What's Going On

I have not posted in a while, but I am still here.  I have been spending my time at soccer practices and games, outside as much as possible, and reading book 2 in the Outlander   series. Another thing taking up time is my husband and I have been getting our raise-beds ready and we have a new puppy that we have been spending time with.

Maple likes asparagus.

 I have to be honest and say that I have not touched my loom since last Saturday.  One whole week without loom knitting.  I haven't gone this long since the fall.  I finished a rainbow Rib-It hat and then I started working on a spiral design with two colors.  It was taking longer than I thought it would and I just got bored with it.  :( So, it is still on my loom, just hasn't really had much work done on it.  

I need to get back to work though.  I would love to have enough hats to go to a craft fair in the fall.  I also started a new etsy store with the same name as the blog and would love to have enough stock to open it with at least 30 hats.  

I would love to find some great patterns for light hats for spring, but really have not had a lot of luck.  If anyone has any links to patterns they would like to share please leave them in the comments.  

Just Finished 2 More Hats

I finished two hats.  I knit my Favorite Knit Hat with a small change and I had this idea for a rainbow hat in my head for weeks now and finally knit something.  I thought it was going to be a hat and now I am wondering if I should do something else or keep it a hat and add pom-poms.  Or would pom-poms be too much?  Not really sure.  I am up for others opinions though if anyone wants to comment.  

My Favorite Knit Hat Pattern

 When I knit this hat I made small changes.  One being the kind of yarn I used.  I made the hat with Caron brand Simply Soft.  The color is pistachio and it is a really nice light green.  The other change that was made is on the yarn over.  On the first hat I used the e-wrap for the yarn over.  This time I put the yarn in front of the yarn over peg.  I am really happy with this hat and it still is My Favorite Knit Hat. 

Close-up of the pattern.

 This was going to be a hat.  And it still might be a hat, but I also think it would be cute to add a handle and turn it into a cute little purse.  I am not sure.  I planned on adding two pom-poms, but for some reason I think it might be too much?  I don't know, maybe I am way over thinking it.  I love the flat top that I made to finish it and it looks super cute on.  The brim that I used for this hat makes a really tight brim and it doesn't have a lot of stretch.  I even made it on the purple round loom and it is too tight.  I love the way it looks though.  Is anyone interested in this pattern?  It is simple to knit up and if you wanted to change that would be super easy.

Feel free to comment.  I love to know if my patterns are being enjoyed or if you want more info on any of the hats I've made.   

Spring Knitting

We had 2 weeks here of this amazing Spring weather and I thought I was going to put away my looms.  I decided that I want to keep knitting this year through the Spring and Summer.    I want to get hats ready to add to my etsy shop in the fall and maybe enough to set up at a craft fair. 

With weather that was too gorgeous not to be outside and two kiddos that want to enjoy playing in the yard, I had to figure out the best way to knit on my porch.  I have animals that love yarn (new puppy and cats) and the porch is not exactly super clean.  I ended up finding a gift bag that was deep enough and sturdy enough to stand up without falling over.  I put the yarn in the bags and this worked out perfect.  It was a great solution and makes knitting on the porch possible for me.  :)

Last night after the kids went to bed,  I started knitting my favorite knit hat again.  I am using Caron brand Simply Soft this time and making a small change on the yarn over.  On the first hat I used the e-wrap on the yarn over and this time I am laying the yarn over the front of the peg.  I am liking the way it is turning out so far.  I am using the same light green yarn I used on the Spring Hat.  I am hoping to have it finished by this evening.  I will post pictures and then you can see the hat with different yarn and a small change. 

2 Hats for Spring

On my last post I said that I was going to work on the Spiral Lace Hat with some changes and use cotton yarn.  What I tried did not work at all and I ended up breaking both strands of yarn that I was using.  I am still thinking of what I can do with the pattern to make it better.

While thinking about that pattern I found a free pattern for a hat that looked great for Spring.  You can find the pattern here.  I used the repeat pattern that is in the hat, but did not follow the other instructions.  I also made the hat two times with a small change on the k2tog.

 I used cotton yarn and used the purple round loom.  For the brim I did the garter stitch for 6 rows.  I did the normal yarn over (put the working yarn in front of the peg) and k2tog.  I did the 5 steps for the pattern 8 times.  For the crown I took the yarn on the first peg and moved it to the second peg and knit the bottom loop over the top loop. 

When I made the hat the second time I used Caron brand Simply Soft.  For the brim I did the garter stitch for 8 rows.  I then worked the same pattern, but instead of k2tog, I moved the yarn from the peg that was going to be empty for the yarn over and put it on the next peg and just lifted the bottom loops over the top loops.  On the empty peg I put the working yarn in front of the peg and then put it behind the next peg.  For the crown I finished it the same way I did the first one.  I like the way this hat turned out.  

I am not sure what I am going to knit next.  I was thinking of making a rainbow hat or searching Ravelry for another pattern to use on my loom.  As always, I'll post pictures here when I am done.  

Spiral Lace Hat

The other day I posted that I was working on a new hat.  It turned out pretty good, but I think it still could use some work.  That is my plan for today, to work on this pattern and get a pattern made worth sharing.  I would like to use cotton yarn, so that it would be a light hat that could be worn in the Spring.  The problem I have with cotton yarn is that it does not stretch.  I need some stretch so I can move the yarn on the pegs, but I still want to try and  and see what happens.

Spiral Lace Hat

 I worked on my blog this weekend and have added some new tabs.  You can find links to free patterns, a link to my etsy, and my place to keep up with all my projects for the year.  

I plan to add a tab to add my recommendations.  My recommendations will include looming products, but it also might include books that I think are great and/or homeschooling items that I enjoy.   


Keep checking back for something new.  :)  And, I always love comments.  If you have anything that you would like to see or have any questions please feel free to leave a comment. 

 

On My Loom

Right now on my loom is a new pattern that I am trying.  In my head it looks great.  If it turns out like I have in my head, I plan to share the pattern here.  I will have to get to work on it though, because tomorrow is my son's 6th birthday.  He told me today that he wants me to knit as much as I can today, so that I don't have to knit on his birthday.  

Right now there are not enough hours in the day.  I want to be outside enjoying the nice weather with my kiddos, reading my book, knitting, attempting to keep the house in some sort of order, cleaning up the greenhouse for art projects and planting, and making sure that our lessons for school are being done.  I am lucky if I accomplish even half of the things I want to be doing. 

The weather here is really starting to feel like Spring, so I want to knit as much as possible before it is too warm out.  My days will soon be spent in the garden and canning in the kitchen.  I know my blog is This Mama Knits, but I've been thinking of adding recipes we will use for canning veggies and making jam.  I also thought maybe including pictures of the garden and other art projects we work on.  I haven't really decided yet.

Ok, must get started on the hat.  Wish me luck and look for an update or even better a new pattern.  

 

Etsy Coupon Code

I have an active coupon code for my etsy shop.  Everything in the shop is 15% off if you use this coupon code:  SPRING11SALE


I plan to keep the code active until the end of the month.  If you have any problems with the code please let me know.  I hope you find something that you like.  :)