It’s not the greatest picture, but I’m very pleased to have finished this scarf/cowl. I didn’t have enough Noro to make it a scarf, so I finally just kitchenered the two ends, wrapped it around my neck a couple times and called it a day. I like it and will probably wear it this fall and winter. It just feels good to have it off of my Work In Progress list on Ravelry.
See you tomorrow!
Kerstin
Dear Anne,
We’ve dubbed November through January as “vacation season” at school because it seems like there is one holiday after another that requires days off from school. While we find it challenging to accomplish a lot during these choppy months, we ultimately enjoy the spirit of the holidays in school, even if it means that the students are off the wall most of the time. I have Wednesday through Friday off for Thanksgiving and then it’s a mere three and a half weeks until Christmas vacation, followed closely by Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the inevitable SNOW DAYS. 
Last night I got home early and finished Ben’s first Hanukkah present:
It was made using the Spud & Chloe leftovers from Zeke’s & Noah’s Hoot Hats. (Remember I made a third newborn-sized Hoot Hat on the way home from OBX? Well, I had to sacrifice that one to finish Ben’s hat. I know, I was a little sad because it was so tiny and cute; I had fallen in love with that little hat.) It also matches his current winter coat! (Note that I said “current” and not “new” because we all know Ben doesn’t buy clothes. This happens to be a hand-me-down(up?) from Brett.) Anyhow, Ben has graciously worn the hat I knit him two winters ago (the Turn a Square), but I know it’s not the softest wool (I want to say Debbie Bliss Aran, but it might have been Cascade 220). This is going to make his little head very happy because it’s super soft. It is a bit thick, but I’m hoping that his head won’t overheat because it’s 50/50 wool & cotton.
Love you,
Kerstin
Hi Annie,
So, OBX was great. I knit three Hoot Hats on the trip. 
Everyone on Ravelry has said this pattern runs BIG, so I had to do a little guess work. Noah is 5 months old, but I knit the 6-12 month version. I know that sounds crazy because I just said the pattern runs big, but I knit this on size 10.5 circs, which gave me a tighter gauge. Long story short, it fits perfectly! His parents love it and so does his big bro, Zeke, which brings me to the second hat. I knit the next size up for him and mananged to try it on him before we left. I didn’t have any orange yarn to knit the nose, so I still have to finish that. On the way home, I had nothing to do, so I used the leftovers to knit the 0-6 month version. It’s very tiny and cute; I love it.
Love ya girl,
Kerstin
Dear Anna-Lisa,
I have finally settled on what I’m making everyone for Christmas this year. You won’t be seeing much until after Christmas; I don’t want to ruin the surprise! (Maybe for once we won’t tell each other what we’re giving each other for Christmas.)
This delightful package arrived for me today from Loop. It contains the materials for a knit gift that will make your heart melt, it’s so cute!
This is the Hoot Hat from Spud & Chloe. I’m making this for my youngest nephew. I got enough of the Carbon Grey Outer to make my older nephew a hat, too.
For my two nieces, I’m making a Pick Up Sticks game with a little fabric pouch to store it in, and a Memory game from wooden tiles and pretty fabric.Both of those ideas are from Chez Beeper Bebe. I shouldn’t have written all this here because I may change my mind, but these are my ideas as of now.
As for you, little missy, I have something very special planned. You’ll have to wait, but Christmas is only a couple months away! I’m looking forward to the third year of Handmade Holidays in November over at Sew, Mama, Sew! because I always find inspiration there. Check out their archives, they are full of crafty goodness.
Love you lots,
Kerstin
Hi Kerstin,
In the spirit of showing some pre-blog projects, I thought I’d post about my Black Velvet Whiskey Felted Cap which I based on Laura Irwin’s Whiskey Felted Cap featured in her book, Boutique Knits. I loved the look of the cap, and although I think the name I chose for my ravelry page is super cheesy it reminds me of Mum around the holidays spicing up her eggnog – a memory which warms me up about as much as the thick felled fiber.
Basically, I chose this knit because I needed a cute hat to go with the princess coat that Matthew gave me for my birthday. Because it was my first felting project (fine felling if you must be precise), I thought going for a black fiber not only would compliment the embroidery in my coat, but also hide any imperfections. Luckily, I don’t think there are any to be had. Felting is so much fun. For any of you out there nervous to felt something that you spent hours and hours of your life knitting up it’s not that bad!! Just make sure you keep an eye on it because it really only does take a few minutes.
I’m really pleased with how this project turned out. I love the feminine detail of the large satin bow. All it took was sewing up a bit of left over satin lining fabric on the bias and Viola! Gorgeous. At least I think so. But then again, I got so many compliments all winter long on both the coat and the hat that I think some other people may think so too! However, the most satisfying part of receiving compliments on the hat was to be able to reply, “Thanks I made it!”
