Plane Knitting: Hooded Cowl

I am a really terrible flyer. I get motion sick, anxious, hungry, and I always decide I have to pee right as the captain turns back on the fasten seat belt sign.

Because of all these things, I really hate the parts of the flight where I can listen to music, watch a movie, or whatever other electronic stimulation I try to use to distract me from the fact that I am hurling through the air at 500 mph in an aluminum tube.

Since I can't just sit there and contemplate my own mortality, I knit. Please don't ask me to fly without my knitting, I won't do it.

For this trip, I wanted to switch up my project from what I had been working on lately. A chunky scarf for my mom, a chunky baby blanket for High School Best Friend, and Fuzzums for the Hooks and Needles Sale.

Long story short, I've been itching to use some thinner yarn, on a project I actually get to use.

Enter my idea for a cowl. My ears get cold in the winter, but hats always make me overheat. I thought a nice, lace cowl is just the ticket.

I happened to have picked up some Cascade Pima Tencel when on vacation in Niagara Falls with Code Boyfriend. It seemed like a great fit.

Unfortunately, it was a pain to fine a lace cowl pattern I like for DK yarn.

After a lot of searching on Raverly, I found the Smoke Ring pattern. It has beautiful, leaf-like lace pattern, not too complicated for plane travel. I don't like to use patterns that I can't easily remember, because of the whole motion sickness thing...

I need a pattern that I can memorize and work for 5 minutes before consulting the chart again. This pattern is easy to memorize and works up quickly.

The circular needles it calls for are also TSA approved and a great size to have on planes. I feel like needles that are too big or too small are just too much fuss on planes.

I'm not done yet, but I'm very happy with this plane knit.

Pom Pom Creatures

My knitting club just finished making 20 hats for the snowboarding team.

They came to use with an ugly, acrylic hat and asked us to make 20 more... It was bright yellow and blue with a giant green pom pom on it... Not my favorite, but whatever makes them happy.

In the process of making these hats, I had started making the pom poms and it turns out that giant pom poms are super fun to throw at people.

Since our clubs Winter Sale is fast approaching and I have zero free time, I've been looking for a cheap, fast way to make something for the table that will sell.

Light bulb moment. Those giant pom poms need googly eyes.

Isn't he cute? I'm trying to name them.

Warm Fuzzies?

Gruzzies?

Carl?

I'm still working on it. For right now, they're just adorable and very easy to make.

Just hot glue googly eyes to the ends of 3 pieces of yarn from the pom pom. I used an extra large pom pom maker to make the pom pom, but if you are using card board, or your hand or any other method, but sure to make them extra fluffy.

They're cuter that way.

 

Turning a Hoodie into a Pillowcase

When I came home from college this summer, I discovered an interesting thing about myself. I own over 30 hoodies... most of which I have a reason for not wearing.

There is the hoodie I got from a concert that got washed with a pen and is now covered in ink.

Or the mass amount of hoodies I have from my high school, much less cool to wear when you are in college.

I wanted to get these hoodies out of my closet, but some of them I couldn't bear to give away. I decided to try and make cute throw pillows to keep them around.

So here's how I made adorable hoodie pillows for my sister and my college apartments.

Hoodie Pillows
 Needed:

• A favorite hoodie that can no longer be worn
• A sewing machine
• Thread matching the hoodie, or in a cute contrasting color
• A pair of scissors
• A seam ripper
• A standard bed pillow

Action plan:

1. Use the seam ripper to remove the hood from the rest of the sweatshirt. This is a very important set to do first, because it allows you to easily insert and remove the pillow from the sweatshirt.
2. I like to hem the neck of the sweatshirt after I take the hood off, but if you would prefer an unfinished hem, you can skip this step.
   
   
3. Then, turn the sweatshirt inside out and sew the bottom of the sweatshirt, about a 1/4 inch from the bottom, on the elastic.
   
   
4. Trim off the sleeves off the hoodie, making sure to leave about an inch of sleeve in tact. This makes the side seams easier to work. The sleeves just get in the way.
5. Slip the pillow into the hoodie, and pin straight sides around the pillow, making sure the pouch of the hoodie, and any beloved symbols on the front of the hoodie are centered. Depending on the size of the hoodie, you may need to sew the entire length of the hoodie, or just sew up the arm holes. This hoodie is from my younger days, and it was somewhere in the middle. Just make sure you fit the hoodie to your pillow.
   
   
6.  Slip the pillow out and sew the side seams.
   
   
7. Trim the excess off of the side seams, turn the now pillowcase right side out, slip the pillow inside, and see if you like it. I love them just like this, with an open top. If you don't like this look, there are a few options you have. 

8. You can attach fabric from the extra sleeve or hood fabric, and sew that to the inside from of the   neckline, giving you something to tuck over the pillow, creating a more solid pillowcase. Or, you can add buttons to the neck, to keep the pillowcase close.

Enjoy! These are a great way to save your old hoodies, and they give you a great place to store the remote on the couch.

Hogwarts Knit Skirt

As a child of the '90s, I grew up reading tales about Harry Potter and his band of merry men. What can I say, I was hooked. Now, many years have passed since I first began the children's series, and I still remain loyal to the films.

The Harry Potter movies and I had a long standing tradition, I would wait for hours at the theater (the past few years in full uniform) waiting with great anticipation to view the next piece of the story.

Around 3 AM, I would then stumble back to my car, robes shoved haphazardly into my bag, thoroughly disappointed with all they had left out of the story.

Year after year, this ordeal took place, until the 7th movie. While it may not have completely covered the book, I was happy with it. I didn't feel the horrible disappointment as with the other movies. Hence, my anticipation for the second installment grew.

My costume would have to be perfect for such a grand event. Since the gray uniform skirt I originally wore was outgrown year earlier, I was in the market for another skirt.

I am in college, so this would have to be a cute, gray skirt, to the knee, hopefully that I would want to wear without the costume, for cheap. This was not happening.

Since I am now on summer vacation, I do have a great deal of time on my hands. I wanted to knit the perfect Hogwarts skirt. After many afternoons combing Ravelry, I could not find the skirt I wanted. I found 2 similar skirts and decided to cut, paste, and ad lib until I got what I wanted.


Here are links to the 2 patterns that I manhandled to get my skirt.
Little Flirt Skirt
and
Flirty Skirty

Perfect "For Me" Hogwarts Skirt

Cast on 180 on size 7 circulars (around size 12, it was too big on me)


Join in the round and place marker, and knit for 12 inches. (If you are short, knit less, if you are tall, knit more. Just keep it as long as you want, planing for 3 inches of pleats.


Start the eyelet boarder:
Round 1, 3, 5, and 7: Purl
Round 2 and 6 : Knit
Round 4: *Yarn over, K2together* Repeat until end of round.

Start pleats:
Rounds 1–7: *K9, p1* Repeat until end of round.
Round 8: *K9, p1f&b* Repeat until end of round.
Rounds 9–13: *K9, p2* Repeat until end of round.
Round 14: *K9, p1, p1f&b* Repeat until end of round.
Rounds 15–19: *K9, p3* Repeat until end of round.
Round 20: *K9, p1, p1f&b, p1* Repeat until end of round.
Rounds 21–25: *K9, p4* Repeat until end of round.

Bind off all stitches.

Most importantly, TRY ON THE SKIRT NOW.


Then, pick up 180 stitches from the cast on row, and *K2, P2* for 2 inches.

Decrease at the cast on evenly as may stitches as necessary to insure the skirt won't fall off your hips. I failed at this endeavor and has to take the waistband in on my sewing machine. But it is much better to use the waistband decreases to ensure a fitting skirt.

Tada! A skirt fit for Hogwarts, and after the movie is over, a cute pair of colorful tights. ;)

I'll try to post some pictures of the whole outifit after the premiere :)