Bobbles and Cables Hat

My friend wanted a cool hat and I had her find this pattern. It has cables and bobbles. The yarn is a alpaca blend and it has a shinny finish in the light. I got the yarn from Smiley's Yarn (see the link on the right).

Of course, you need to work in the round with double-pointed needles. The back is simple purl, and the front is the cable pattern. 

This hat should be hand washed and dried flat. It's a very soft yarn and my friend liked it because she is allergic to wool. This alpaca blend is also warm and the hat wears good in the cold winter season.

The toughest part when working this had was keeping track of the cables and bobbles. However, as long as you take your time when you start, you get used to slants in the cable.

This hat starts from the bottom working toward the top, with decreased in the non-cable part, which made it easier to manage.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this hat. Happy Knitting!

Meow

There was a trend of wearing animal hats. Here are some kitty hats I made for my nieces and a friend's daughter.

They have a orange tabby named Dexter, so I made them orange kitty hats with pink ears. Wool will keep them warm in the winter snow.

I've also added ear flaps for added warmth and coolness!

This is an improvisation on a kitty hat.  Little A liked the color red, so I had some red merino wool to create this fiery kitty hat. Very Christmasy, don't you think?

Again, I added ear flaps for added warmth in the winter months. The white yarn i-cord, trim and ears are for effect and coolness!

Here is what it looks like close-up.

I've made kitty hats and panda hats. I'll work on adding to my repertoire of animal hats as I get requests. Happy Knitting!

Hiatus Return

I'm back to posting online. It has been two years since I've updated things, but that does not mean I stopped working. I will update with some of my recent projects. I work in IT, and I try to get away from IT in my free time. I spend my free time knitting, crocheting, and doing or learning all kinds of crafts. So stay tuned and come back to see some of the new projects I've completed and those that I'm working on. Thank you for visiting!

Recycling or Keeping Green

Going to Trader Joe's for groceries is one of my  husbands tasks. Sometimes the bags are quite heavy and we always use our own bags that I either crocheted or bought. But, we also have so many plastics bags that we didn't throw out from times when we didn't have any of our bags or before we got into the being-green phase.

So then I read up on the Internet how to make a market bag out of recycled plastic bags. Here is the result. It is strong and can fit and hold 5 one-liter bottles of water. I will make another one, that is bigger.

It was difficult to make, only because it is hard to work with plastic "yarn." The process is simple. Take the bags and cut strips. Then join the strips and roll into a ball of "yarn." Finally, find a pattern and use a big crochet hook to create any design.

Panda Craze

Panda Pocket Scarf

Ear Flaps Panda Hat

My friend asked me to make a panda themed set of gloves, scarf and hat for her daughter based on something she saw in a store. After a few different hats, I came up with this ear flaps hat. The yarn I used was wool/bamboo blend and a merino wool for the eyes, mouth and ears. I made the pom-poms and crocheted the eyes and mouth.

Next, I started on the Panda scarf with pockets at the end. This time I crocheted the eyes and nose within the knitted pockets and attached the pom-poms. I made the scarf long enough to wind around the neck and be able to use the pockets around the waist.

Jadyn modeling the Panda hat and scarf

Jadyn liked the scarf and hat. I also made the Panda finger-less gloves with mitten cover, but they were too small.

I have to re-do the gloves but I've included a picture of how they look when completed.

The wool/bamboo yarn is an off-white color and is soft and strong. The merino wool yarn is jet black and is soft. Both are hand washable in cold water and laid flat to dry.

If you are interested in a set, feel free to email me. I will need some measurements for the hat and the gloves. I can use different yarn. I like the wool/bamboo blend, but I usually use all merino wool for winter gear, only because I feel it will keep the wearer warmer.

Panda Fingerless Gloves with Mitten Cover (closed)

Panda Fingerless Gloves with Mitten Cover (open)

Redish Warmth

This is a big-man sweater made from multi-color threaded wool yarn.

There is a rib pattern edge around the bottom, the cuffs,  and the collar.

It has three buttons enclosure at the neck.

Hand or machine wash cold water and lay flat to dry.

Sexy Fingerless

These hand warmers or finger-less gloves were knitted with merino wool and used a cable pattern on the top, with rib pattern around. 

There are various patterns available for these types of gloves, using thinner yarn made of cotton or merino wool.

Hand wash with cold water and lay flat to dry.

A-DOLL-rable

I have used this free pattern to create a variety of dolls with custom colors in different sizes. This is a Large size doll made in acrylic yarn and filled with poly fill, which makes it easy to wash in cold water and air dry. The eyes and mouth are glued on, but if they get detached, I can easily sew them. The hair color can be blond, black, or brown -- or any color you want.

The dress and shoes are removable, and I can make additional shoes or dresses for a doll. The hair is braided, but it can be combed out with your fingers to create other hair styles.

The dress and shoe buttons are made of wood, but those can also be customized for color or material.

 

Email me directly for additional information or to order. Please provide any custom color choices, otherwise I will use my discretion.

For Sale: large doll $60, medium doll $38, small doll $24.
I can make extra-large doll for $75.
There are discounts based on how much the material costs.

Bear in a Basket

My attempts at creating more amigurumi and other items, I have found a cute bear pattern that I gave to my friend's daughter. I also attempted to create a basket, but I need to find a tougher yarn to make the basket more sturdy.

Here, Aubrey is holding the little beat that is made of pure wool and filled with poly-fill. The bear in the basket below is the same. The basket is made of mercerized cotton in a gold color. Both items are crocheted.

Butterfly in the Grass

I wanted to try amigurumi and so I found a cute pattern online for this butterfly. So I created this cute crocheted butterfly with a lavender body and shinny multicolored wings. Here it is in the grassy background of my laptop desktop.

It is only about 5-6 inches high and is made with cotton yarn and thread and stuffed with poly-fill.

Happy Thanksgiving or Woof Toy

Last year I was inspired and found a pattern to create a small pumpkin. I even included a squeaky so that my two doggies will enjoy. The squeaky lasted about a month. Mia's goal in life is to chew on all the squeaky's of her toys, including those hand-made with love. The toy has survived without being flattened minus the filling, however.

Made of acrylic yarn and filled with poly-fill, this toy survives at the bottom of the doggies' toy bin. It is about 4 inches tall and round. Sometimes it is used for fetch.

Wave Rave

Being inspired by the fall foliage, I crocheted a throw or afghan using the red, yellow, orange and taupe colors. It was crocheted with acrylic yarn, so it is easy to wash and dry.

These vibrant colors bring about the warm colors of the fall season: ripe pumpkins, Thanksgiving, colorful leaves un-cloaking trees. And, the chill in the air gets a little more intense.

What better way to cozy up in front of a fireplace, with this warm afghan.

For Sale: $28 with additional charge for shipping.

Diamond Colors

This afghan with diamond shapes was so favored by my mom, that now she uses it and lays on her bed.

Each granny square was crocheted with two triangles shapes, where one half single triangle had a single color and the other half triangle worked in contrasting stripes. Arranging these squares with the stripes together, combined as diamond shapes. After creating the 9 diamonds, I attached them together with yellow stripes.

I used bright colors and combined them in contrasting patterns. The three combinations are shown below. 

The orange diamond pattern created are 4, each made up of 4 squares. 

4 Orange Diamond: 4 squares/ea or 16 total squares

The yellow diamond pattern created are 4, each made up of 4 squares. 

4 Yellow Diamond: 4 squares/ea or 16 total squares

Finally, one red diamond pattern made up of 4 squares. In all there are 36 squares. I arranged the diamond patterns in a diagonal order, as you can see from the picture at the top.

Red Diamond: 4 squares

The yarn used was Vanna White's acrylic yarn, which makes it easy to wash and dry, without worrying about shrinking.

Multi-color Throw

This crocheted multi-color throw was created with yarn scraps from various projects. I found a granny square pattern that I liked and began to paint my canvas with the colors at my disposal. It is like a quilt and fits a queen sized bed. It is made from wool and wool blends yarns. 

Here is a close-up of one square that uses two different bulky wools.

At the corners I incorporated a new granny square design, as seen here. The cross square appears in all four corners.

Price: $40

Weaving Starter

Last weekend I learned how to weave while at the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY. I will continue practicing to do tapestry weaving.

My first project is a small bag that measures 4.5"x 6" with a shoulder strap height of 19". It is made of acrylic yarn, black and off-white, with speckled bits of brown, and white cotton strings to hold the wefts (or horizontal yarn). I have not lined it, but it is possible. I've sewn the bottom and side with the acrylic yarn, make it quite strong and durable. The shoulder strap is crocheted with the black acrylic yarn and is half-inch thick.

To add a little more color, I have added plastic and wood beads that weight it down and makes it jingle. I tried to keep to a southwestern, Native-American look.


 Also, I added my "Handmade by simi" label. What do you think? Any suggestions or comments?

Price: $10

To the market

My previous Market Bag was praised, so I created another one using linen, cotton/acrylic blend and acrylic. The linen or flax yarn is quite strong and should hold a heavy load.

I also sewed in my "Handmade by simi" label. I will eventually like to order these with my logo, but until then, this will do.

Care Instructions: machine washable cold gentle cycle and line dry.

This market bag is for sale for $10.

Paws with Yarn

I knitted a doggie sweater a while back for my friend's four legged buddy, Emmy. Here she is showing off the fashion in her own way, on the couch runway.

Emmy also cuddled with two other projects I worked on, a doll, based on the same pattern I have used before, and a monkey. Buddies forever.

Waste of Time

I am stuck in traffic for an hour now and I don't have any project with me to work on. I could have finished a few of my smaller projects during this wasted time. Commuting is such a waste of time.

Wool Festival

The New York State Sheep and Wool Festival is October 15 and 16 in Rhinebeck, NY. I signed up for two workshops on Weaving. It should be fun.

I remember when I was young in Romania, I learned how to weave a small rug on a loom that my dad made from wood slats with small nails. I still have the little rug somewhere. I'll take a picture and post it when I find it.

I got a rigid frame loom kit and started creating a little rug on it. Hopefully, after these workshops I will learn how to create more intricate patterns.

Hubby Cardigan

Vin volunteers at Ellis Island in the summer and sometimes on weekends during the school year. Yeah, you guessed it, he is a teacher, poor soul! He told me he only works 163 days a year, I think. But now that he is an AP, it's back to reality baby!

Anyway, for Ellis he gets one polo shirt and one long sleeve button down shirt with the patches. He bought three more polo's where I sewed the patches. He asked me to make him a wool cardigan with a shawl collar in the beige or taupe color required for the job, and once done, I can sew the patches on it, so he is warm during the winter. So here is what I have so far.

I am using chunky wool by Filatura Lanarota that is made in Peru of 100% Wool that I got at a discount from Smiley's Yarn. The back and the right front side are done. I just have to finish up the pocket on the front right side. It will have pockets on each side. I'm working on the left side, then I have to do the sleeves. I combined two free patterns and adjusted the stitches to Vin's size. I already had to take the sides apart and start over. I had put it away for a while, so now I've picked it up again to finish it. I'll keep you posted when I have it done. Hope it fits!!!