Knit Z-Man Sweater

Happy New Year's Eve! Here is another project that I made for Christmas. I made this sweater for my nephew.

I found the pattern in Zoe Mellor's book Adorable Knits for Tots. A couple years ago, I made this sweater for his older sister from this same book.

I found this cute Ships Ahoy! sweater pattern and I knew I wanted to make one for Zach. I had intended to make it with the boat and fish. I ordered the yarn online. The yarn looked more blue on my computer screen. When I received the yarn in the mail, it was more green than I wanted. I decided to alter the pattern to have a Z on it, but I really like how it turned out.

If you want to see more details about this pattern, please see my Z-Man Sweater project page on Ravelry. Be sure to take a look at some more of my knitting and crocheting projects on my Ravelry project page.

Free Kid's Mohawk Ear Flap Hat Pattern

My eight year old niece is fun-loving and loves to be the center of attention. I wanted to make her a new hat for Christmas this year, so I decided to knit her a mohawk hat.

I made a basic ear flap hat and then added a felted mohawk.


I used Red Heart's With Love yarn in Jadeite held double for the main part of the hat and Lion Brand's Vanna's Choice in White for the hat trim. I found a skein of Joann Sensations Marvel in my stash. I have no idea why or when I bought it, but I wanted something that was brightly colored and was feltable for the mohawk and this yarn was perfect.

Notes:

This hat is knit in the round starting at the top. I used wool yarn for the mohawk so I could felt it. If you do not want to felt the mohawk, you can use a synthetic fiber yarn. You can use either worsted or bulky weight yarn to make the hat. If you use worsted weight yarn hold the yarn doubled. There is a front and back to this hat. The front is the side with the 20 cast off stitches.

Materials:

Set of 4 dpn – Size 10 ½

Size J Crochet Hook

75g Worsted or Bulky Weight Acrylic Yarn - Hat (A) 

15g Worsted or Bulky Weight Acrylic Yarn - Hat Edging (B)

45g Worsted or Bulky Weight Wool Yarn - Mohawk 

Size:

This will fit a large child or a small adult head

Hat:

Using color A, Cast on 4 sts.

1^st rnd: (Inc 1 st in next st) 4 times. 8 sts. Divide sts evenly onto 3 needles (3, 3, 2) sts. Join in rnd. Place a marker on first st.

2^nd and alternate rnds to 14^th rnd: Knit around.

3^rd rnd: *Inc 1 st in next st. Rep from * around. 16 sts.

5^th rnd: *Inc 1 st in next st. K1. Rep from * around. 24 sts.

7^th rnd: *Inc 1 st in next st. K2. Rep from * around. 32 sts.

9^th rnd: *Inc 1 st in next st. K3. Rep from * around. 40 sts.

11^th rnd: *Inc 1 st in next st. K4. Rep from * around. 48 sts.

13^th rnd: *Inc 1 st in next st. K3. Rep from * around. 56 sts.

15^th rnd: *Inc 1 st in next st. K3. Rep from * around. 64 sts.

16^th rnd – 31^st rnd: Knit around.

32^nd rnd: Divide for the ear flaps. Cast off 6 sts. 16 sts. Cast off 20 sts. K16. Cast off remaining 6 sts.

First Ear flap: With RS facing rejoin to the 16 sts. Working back and forth across 2 needles in rows, work 4 rows in stockinette st.

Next row: (RS) K1. K2tog. Knit to last 3 sts. SSK. K1.

Next row: Purl

Repeat last 2 rows 5 times more. 4 sts remain.

Next row: K1. K2tog. K1.

Next row: P3.

Next row: K3tog. Fasten off.

Second Ear flap: Work the same way as for first ear flap.

Mohawk:

Fold the hat in half so the ear flaps line up on top of each other. Run a strand of contrasting yarn through the middle to mark the center line. This is not necessary, but will help you keep the Mohawk straight.

Cut about 120 strands of the mohawk yarn. If you are planning on felting the Mohawk, cut the strands at about 8”. If you are not planning on felting it, then cut the strands at 4”.

Starting in the front about 1 ½” up and using the contrasting yarn as a guide, put a crochet hook under the knit st. Take 4 strands of the Mohawk yarn and fold the strands in half. Grab the middle of the strands with the crochet hook and pull up a loop. Put the ends of the strands through the loop. This will give you eight 4” strands in this place. Do this about every other stitch to the back of the hat. If you want a thicker or thinner, adjust the number of strands that you use. 

You can then felt the mohawk if you choose. Once your mohawk has been felted to your liking, trim it to your desired length. I trimmed mine to about 2 1/2 inches.

Crochet Edging: 

With RS facing and the crochet hook, join B with sl st at the center of the back. Ch 1. Work 1 rnd of sc evenly around the edge of the hat and the ear flaps. Work 3 sc in each point of the ear flaps. Join with a sl st to the first sc.

Ear Flap Ties (make 2): 

Cut 3 strands each of A and B 30” long. Using the crochet hook, pull 3 strands of A and 3 strands of B through a stitch near the point of the ear flap. Adjust the strands so they are exactly folded in half. There will now be 12 strands. Separate the strands by color. Take the 6 strands of A and twist it to the right. Place a small knot or a clip at the bottom. Take the 6 strands of B and twist it to the right. Place a small knot or a clip at the bottom. Twist the 2 colors together by putting the right over the left. Remove the clips or knots and make one knot at the bottom. Trim the ends, if necessary.

Here is the printable pdf of the patternprintable pdf of the pattern.

You can see more details for this and my other knitting and crocheting projects on my Ravelry project page.

Knit Cars-Themed Sundress Pattern

My 3 year old niece loves Lightning McQueen and the Cars movies. Unfortunately, most of the clothes that are sold with Lightning McQueen is geared toward boys. I decided to make her a Cars dress for Christmas.

I found Lion Brand's Knit Sundress Pattern. I used this as the starting point of the dress and then modified it to make it into a Cars dress. I made the dress using Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Stone and I used Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Cherry for the trim.

I found this Lightning McQueen Chart and this Tow Mater Chart. I duplicate stitched the chart onto the pockets. I did have to increase the width of the pockets to fit the charts on the pockets, but I think it turned out really cute. She also informed me that the pockets are the perfect size for holding her cars and even some room to carry treats!

You can check out more details for this pattern and see some of my other knitting and crocheting projects on my Ravelry project page.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from my home to yours. I hope your holiday season is full of cheer, whether you are spending it with family and friends or are just having a quiet evening in.

Thank you for following my blog this year. I hope to post even more projects next year. If you ever have any suggestions or want to see something, just let me know!

I will be posting the presents that I made for this year's Christmas, soon. My family is having our holiday celebration a little after Christmas, so I have to wait until after they receive the presents to post it.

Have a wonderful holiday!

DIY Wooden Snowmen

Christmas is just over a week away. If you are still looking for ideas for a quick gift to make, these wooden snowmen may be the perfect thing!

I am a Big Sister in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. My 12 year old Little Sister wanted to make gifts for her family. She loves woodworking and wanted to build something for everyone. She has a large family, so the project needed to be fairly simple. We needed to be able to get multiple done in a short period of time. She decided to make wooden snowmen.

I am sure you have seen wooden snowmen all over the place, but here is our take on how to "build" a snowman.

Needed Materials:
Wood for the body
Wood for the hats (optional)
Paint
Wood Glue
Sander or sanding block
Craft Supplies

Step 1: Cut your wood.

You can make your snowmen any size that you want.

• Bodies - We used 2"x3"s, 2"x4"s, and 2"x6"s cut at different lengths for the bodies.
• Brim - We used 1"x3"s cut slightly longer than the width of the body for the brim of the hat. For example, if you are using a 2"x3" for the body, the actual width of the body is 2 1/2". If you want a 1/2" overhang on each side for the brim, cut your 1"x3" at 3 1/2".
• Hat Top - We used 1"x2"s cut at the same width of the body for the top of the hat. If you are using a 2"x3" for the body, cut your 1"x2" at 2 1/2" to match the width of the body.

Step 2: Fill in any holes with wood putty, if necessary. Sand the boards. Check out this awesome new random orbital sander we won from a giveaway over on Home Repair Tutor. Using that worked so much better than using the sanding blocks!

Step 3: Paint your boards

Step 4: Using wood glue, attach your hat rim and top to your snowmen.

Step 5: Decorate your snowmen. We used paint, ribbon, yarn, buttons, pipe cleaners, and pom poms. You can use whatever craft supplies that you have on hand.

These snowmen are easy to make and can be decorated any way that you want. My Little Sister made these to represent everyone in her family and they are very personalized based on each person. I think her family is going to love them!

This is a good project for kids to do. Just provide them with the pieces already sanded and painted white and a variety of craft supplies. Then let their creative sides show! They would make a great gift for kids to give their family members, teachers, family friends, or neighbors. This would also make a great classroom project.

Crocheted Big Foot Slippers

If you are looking for a quick crochet project to make for the little monster in your life, this is the perfect pattern! The pattern comes from Brenda K. B. Anderson's book Beastly Crochet and is a fun, fast, and easy project.

Somebody I know loves watching Animal Planet's Finding Big Foot. In fact, the crew of the show was actually in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (where I live) earlier this year and they claim to have sighted Big Foot. I think it's funny, but these crocheted slippers are going to be the perfect Christmas gift for her!

I stumbled upon this pattern when I was looking for something else, but I loved it! This pattern also has a set of matching mittens. I may still make them, but I have not decided yet. You can purchase the pattern for these slippers and matching mittens here for $5.50 or you can find it in Brenda K. B. Anderson's book Beastly Crochet. I downloaded the ebook from Amazon, but you can also buy the paperback book or even find it at your local library. The book has lots of really neat ideas and I know I will be making more patterns from this book.

I made these slippers using Lion Brand Vanna's Choice yarn in Espresso, White, and Beige and Paton's Moxie in Dark Mink. You could use any eyelash yarn for the 'fur' and any worsted weight yarn for the rest of the slipper.

These slippers are crocheted holding two strands of yarn together for the main part of the slippers. The foot pads and claws are crocheted separately and are sewn on later. The hardest part of making these slippers was sewing on the foot pads and that really was not hard at all. I just crochet much better than I sew!

This pattern could be easily adjusted to make any fuzzy monster fan happy. By changing the color of the yarn, this pattern could be used to make Cookie Monster, Grover, Oscar the Grouch, or Elmo. You also could leave the foot pads and claws off and just make some cute fuzzy slippers that any kid or teen would love!

You can find more details about this project and some of my other knitting and crocheting projects on my Ravelry Project page. Be sure to check them out!

Rudolph the Reindeer Crochet Baby Hat Pattern

Christmas is just around the corner. If you are looking for a quick hat to make for the holiday cards, this crocheted Rudolph the Reindeer hat pattern is perfect!

My little model is my 6 month old nephew. He does have a larger than average head size for his age, but this pattern should fit the average 6-12 month old. 

The pattern will result in a hat that has a circumference of 17 1/2” and a hat height from brim to crown of about 7”. This should fit most 6-12 month old babies. Since not all baby heads are the same size, check the size of your baby's head prior to making it. There is some stretch to this hat, so it will stretch a little bit, if necessary. You can also easily adjust the size by changing the size of your crochet hook. If you need to change the height of the hat, just increase or decrease the number of rounds following row 6.

Any bulky-weight yarn can be used for this pattern. The materials listed below are what I used for this pattern, but any bulky-weight yarn will work.

Needed Materials:

2 oz. Lion Brand Homespun (Sierra) – hat and ears color (MC)

2 oz. Lion Brand Jiffy (Caffe) – antler color (AC)

Small amount Bernat Softee Chunky (Black) – small eye color (BC)

Small amount Bernat Softee Chunky (White) – large eye color (CC)

Small amount Lion Brand Jiffy (True Red) – nose color (DC)

Size K (6.5 mm) Crochet Hook

Tapestry Needle

Small amount of polyfill stuffing

Gauge:

After you have completed round 3, you should have a diameter of about 3 ½”. Please check the gauge, as I do crochet tightly, so you may need to adjust your hook size.

Finished Size:

6-12 months

Hat

Round 1: Using MC, make an adjustable loop, ch 3, 7 dc in the loop, join and pull the loop tight. (8 dc)

Round 2: Ch 3, dc in the joining space, (2 dc in each dc) around, join. (16 dc)

Round 3: Ch 3, 2 dc in the next dc, (dc in the next dc, 2 dc in the next dc) around, join (24 dc)

Round 4: Ch 3, dc in the next dc, (2 dc in the next dc, dc in the next 2 dc) around to last dc, 2 dc in the last dc, join. (32 dc)

Round 5: Ch 3, dc in the next 2 dc, (2 dc in the next dc, dc in the next 3 dc) to last dc, 2 dc in the last dc, join. (40 dc)

Rounds 6-10: Ch 3, dc in each dc around, join. (40 dc) You may increase or decrease the number of rounds to change the height of your hat.

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Ears (Make 2)

Round 1: Using MC, make an adjustable loop, ch 1, 6 sc in the loop, do not join, pull the loop tight. You may want to place a marker at the beginning of the round and move it up as you go. (6 sc)

Round 2: (Sc in the next 2 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 2 times. (8 sc)

Round 3: (Sc in the next 3 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 2 times. (10 sc)

Round 4: (Sc in the next 4 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 2 times. (12 sc)

Round 5: (Sc in the next sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 6 times. (18 sc)

Round 6-9: (Sc in the next sc) around. (18 sc)

Round 10: (Sc in the next sc, sc2tog) 6 times. (12 sc)

Fasten off leaving a long tail to sew the ears to the hat.

Long Antlers (Make 2)

Round 1: Using AC, make an adjustable loop, ch 1, 9 sc in the loop, do not join, pull the loop tight. You may want to place a marker at the begging on the round and move it up as you go. (9 sc)

Rounds 2-17: (Sc in the next sc) around. You can increase or decrease the number of rounds to adjust the length of the antlers. (9 sc)

Fasten off leaving a long tail to sew the antlers to the hat.

Short Antlers (Make 2)

Round 1: Using AC, make an adjustable loop, ch 1, 9 sc in the loop, do not join, pull the loop tight. You may want to place a marker at the beginning of the round and move it up as you go. (9 sc)

Rounds 2-8: (Sc in the next sc) around. You can increase or decrease the number of rounds to adjust the length of the antlers. (9 sc)

Fasten off leaving a long tail to sew the short antlers to the long antlers.

Inner Eyes (Make 2)

Round 1: Using BC, make an adjustable loop, ch 1, 4 sc in the loop, join, pull the loop tight. (4 sc)

Fasten off leaving a long tail to sew the inner part of the eye to the outer part of the eye.

Outer Eyes (Make 2)

Round 1: Using CC, make an adjustable loop, ch 1, 6 sc in the loop, join, pull the loop tight. (6 sc)

Fasten off leaving a long tail to sew the eye to the hat.

Nose

Round 1: Using DC, make an adjustable loop, ch 1, 6 sc in the loop, do not join, pull the loop tight. You may want to place a marker at the beginning of the round and move it up as you go. (6 sc)

Round 2: (2 Sc in the next sc) around. (12 sc)

Round 3: (Sc in the next sc) around. (12 sc)

Round 4: (Sc in the next sc, sc2tog in the next sc) around. (8 sc)

Fasten off leaving a long tail to sew the nose to the hat.

Finishing

Sew the ears to the hat. Sew the small antlers to the large antlers. Sew the large antlers to the hat. Lightly stuff the nose. Sew the nose to the hat. Sew the inner part of the eye to the outer part of the eye. Sew the eyes to the hat. Weave in all ends.

Abbreviations

Ch = Chain

Dc = Double Crochet

Sc = Single Crochet

Sc2tog = Single Crochet Two Together

You can see more details and can download a pdf of the pattern or from the Ravelry pattern page. While you are over on Ravelry, be sure to check out some of my other projects on my project page!

DIY Christmas Window Decorations

If you are looking for a cute, easy, and inexpensive way to decorate your windows for Christmas, this is the perfect project. I purchased all the materials to make mine from the Dollar Store, so the cost of this was only $7!

Here are the steps to take to make a Christmas window decoration of your own.

Step 1: Gather your materials.

• Christmas Ornaments - I used about 50, but you may want more or less depending on the size of your window and the size of the ornaments.
• Curtain rod to fit your window.
• Garland
• Bow
• String or yarn

Step 2: Tie the string to the ornaments. 

Step 3: Tie the other end of the string to the curtain rod.

Step 4: Continue to add more ornaments at various lengths. 

Step 5: Add the garland to the curtain rod to cover up the string.

Step 6: Add the bow.

Step 7: Enjoy your holiday decorations!

Helpful hints:

• Tie the strings to the curtain rod after the rod is in place. I originally was tying them before I hung it and I ended up with a tangled mess.
• Cut the garland into smaller pieces to wrap around the rod. I tried to do it in one piece and again ended up in a tangled mess.
• I used yarn but something like fishing line or thin thread would probably look nicer. The reason I used yarn was because I have cats that I know will be batting these around. If one gets wrapped around their paw, I don't want them to get hurt.
• If you have animals or small children, ensure that the ornaments that you use are not breakable. This has become the new favorite toy in my house.

Free Knitting Pattern Dog Chew-No-More Leg Cover

My dog, Gibson, has been fighting bladder cancer for the past few years. Although there is no cure for canine bladder cancer, he has beat the odds and has lived much longer than expected. He has good days and bad days, but is still very happy.

Gibson has tried several different treatments. For awhile, he was getting IV chemotherapy. Just like in humans, there are risks that come with chemotherapy. He had a reaction to an injection that he received in his upper front leg. He kept chewing and licking the spot, which made the irritation worse. 

I looked around at the store for something to cover it, but could not find anything that would stay on his leg and he would leave alone.

I created this to cover the wound and prevent him from further irritating the sore. He was still able to pull it down with his teeth, so I attached a piece of elastic to wrap around it and hold it up. It worked perfectly! Gibson left it alone long enough to heal.

Materials Needed:

• Worsted Weight Yarn - If this is going to be on a sore, natural fibers will be less irritating than synthetic fibers. 
• Set of four size 7 double-pointed knitting needles, or size needed to obtain gauge.

Optional Materials: 

• Roll of 1 inch wide elastic band.
• Needle and thread.
• Fasteners - I used the fasteners from an old set of sheet straps.

Instructions:

With size 7 dpns, cast on 20 stitches. 
Join in the round, and work in K1, P1 ribbing for 5 rounds. 
Evenly increase 4 stitches on the next round and continue in the K1, P1 ribbing until work from beginning measures about 1 ¾ inches.

Elbow Opening: Cast off 12 stitches loosely in ribbing. Rib to the end of the round. Cast on 12 stitches and rejoin in round. Work 5 rounds in K1, P1 ribbing. Knit all stitches in round until work from the elbow opening measures about 4 ¾ inches (or the length needed for your dog’s leg). Decrease 4 stitches evenly on the next round. Work 8 rounds in k1, P1 ribbing. Cast off in ribbing. Weave in ends.

Elastic band: Cut a piece of 1 inch wide elastic long enough to wrap around the dog. Make sure it is not too loose so the dog can pull the cover down, but you don’t want it too tight to make it uncomfortable. My dog is a fat lab, and the elastic I used was about 27 ½ inches. You can either sew it directly to the leg cover or attach some kind of fastener to be able to remove the strap.

Notes: I made this for a large lab’s leg. You may have to adjust the number of stitches and/or change the yarn or needle size to obtain a size that fits your dog.

You can download the pdf of this pattern here or from the Ravelry website. While you are on the Ravelry website, be sure to check out some of my other projects on my project page!

DIY Mod Podge Snowman Luminary

I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We are supposed to get our first big snow storm of the season tonight. Up to 16 inches of snow has been predicted, so I decided to make a snowman. Luckily, this snowman does not require you to go out in the cold!

You probably have everything needed to make this snowman luminary right at your home, so you can make this for free! This is also a great activity for kids of any age.

Needed Materials:
Jar (any size)
School Glue and water or Mod Podge
Paint Brush or Sponge
Tissue Paper
Miscellaneous Craft Supplies

Step 1: Prepare your supplies.

Take your tissue paper and cut or tear it into small pieces. The size and shape do no need to be uniform. If you are making this with a small child, I suggest using bigger pieces so it does not take as long to make.

Mix equal amounts of glue and water to make a Mod Podge mixture. You could also use store bought Mod Podge, but mixing glue and water works just as well. I like mine to be a little more watery, so I add more water than glue to the mixture, but that is just my preference.

Step 2: Paint on the glue/water. Just do a small section at a time.

Step 3: Start randomly placing the tissue paper on the portion of the jar with the mixture on it.

Step 4: Continue to paint small sections with the mixture and putting on the tissue paper. This does not need to be neat. Just place the tissue paper any place in any direction.

Step 5: Once that layer has dried a little bit, add another layer by painting the glue/water mix over the layer you just made and then adding more tissue paper. Continue this process adding more layers of tissue paper.

Step 6: Once you have as many layers as you want, paint the entire jar one last time with the glue/water mix to make sure all the edges of the tissue paper are securely fastened.

Step 7: Allow your jar to dry.

Step 8: Decorate your jar. I used felt to make the snowman face and buttons. I added a sock to the top for a hat. You can use whatever you want to decorate your snowman. 

Some ideas:

Black and orange colored tissue paper for the face

Small buttons for the buttons

Pom poms and a pipe cleaner for ear muffs

Mitten for a hat

Pipe cleaners for arms

Braid some yarn together to make a scarf 

These are cute just like this, but you could also make these into luminaries. Simply place an LED tea light or a small strand of Christmas lights inside the jar.

Not only are these Snowman Luminaries cute decorations, they make good night lights for any of town guests. Also, if your guests need to get up during the night, they can switch on the light inside the jar and use it as a flash light. These would make perfect gifts for kids to make for grandparents or teachers.