Little Lamb

Here is a new pattern for your little lamb.  Enjoy!

Little Lamb Baby Hat

Yarn: DK weight, Elann DK04 superwash merino

Needles: 4mm (US 6)

Gauge:  22 sts to 4” in stocking stitch,  AND  18 sts to 4” in Lamb Stitch Pattern (after blocking)

Size: 6 months to 1.5 years. (Infant)

***** a knowledge of pattern knitting required here, you need to get a “feel” of how the bobbles are placed, so that you can handle the back of head decreases without counting EVERY stitch in the pattern.  NOT for beginners**************

k FBF:  means knit into the front, then back, then front again, creating new three stitches in one stitch.  It is the start of the bobble.

k 3tog:  means knit three together,  reducing three stitches back to one.  It is always done three rows above the start of the bobble.

HAT:

Cast on 57

Work 6 rows in K1, P1 ribbing.

Next row: Row 7:  (right side) Purl across

Row 8: knit across

Row 9: Purl

Row 10:  k2, k FBF, [k3, k FBF] times 13, k2

Row 11: purl

Row 12: knit

Row 13: p2, p 3tog, [p3, p 3tog] times 13, p 2

Row 14: k4,k FBF, [k3, kFBF] times 12, k4

Row 15: purl

Row 16: knit

Row 17: p4, p 3tog, [p3, p 3tog] times 12, p4

Rows 10 thru 17 make the Lamb Stitch Pattern.

Repeat this pattern until hat measures 4 inches from the start. *** make sure you have just finished row 13 or 17 (57 stitches)****

Find the center stitch, and place markers on each side.

Right side facing: continue in pattern, decrease one stitch on each side of center stitch.  Continue to decrease here every right side row.  As you go, stop doing the bobble if it will be within 3 stitches of center stitch.  Here is where you need to learn to place bobbles at the right place by instinct.  Sorry if that is difficult….   But the bumps could be a little mis-aligned and still look cute!

Keep pattern and decreases until total length is 6inches from start.  Cast off all stitches.

Sew back of head seam.

Pick up 48 across bottom edge, and work 6 rows of k1, p1 ribbing.  Cast off loosely.

TIES:  make two: cast on 30 stitches, next row cast off 30 stitches.  Sew to bottom front .

EARS: Cast on 20 sts.  Work in seed stitch (Row one:  k1, p1, repeat. Row2: knit the purls, purl the knits) for 2”.  Decrease one each side every other row until 2 sts, knit both together, and bind off.

Sew pink fabric lining (optional)

Fold in three and hand sew to middle of side of hat (see photo)

Ice Dogs and New Knits

I finished my new Niagara Ice Dogs sweater, just weeks before the first game.  It features Bones and the team colours.  Made of superwash merino from Elann, it should keep me warm watching the Dogs play this year.

 Sneak peek at the newest pattern, It is a garter stitch shoulder shawl, with short flags along one side.. It will be done and posted within days.  Very easy.

 This one is a longer project, that I have been working on and off for several months.  It is a blanket, worked in a wave pattern out of a lovely soft cotton from Elann.  It should be finished in a few weeks and the pattern will also be posted here.  It takes a long time to knit, but is much simpler than it looks with just a three pattern row repeat.

 And a bonus few photos of our recent trip to beautiful Nova Scotia.  It was a baby, mom and grandma trip that I thoroughly enjoyed.  We three are wonderful travelling companions.  Here is the rough and beautiful Bay of Fundy.

 Here baby Claire found a fish to pilot on the waterfront in Halifax.

 And anyone who has visited Halifax will know, this is "the Wave" and everyone has a photo under it.  It is clearly quite large (and Claire is clearly quite small!).