Here is a pattern inspired by Harry Potter--the Golden Snitch!

Enjoy!

Materials

Gold and White Acrylic Yarn

   (Red heart or similar)

Size G hook

Tapestry needle

Abbreviations

ch=chain

sc=single crochet

sl st= slip stitch

st=stitch

Snitch Body

ch 2

Round 1: 6 sc in 2^nd ch from hook, do not join

Round 2: 2 sc in each sc around

Round 3: *sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc* Repeat ** around

Round 4-6: sc in each st around

Round 7: *sc in next 3 sc, skip next st*  Repeat ** around

stuff with fiberfill now

Round 8: *sc in next 2 sc, skip next st* Repeat ** around

Round 9: *sc in next sc, skip next st* Repeat ** around

Round 10: skip 2 sts, sl st in next st to close up the hole.

Fasten off, weave in ends.

Wings (make 2)

ch 12

Row 1: Sc in 2^nd ch from hook and in next 3, skip 2 stitches, sc across, ch 2

Row 2: Sc on other side of beginning chains ( don’t turn your work over, but rotate it 90 degrees clockwise so the beginning chains are up so you can work them ), 5 sc across, ch 1, turn

Row 3: Sc in each st across, 2 sc in final sc, ch 1 fasten off pulling the last ch1 snug with a long enough tail to stitch it to the ball.

When you stitch the wings to the ball, stitch them over the first and last stitches.

Hi all!

I have decided to upload a new pattern just for you! It is an adorable pumpkin hat and here are the directions:

This hat makes a newborn sized hat, but you can make it however large you want by either going up needle sizes, or increasing the number of knit stitches between purl stitches (read through the pattern and this will make sense)

On size 3 or 4 DPNs with orange worsted weight yarn,

Cast on 56 stitches and join in the round using your preferred method
Complete about 4" of K6 P1 "ribbing" (I put "ribbing" in quotations, because the result does not really look like your traditional ribbing)

Now for the decreases

After each purl stitch, K2tog, knit the other knit stitches and purl the purls

Work the next round in the pattern (knit the knits and purl the purls)

Next round of decrease: before each purl stitch, SSK, work all the other stitches in pattern

Work the next round in pattern

**Now we are going to do both methods of decreasing. After each purl, K2tog, before each purl, SSK, knit and purl all other stitches in pattern***


Work the next round in pattern


Repeat the red rounds, above, once more so that you only have 18 stitches left on your needles.
K2tog for the remaining knit stitches and purl the purl stitches

You should have 12 stitches left. K2tog around so that there are 6 stitches left on your needles.

Drop orange and join with light brown.

Knit all stitches until the stem measures about 2" then do the following:

K1, K2tog, K1, KFB

Knit

Repeat these two rounds twice more. This increasing and decreasing within the round will help make your stem curl over. The amount of curl depends on you, if you want less, only do it once. If you want more, then keep going until you get what you're looking for.

Knit around for another 1-2" or until the stem is your desired length. Use a cinch bind off to close up the opening. This means you should pull up your most recent stitch so there is a very long loop. Snip it, and pull it through the other stitches using a crochet hook or your fingers or a darning needle and pull tight to close. I like to knot it off as well before weaving in the ends.

For the leaves, make 2 and follow along below. Each line is a row.

With green, cast on 8 stitches

Knit across

Purl across

K2tog, knit to last two stitches, SSK


Purl across


Continue these last two rows until you are down to two stitches, bind off and stitch to the top of your hat using a darning needle.

Enjoy!

Hi!

I know I've been gone wayyy too long. I've been spinning, knitting, crocheting and learning about becoming a speech-pathologist. I'm SO busy its hard to find time to update, I'm hoping to show off what I've been spinning very soon as I'm starting to get better at it and less ashamed of my finished products :)

This is what I'm getting ready to dive into. It is 4 pounds of awesome from the Sheep Shed Studio in Encampment, Wyoming.

And this is Annie, my Kromski Minstrel. I stained her myself with Danish Oil in Golden Oak. I'm hoping someday to make her a red head with the red mahogany Danish Oil, but the color is sort of difficult to come by and shipping for it is not cheap!

The wool here was dyed by me in my crockpot with Wilton's Black Food Color Paste

Knitting Conquest!

I have never really done serious colorwork on a sweater. I saw this pattern hanging up at hobby lobby from Bernat Studio. It was cute. I needed it.  So I grabbed some super soft cotton (I love this cotton! is the brand) and got to work. I had also never made a sweater before. OR altered a pattern before.

As you may be assuming...this was quite a conquest for me. Sweater + colorwork + scaling 4T pattern down to newborn size=

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Sorry for the shoddy photo. My camera is on the fritz from being left in the rain last summer. Its never been the same :sigh:  I'm hoping that hat season will provide me with a new one!

I also want to show you guys my first ad purchase! I purchased ad space on this blog http://www.froggyandthemouse.com/  and I think it looks absolutely great!  My good friend over at Ruby Dorcas Designs did the work for me. She's great. Super great. She does my son's birthday invites every year and she did the graphics package for my etsy shop.

Next on my agenda is finishing my ripple scrapghan and perhaps starting a shawl for this fall. (shawl for fall....that rhymes!)

I'll be out of commission for a bit July 1-10th ish as we'll be camping in beautiful Wyoming. I am SO craving that mountain air!

You all should know

I am a Harry Potter fanatic.



I made this and will be taking it with me to the midnight showing of Harry Potter!
I would love to make more http://www.etsy.com/listing/76079395/golden-snitch-amigurumi

I am also going to be stocked up on gear from my good friend at Quirk Shop

Mainly this:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/74915427/the-weird-sisters-tee-love-for-tonks

I'm so excited and yet sad that it is all going to be over soon.

Sorry I've been spacey lately--my little guy broke his arm yesterday and I've been applying for day jobs and getting ready for our big move next month (that is the move that will give me enough room for a spinning wheel!). Writing cover letters takes a lot of time. Time that I'd rather spend knitting/crocheting. Hope you're all having a great summer!  Vacay for me in a couple of weeks!

November Socks!

I finally FINALLY finished these socks this weekend.

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The yarn is serenity sock weight yarn--I got it at Hobby Lobby and this colorway was on sale. Being a child who loves all things vintage--this colorway of gold, olive green and rust orange was right up my alley.

The pattern is easy to do if you are a learning knitter such as myself and I highly recommend it if you're still waiting to get your feet wet in knitting. (no pun intended)

I had made some simple socks before, but I used worsted weight yarn and it was a very simple pattern so the lace weight sock yarn was a challenge for me but well worth it. These socks will actually fit in my shoes!

Now it just needs to stop being 96 degrees outside....

Here is the link to the free pattern on ravelry. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/november-socks

 If you are not on ravelry.com, I highly recommend it if you are a fiber artist :) Its a website just for us!

Summer fun! Off to Wyoming

What are you all doing for the summer? Big trips?  Projects?

We have a lot going on this summer. Over the 4th of July we are going up to see my inlaws in historic Fort Laramie

    

Although you may have seen it like this:



At the fort, we walk around and look at all the historic re-enacters, the Calvary, they cook bread in this giant stone oven that you can taste and you can go to the bar to get old timey drinks like Sarsaparilla and Root Beer and stick candy.

On the fourth, they have games for kids including a greased pole climb (hilarious to watch), a potato sack race for all ages (also hilarious), and a penny find where they dump a bunch of pennies on the ground and all the little kids run around like hooligans looking for pennies. Its a good time. The first time I went three or so years ago, I was majorly pregnant with my son (like 37 weeks) and it was HOT.



Then last two years it has been COLD! (yes we were roasting marshmallows on the 4th of July)

And stormy!



This year we are extending our stay and are going to bop up to Yellowstone National Park for some camping.  I have my sights set on a campground near Mammoth in Yellowstone:



Isn't it beautiful?  So needless to say, I will be in the car a lot. It is about 10 hours to the inlaws, and then maybe another 6-8 hours to Yellowstone.  I will be doing a lot of knitting and crocheting. I am going to start with a scrapghan for my new niece or nephew coming at the very beginning of August. If I get that done... I have some other things in mind that I will share in a new post :)

The scrapghan I'm thinking of doing is a ripple afghan like this http://crochetme.com/media/p/89937.aspx



But I will rotate offwhite with other colors in my stash. It is the time of year that I need to stash bust in preparation for my busy season this fall!

Sooo what are your plans for the summer?