hats, hats, & more hats...

As always, I forget to take pictures of my recent fun knits. However, I did mange to get a few pictures of some fun hats I knitted up for a recent order. My dear friend Michelle let me have some freedom with the designs and colors which is always a most welcomed treat! I'm planning on selling the patterns soon at natandcallie.com, so stay tuned!

i see the lighthouse...

A dear friend of mine bought me this pattern as a ‘thank you’ and gave it to me on Turkey Day. It's from tiny owl knits and it's appropriately called 'ships & seaside'. I have to say, the actual cowl looks way more complicated than how it's actually knitted and plus, I ♥ the stripey pattern!

And since I couldn’t wait to get started and use beautiful, happy yarn, I’m using all this Lion Brand Wool-Ease yarn that I got on a SUPER sale a while back (I mean like $1.50 a skein. Right?). So I busted it out and began knitting away that same night. So far, so good. I’ve never done a kitchener stitch, but I’m so not worried about it. That’s what YouTube is for ;)

Update Dec. 6 
Finished and it’s so super cute! Yeah, even with the Lion Brand Wool-Ease yarn. Who knew. Kitchener stitch was pretty easy, especially once I got into the groove. I need to block it, but it’s been so cold in Los Angeles (first the winds, now our night time temp is at 32 degrees!), that I might wear it to work tomorrow. You know, to break it in ;)

Callie's Stripes & Hoods part II PLUS a Contest!

OMG...shame on me for not posting sooner, but I've been knitting away so many new and fun projects!
I finished Callie's super warm & cozy sweater using the awesomely wonderful Spud & Chloë Sweater yarn, and can I just say how awesome that yarn is???? Can I? Can I? And the best part was the squishiness of it! OK, so here's a picture of the final sweater, blocked, and with a kangaroo pouch added. I blocked it out as big as I could get it 'cause I want Callie to use it as much as possible before she grows out of it. Kids...I swear, throw some good old H2O and they grow like weeds.

So it turned out quite cute, but there's one HUGE mistake I made? All because I was getting excited at how it was turning out and wanted Callie to wear it. Anyone see it? First person to email me with my "mistake" gets my 'Turkish Delight' pattern for free!!! Yay!

Callie's Stars & Hoods...

After knitting up my Super Quick & Warm Cowl with Spud & Chloë Outer, I needed a fun project to knit up with the Spud & Chloë Sweater I had purchased. I remember seeing this pattern in 60 Quick Baby Knits (or click here to check your local libraries) awhile back and thought it would be cute on Callie if I could find the right colorways for it. Viola! Pattern decision done. 

Here’s how it’s going so far:

Oct. 28 
Since I had knitted up a swatch in St st a few days earlier using US 7 needles, I decided that I would use US 8 needles instead. The swatch came out too dense and I wanted a softer feel for Callie. Plus, I want her to wear the sweater over clothes and not be too hot. I sat down and checked to see if I needed to do any math as far as changing the pattern up. Turns out my gauge on US 8 came out to 9sts & 12 rows = 2” (exactly as the yarn tag said) and since the pattern gauge is 21sts & 26 rows = 4” (you can do the math here yourself), I just followed the pattern for 18 months.

OK, my changes so far: 
I want to add 2x2 rib along the hood and not the garter stitch the pattern calls for. I omitted knitting that part up so I’ll just pick up stitches along the hood and yoke when I need to. This meant I was always 8 sts less when I was following the pattern. Also, in joining the yoke, I added 4 stitches and since the pattern called for a k2tog of 4 stitches, I automatically ended up with the exact number stitches to knit in the round. Yay! 
I’m doing a fun stripe pattern and then using purple for the hood, cuffs, and bottom part of the pullover. I'm also toying with the idea of adding a kangaroo pocket in the front. Depends on how much yarn I have left :)

I finished the top yoke part and actually began on the purple. So far this is a fun & quick project.

A Pair of Gnomes...

How much fun would it be to wear these hats? I bet all the faeries would be jealous...

The Quickest Cowl Ever...

Knitted up my recent purchase of Spud & Chloë Outer yarn. Used US 15 on a circular needle and just did a simple Double Seed stitch. Fun and super warm!

There's No Place Like Gnome...

Knitted up this fun hat as part of a large order I need to ship soon. Callie wasn't the most cooperative model this afternoon, but you can see the Gnome Hat in all its fun colors! It's supposed to stand straight, but like I said, Callie wasn't too happy about wearing a wool hat in the Valley in 85 degrees. I don't blame the kid. It was hot.

Some Outer and Some Sweater

Finally...

Got my hands on some Spud & Chloë yarn today! Ended up going to the Stitch Café in Valley Village (http://www.stitchcafe.com/) and loved every second of it. Callie, however was ready to go home and take a nap.

There's something about walking through a yarn shop. I felt like a fat kid in a candy store. Can't wait to knit something. I'll keep 'ya all posted ;)

Nat's Comfy Cowl Pattern :)

So, I needed to knit up a quick gift for a friend this past weekend. I figured a cowl knitted on US 19 needles would do the trick and since it came out soooo cute, I thought I'd share it with you all. Enjoy and happy knitting.
xo

Nat's Comfy Cowl
Nat's Comfy Cowl

It's Turkish Delight

My new pattern is up for sale on raverly and you don't have to be a member to purchase it either!

It's a fun hat especially inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia and perfect for that knitter who wants a little bit more challenge in creating a baby hat.

Raverly Store Site: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/turkish-delight-

OR purchase directly (no account with raverly required!)

Pattern Time!

So...I've gotten tons of requests for my Aviator "Jack" hat, and since I just recently went back to work, I've decided to go ahead and put my pattern up for sale rather than create the piece myself. Go to my raverly store at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gone-flying and buy my pattern today! This might the beginning of a beautiful idea...

Mo's Sexy Vest

My sister's birthday is right around the corner and I had seen this really cool vest pattern for free on raverly, so I deiced to knit it up. It was a pretty straight forward knit and came out super stylish. The Sexy Vesty by CanarySanctuary is awesome!
Check it out at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sexy-vesty. Yet another reason why I love raverly.com :)

Say Cheese!

Looking for a great family photographer? Look no further and check out Stephanie Bennink's Photography Blog at http://sjbstudio.blogspot.com/.

The Baby BobBle Cap in Action

We had our monthly LLL (Le Leche League) meeting today at Beman Park and I couldn't resist having Callie don our adorable Baby Bobble Cap. I truly love this hat. The cotton/acrylic blends makes it perfect for summer wearing. Callie wore it today, in August, in the Valley, in Los Angeles. If she wore it here, you can wear it anywhere :) Check out www.natandcallie.com to order one today!
PS: They come in different colors too!

The Hood is Finished

Finished with all the bits & pieces this weekend. I still have to block it, but it's super adorable and perfect for my niece. Can't wait to see her in it! Am I the best Aunt or what? :) If anyone is interested, let me know and I'll post the pattern up here and raverly.

And the Summer Living is Hard...

Best part of the day...nap time :)

Red Riding Hood Part Deux

Here's the finished poncho. I haven't weaved in the ends, made the tassels, knitted the i-cord, or blocked it, but was so happy with the way it turned out so far that I had to share it :)

Little Red Riding Hood...

My sweet niece's 9th birthday is next month, and I know her mother has been wishing I would make something really sweet for her, so I decided to make her a cape/poncho in the Red Riding Hood style (and Vicky if you're reading this...Surprise!). 


I checked out ravelry for patterns that I can use since it's for a gift.  I didn't find anything I really liked, so I did the next best thing. I took a pattern and changed it up. A lot.


I decided on 110-13 Poncho with hood and pompoms in 2 threads ”Eskimo" or 1 thread ”Polaris” by DROPS design. And since I got a great deal on some Caron One Pound yarn on sale in the color Claret, I had to bust out my calculator and do some serious math and do up the whole stitch ratio and row ratio in order to modify the pattern. And for that I thank whole heartily Debbie Stoller and her cool book "Stitch 'n Bitch Nation" which has a great way of explaining how to convert patterns with different gauges!

I doubled up the yarn, and began knitting on US 15 needles. So far it's a really quick knit with one part of the cape done. I changed the garter stitches for moss and so far it looks really good. I'll keep ya posted!

Quick Baby Shrug Pattern

Here's the pattern for the Quick Baby Shrug. Again, I knitted mine using my daughter as my size guide, so the pattern is for size 12-18 months. I'll try and get smaller sizes up if people request it. Enjoy & happy knitting!

xo nat


PLEASE NOTE:

There is a typo on the pattern as to size. The actual size is for 12-18 months. If you would like a larger size, just add to the raglan increases till desired size. Any questions? Just email.

Cheers.

Quick Baby Shrug Nck_July 2011

A Quick Knit Baby Shrug

I made this simple shrug with some left over worsted weight yarn I had from a previous project. I just knitted it on straight needles and eyeballed it using my daughter as my size guide, so it came out for 18-24 months. I added the simple flowers and button just to make it more feminine, but it's a classic piece that looks great over a dress or shirt. It's a top down raglan knit. Gonna post it here on my blog as a free pattern for those interested. Oh, and the best part...super quick to knit up!

xo nat

The Roaring 20's are Back

I picked up the new "60 Quick Baby Knits" book last month which features Cascade 220 Superwash yarns in super cute baby patterns! Once I flipped through the book at the store, I had to get it and couldn't wait to try my hands on my own versions of the stuff. And so now I give you my inspired collection below. Warning: this stuff is too adorable to not want one!

I love the bobble cap with the sweet flower. I changed the 'Sheep Hat' pattern and added the eyelets so I could pass through a chain stitch of contrasting color. I then knitted up an i-cord, twisted it around, and sewed it on with a button. Can we say awesome?

This one is actually the 'Ruffled Cloche'. Only difference is I added a garter lace in cream instead of the seed stitch. I was toying with the idea of stringing some ribbon, but it looks so sweet and simple without it that I left it alone. Thinking of adding one of those i-cord flowers to it though. We'll see.


xox nat

Another Hoot!

For those of you interested, I have designed a new hat perfect for summer weather! This lovely cap comes in 50/50 cotton acrylic which is ideal for those breezy cool evenings in the summer time. I absoutly loved knitting this up and here I thought knitting in the summer would be hard...blah. it’s super easy & fun! Best part is the really cute embroidery. 

xo nat