Those lovely people over at Innocent Drinks, who make very yummy drinks are having a winter fundraiser. For every bottle with a hat on it sold in an EAT café or Waitrose between 28th November and Christmas, 50p will go to Age Concern & Extra Care. The pattern is on their site so click on the link above for more info. They’re also featuring the Hat of the Week and this is my favourite so far and was designed by Orla Kiely.

Send your hats by December 1st to:

little woolly hats
innocent
3 The Goldhawk Estate
Brackenbury Road
London
W6 0BA

Here are my hats minus bobbles because they had to go in the last post this afternoon to make the deadline. Cute, eh? I used some scraps of Rowan Wool Cotton.

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This was a commission from a friend - hope she likes it! x AND Mapman has requested one too, so I’ll get around to making one for him for Christmas.

Moss Hat
My design
1 ball Noro Silk Garden - shade 217
4mm Addis

Notes: You can knit this in the round or flat, doesn’t matter. If you knit it flat, always knit the first stitch of each row, this helps to keep it flat and aids in sewing up. This is aimed to fit 21-22″ head size.

Using cable cast on, cast on 96 stitches.

K5, (P1,K1,P1,K1,P1,K1,P1) repeat this ribbing 7 times more. Continue in moss stitch rib for 5″-6″ depending on your size.

Pattern 8, K2 through back of loop (tbl) then decrease a further seven times in the middle of the moss stitch across the row. (88 stitches). Work 3 rows ending with a WS row.

Decrease again 8 times across the next row (80 stitches). Work 1 row.

Decrease evenly across the next row and following alternate row 16 times. (48 stitches) Work 1 row, ending with WS row.

Next row, *K3, K3tog* across row leaving 32 stitches. Work 1 row.

Next row *K3tog, K1* across row leaving 16 stitches. Final row K1, *K2tog, K1*. Leave enough of an end to draw through the remaining stitches then sew up with mattress stitch if you have not knitted it in the round.

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This is quite a boring knit but am working on it most evenings watching telly. This shot was taken a few days ago and was about 18″ in diameter but I’m about 20″ now. Working it on one circ is getting uncomfortable, so it’s being worked between two 80cm 4mm circs now. I’m thinking I’d like it to be about 30″ or so, we’ll see how far we get! Pattern is here if you haven’t seen it already.

I love these cards so much, I had to share them with you. Those of you in the UK, they’re available from the Art Group and John Lewis sells them widely. Sarah Battle’s work is fabulous and they’re my cards of choice for little people everytime. Her background is in printmaking and textiles and she graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1991.

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Chunky Colinette Hat
Colinette Shimmer 5 - Cezanne
12mm Addi turbos

This took about 2hrs to complete including sewing up, so very quick and easy.

Cast on 44 stitches using cable cast on method.

Continue in K2, P2 ribbing for 5″ending with a wrong side row.

*K2tog, P2* repeat across row
Next row *K2, P1* repeat across row
Next row *K1, P2tog* repeat across row
Next two rows continue in ribbing
Next row K2, *K3tog* repeat across row until last two stitches, K2 (8 stitches)
Cut yarn but leaving enough to sew up and pull through the 8 stitches.

Sew up with mattress stitch and darn in any ends. It could look good with a pompom too.

Hope the notes I made are right! Let me know if you end up making it. X

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My new/vintage wool winder is fab! Although it would make life easier with a swift as well, but I’ll have to do without for the moment. I’ve googled and done some searching but can’t seem to find much about the age of it.

I’m guessing 1960s or 1970s but it didn’t have an instruction leaflet that may have given me more clues. I know that Knitmaster made knitting machines but they appear to have ceased trading. It’s great fun, even Mapman thinks so!

Here’s some I made earlier with some of the yarn from Mystical Stripe.

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This has been a long time coming! Moss stitch takes forever and I did get distracted with one or two other things in between…..anyway here it is.

Mist
Rowan Mag 26 - Kim Hargreaves
Rowanspun DK - Rush 737 - 7 skeins
4mm Addis

I ended up making the larger size because I didn’t want it too fitted and wanted to be able to wear it over long sleeved tops but it’s a bit baggy under the arms. I bit more shaping by the side seams would have been better. I lengthened the body by another 7cm because Mum is always pulling hers down! It is quite cropped otherwise. The only other modification I made was shortening the sleeves by 2cm. It could even do to be a bit longer all over but that’s tough luck now. It sewed up really nicely and the sleeves are a lovely shape and fit. I did make a buttonhole but will mostly wear it with a brooch.

Think I might start something that isn’t green! Here’s a close-up of the colour and the stitching.

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I made this beanie last night for my little Aussie mate and it’s already in the post! There was enough leftover from the jumper. I reckon it took about 1 and a half balls and it was the smaller size (1-2 yrs) but it looks huge. Think he might be growing into it and was toying with putting on a pompom but thought better of it.

from The Baby Knits book - Debbie Bliss
All Seasons Cotton - Fern & Military

Am in the middle of sewing up Mist. It’s currently a tabard, which is not a good look!

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After having a hiatus due to a very sore right arm and elbow - most definitely caused by too much knitting, I finally got this finished for master Moore in Melbourne. It’s his birthday next weekend, so I need to get this in the post. I also received some wadding to finish his quilt but think I won’t risk posting that over and will bring it when I visit next year. It only took a couple of days to make once I’d received the back-ordered cotton. However it looks quite wide, so I reckon he’ll have to grow into this one!

Felix 1-2 yrs
Rowan Junior
All Seasons Cotton - Fern & Military
4mm Addis

I got another gift sorted for a colleague of Mapman’s - handmade card and cotton hat. Think this is Rowan 4ply cotton. It was a leftover from Mickey, the jumper with the intarsia star. Somehow I forgot to take a shot of it when I made it last year.

AND I made 100 cupcakes, brownie and birthday cake for Mapman’s birthday last week…….I hear the office were very pleased!

One more thing, I did my swap with Noo of Spitting Yarn. We met for lunch at a funky cafe and had a lovely chat. She was very sweet and included some absolutely stunning colourful macaroons from Paul along with the wool and book. They were so delish they didn’t last long and the raspberry one was my favourite. Although maybe it’s a toss up between the pistachio and the raspberry… They recently opened in Hampstead and I remember we got some gorgeous baguettes when Mum and Dad were visiting in the summer.

I am on the cusp of finishing Mist! Am up to the shaping of the top of the sleeve. Perhaps one or two more evenings of moss stitch and I’ll be able to think about sewing her up because it’s been v v cold and I could do with wearing a lovely wooly cardi.

Here’s a shot of Jack Frost on my geraniums.

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I was blog lurking last week, as you do and came across Spitting Yarn’s offer to swap. She has some Jaegar Matchmaker in cream and blue, some pink Sirdar Nova and Knitting Pretty by Kris Percival. Now the book will be perfect for a friend of mine, I wouldn’t use the Nova but I would definitely make something for a little person with the Jaegar. So we emailed for a bit, I suggested one of my needlecases, but they’re not much really, they’re little and don’t take much making. Then I had a great idea to offer to make her a Christmas cake. Well, she couldn’t say yes fast enough and here it is!

The recipe is an old family one and has been celebrated for Christmas and weddings forever! We decided that not everyone likes icing, so I chose to decorate it with some cherries and blanched almonds instead and am very pleased with the result. All it needs is a lovely wide ribbon and a pretty plate and she’s in business.

All the usual suspects that you find in a fruit cake are in here and organic to boot! Secret ingredients - vintage Calvados and cranberries.

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Not much knitting going on here folks. Have got a very sore elbow, so I’m having to find other things to do like….some Christmas baking, shopping and sewing. I ran short of All Seasons Cotton at the end of last week, ordered some from MCA direct and they were out of stock but very kindly sent me this (Azalea 2718) as a freebie! Now that’s good customer service!

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