Ok, this isn't about crafts, but it's about saving kids' lives, so it's important.

Not so Square Throw

This time last year I was knitting a throw for my friend's wedding. She was my best friend throughout middle school and high school, and we have remained friends all these years, even though our lives have taken us in different directions... I wanted to give her something from my heart, but I also wanted to challenge myself a bit. I searched for the perfect pattern and finally, in an old Lion Brand catalog I found something called the Artful Elegance Afghan. Now they call it something else, I don't remember what, but I bought the pattern download, bought me some yarn and got busy. When all was said and done, I had made a gift that I recently learned my friend actually went and just had framed to hang in her entryway of her new home. I am too touched for words.

So here, no longer having to be called the Super Secret Wedding Gift, is what I call the Not So Square Throw. I highly recommend this pattern to anyone who wants a bit more of a challenge, but no so much to be discouraged, if they are kinda new to knitting...

What can I say, I love to knit hats!

So this is my new space to talk about crafts and show off stuff I make. Here's a couple of hats I made over the week of Thanksgiving. Did not follow anyone else's pattern, but they are both a 2x2 rib knit with a mixture of DK and worsted weight wool yarn: the yellow is Lion Wool, the orange is Patons Classic Merino, and the rest was KnitPicks Swish DK. They were all left-overs from other projects, and I decided to mix and match the colors in ways I hadn't seen before. I really am trying to use yarn I have on hand for stuff for myself and family to de-stash a bit. I allow myself to buy yarn for gifts I'm knitting though. I knit them both on a size 4 circular needle a la magic loop and therefore did not have to change to dpns when I decreased at the top. I loves me that magic loop!

The brown stripey one is my favorite. I call it my Thanksgiving Hat because, well, I finished it on Thanksgiving, or actually the morning after. It's super soft, super warm, super stretchy, and I made it long enough that I can turn up the brim a full 2-3 inches, which keeps my ears warm.

Yay for hats!