Knitted Baby Beanie

May21

I really, REALLY, love to crochet but I did make a New Year’s Resolution to practice my knitting techniques this year too. So here it is May already and I thought I had better try something before the year escapes me.

Knitted baby beanie

I’ve been crocheting little newborn beanies for a local hospital that just opened a new maternity ward and thought this would be a great place to begin a knitting project. I looked through my books and magazines for a simple pattern but nothing grabbed me. Finally I found a cute idea on Flickr for a stretchy ribbed newborn pattern, done in the round!! What really made me decide that this was the pattern for me was the fact that it will stretch easily to fit many different sized heads!! I want to thank Shandeh for sharing her pattern on Flickr. I made one change and that was that I cast on 76 stitches rather than her recommended 68 using 8″ dpns, size US #6 (4.00mm). I think I knit a little tight and felt the extra stitches gave my hat a better size.

This was my first attempt at knitting with Double Pointed Needles (DPNs). Actually had to look up that abbreviation, told you I was really a crochet fanatic!! Also, I knitted my beanie using 4 dpns because I was having issues with laddering (another new knitting term for me). But wasn’t going to let that stop me!! I was a little like Edward Scissorhands in the beginning but got my rhythm going quickly. Found that if I made sure the two dpns that I was knitting from were on top of the two needles that were just holding my stitches, it was much easier to knit the ribbing pattern.

Working in the round

Close up work in progress

Finished length 6 inches

The entire pattern is just a knit 2, purl 2 ribbing that you do for a total of 6 inches. Then you start decreasing. First decrease round is knit2tog, purl2tog, leaving 38 stitches. Then knit a round. Next decrease round is knit2tog, leaving 19 stitches on your needles. Complete another knit round. Third decrease round knit2tog, with 10 stitches remaining on your needles (including the one stitch left over). Cut your yarn leaving about 8″ tail, attach your darning needle and weave your needle through the last 10 stitches and pull tight. Push darning needle to the wrong side of your beanie and weave in the loose end. Now your beanie is ready to be donated or for your new arrival!!

Another pic of finished beanie

I really like the finished look of this little beanie and I am now working on enlarging the pattern because this would be a great beanie for toddlers too!!

HAPPY CREATING!!

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Sewing a Child’s Gathered Skirt with Lace Ruffle

Apr28

This is an update to my free child’s gathered skirt pattern. I have included lots of pictures and my sample shows how to attach a lace ruffle to the bottom edge of my denim skirt. The lace I am working with has a finished edge on both sides, no hemming necessary.

On my pattern page, you will find directions on how to determine your cut width and cut length. STEP 1: Be sure to match up the selvage edges together and place that edge along a straight ruler line so that your top and bottom cuts will be even.

Lining selvages, right sides together, along right edge

Line up center fold along straight ruler line for left side.

Marking top edge to get ready to cut evenly.

If using a 100% cotton fabric, you can make a small cut along the top and bottom edges and just rip your fabric to get that nice straight of grain edge to work with.

Fabric cut and ready to be sewn.

STEP 2: Once you have your fabric cut, I like to serge all the fabric edges. I cut off the selvages with my straight ruler before I do the serging. If you don’t have a serger, you can always do a close zigzag stitch along the raw edges.

Serged edges

Cutting of the selvage edge to avoid puckering

STEP 3: With right sides together, sew a 1/2″ seam allowance. Press your seam open. STEP 4: Lay out your skirt and measure from side seam to side seam. You will want to double that measurement so you have the total circumference of your skirt. Take that measurement and multiple it by 1.5 up to 2 times to determine how long to cut your lace.

Determining skirt circumference

STEP 5: Cut your lace to the pre-determined measurement and sew it together with right sides matching. Make a gathering seam by sewing a loose zigzag stitch over top of a heavy-duty (dual duty) thread on the wrong side of the lace. This makes for a very strong gathering thread that you can pull on very tightly and it will not break.

Sewing a zigzag stitch over heavy duty thread

Lace ready to be gathered

Showing how close to the edge of lace I sewed gathering thread

STEP 6: Divide your skirt into fourths, placing a pin at the center back seam, center front seam and both sides. You will also fold your lace into fourths and place pins at each fold. Now with right sides together, pin your lace markings to the skirt markings. Pull snuggly on one heavy duty gathering thread and pin your gathers from center back to center front on one side. Now repeat that step for the other side, pulling snuggly using the other heavy duty gathering thread to gather up the lace and pin to the skirt. Stitch in place.

Marking for lace placement

Gathered lace ready to be sewn

Attaching lace to pin markings before gathering

STEP 7: You want to press that seam up towards the top of the skirt. Because my denim had painted silver dots on it and the lace was somewhat delicate, I used a terry cloth towel as my pressing cloth so as not to have any damage (melted dots or lace)!! STEP 8: After the seam is pressed up, stitch that seam in place. I made two (2) rows of stitching because I like that look. One row of stitching is sufficient.

Using a pressing cloth

Double stitched row

STEP 9: Make the casing for the elastic by folding down the top edge of the skirt 1 1/2″. Pin in place at the folded edge and turn under the serged edge as you stitch leaving about a 2″ opening to pull your elastic through. Attach a safety-pin to one end of your 3/4″ non-roll elastic and begin pulling it through the casing. So I wouldn’t pull the end of the elastic into my casing, I pinned it to the opening. Once you have pulled the elastic through the entire casing, over lap it about 1/2″ on each side and stitch securely into place. Make sure you haven’t twisted the elastic before sewing. After stitched, pull on the waist band so the elastic is nicely tucked inside and stitch close your opening.

Folding down your casing

Beginning elastic meeting pulled through elastic

Attach safety-pin as your gathering tool

STEP 10: To help keep your gathers in place, make a stitching line at the center back, center front, and both sides. Stitch from the top of the waist band to the stitching line of the casing (sewing through all thicknesses).

HAPPY CREATING!!

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Crochet beanies for donations

Apr23

Crochet beanies for donations, a photo by mysticmeems on Flickr.

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Crochet Beanies for Donations

Apr23

We are having a beautiful Spring day and I thought I would take just a moment to share a picture of some of the baby beanies that I have made. Hopefully, giving you some fresh ideas that can be made from this quick, simple pattern. I am donating these to our local hospital’s maternity ward for the newest arrivals!!

Also, I did knit two preemie sized beanies from a free Red Heart pattern that I tweaked a bit. If you are interested in that pattern, let me know and I will tell you what I did.

As you can see, I used several different solid colored baby yarns, a variegated brown and pink baby yarn, two shades of pink for one and I made one by crocheting a solid blue baby yarn and a solid white baby yarn together.

Using different sizes of hooks and weights of yarn gives you a nice variety of shapes and sizes.

For my next batch, I think I will add some pompoms to the tops and/or little appliques. Hope you have as much fun creating these beanies as I have!!

HAPPY CREATING!!

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How to Sew Bean Bags

Apr14

What child doesn’t LOVE to toss around squishy little bean bags!! Here’s some quick tips on how to make these cute, fun bags.

I just use cotton fabric from my very large scrap bin but just about any type of fabric will work. I personally like to mix solids with prints because it gives more options to vary up game ideas.

For my samples, I chose two solids that coordinated with two prints and stacked all four fabrics on top of each other. Then I measured a 5 1/2″ square that I drew on the fabric and with the help of my ruler, I rotary cut out these squares in one quick motion.

Now simply put right sides together and sew in a 1/2″ seam allowance leaving one side partially unsewn for turning. I like to sew about a 1″ seam on each side of the opening edge so I don’t have to mess with the corner. When I make my 1/2″ seam allowances, I sew off the end of the fabric, lift my pressure foot and turn the fabric and continue sewing my seams. Saves some time. I will also back-stitch across the seam that I just made to give extra strength to the corners.

Once I have sewn around all the sides of the square, trim your seams and angle cut your corners. Before I flip to the right side, I like to press down the opening edge to make the closing seam easier to stitch. After I have ironed this edge, turn your square to the right side. Fill it with about 3/4 cup of rice, dried beans or some type of bean bag filler and then sew your opening closed. I like to stitch a second row on my opening edge for reinforcement since this is an item that gets a lot of use.

Now have fun tossing them into buckets, boxes, bags, etc. or just on the floor getting different points if your bean bag lands on a solid side or a print side. Fun game ideas for parties like hot potato, balance on your head walking across the finish line, tic tac toe style games, etc.

TIP: When using two different fabrics, I like to put a coordinating thread for one fabric in the bobbin and the other coordinating thread for the second fabric in the machine.

HAPPY CREATING!!

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Stitch4eveR

A Needle In Time

Knitted Baby Beanie

Sewing a Child’s Gathered Skirt with Lace Ruffle

Crochet beanies for donations

Crochet Beanies for Donations

How to Sew Bean Bags