Finished

Ta da.

Cable Baby Hat

This is the matching hat for the baby poncho. I had planned to do a nice, detailed explanation of how this hat is made, but I only took one picture. Oh well. Basically, you make the earflaps first, then cast on between the earflaps to connect them. This little hat was actually very quick to make.

Picking up Stitches

I've actually finished this project, but I haven't had time to update Pins and Needles. In this picture, you see the collar marked every inch with safety pins. I needed to pick up five stitches per inch.

For picking up stitches instructions, continue reading.

In the Knitter's Handbook, which I use all of the time, the thing that helped me understand picking up stitches most was when I read that one should think of it as "knitting up" rather than"picking up" stitches. You don't just go around lifting loops up from the edge of the knitting. This is a step-by-step to picking up one stitch.

First, pick up a loop from the edge.

Next, loop the yarn from the ball of yarn you are using over the needle.

And pull it through the loop.

This is what it looked like when I had picked up all of the stitches and was ready to do the ribbing for the poncho's collar.

Flared Legwarmers

although I am not a fan of the multicolored version here, I am working on a pair of flared legwarmers to wear under skirts as the weather turns chilly...

I am not going to rib at the bottom, but I am going to make a ribbing (almost garter-ish) at the top. Does this need to be particularly tight, or am I safe making a pretty standard/straight cyclindrical knit thing which will reveal itself as a legwarmer?

(I will be purchasing a digi-cam for my trip to barcelona! and then I can accompany my posts with some pictures!)

mittenmitten! bazaar bizarre!

beth and I got into the bazaar bizarre! we had a very quick flurry of activity around the application process (read: ann had a flurry of manic activity, beth is a practiced and professional vendor and has already been selling through ebay), and built this petite site to show our wares: mittenmitten!