One big pompom

All the pretty lacy hats I made this fall are proving pretty but not very warm.

I was excited to see this pattern from Purl Soho for a classic hat with a pompom.

It was quick & easy. I bought a pompom maker to make this enormous one. My daughter absolutely loves the pompom. You can see the size compared to the rest of the hat. Adorable!

Here's a link to my project notes on Ravelry.

But earlier this week, my 4h knitting group and I tried making them with forks & paper tubes. 

Here is a link. They turned out pretty well too. My one recommendation is to make sure that the kids don't wrap so much yarn around that it's too difficult to cinch. Also, make it easy on yourself and use a fork with 4 tines so there is a center to tie the yarn around. You'll understand what that means when you do it.

For reading, we've just started Planting Seeds - Practicing Mindfulness with Children. I have experienced great health & relaxation benefits from meditation this past year. I thought it might be a good idea to try to make it a habit for the kids while they are young. It comes with a cd with lots of different meditation and breathing techniques to try. 

I'm joining in the Yarn Along with Ginny. Here's a link to see many more inspirational projects. 

Time for Knitting

Fall is here! Fall is here!!

I can knit in public without looking like a fruitcake! It gets hot here; like 100. 

Most people would put the sticks down, not me.

I have finally gotten to practical items like hats. 

Here's a slouch hat, Paravel, on Ravelry. I just love how it came out! 

The pattern is very doable for an advanced beginner. Just be sure to use your stitch markers. 

It did take me a week to finish so not exactly quick, but definitely worth the work! My project notes are on Ravelry; my user name is: "Lledbeck."

If you try it, read people's notes about size. It comes out huge and I have a big head. I'd try going down a needle size although that would mean 1's for me..

I'd also recommend this yarn - it's Black Trillium Lilt Sock. Not as soft as MadelineTosh but still nice and very warm. You can find it on Etsy or in local yarn shops throughout Oregon.

I'm joining the yarnalong at Small Things. Here's a link to see the other inspiring projects. 

Another Hat & Another Newberry

I guess I'm in a rut, but it's a good one. Nothing wrong with a lot of sweet, knitted hats.

This is a pattern I saw on Ginny Sheller's yarn along two weeks ago. It is fun to knit and not difficult at all. In fact, making the butterflies every 10 rows is a good incentive to knit just one more row. 

The pattern is called : The Butterfly Hat on Ravelry. 

I used MadelineTosh's Molly Ringwold color way. So beautiful - truly a pretty pink; not saccharin at all. 

As for books, we're still sticking to our Newberry Award winners and have been surprised to love "The Family Under The Bridge." 

We live in a very small town but we've been spending a lot of time in Portland. Questions gave been arising about the people on the streets with signs asking for help. We are not the type of family to say "get a job!" More like the kind that is trying to help but how? 

A friend brought our attention to a wonderful project at the holidays. They made a great flyer showing a kit of essentials that could be made for $5 using items from a Dollar Store.

Here's the flyer:

On Christmas morning, a group of very generous people set up under a bridge and distributed the kits (35 of them, I believe) and hot breakfast burritos. It was wonderful to participate in this in our humble way of assembling & donating a few kits and we hope to do it again. 

So the book we are reading is "The Family Under The Bridge" by Natalie Savage Carlson published in 1958 and winner of the Newberry Award.

It's the story of an old, Parisian, homeless man, Armand, and a family of newly homeless children. It sounds awful writing that. But somehow, when reading, the focus is on all things positive such as the affection the old curudgeon is developing for the children and the lengths to which he goes to help them. 

My children, ages 5-10, love it and beg me to read more. It's set in Paris, a long time ago, so maybe that helps it be a bit more surreal and not scary or maybe it's the excellent writing. 

Either way, it's giving them a chance to ask questions and discuss a subject that I previously never quite got very far with. 

I would recommend both the hat and the book. 

This post is part if Ginny Sheller's Yarn Along. Click the link to see more great knitted projects and book recommendations.