Beaded Hat

I'm glad (ok, only a little glad) for the cold weather that gave my niece a few more chances to wear the beaded hat!  It was too big for her when she was born.  Now that it finally fits, we're heading into summer.  I'll just have to make another one for next winter.

Knitting with beads is surprisingly easy and fun.  Of course, I had to rewrite this pattern to my liking.  It's a pattern found on Ravelry if anyone is interested.  Thanks Jessie for finding super great patterns for me to try out!

Here's the pink shirt and the back of the dress shown below.

Another dress shirt cut down to size

This one was another dress shirt. I love the little belts. And the detail of the buttons without having to making button holes!

Summer Dresses

Here's the first of my dress shirt tranformations. Okay, not my very first. That one went in the garbage.
The idea came from this blog: MADE. Transforming a man's dress shirt into a little summer dress. There is an awesome tutorial here for making the dresses.
However, I found that making my own pattern was a little difficult since I'm a not great with creating patterns that use fabric rather than yarn. I had much better luck using my favorite dress pattern.
Also, the pink and green shirts were found at the thrift store for $2.00!

"Pillowcase" Dress

 This dress idea came from Heather.  Again, I steal ideas from everyone.  SOOOOOO easy and fast to make.  

A break from knitting. . .

 I wanted to try freezer paper stenciling.  (Something I found from this blog:  MADE  --which by the way has some really neat ideas).  However, during my search for permanent fabric paint, I found the perfect stencil all ready cut out for me:  a single birthday candle on a cupcake.  

My expert-seamstress-neighbor had the silky fabric and helped me make a ruffle.  We decided the headband would finish off the outfit for my niece's first birthday party.

Spring Sweater

This sweater started out as a baby dress. My sister wanted me to design a dress pattern for her baby for Easter. Mine turned out bigger than anticipated, but I think it turned into a darling "peasant style" sweater.
I also didn't start out with enough green yarn but only realized it as the sweater grew. I added the pink stripes and the flowers to tie them in. What do you think?

Many of you have seen these finger puppets. But I still had to add it to the "blog". Of all the things I knit, my kids love these the most. They make the little nursery rhyme even more lively.

Crochet hats and flowers

This little hat pattern started out as a newborn infant size. I made one for my neighbor's daughter and my daughter insisted she had to have a "sparkly hat with a flower" also. I adjusted the pattern to make a bigger size and I think it turned out pretty well. Sad that it's been so cold she can still wear it and it's April. I would love to put the hat away until next winter.

More Knitted Earrings

Here's another pair of earrings that I am trying to decide if I would actually wear them or not. I think I need to find better beads. Knitting with wire is a little tricky. Fun though!

My friend Heather sent me a pattern for knitting earrings. Craziness. I never would have thought of it. I instantly had to try it out. Of course, I can't quite get them to look like I want them to look. Hopefully with more practice, I will get the hang of knitting with wire. The possibilities seem endless! Here's my first attempts. I'm still working on creating a pair that I will actually attach the earring hook to and wear them.

Vests

For a long time, I made vests from the top-down. It was a little complicated with all the different pieces to have to put together to start knitting in the round. This new pattern is knit from the bottom-up but is still knit in one piece! Thanks to my knitting friends who are in the process of test-knitting this for me.