lonely mitten

Here is the first mitten I have ever knit.

The yarn is a wool/acrylic blend, and it is washable! Perfect for the tiny tots! Here is the pattern I used, it is very basic, and I didn't include the stripe because my yarn did the stripe on it's own. I extended the ribbed band at the wrist so they will stay tucked inside baby's coat a little better. If you have never knit on double-pointed needles, here is a video you should watch, it's really much easier than it looks. I should also mention that every time I hit some abbreviation that I had no clue what it meant, I searched it on You Tube (ex: SSK... I just typed it in and got knitting tutorial videos on how to slip, slip, knit...boom!). Also, if you want a bigger mitten, you can just use bigger needles and yarn.

Modified Dishcloth Bib

So remember that easy peasy dishcloth pattern we linked to a couple posts back? This is it, coming back to us as a bib. When I first made the dishcloths I fell in love with the stitch pattern. It knits very quickly, looks harder than it is, and it is fun to change colors. I was always interested in starting the next one to see what it would look like. Well, here is another way to satisfy that longing. Just turn it into a bib with some very easy, and very quick modifications! I think it turned out pretty cute, but it doesn't hurt to have such a sweet model!

FREE ninety-nine!

Just thought I would post a couple links to some sites that have free crafty-fun patterns. Keep your eye out for copyright issues though. Some patterns indicate you cannot sell items made from them, and so we wouldn't want them for the craft fair. The Internet really is a great crafting resource. So you're not sure what that knitting abbreviation means? No problem, just Google it! :)Enjoy!
A fun purse tutorial
Printable Paper Dolls! (These specify not to be sold, but they are way cute!)
Felted Knit Oven Mitt
Handmade Napkins (Sewing)
The Purl Bee is a great website for crochet and knit tutorials, and have some super-cute project journals as well. You should really just explore the entire site!
Knit Baby Booties (The pattern is a pdf...click on the side-bar picture of booties to download)
The Daily Knitter has TONS of free patterns!
Lion Brand Yarn Company has both knit and crochet patterns available for free, although you may have to enter your e-mail address to access all of them (for the record, my inbox hasn't been overtaken by e-mails from them... in fact, I don't think I have received anything from them!) At the ladies brunch we had some samples and patterns of the crocheted penguin and turtle which are found on their site.
Don't forget our old buddy, Martha Stewart, whose website has more craft projects (with patterns!) than you can shake a stick at! I really like the strawberry pincushions, and we had a low number of sign-ups for pincushion making... a perfect first craft project!
If anyone has some links that they would like to add please feel free, just make a comment.

Primitive Potholders

These could also be called "reclaimed children's tights" since they are made out of do it yourself craft loops. I had some tights that were no longer needed (one had a communion stain on the knee), so I tried this. Simply cut strips across the legs (of cotton tights) about 1/2" wide, link them up and roll into a ball. I used size 13 knitting needles, cast on 15 stitches and worked in a basic garter stitch until the size seemed right. While they are definitely primitive, I like them. They also work very effectively, and the texture is nice.

p.s. T-shirts, knit pants, knit pillowcases, or anything that can be cut into loops works fine for this. Experiment!