I'm in a weird mood today. It doesn't help that I overslept and had bizarre dreams. And my daughter was mad at me this morning when we left for school, but was fine and dandy when I dropped her off. It's been a bit of a weird day so far.
Ella was mad at me because I discussed hygiene with her and how she washes her body. She's almost a teenager and doesn't like me talking about the need to wear a bra, washing her hair properly, deodorant, etc. But when I find little turdlets on the bath mat in front of the shower door, I have to question how she washes herself!! So, first strike against mom. Then I had the audacity to fix a lunch for her and make her take it to school!! Such evil!! She didn't want to carry her lunchbox for the first half of the day. So... I swear I saw smoke emanating from her ears...but we talked in the car on the short drive to school, and by the time I dropped her off, she was fine, and said she loved me and to have a good day. Kids!!!
It's a windy morning, with gray skies and hints of rain (you can feel the moisture in the air... here in Washington, we get so many different types of rain! This is a soft, light sprinkling of rain that isn't quite heavy enough to be drizzle. A friend told me that the native Americans in the region call it "woman rain" because it is soft and gentle). The Marketing classes are hosting a Trade Show (something they do every year), which is a bit like a vendor fair, but with students presenting their projects. It involves local businesses, as well, so it's an important project for them, but it does make the school a bit discombobulated. I'll have kids actively involved in it, so they won't be in class, etc.
Anyway, it's 20 Time day again! I have made excellent progress this week. I've been physically tired (there's no tired like end-of-the-year Teacher Tired), but have managed to keep my hands busy while my bod rests. I made 12 hats this week... I'm very close to my goal of 50 hats. Instead of taking pictures on my desk at work (where there is fairly good lighting), I took these pictures on my kitchen table with mediocre lighting.
I've also transferred my hat-and-bootie sets into plastic bags, and my storage has now graduated from a fairly large shoe box to a mid-size plastic container. I organized them by size last night, trying to figure out what sizes I need to make now. They are fairly well-balanced, so... I kind of feel like I should make larger ones, and some holiday hats. But... I was also thinking that I could continue doing this all summer, and do another donation in the fall. I have accumulated a LOT of yarn!
So, what did I make this week? Here you go... I've organized them by pattern, so I'll link the pattern to the hats for you.
I have made several hat and bootie sets from this pattern, the Little Babbity hat and booties from Marianna's Lazy Days. She has an absolute TON of patterns, both knit and crochet, for babies and preemies. Check her out on Ravelry or on her blog. The link for this pattern takes you to her blog. Her patterns are easy to follow and fun to make!
This is the Little Clusters Beanie pattern from Mamma that Makes. It's quick, easy, and turns out cute every time. I can turn out these fairly quickly... less than an hour. And they don't take a lot of yarn, so you can make multiples while watching your favorite movies, etc. (personally, I like to listen to audiobooks or podcasts) I used Yarn Bee Camo print yarn for the hat at the top, and another Yarn Bee print for the one on the bottom right, and Bamboo Pop! yarn for the one on the lower left.
These two hats were made from two different patterns. The one on the top comes from Mamma that Makes, the Garret beanie pattern, using the same Yarn Bee yarn from the picture above. It has a slow color change that makes a lovely ombre effect. The one on the bottom uses the Talia preemie hat pattern, using Cascade Yarns' "Fixation Splash" a cotton yarn that is blended with less than 2% spandex, making it very flexible. Unfortunately, the stretch is a challenge, because if you don't keep the tension loose, it will be a hard, uncomfortable hat. I can see it working better in a knit hat. I picked it up on my visit to The Black Sheep at the beginning of May.
I've used this pattern many times, as it is quick to work up, and has multiple sizes. I made these using Marianna Mel's Valerie pattern (posted on Ravelry and on her blog). Both of the yarns I used for these were Baby Bee yarns... the one on the left is a variegated gray-blue-dark blue print, and the larger one on the right used a blue camo print.
Finally, I have one last pair. This the Kaitlynn beanie from Momma that Makes. It's a super-fast, easily memorized pattern. You can change the size of the pattern by changing the yarn and hook. The one on the right was made using a D hook and fingering yarn (Wool-Free sock yarn I got at Hobby Lobby--I love me a yarn sale!), but I think I miscounted my rows, as it seems rather short in length. The one on the right uses the same yarn as the hat on the left in the photo above this one, showing you the variation in colors.
Chasing down and linking these patterns led me to discover several more patterns, so I've printed a bunch, and can't wait to try them! One is a little newsboy-type hat, and another is an aviator style! I have read, in my research, that boy hats are needed. As I progress through my patterns, etc., I try to do one in feminine colors, and one in masculine colors, so that I have an equal balance. But I still plan to make some white "angel baby" hats, too.
Well, time to grab my hook and get started!! And it's a three-day weekend!! Hallelujah!! I'm planning to do some housework, and then work on my sewing room. I need to rearrange how some things are stored, and then start bringing in bins from the dining room and garage (freeing up space!). That will make it a functional room again, and I'm planning all kinds of fun projects, including getting back to sewing for dolls.
Have a great weekend, and don't forget to make time to do something creative....
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