A little fall knitting: the Skull Isle Hat

My almost 8-year-old requested this hat in these particular colors. I previously knit the same beanie in black and green for Mr. Elvy in December of 2007. Can you believe it? Seven years later the first hat is still around and well-worn, sometimes by the 8-year-old who was barely a year old then. Mostly it's worn by his dad, which is why the boy had to ask for his own.

This time around, I knit a small with a finished circumference of 20 inches. (I should have knit a medium, as it's almost too small.) The pattern is from Son of a Stitch 'N Bitch by Debbie Stoller and is called Skull Isle Hat, pattern by Chelsea Fowler-Biondolillo. The yarn is from my LYS, Happy Knits, and is a very serviceable (i.e., washable) wool sock yarn, Regia 4-fadig.

The hat isn't perfect; some of the skulls are slightly misshapen. You can see the worst of it in this picture. Figures, shoulda had the kid turn around for a different angle, but it was a miracle he let me take the picture in the first place. Most of the knitting was done on the go. I am finding that as the boys get older and have more activities, several times a week I am left cooling my heels while waiting for them. This particular hat was knitted over several twice-per-week sessions at Academy of Kung Fu. I have Hutchin on the needles right now for Mr. Elvy.

BTW, the scarf was knit by my mom. The boy likes to wear it "cravat" style, as he says.

Cherry red with silver racing stripes, the summer shorts model

My 1st grader has a red t-shirt from summer camp that he loves. Like any fashion-forward seven-year-old, he asked for a pair of red shorts to match his red shirt and the red socks he was wearing that day.

I obliged, because it's not often my boys ask me to make them clothing. (I just hope he doesn't follow through with the all-red outfit.)

This is the Kid Shorts (pattern by Made) with the racing stripes option. These shorts are just about the most adorable thing I've made in a long time. I love them. I've got several more planned for both boys, and I threatened to make Mr. Elvy a pair in an adult version.

For a size 7, these shorts required only a half-yard of a wide-ish (maybe 50"?) remnant of red denim from my stash. The bias trim is also from the scrap bin (probably gray kona).

See that t-shirt? It's the Banyan Tee by Figgy's. I made it last summer with left over jersey knit from my scoop top. (YES, we do have matching mom-and-boy tees!) But this t-shirt was such a hurried affair, and I didn't like the way to collar turned out that I didn't even bother to hem the thing.

Here are details of the plain-front option and the back pockets. Seriously cute. Or maybe it's just the boy I find so cute!

Quilting With Fourth Graders

This year I am the room parent for my son's 4th grade class, which also meant that I was in charge of coordinating the class art project for the school's annual auction. So this is what a group of very enthusiastic 9- and 10-year-olds created:

We started with a layer cake. This was one I had in my stash, one of Aneela Hooey's early collections called Sherbet Pips. We then took 5-6 squares at a time and cut them into strips of various lengths of 2 to 4 inches. The kids then selected three different prints and sewed them together. It was a great project for novice quilters, as there was no concern about keeping a quarter-inch seam allowance (or sewing a straight seam, for that matter). Most of the kids had never used a sewing machine before, so again, it was a very doable group project.

Each block was trimmed down to 9.5" x 6.5". We used a 5 x 8 setting, so we needed a total of 40 blocks. There were only a few strips of fabric left over at the end, so it was a great project using a layer cake. I then used 3.5" x 6.5" blocks for the sashing in between each block, and then 3.5" strips between each row.  The border also used 3.5" strips. The quilt turned out to be a relatively good-sized quilt, 63" x 75".

For the quilting, I used a longarm quilting pattern called Jade. The pattern reminds me of puffy clouds and flowers, so I thought it would add some nice texture to the white background.

These kids should be proud of their work. I think it turned out pretty spectacular! We've already had a few parents expressing interest, so hopefully the quilt will raise some funds for the school.

DIY Laundry and Dishwasher Detergent

I have read many different posts and discussion threads about the merits of making your own laundry and dishwasher detergent, that I had to give it a try too. And yes, both detergents really work. In fact, they work really well. I can't say that  have done the math to see if making your own detergents is as cost-effective as people say, but it is kinda fun to make.  And it's satisfying in a way I can't really describe.

After trolling Pinterest, the common ingredients seemed to be borax and washing soda, with variations for laundry versus dishes. Many recipes had you using entire boxes of borax (76 oz.) and washing soda (55 oz.) at once, but I wanted to come up with recipes that I could whip up easily depending on need.  So, here is what I came up with:

LAUNDRY DETERGENT - 2 tablespoons or 1/8 cup per load

1 bar Fels-Naptha soap (grated in the small holes of a cheese grater, or pulsed in a food processor)
2 cups borax
2 cups washing soda
2 cups Oxy-Clean (optional)
1-2 cups Downy Unstopables or Purex Crystals (optional)

DISHWASHER DETERGENT - 2 tablespoons or 1/8 cup per load

2 cups borax
2 cups washing soda
2 cups citric acid
1 cup kosher salt
* use white vinegar as a rinse aid

Be sure to mix well before using, and store your detergents in an air-tight containers. As a last note, many recipes called for using only 1 tablespoon of detergent per load, which I think would work just fine. I only happen to use 2 tablespoons, because I have extra 1/8 cup measuring scoops handy.

On the needles

I've been trying to squeeze in some knitting this winter break. Knitting is great for those times when I'm with the boys and have a little free time, but can't get to my sewing machine or the cutting table.

This is Traveller's End, a cardigan pattern by Stolen Stitches. It's knitted top-down, my favorite method of construction. The collar and button band are knitted on at the end, so it's also seamless. The yarn is also lovely to work with (as with all Debbie Bliss yarn) and has a soft but substantial feel.

Happy New Year!

Printable Notecard

I'm always writing notes to the boys' teachers (yes, I'm one of those parents), and it seems that the only paper I can ever find around the house has been written on, cut up, or glued. That started me thinking, wouldn't it be nice to have notecards that were cute but not too fancy for everyday use?

So I created these little postcards to look like loose-leaf notebook paper that we used to have in school. It's printed on a sheet of 8.5" x 11" cardstock, and then cut into four. I then used a little corner punch to make the rounded corners.

Here's what the PDF looks like. You can download it here for your own personal use -- enjoy! Shoot me a comment if you end up downloading and using the postcards--it always tickles me to know if something I've made appeals to someone else!

Happy Handmade Holidays!

For my 5-year-old niece, to whom we gifted last night on Christmas Eve.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas day. Happy Holidays!

The Louisa Dress - Pattern: Compagnie M; Fabric: Up Up & Away by Skinny laMinx for Cloud 9 Fabrics.