Newest Knitting Project

Commissioned by the Juilliard School in NYC; this hat is one of four; each different, but all hats that might have been worn in the 1950's. They are for a production of an opera set in the 1950's.

The blue hat is made from a wonderful 70%wool/30%silk yarn that the school provided. I believe it is a Cascade yarn; bulky.

I made this one with a fair isle pattern; it has a 10-stitch repeat, and is 13 rows with a 5-row pattern above it; separated by a red/blue border of one row.
The yarn has a soft drapiness that called for more of a tassel than a pompom, so that's what I did. I think it was about 80 wraps over a 4" cardboard... tied, and another tight wrap and tie before trimming the bottom edge.
The pattern is one that I made up as I went along; starting on size 10.5 US circular needles for the garter stitch edge, then moving onto size 11 US circular needles for the body. I began decreasing after the fair isle pattern was finished; it didn't interfere with the pattern, but I nearly ran out of the blue yarn!! They picked great colors for this hat; I love how this particular shade of blue really makes the red "pop"!!

I said I would post a photo of the baby pod with the cap... boy! Did it take me a long time!! The pod and cap was sold at the local Holiday Craft Fair. I wasn't sure how it would be received, but customers kept coming over to check it out! The customer who purchased it came back 3 or 4 times before purchasing it. She r-e-a-l-l-y wanted it!
:D

Baby Pod

I made the Baby Pod (some would call it a cacoon, and perhaps when I make one in another color I may too)... in any case.. the pod is made using two strands of worsted weight yarn so knits up fairly quickly on size 13 needles.

Since I don't have an infant in the house I borrowed my granddaughter's "Bitty Baby" doll to use as a model. She is 15" long in total, but the pod is knitted to 17" before decreasing at the bottom and making a short i-cord for the stem. Perfect for a newborn to keep snuggled up in and toasty warm. An older infant would want to have arms free, but the pod should be great for about the first 4-5 months.

I will post another photo with the cap later.

This Greenie Meanie is a plushy made from a drawing done by my 4 yr old grandson. I kept the shape he gave to the mouth and teeth, as well as the eyes!

I added legs... mostly because little ones like something to grab ahold of!

I will have some at the Christmas Holiday Craft Fair; but it can also be see at

http://www.ssmartraggs.etsy.com

Ben's Hat

This hat I made for Ben, a custom order thru ETSY. I bought some dark red melton wool that I will be use to make a hat for me.
Ben sent some extra metal bands as part of our bargain, so I can make a few more hats in this same style.

This is Ben's Hat... he wanted a hat like the hat Brando wore in the 1953 movie "the wild one".... if you are old enough, you may recall that helmets were not required for bikers in those days. Brando played a rebel on a motorcycle and wore a hat much the same as this.

The hat is an 8-panel hat made from a camel melton wool. It is very thick and will be warm to wear, but I doubt it would protect you from head dents if you crash into a Redwood Tree!

I lined the hat with a creamy oxford silk. The brim is leather, as is the inside hatband. Ben provided the metal band for the front of the band... I anchored the band with two viintage metal buttons from my stash. The wool was too thick to use to cover the button on the crown, however I had another wool that is a near perfect match!

Handkerchief Angel

They were really fun to put together! I used a bit of poly fiber fill for the head and a bit of hair. I have some "rainbow" organza that I cut into strips; each of the angels has a slightly different color combination. Four layers of tulle underneath give them a bit of fullness that I like. Since the angels are to be a memory keeper for relatives of Rose, I added a rose with ribbons. The angels appear to be laughing... I used a Mary Englebrit drawing as inspiration for the facial features, but I doubt that Mary herself could figure out which one as the embroidered features look nothing like the face in her picture!

A customer sent me 9 of her grandmonther Rose's handkerchiefs so they could be made into something to share "grandma" memories with other family members. Such a sweet idea! I suggested that perhaps the old fashioned handkerchief dolls used by mothers forever to keep little ones quietly entertained might be a good inspiration.

9 lovely handkerchiefs arrived, but were a bit aged; I brightened them up in a bit of a soak. I added 2 drops of Mrs Stewarts bluing to the wash water and they came out wonderfully! Bleach would have been way too harsh for the fragil fabrics.

This bandana is made from a mottled yellow quilting fabric, with her name stitched added.