Mitten fever in June!

Ok, so summer hasn't come to Bø yet.  The weather up here at 68 degrees North is very unpredictable and this year summer has decided to stay down south.  The midnight sun is giving us beautiful sunlight 24 hours a day and the leaves on the trees (as you can see in the picture) are just peeking out about a month late.

The grass is a little green, right?!  So... I am making mittens.  Lots of mittens.  And nice warm wooly hats.  

Here are the Cloud Mittens and hat.  I finally started playing around with a little bit of texture in my designs and this pattern uses a variation on a grit stitch.  

Here is the pattern that started it all.  I call it Ribbed Lopi Hat and Mittens.  I was expirementing with the construction of these mittens to actually make a different pair with different yarn.  But I loved the way these turned out so much that this became my first mitten pattern.  

What I am most satisfied with is that both pairs fit so well.  I really got this one right, I think.  So as it is with me and patterns, I am not quite done.  It usually goes in 3's.  (3 balaclava patterns, 3 bunting patterns, etc)  But this time it is going in 4's.  I have 2 more mitten patterns in the works and I think they are just as good.  :-)

I am also working them all out for childrens sizes.  So stay tuned for more mittens!!  Lots more mittens! 

While we are waiting on summer (or spring for that matter...) the seagulls have found their natural rhythm and are again making their nests in our yard.  Here is Oliver on a little 'egg'spedition in the yard.

And, thank you, I will be keeping an eye out for all that summer heat you will all be sending my way after reading this!!  Have a great summer everyone! 

New pattern - bobble wrist warmers!

New pattern!!  Yay!  

Introducing the bobble wrist warmer!  This pattern is fun and quick to make.

We had a little photoshoot and got lucky with some great shots :-)

I thought it would be cool to get some flute shots and Oliver thought it was fun to listen.  :-)

We got a couple great flute pics!

We got a couple of great Oliver shots, too.  :-)

So these fingerless mitts use hdc in bl and the bobble stitch.  I am having lots of fun with this alpaca yarn.  Stay tuned for a couple more alpaca wrist warmer patterns.  I am working on 2 more.  

Until then... namaste ;-)  

As with all of my patterns - you can purchase this pdf pattern on ravelry and etsy.  Here are the links:

ravelry

etsy

direct purchase link for instant download

New pattern: Granny square bunting

Here is little 9 month old Ola Johan modelling my newest pattern that I am calling Granny Square Bunting.  Isn't he a sweetheart?!

I am really proud of this pattern.  I think it turned out really cute.  I made a hat to match, too that is really warm and cuddly with a fleece lining sewn in.  It turned out to be too small for a 9 month old.  (the bunting pattern is a 6-9 month size) So I will be working the hat out in at least 2 sizes.  

Sorry about the shadowy pictures...  we were so busy taking pictures of the sweet baby that we forgot to take nice pictures of the bunting alone.  And I am blogging from a hotel in Oslo...  far far away from the bunting! Anyway...

This bunting also has a hole for a seatbelt worked into the pattern.  Here you can see how that works out.

...Perfectly :-)  And the cuffs on the arms flip over the ends of the sleeves to cover baby's hands.  

Here is a picture pre-assembly when I was picking out buttons.  :-)

It would look good with bigger buttons, too, I think.

So it is ready for testing.  I feel quite confident that this pattern is mistake-free.  I learned a lot from my first bunting pattern - which still has a couple things to work out.  It takes awhile to test with 3 sizes.  This one however I am only publishing in one size.  I think changing the squares would change it too much in other sizes.  So it will probably be published first.

The pattern uses sport weight yarn and an F hook... so it takes a week or two to work up.  I love the potential of it though.  It would be fun to try in other color palettes.  

I do think it would make a really cute sweater, too.  So stay tuned - there may be a sweater pattern coming soon.  I also really want to make a couple of matching baby blankets.  And maybe a toy......  SO MANY IDEAS!  

Oliver likes it.  He thinks it is for him.  I don't think he realizes he is almost 2!  

Too big!  Haha!

Thanks to Julie - Mom to Ola Johan for being my model!  And letting me cuddle this cutie pie! 

One more picture.  We have so many because he was so darn cute!

Yay!  Hope you all like it!  :-)

Mom ♥

This is my mom :-) She and I are both embarking on the crafting etsy adventure and having so much fun sharing the process with each other along the way! 

Here are some of the fun things she makes!

Find her here: 

ETSY - FACEBOOK - WEBSITE

Her presentation on Etsy:

My name is Sandra Hanken and I live a country life in northern Minnesota. My mother taught me to sew when I was a little girl and I have loved to create things ever since. I use lots of re-purposed materials for my creations. I enjoy the variety of colors and textures this allows and it is wonderful to see something old given new life. I have made memory bears since 2006 as BecomingBears® but am currently having fun creating lots of new creatures that I call ETCs (short for Especially Terrific Creatures). I hope you will enjoy meeting them!

Mom, Grandma and Oliver

My mom's mom and my Grandma, Eleanore Mejdrich, who taught my mom to sew and me to crochet turns 95 next week! Happy Birthday, Grandma! 

In these times of youtube, google and online tutorials isn't it wonderful to sit down together and make something? To take time and pass on skills like sewing and crocheting through generations? I feel very lucky to be able to experience that. 

Here I am helping mom sew. :-)

Oliver's turn. :-)

Giveaway!

Since my mom is just starting out with Etsy and Facebook I thought we could put together a little giveaway to get the ball rolling. She has just started selling patterns so to celebrate she will give away 1 pattern of choice to 3 winners. 

To enter like her FACEBOOK page and then leave a comment here on my blog post. 

The giveaway starts right now and ends on Sunday night at midnight CST (the 29th of January). If you leave your email address we will contact the winners that way. I will also publish the winners on my facebook page.

You could win the Owl pillow pattern

Or make an especially terrific creature!

Good luck! 

We had fun searching through old pictures! Here we are in 1988 :-)

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Enjoy your time creating!  And if you have snow, make a snowman!

Ball Hank n' Skein - Crochet Designer Interview

Meet Sarah from Ball Hank 'n Skein.  :-)

BLOG - FACEBOOK - ETSY

Who is Sarah?

Who am I?  Wow!  That's a tough question.  I like to think of myself is a good mom to two amazing little kids,  I have a great husband, and we are living the good life here in the Pacific Northwest.  I love to crochet and have been crocheting every day (except one day when I was really sick with the flu) since I learned!  I'm constantly having crochet design ideas just pop into my head and I have a bunch just waiting for me to write down.  I like thinking of ways to make something that looks complicated very simple and am always looking for ways to make my patterns as easy as possible. 

Where do you find your inspiration?

My kids for sure!  I love making them clothes, toys, blankets, hats, mittens, etc.  I'm also so inspired by all the wonderful crafters and crocheters I have seen in the blogosphere.  My very favorite crochet designers are Amanda Tipton for her ability to capture her creations on film (well, I guess it's on a memory card, but you know what I mean!), Tara Murray for her fun sense of style and her work ethic (she is just so prolific!), and Lisa VanKlavern for her cleverly written patterns. 

What are you hooked on right now?

I love slippers!!!  I have two slipper patterns out right now and have five more that I haven't yet written out. I just finished my "mandala house slipper" pattern that I love! I'm hosting a giveaway of the pattern on my blog right now.   I'm also working on a super simple Fair Isle sweater that I'm really excited about.  Again, I'm working on getting it to be as simple as possible but still have that intricate Fair Isle look. 

Here is Sarah's new slipper pattern!  Cute!  She sent me the pattern, and although I haven't had the time to make them up yet it looks like a really well written and easy to follow pattern.

Here is the link to Sarah's giveaway:

MANDALA HOUSE SLIPPER GIVEAWAY

All you have to do is follow her blog or like her facebook page (links up at the top) and comment on her giveaway blog post and she will pick out 3 winners on monday!  Fun!

I have to share a picture from her blog of her Fair Isle Sweater in progress.  I love it so far!!

And look at this picture of some of the cute things she sells on Etsy!

With tread!  Smart! And so cute :-)  

Thanks for sharing, Sarah and I wish you lots of success with your crocheting!  

Photoshoot with Hedda

Our friend Kine visited yesterday with her adorable little daughter Hedda who is soon to be 3 months old.  Isn't she adorable!  Hedda came over to model and test my newest pattern that I am so excited to share with you! 

Hedda modeling the Bonnet Balaclava

Before I show you the new pattern, look how sweet Oliver's winter hat looks in a violet color in a baby size!

I know!  So cute!

and little!

Ok.  So here comes the new pattern!  I have some adjustmests to make before I publish it.  We discovered that the arms were longer than they needed to be on this size - or rather this makes a good bigger size if it were a little longer.  So as excited as I am to get it out there I want to make it perfect before publishing it.  

The cuffs on the arms pull over so that you can have the hands out or cover them up.

Bunting bag - front and back

I am planning to make a few different sizes including a toddler version with legs and make directions for a car seat option with a spot for the seatbelt in the baby bunting bag.

Yay! Although I still have some work to do on this it is so fun to finally share my progress!