Lil' Midi Bean Pilot - Pui

At the end of the school year the parents of my students gifted me with chocolate & a yarn gift certificate. Yes! They know me well. Such a wonderful gift to receive! One of the skeins I purchased was Malabrigo Sock in colorway Solis. Even though her noggin' isn't the smallest, I still like the pilot-style hat a lot on her.

Toasty & Thrifty Thursday

No, it's not a blog post about where to shop for cheap alcohol! Sorry to disappoint.

~ Toasty

If you have temperatures in your forecast like the 100F (37.5C) we're supposed to have in Richmond today, you'll probably think I'm crazy. Who wants to be toastier than that?

I hardly ever get to see pictures of children wearing the pilot-style hats I like to knit.Well, it's winter in the southern hemisphere & Cat J B over at Just this Side of Chaos posted these cute pictures of her boys wearing such a hat.

And being a Waldorf teacher one of my soap-box rants is warmth for wee lil' babies, and I will give you my soap-box link to a short & to-the-point article by the wonderful (I heard her lecture before) Susan Johnson, M.D. Then I will get off my soap-box and send you to look at more sweet pictures over at Little Kiwi Chick.

~ Thrifty

I've mentioned before that, with the exception of some treasures from New Zealand, I've been shopping for Lil' Bean's wardrobe at thrift stores aka opp-shops. Here's his 0-3 months basket closet.

Note to self: Knit some socks!

And thrifty for me, but not thrifty for my friend Laura. This was in a box I received from her this week. Green, my favorite color, and sheep. Awww! Very cute.

It's in the 3-6 months range, but if Lil' Bean takes after his parents, he'll wear it by the time he's a month old.

Unplanning The Plan & Somethin' Finished

The plan was not to unpack the boxes labeled "junk" & to store them in the attic... indefinitely. Doesn't that sound like a plan you could have come up with, too? I mean, by golly why would we ever need "junk?" Of course something useful could be in one of these "junk" boxes, so throwing them out now would not be an option.

Please do tell me that so far what I'm saying is totally reasonable, normal, logic & makes sense. :-) I like it when people tell me I'm normal. A few years ago I had a therapist for a couple of weeks & I vividly remember the day he told me he thought I was perfectly normal. :-)

Anyhoo.

Here comes the curve-ball.

I picked up the last three boxes I had stored at a friend's house today (not "junk") & my extensive knitting needle collection that I was still searching for wasn't in any of the three boxes. Big bummer! The only logic explanation is that they ended up in a box that got labeled "junk." Gasp! I guess I'll be unpacking all the "junk" boxes anyhow & I bet they will turn up in the very last box I will unpack no matter which sequence I decide on.

And here's an "it was an insomic Wednesday night" finished project...

Malabrigo Silk-Merino. I just really liked the colorway.
Off to Australia it goes to Kat J B's youngest child...

And The Peony Pilot Goes To...

... Jennifer over at Little Kiwi Chick.
I hope you will enjoy the little cap.

Tataa! A Giveaway.

I'm working on knitting somethin' special for a "baby naming giveaway," but over the past few days I have been the receiver of a giveaway treasure, I have read about how winning a giveaway has made someone's day & I have read blogs where very generous people are having a variety of giveaways, so I'm gonna have a spontaneous giveaway right here & right now.

I'm giving away this Peony Pilot. It was created from luxurious Koigu Merino. It's a newborn - 3 months size. If you are not expecting a wee lil' one, then you can always have it as a future gift to give to someone who is having a wee lil' one, or you can just get pregnant. :-)

You can get up to three entries. With each entry, please leave me a clear contact info, such as your e-mail or blog URL.

(1) Leave a comment.

(2) Follow this blog and leave a comment letting me know that you are a follower.

(3) Blog about this giveaway & leave a comment with the blog URL to your post.

I will generate a winner through random.org or my children will draw a name out of a hat - not sure which yet. You can enter through Monday, June 14th, midnight (your time zone). Have fun!

P.S. World-wide, of course.

Lil' Bean Pilot

The Midi Bean pictured here is "inside out." Since less than one skein was needed, there were few ends to weave in, thus it can be worn either way.

Here's the Midi Bean. (Ravelry link) - I have been knitting these for over two years now - inspired by the Sweet Baby Cap & some other pilot-style patterns. I just recently arrived at the "perfect" fit (at least for now). There are no seams. I find seams on baby items a nuisance to be quite frank & I imagine them as uncomfy for the lil' one. Increases (as compared to a pattern previously posted) provide a nice fit & enough room to cover ears. The placement of decreases towards the top creates a rounded look. Most of all, baby's head stays warm. (The Importance of Warmth by Susan Johnson, M.D.)

Mini Bean (with a 103 stitches cast-on & a 15-20-9/5 count) & Mighty Bean (with a 139 stitches cast on & 21-28-13/7 count) are in the works. I'm test-knitting. The nice thing is that the combination of three sizes with a variety of yarn weights & needle sizes will give you the opportunity to create Lil' Beans in eight sizes - from toasty for snow weather to light and airy for summertime. It's also easy to knit up a doll version if you need that whole look.

YARN, NEEDLES & GAUGE

Koigu KPPM, a fingering weight yarn, on size US 2 (2.75mm) needles gave me a size NEWBORN with a gauge of 8 sts./inch.

Frog Tree Pima Cotton/Silk, a sports weight yarn, on size US 5 (3.5mm) needles gave me a size 3/6-9 MONTHS with a gauge of 6sts./inch.

Malabrigo Silky Merino, a worsted weight yarn, on size US 7 (4.5mm) needles gave me a size 9-12/12-18 MONTHS with a gauge of 5 sts./inch.

Yarns & needles "in between" will create "in between sizes."

STITCH GUIDE

k = Knit; p = Purl

sk2p = Slip one stitch knit-wise, knit two stitches together, then pass the slipped stitch over the stitches you just knit together. (2 stitches decreased)

m1(fb) = Insert left needle, from front to back, under the strand between last stitch worked and next stitch on left needle, forming a loop. Knit through the back of that stitch. (1 stitch made)

m1(bf) = Insert left needle, from back to front, under the strand between last stitch worked and next stitch on left needle, forming a loop. Knit through the front of this loop. (1 stitch made)

kfb = Knit stitch, but don't slide stitch off the left-needle. Now knit into the back of the old stitch. Now you have two stitches on the right needle. Slide stitch off the left needle. (1 stitch made)

THE PATTERN

Cast on 121 stitches. Divide them evenly onto 4 DPs & join to the round, taking care not to twist. (30-30-30-31)

Round 1: Purl

Round 2: Knit

Rounds 3 & 4: Purl

Round 5: Knit

Round 6: k1, m1(bf), k18, sk2p, k24, kfb, kfb, k11, sk2p, k11, kfb, kfb, k24, sk2p, k18, m1(fb), k1

Round 7: Knit

Repeat rounds 6 & 7 six more times. - A total of 19 rounds worked. Note: Since decreases and increases per round are the same, your stitches through round 19 always remain the same - 121 stitches at the end of each round!

Round 20: k1, m1(bf), k18, sk2p, k37, sk2p, k37, sk2p, k18, m1(fb), k1 (117 stitches remain)

Round 21 & all odd rounds 'til end: Knit

At this stage your work will look something like this.
Note how increases & decreases are lining up neatly.

Round 22: k1, m1(bf), k18, sk2p, k35, sk2p, k35, sk2p, k18, m1(fb), k1 (113 stitches remain)

Tip: At this point, or as soon as the number of stitches allows from now on, it is helpful for ease of knitting to rearrange the stitches onto 3 DPs, with the sk2p decreases towards the middle of each needle. It makes it much easier to work the decreases.

Round 24: k19, sk2p, k33, sk2p, k33, sk2p, k19 (107)
Round 26: k18, sk2p, k31, sk2p, k31, sk2p, k18 (101)
Round 28: k17, sk2p, k29, sk2p, k29, sk2p, k17 (95)
Round 30: k16, sk2p, k27, sk2p, k27, sk2p, k16 (89)
Round 32: k15, sk2p, k25, sk2p, k25, sk2p, k15 (83)
Round 34: k14, sk2p, k23, sk2p, k23, sk2p, k14 (77)
Round 36: k13, sk2p, k21, sk2p, k21, sk2p, k13 (71)
Round 38: k12, sk2p, k19, sk2p, k19, sk2p, k12 (65)
Round 40: k11, sk2p, k17, sk2p, k17, sk2p, k11 (59)
Round 42: k10, sk2p, k15, sk2p, k15, sk2p, k10 (53)

Round 44: k9, sk2p, k13, sk2p, k13, sk2p, k9 (47)
Round 46: k8, sk2p, k11, sk2p, k11, sk2p, k8 (41)
Round 48: ssk, k5, sk2p, k9, sk2p, k9, sk2p, k5, k2tog (33)
Round 50: k5, sk2p, k7, sk2p, k7, sk2p, k5 (27)
Round 52: ssk, k2, sk2p, k5, sk2p, k5, sk2p, k2, k2tog (19)
Round 54: k2 sk2p, k3, sk2p, k3, sk2p, k2 (13)
Round 56: k1, sk2p, k1, sk2p, k1, sk2p, k1 (7)
Break the yarn, leaving a 6" tail. using a yarn darner, run yarn through remaining stitches. Secure.

FROM TOP DOWN: Front view. Back view. Side view.
(Click on the images to enlarge them if you need a closer look.)

For ties, pick up 3-4 stitches and work an I-cord for app. 8". Weave in all loose ends. Block if desired.

Happening Here...

Tryin' to contain the chaos in the midst of moving.

Football-fever.

Belated Good Friday buns. Yummy buns.

Booties-insanity.
Why, oh why did I knit baby booties when I remember that booties falling off baby feet when Noah & Nathan were little was always driving me crazy?

Well, probably 'cause a set just looks so darn cute.

I call 'em the Lil' Bean Pilots. Stack-o-pilots.

My new favorite lil' nook. The rocking chair was a gift from a sweet family. Such a gem!

Pacific Ocean Pilot

I hardly ever get to see these pilot hats on actual children. The pattern is one that I have modified heavily over the past few months, ehmmm years, trying to create "a perfect fit." I'm quite pleased with how they are turning out these days. The picture shows a size 9-12 months in a Malabrigo Silky Merino. The colorway is just so... Pacific-Ocean-y. Aren't these pictures so adorable? And yes, I do have permission from the Mama who snapped these amazing pictures to show this lovely girl on my blog.