Dishing up knits

Between personal projects and promised products I probably have enough to keep me busy through Christmas — and let's not forget gifts! So what do I do? I ask for more, of course!

Here's a taste of what's still cooking, what's hot out of the oven and a reheated treat:

After I finished my first snake hat-scarf, my husband lamented that it didn't fit his head. Silly boy, it wasn't made for you! So lickety split, I'm working on a larger one for him. And this one is sporting some sweet seed stitch.

Snake hat-scarf, seed-stitch version

You can find the cable pattern for the original snake hat-scarf in this season's Loom Knitters Circle. And the hat is in my Etsy shop — for now. I'm heading to my very first craft fair in early November and I don't think it will be coming back home with me.

It's a busy fall for me and I don't mind a bit. My first loom-knit class is also on my plate. I will be teaching bulky-yarn socks to a wonderful group of ladies. I'm knitting up a sample to go with my original pattern (coming soon).

Twisted Weekend Sock

Between those projects, I got a request I couldn't refuse. My Threadless friend, Lori, bought a custom pair of wristwarmers from my Etsy. They are modeled after the Wacky Wristwarmers I made earlier this year. I dug into my yarn stash, found some crazy Noro yarn and whipped these up in two weeks. They're going in the mail today!

Wacky Wristwarmers

But I have goodies for everyone else, too. I took my twisted cable hat off Etsy to add some ears and eyes. Now I have a kitty hat for a kid out there. I will relist this reinvention later today.

Kitty hat

Some sweaters by Lyn are on the way, too. Brrrr, a sweater sounds like a good idea right now on this rainy fall day. At least the leaves are nice and bright!

RAWR! It's dino hats!

It's the invasion of the Dino Hats. The humans wearing these will be on the hunt for tricks or treats this Halloween. And I have two more beasties in the queue, thanks to a custom Etsy order.

Slimey the Green Dino enjoys frolicking in the summer sun while eating M&Ms.

Slushy the Blue Dino prefers an autumn bonfire and a cup of espresso.

Dino Hat pattern notes
Since I was inspired by two very talented loom knitters and incorporated their techniques, this is a free pattern. Both hats were made on the yellow Knifty Knitter round loom. With two strands of Vanna White worsted, crochet cast-on 41 pegs.

For the hat base ... Follow a rib-knit pattern (knit two, purl 2) for 1.5 inches. This is your brim, which can lay flat or be folded up. From here, knit in stockinette for 7.5 inches for an adult hat. If you plan to do a gather bind-off, knit about 9 inches for an adult hat. If you plan to decrease for a crown using the flat-panel method, knit about 7.5 inches and begin shaping. For more information about crown shaping, see Isela Phelp's Buttoned Up hat pattern.

For the scales, I knit in garter stitch. I started with 9 pegs and decreased one stitch on every other row (the knit row) on alternate sides.

The eyes were made on the pink Knifty Knitter flower loom. I used the drawstring cast-on by Brenda Myers. Using garter stitch, I knit 8 rows of the main color and 14 in white. I used buttons for the pupils. When attaching them to the hat, I found they sit best if I sewed them on the bottom and a little up the back.

Etsy excitement

My Etsy shop gained a little weight this week. And that's a good thing for everyone!

I'd like to officially welcome Lyn's creations into my shop. She beads beautiful ornaments and knits, too! For those saying "Bah humbug, it's too early to think of Christmas!" ... Well you'll see some of her items can decorate year-round.

Her collections of ornaments make a great stocking stuffers. Personally, my grandma gives out sets of ornaments to her grandchildren every year and it's been a wonderful tradition. You can do the same with your own children, nieces, nephews and cousins! Even larger sets of Santas and Christmas trees are coming soon.

One-of-a-kind knit sweaters by Lyn are on their way to the shop. In the meantime, I recently added a custom wristwarmers listing. Choose the yarn you want and I'll knit you up a pair in a week or two! Keep your hands toasty and your fingers free!

Season of change

Foliage is falling but some flowers are still on the rise. We just finished our fall landscaping project. Just ignore that big mulch pile still in our driveway. Move along and check out the pretties. More photos are at my Flickr.

My Etsy shop is going through a little fall makeover, too. Watch for classic ornaments and one-of-a-kind sweaters by my friend, Lyn. Here's a sneak peak of what's to come: