Cocoon Cardigan

I mentioned the Star Wars cardigan I made for myself when I blogged about my niece's cardigan.  Well, this is another one from that pattern, Cocoon Cardigan from Patterns for Pirates.  I bought the knit Tardis fabric at JAF quite a long time ago, with intent of making this cardigan for a friend who's a die-hard Whovian.

I got Thing 2 to model it for me for pics.  It's not his usual style (well, maybe - when combined with PJ pants!), but he looks pretty dapper! ;)

This is size S, with the short bands and 3/4 sleeves.  I did add the patch pockets, and I also added short bands to the sleeves to avoid having to hem them.

I hated sewing with this fabric, but I love how it feels and looks.  And my friend loved it, which is what's important!

Toddler fun!

Ah, I remember the days when I did a lot of little kid sewing, and it was so gratifying.  Well, a coworker has a toddler, and I had been meaning to sew for her for a long time.  It all started with finding this Nightmare before Christmas knit remnant at JAF maybe a year ago. So finally I did a lot of cutting (patterns from Kwik Sew's Sewing for Toddlers) and sewed these up over Memorial Day weekend.

The Nightmare before Christmas pants are size 2T.

Along with those pants, I also had a few other knit fabrics.  From top left and going clockwise - Nightmare before Christmas, rainbow spiderweb (stash - 2T pants), cats (JAF - 2T shorts), sharks (stash - 2T shorts), superhero cat words (JAF - 2T shorts), and blocks of cats (stash - 2T pants).

My coworker was surprised and excited to get these for her little one!

Cardigans!

So I made myself a Star Wars cardigan a year ago (never blogged it, apparently) using the pattern Cocoon Cardigan from Patterns for Pirates.  It's super comfy - and it even has optional pockets!  And there's a girls' sized pattern, too - the Butterfly Cardigan.  So naturally I thought my niece needed a cardigan or twenty.  This is the first prototype, to see whether she likes it and how the sizing is for her.  I found this fabric at JAF - pretty sure it happened to be on sale that day.

This is a size 8, tunic length (she's 7 at the moment), with "short bands," patch pockets, and three quarter sleeves.  All of these are listed options in the pattern.  I added bands to the sleeves to avoid hemming.  I can't wait to hear how she likes it!

And of course I figured her doll needed a few, as well.  The pattern is a free one from Fleece Fun.  No changes made to that.  The first cardigan is from leftovers from my niece's cardigan, so that they can match.

The second is from leftovers of my Star Wars cardigan!  (Hopefully it doesn't give my niece any ideas about what her next cardigan should be!)

I'm still alive!

You know how it goes....long time between posts.  I'll start with what I just finished and work backward.  It's Father's Day, so new boxers were in order.  This was a last-minute trip (Friday) to JAF for fun new fabric.  Novelty cottons were on sale for 40% off, which worked out splendidly.  So I got two.  You can see the bright taco print in back - I knew he'd love those!

And a close-up of the sunbathing bananas print.  This was too hysterical to leave behind.

Thing 2 came with me to the store and picked the bananas. ;)  This is the usual Simplicity 9958, adult size S, no changes from my usual (I think I folded an inch out of the hem years ago?).

More afghan repetition

This is another afghan that I had mentioned but not posted, as it was a gift for a friend who hadn't yet received it.  And then I forgot.  The original blog posting is here - mentioning two others from this pattern.  I think the ombre here is antique, and I don't remember what main color I used.  It turned out really pretty, though, and my friend liked it!

I have another in (slow) progress, because this is an excellent portable project.

More snowflakes - very ,much after the fact

I apparently never blogged this one.  I had blogged about my blue version and even mentioned that I'd started one in dark red, but that was it.  Well, I did finish this in time to give it as a gift last Christmas.  Once again, it was very portable and worked up quickly.  I still think it would look good in a dark green, also.

Zombie hat

So I'm in multiple FB groups, and several are for crochet.  And someone posted a pic of her son modeling a hilarious zombie hat she'd made, so of course I had to immediately ask for the pattern source.  Naturally.  This is a pattern by Semi Sweet Crafter, and it's available for free on her blog.  Alternately, you can buy a pdf version from her Etsy shop, which is what I did.  I planned to make more than one, and I figured a pdf was more streamlined and easy to keep on my phone for portable reference.  (Also, it was only $1.50.  That seemed ridiculously cheap and I wanted to support her efforts.)

So, first finished hat was for my niece.  I love this pattern, but I don't like how you make the brains.  I am terrible at winging it, and that's basically what the directions call for.  However, I was on a deadline and wanted to get this done in time to give it to her father to avoid mailing.  So I sucked it up and did something passable.  This is the child size.

Next one was started because I finished the part of my son's that I could work on at a baseball game before the game ended, and I needed something else to do.  One of my colleagues loves weird stuff like this and has a baby, so I figured the baby needed a zombie hat.  Because why not?  This is the 12 month size.

And then there's my kid's hat, which was the first one started and the last one finished.  Go figure.  This is the teen size (he's 12).  I had made all of it except the tassels and the brains, because I started the brains the way the pattern directed and really didn't like it.  Trying to do several rows of slipstitching for the brain ridges was awkward and didn't look as raised in my hands than it did in the picture.  Ultimately, I went looking for other ways to do it and settled on crocheted i-Cord.  I found the instructions easy to follow, though it felt clumsy and awkward as I began my cord.  However, I got used to it and was able to finish making the cord during a baseball game.  I then stitched it down in my semi-desired patttern.  (I will say that it was easier to arrange and stitch when I stuffed the hat with a rolled up towel to hold its shape during the sewing.)

Thing 2 is delighted, and I'm reasonably happy with those brains.

I would highly recommend this pattern if a crocheted zombie hat is a need like it was in my life. ;)