nat & callie knits.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Test Knitting = Free Patterns

Hello my Friends…

So lately I've been doing some test knitting for independent designers and I'm really enjoying it. Not only do I get patterns for free, but it's a great reason to use up some of my stash (of course to then have an excuse to buy more yarn)!

I finished up a Bel Lindo beanie by Erika Shmerika Designs and used up some of my Malabrigo I had. I love the yarn, but the color way in my stash is not my favorite. However, I think this beanie does it justice. The hat construction is different than your typically one, but it looks pretty neat. I used a provisional cast-on and then just knitted away and finished with a three-needle bind-off. That's my student worker modeling. She's too cute!

@natandcallie

Sunday, September 7, 2014

District 12 Cowl

It's here, and about time too. I present my version of the ever stylish Katniss Everdeen cowl from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

This cowl/vest uses super bulky yarn, so it really knits up pretty quick. I saw a version of this somewhere on Pinterest or on a blog (can't recall), and I couldn't find a pattern for it anywhere. The patterns that are out there now are mostly crochet or just don't have the look I want, so I created my own. It's up on my rarely store in case you'd like to make one yourself or for that Hunger Games fan you love; and just in time to start on your holiday knitting too!

Happy Knitting!
xoxo

Monday, June 10, 2013

Artemis

“Oh no! The princess needs help. I must go to the forest and save her! Oh no! There are bears in the forest. I must go hunting first! Where are my bows and arrow?”

Little did I realize that eavesdropping on my daughter would lead me to create this enchanting hunting cowl. Ancient Greek mythology tells of a story about the young Artemis, daughter of Zeus and twin sister of Apollo, that she was a great and cunning huntress in the mountains and forests of Arcadia. She ended up falling madly in love with Orion, who became her hunting companion. The two spent careless hours by campfires, archery contests, and hunting with Orion’s faithful hounds, Canis Major and Canis Minor. Though their story ends tragically (Greek mythology remember), the tale of these two partners in crime lives on in sky at night.

The Artemis cowl fits a wide range of children’s sizes since the side ribbing is very forgiving. You can knit this up for a wee little one knowing that it will be quite a while before they outgrow it. Plus, it is a great quick cover up without the hassle of a sweater for any kid with a vivid imagination.

The cowl features plenty of design elements and truly has a little bit of everything. From easy garter stitch, to lace and cable patterns, some short row shaping, and two different options for finishing the hood, this fun hunting cowl will keep your eye on the bullseye!

Go check it out at my online store now! It's too cute ❤❤❤

Monday, May 6, 2013

Sip & Stitch

Been crazy, super, nutty busy these past few weeks. And by crazy, super, busy, I mean check out how far along Flock has come! Our first event is this May 17th and it's going to be so much fun! Really? Like anyone would doubt that? Take a peek...

©flockyarnshop

Can't wait & hope to see you there!

xoxo

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Flock & TNNA...

What a whirl wind the past couple of weeks have been! I finished up not one, but two patterns, attended TNNA in Long Beach, and officially announced my super secret project...tah dah... Flock Yarn Shop!

Yes folks, you read that right. I am opening up a local yarn shop here in the West SFV this summer. It's gonna be called Flock Yarn Shop. You can follow me on Twitter @flockyarnshop, like my Facebook at www.facebook.com/FlockYarnShop, or join my ravelry group at www.ravelry.com/groups/flock-yarn-shop. Also, make sure to check our web page www.flockyarnshop.com!

So far it been a lot of work, but the kind of work I wouldn't trade! I am loving this entire process. And part of the process was attending TNNA in Long Beach to meet up with my future vendors. Made some great connections and even ran into a few "knitting" celebrities. Well, celebrities in my eyes, anyways.

New Stitch-a-Day crew!
© flockyarnshop

Goodies after Sample It!
© flockyarnshop

Loving this American Romney wool
© flockyarnshop

Myself with THE Norah Gaughan
© flockyarnshop

It's official!
© flockyarnshop

So stay tuned for any and all future news about Flock; "It's Not Your Nana's Yarn Shop", that's for sure!

xoxo

Monday, January 28, 2013

Fore!

Hello Knitting Friends...

I just recently purchased a super soft awesome hank of Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino from Gather DTLA (see previous blog post) and ended up creating a super cute & fun hat. In fact, I loved knitting it up so much, that I ended up making a second one with some Knit Picks tweed yarn I had in my stash and wrote down the pattern. So, without further ado, here's the pattern...Enjoy!

xoxo

Fore! Knitting Pattern by Natalie Haban for nat & callie knits

Friday, January 18, 2013

Hello 2013...

And so another year begins and so does a new super fun secret project that I am working on! Can't really get into all the details, but I'm going to TNNA in Long Beach in a few weeks and hopefully shortly thereafter I can revel a whole lot more. It's gonna be good! Promise. Until then, I'll be keeping a low profile, so sadly not enough time to blog away, but in the meantime...

Here's a quick shout out to Gather DTLA which is a new, very hip and cool knitting nook in a old historic bookstore in downtown Los Angeles. Evi the owner just started this new endeavor late last year and it is beyond cool. The little shop carries a great selection of Blue Sky Alpacas, Spud & Chloë, and Rowan yarns all in amazing colors! I popped over for a Sunday stitch social and met up with a few other "Valley" knitters. We all had a great time. Must do that again very soon fo sho!

Gather DTLA is at 453 S Spring Street on the 2nd Floor Mezzanine in Downtown Los Angles. If ever in the hood, stop on by and say hi! Bonus, this place is open late too. So awesome!

PS: And a special thank you to Snowden who gave me a ride to the metro station that night. Thank you girl! xoxo

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Callie's Foxy Fox...

I'm in the middle of a sweater project which I'm doing from scratch with no pattern which means I need to occasionally take a break here and there and knit something up which requires no real thinking. Just some fun mindless knitting, you what I mean? Lo and behold, I remembered TOK's Mr. Fox Stole My Heart which I knitted up for MB and thought it would be a cute project to make for Callie Bear; plus use up some of my stash! But did I just end up knitting this cute adorable fox from straight from the pattern? No, of course not. Silly me. I actually combined it with Zoe Woods' Faux Fox Fur Stole. You can check out my pattern notes on my raverly page which I aptly named Two-N-One Fox. Now Callie & Aunt Mary Beth are super stylish in their fox stoles :)

Sunday, November 25, 2012

it's a zig, it's a zag...

Hello Friends...

So I just recently (as in last weekend, I know, should've posted sooner) finished a quick test knit for the awesomely colorful Lee Meredith at leethalknits.com. The pattern is basically 3-in-1 since it includes the mitts (fingerless or full mittens), legwarmers, and a cowl. Plus, you can choose all sorts of different chevron color choices. I had a blast knitting it up and it really didn't take that long. It is colorwork with stranded knitting, so a bit of experience with that helps, but over all it's not a terribly difficult knit. You can check out all my knitting notes at www.ravelry.com/projects/natandcallie/flying-vs-mitts.

To check out Lee's cool and hip pattern, go to her website or to her raverly page here.

xoxo,
nat

Thursday, November 8, 2012

it's finally fall...

It's November 8th and it's finally autumn here in Los Angeles! Yay! I went out today in the drizzle to finally get some shots of Callie wearing her new Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious coat. I'm still in super awe over how cute this came out. Lorraine Hearn (the designer) has a winner with this one as well as all the other patterns in her new e-book.

Cheers,
nat

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious ...

"So when the cat has got your tongue, there's no need for dismay! Just summon up this word and then you've got a lot to say! Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!"

- Mary Poppins

I just love how this coat turned out! I can't wait for Callie to wear it so I can actually post pictures of her in it, but alas it's still hot in the Valley (about 98℉ as I type this...ugh) and having a 2 year old model in this heat is not gonna happen. It was a very quick and fun knit and I'm sure I'll be making another one as soon as Callie outgrows this one :) How could I not? Too cute!!!

The pattern is from a very talented knit wear design by the name of Lorriane Hearn. You can check out ALL her patterns for sale on her website at http://www.mypdfpatterns.com and at her raverly.com page at http://www.ravelry.com/designers/lorraine-hearn. The pattern for this jacket is the Eco Knit Child/Adult Adaptable Horseshoe Jacket and is found in her Aspley Collection Book 1. The first time I saw it on raverly, I knew I just had to have it. I actually changed up a few things on this knit, but for more precise notes, check out my raverly page at http://www.ravelry.com/projects/natandcallie/eco-knit-child-adult-adaptable-horseshoe-jacket.

Now onto my next project...

xoxo

Thursday, September 13, 2012

my pretty friend...

Just a quick post here cause my friend Char is too pretty not to show off! This was a super quick knit from Cowgirls by Cathy Carron (although you can also find it in Vogue Knitting Holiday 2009). I used Knit Picks® Andes del Campo Yarn in Dove Heather, but in hindsight I wished I would have used a brighter color. Oh well, just another reason to knit another up one ;)

You can see more info on my raverly page here.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

busy as a bee...

Hi Folks & Fellow Knitters :)

I've been so busy knitting away on some fun & special projects, that I've neglected my lil blog here. Boo me! Please pardon my laziness in writing away, but let me show you all the cool stuff I've been knitting!

First, and I must apologize here for not having a photo of this beautiful finished scarf, but I was soooo excited to send it as a gift to my sister-in-law Marybeth, that I completely forgot. Yikes! In any case, this was a small, yet thoughtful gift I knitted up from Berroco's #298 Blackstone Tweed™& Blackstone Tweed™ Chunky pattern book. It's the Payson scarf and it was so fast & easy to knit up! I used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Tweed in North Pole Heather and it came out so pretty...like winter petals! Check out my notes on this on my raverly site. I called it Shakespeare's Words :)

After one pattern repeat
© natandcallie

Blocking!
© natandcallie

My next new favorite & totally RAD knit is a free design by Nora Gaughan called Cloos. Here is my friend Olga modeling and it is my new favorite accessory! I used just the Berroco Vintage™ and not the DK weight on this since I wanted a heavier feel with less drape. Worked out great! Check it out here on my raverly... Se Soûler!!

PS: I've gotten that never ending request from my sister to knit one up for her, so I'll be making Cloos Part II soon - as soon as she picks out a color :)

And like everyone else, I too also jumped on the Aidez by Cirilia Rose bandwagon. Check it out here as I like to call it, Morrissey & Jonny used to play nice...

OK, so now that I was a complete Berroco whore & spokesperson ;), I want to just show you guys what I'm currently working on. I will go into further details as soon as I'm finished with this fun & awesome project, but you MUST check out Lorraine Hearn's new e-book with TONS of fun patterns which are all going to charity for a new school. This one is the Eco Knit Child/Adult Adaptable Horseshoe Jacket and I've decided to call mine Step n' Time! (Follow my progress on raverly here). How friggin' cute is this!???

Till next time!

xoxo

nat

Friday, August 3, 2012

midnight train to georgia...

Hello friends and fellow travelers! I just returned from a month long vacation in Atlanta, GA. I didn't exactly take the "Midnight Train", but does the MARTA count at 10 pm??? I say yes...

So, like I mentioned, I was there for a month. It was awesome! Callie & I stayed with my brother and his wife (thank you two from the bottom of my ❤). Check out some (and this is just a mini fraction) of all the cool & fun stuff we did while visiting:

http://www.bonegardencantina.com

Turner Field...Go Braves!

chop, chop!

Willie B. & Callie

pool!

panda time!

we love cut out boards!

the moving bird

While I was frolicking in the sun with Callie Bear, I visited a LYS called Lovin' Knit over in Marietta. I was so warmly greeted by the staff, especially Cheryl (shout out) who really helped me choose a fun yarn to knit up some hexipuffs on my flight back home. The owner Pat was there as well, and was giving a knitting class which is always an encouraging sight. The shop is filled, and I mean filled with delicious yarn goodies! It's porn for yarn lovers in there! Seriously.

lovin' knit!

yarn bomb!