Ode to a lost hat

This post goes out to one of my favorite hats that I unfortunately lost last week somewhere between a wedding reception and the hotel in Naperville, IL. Because I am feeling sentimental today, I wrote a note to my lost hat. Who knows, maybe through the power of the internet, it will make its way back to me.

Dearest Hat with Purple Stripes,

You were so fun to knit and worked up so quickly. I designed you specifically to match my purple jacket and, boy did I get a lot of compliments on you. You saw me through 3 winters and were the perfect size and never messed up my hair that much. I hope you are not forever stuck in a lost and found box or a landmill. May someone nice find you and give you a new head to warm. I might be able to knit a hat just like you, but remember, you were the original. I will miss you Black Hat with Purple Stripes.

Your designer,

Heidi


Notes on how to make this hat -
I think I used a size 8 16" circular needle and knit ~5 rows in a K5P5 pattern (maybe casting on 60?). I knit the purple stripes as shown and decreased first in the purled areas and then in the knit areas when there were no purled areas remaining. If I remake this hat, I will actually write down a pattern as I go.

Snowman Progression - Acrylic on wood

Hi all! 

I decided to throw some pictures on the blog today of a craft I did ages ago (c. 2002) as a high school art project. I then gave it to my mother for a Christmas gift. I was inspired to make this by finding a picture of a similar project in a magazine. I cut the pieces out of wood, sanded the wood, painted on the design, and glued the pieces to the twine. I added the plaid fabric as a finishing touch.

Enjoy!

Heidi

Butterfly Baby Toy

Few and far between

You may have noticed that I have made several thesis hats for my friends (Nic's Clover Hat, Loren's Prairie Dog Hat, Greg's Mouse Hat, Erica's Sperm Hat, and Beth's Neuron Hat).

Now it is my turn to defend my thesis in a few months, so between writing a dissertation, working on papers, and figuring out what I will do after graduation, I will have less time to maintain my blog. I will try to post when I can (or when I need some productive procrastination). So if my posts become few and far between, I am sorry.

That being said, I would like to share a baby toy I made from some leftover baby blanket yarn a few years ago.

A cuddly butterfly baby toy

I made this snuggly baby blanket toy a few years ago out of some leftover baby blanket yarn. I knit an X pattern (top picture) and then folded a cylinder into the center of the work for the butterfly's body. I used some fiberfill to stuff the body. Then I sewed the seam to complete the butterfly's body. To complete, I tied a piece of yarn around the neck. I had not started documenting my patterns when I made this, but if I make another, I will write down the pattern and post it here.

Neuron Hat

Meet my friend Beth! She is a super talented high school biology teacher. While she enjoys all aspects of Biology, she especially loves neurobiology. Her previous research experience was in the field of neurobiology, in particular how cell signaling in neurons works. Therefore, to continue in my science-themed hats, I designed a neuron hat, complete with dendrites, a cell body, an axon, and synaptic terminals. I even included some signaling molecules for good measure. 

The pattern can be found here at Ravelry (buy directly here) and here at Craftsy. I have included an easier chart that eliminates most of the long carries in the pattern as well as a chart for the pictured hat.

Photo credit: Matt Menietti