Two 8-hour flights to Montreal and back were enough to finish this lovely Lina hat. My new bamboo needles were great for the project, light and smooth, and of course air-line safe ;) I made the cable in the “normal” way, using an extra needle.

Fireman Helmets

Why is it that small boys love fire trucks? I’m so happy I made these fireman helmets for my boys last Christmas. Initially they weren’t too excited about them, but this spring they’ve started playing fireman almost every day, always following the same pattern: the alarm goes off (i.e. a button on the stairs) and the boys run to get their helmets, slide down the fireman’s pole (a round pillow), jump on the fire truck (the sofa) and douse the flames with water. It’s the funniest thing to watch!

The helmets are made of red wool felt of two different thicknesses (the brim is a bit thicker to keep it better in shape). I used a summer hat pattern and simply adjusted the brim measurements a bit, so that it’s wider at the back. And then I sewed a yellow badge to the front to keep the brim up.

Skull Hat

Here's yet another Christmas present, a knit Skull Hat. Loved the pattern, although the yarn is a bit too stretchy. I had to add an elastic to the first row... (Prym actually makes one called "knitting-in elastic", and it's really nice to use).

Tunturi Hat

I just realized that all my Christmas presents are going to be handmade, and that they are all hats! It’s a theme I’m happy to follow :) My brother who is the outdoorsy type is going to get a Tunturi Hat. It’s a free pattern by Shelby, so go ahead and download it for your own projects. "Tunturi" means a mountain or a fell, and I believe the hat will be used on one, too. I made my version from two types of fleece, a micro fleece for the inside and a thicker fleece on the outside.

Cap for Dad

Another version of the Summer Hat, this time it became a cap for my dad. We both have big heads, so finding a cap that would stay put even on windy days was an issue for him (and he loves sailing so you see that it is a problem).

The hat part is made from corduroy, and the sun brim and lining from an Ikea cotton fabric. Backside has an elastic to improve the fit and make the cap a bit more snug. Dad's using it so much that I think you could call this project a success!

Handmade Presents

Amazing what one can do when enjoying the benefits of parental leave. This Christmas, I bought only a few gifts and the rest I made myself. Sorry for the bad pictures, I grabbed them at dusk on Christmas Eve...



Fingerless gloves: knitted with Novita Mambo, I made two almost identical pairs. Pattern is here, really fast and easy to make.



Beaufort hat: a fairly easy job, nice cable-like pattern without actually having to make cables. I had to ravel the crown decreases the first time (way too small). Another inch in length, and it was a success. The yarn is Jaeger Matchmaker Merino Aran.

 




Twiggy Bobble Hat: I made it with moss stitch in order to hide the gaping holes that result from the bobbles. The yarn is Schoeller + Stahl Limbo Superwash.

Retro Hats

Again it happened that the shops didn't carry any nice hats for the autumn. I made both of my boys their own fleece hats. I drew the pattern of one well-fitting cap that we already had. The material is again micro fleece. The second hat has even more retro colors, sorry that the pic isn't so great.

Jackyll & Hide

I found this pattern on Knitty a long time ago, and thought immediately it'd be perfect for my brother. This autumn I finally had time to make one! There wasn't enough of the white yarn (Grignasco Cover), so I added the black neck part. My brother was very happy with it, and has reputedly used it in the Chilean mountains (the hat can be rolled up if you don't like the intimidation mode).

Bamboo Beanie

My good friend's baby boy needed a bigger beanie hat when the previous one got too small in March. So this is just a teeny project while I'm sewing some really cute clothes for my boys... More about that later. The hat is knit from Novita Bambu yarn that is super soft and can take up to 60 degree wash! It's a perfect yarn for the small ones. The first hat was lime green, while this one is chocolate brown - both are really lovely shades.

Hats & Scarves

More knit baby fashion! Again, these I made last autumn and winter. Hats have been made with a simple hat pattern from a striped yarn. The scarf pattern I made on my own. The catch is that both ends of the scarves have loops, so you can pull the other end through it. These will hopefully still be used next winter, because I used them only once or twice during this "warm" winter.