Potential Projects This Winter

I don't know how I'm going to find time to do this, but my ambition is to at least start AND finish these projects this winter:

(1) the "tree of life" afghan for the home; (2) the "standout stripes" cardigan for Genghis; (3) the "cable luxe maxi" dress for myself; and (4) the "kumo" kimono for my hubby

Mickey Mouse Hat

Believe it or not, this is actually the first hat I made for Genghis. But since I was (still am) an inexperienced knitter, I just started with a vague idea of what I wanted to make & the hat ended up too big for my then 1-year-old.

This evening when we're playing dress-up, he pulled out this hat from his wardrobe & said, "Mommy, look! This hat has Mickey Mouse ears!"

To my surprise, it fits him much better now then it did 2 years ago. So I decided to take some pictures & post them here.

The hat is actually really easy to make. It's basically one big knitted rectangular piece & 2 pom-poms stitched together. The only slightly complicated thing is the cable pattern in the front. I don't exactly remember how I did it. I think I copied it from a pattern in a magazine. I always think that cables are something that look more complicated than it really is. I like cable patterns. It has that kind of unmistakable knitted look.

Anyway, I'm really pleased that Genghis likes the hat & he can still wear it 3 years after I made it!



PS. Genghis has the name tag on because we went to an office party this evening & they gave him the tag. He insisted keeping it on for the pictures (!).

Recommended Reads For Fellow Knitters

Since it is still too warm for me to start any knitting project, I thought maybe it's a good time to talk about 5 of my favorte websites and books/magazines that I enjoy reading when I'm looking for inspirations for my projects.


(1) Knitty.com
This is a GREAT site for free, innovative, one-of-a-kind knitting patterns. A collection of new patterns come out quarterly. All patterns are contributed by knitters not directly affliated with the website. Anyone can be a contributor, as long as you follow their submission requirements. They pay you, too! Not a bad deal to have your name and design out there for people to see.


Here's a couple of my favorite designs on Knitty:
Kumo - a men's kimono-inspired cardigan that I've been wanting to make for my husband for some time
Blu - the cutest baby jeans I've ever seen! I HAVE TO make it for my boy this winter.


(2) Interweave Knits
I like this magazine. Their patterns are alway unique and a lot of times very stylish. Each month they'll feature a few of their patterns in their magazine on the website free. Also, I like their staff projects very much - 3 or 4 of their staff will contribute a pattern on a specific topic every month, so you can have different design options for scarves, ponchos, etc.


(3) Nicky Epstein
She first earned her fame with her "Knitting on the Edge" book, which showcases tons of designs for, obviously, knitted edges. It's simply amazing how she can create so many edging designs. Her other 2 books on edging is on my wish list: "Knitting Over the Edge" and "Knitting Beyond the Edge" - just imagine writing 3 books on nothing but only edges! Amazing!


(4) Vogue Knitting
I like this magazine because it always ties into the latest fashion trends. It gives you designs that look like those appearing on the runway. Unfortunately, their website is currently under "remodeling". But it's worth to check back for their free patterns. It's sister magazine knit.1 is also great for teenage knitters - or people like me who wouldn't mind dressed like a teenager once in a while. There's a blog on the knit.1 website that's also worth browsing for latest news on their events.


(5) Craftzine
This is actually not a knitting website but a craft magazine website. But they do include knitting projects. I just discovered this quarterly magazine a week ago & had already subscribed to it. It's a hip magazine that gives you tons of ideas on various crafts projects.


After reading these websites, I have so many ideas in my head that my only fear is I don't really have time to work on everything that I'd like to...

Works from Last Winter

It's still over 90 degrees here every day. I don't think I'm going to start any new projects any time soon.



















So I thought maybe I could just showcase some of the knitting projects that I did in the last few years. And then, I realized that I didn't have very good pictures of a lot of my projects. After serching my crafts boxes and photo collections, I can only find usable pictures of 2 hats that I made last year. The model is no other but my son Genghis.

The grey one in the first picture is kind of like a beanie but I added a little I-cord on top so it looks more babyish. The pattern is a simple cable that complements both the tubular look as well as the elasticity of the hat.



The brown one was made with a multicolor yarn. It's the first time I made a baret and I didn't have any patterns to follow. I constructed the shape by rapidly increasing the number of stitches in a very few number of rows. As soon as the desired width is accomplished, I started to decrease the number of stitches, this time more sparingly. I simply tied the ends together when there's only a few stitches left.

As you can probably tell from my descriptions above, I did a poor job of documenting my projects. I forgot which yarns and needles I used, how exactly I did it, etc. That's why I'm launching this blog so I'll have better documentation of my future projects.


I hope it'll cool down soon and I'll be able to start knitting again!

Under Construction

New posts coming soon (hopefully...)