Little hat for a little girl

Very soon my kids and I will be traveling back to Indiana for some much needed time with their grandparents. The oldest two have not been back home in over a year and the youngest hasn't been back since July. It is her first year and she changes so quickly. I know they are missing out on a lot and it breaks my heart, but my husband is doing what he loves and we are doing what we love...being right by his side. So, the day after Christmas all my kids and I are gonna hop a plane back to the Hoosier state! I am beyond excited for so many things. One of those being snow! Believe it or not I miss the snow! The cold I do not miss, because california desert winds and nights get pretty darn cold!!! If only that cold came with some snow... Because of that I am hoping it snows a nice clean, safe layer just for the kids. Snow or not, it's going to be cold. Colder than what my youngins are used to so I have been busy preparing them for the weather.

I made E's winter hat a few months ago while it was still warm.

I made it back then so she could wear it to hat day and also because it still gets pretty chilly at night/early morning when they go off to school.

This pattern I improvised from a few basic patterns.

You make a simple beanie, change colors and add a border much like you would make petals for a flower (sc, ch1, 4 dc, sl st) in that order, but unlike a flower you do each stitch in a stitch across, except, of course, the ch1 and sl st...in between each "petal" you can sc as many as you want. I think I did about 2. 

For this particular hat I thought a bow would be a nice change to the many flowers always worn on beanies. 

For this bow you ch til you get the desired length you want the bow to be, they sc back and for until it is as wide as you want it. tie off and weave in ends...then take your extra yarn and wrap around as many times as you like. Voila! you have a very simple bow. I suggest not wrapping the bow too much or it gets too bulky and sticks out from the hat. That's what happened with this one. It still turned out pretty cute and my daughter likes it. I  like the many way you can wear it. I love seeing her wear it with the bow in the back.

Yesterday I made my youngest daughter a little newsboy style beanie. It looks so cute on her, but it falls off too easily----or rather, she can pull it off too easily! lol

I am thinking I should add a chip strap to hold it tight on her head.

This one is made from my left over chunky yarn scraps.

I can't remember what the dark charcoal color yarn is, but the pink is 100% wool. (Patons)

I did a simple beanie-because it uses chunky yarn I only increased to the sc 4, 2sc point. It was a little big for a 7 month old head, but my daughter has a VERY LARGE HEAD! I was making it and thought it was going to be way too big. I stuck it on her head and it fit perfectly! ...that made me laugh out loud a little.

another reason I think the chin strap would be a good idea is this isn't quite long enough to cover her ears. If I made it any longer it would cover her eyes and she would whine nonstop while wearing it. If I add a chin strap that part will cover her ears and keep her warm. :)

For the brim I sc, 2dc, dc 2, 2dc, dc 8, 2dc, dc2, 2dc, sc, sl st. For this size it made a rather wide brim. If you want the brim smaller just decrease the number of dc from 8 down to whatever you want, or if you want it longer, just add a few stitches there.

Happy Crocheting!

Nanner BABY!

My little girl tried bananas today! Some of you may not think that is such an awesome thing, but for a first time mom I am ecstatic! Usually I feed her purees, but today we gave her a whole piece. The texture threw her off a little...

This picture is so funny! She is my everything. Never a dull moment with my beautiful little angel :)

Indiana State Pie

One of the best things to come out of Indiana? Sugar Cream Pie! Wicks Sugar Cream Pie to be exact. I can eat one of these in one sitting if my will power wasn't as strong. I LOVE LOVE LOVE these pies. Since I have moved away it saddens me that I can't have one whenever I want. Since I can't easily stray too far from my favorite dessert I have been trying to find recipes that taste similar. I have only tried a couple and they are no where near as good as the real thing. I have been reading around on different forums and have borrowed this recipe from one of the taste of home blogs. I do not know if it is a taste of home recipe or if it is from an entirely different place. Either way I am trying it next. I'll go ahead and post it so you can try if you want.

OLD-FASHION SUGAR CREAM PIE 


Serves: 8
Effort: Easy
Comments: This is very rich. I like it best served warm. Very simple…..very good! This was one of Jerry’s favorites!

Ingredients:
Unbaked pie shell (I use a frozen deep-dish shell) 
2 cups heavy cream 
1 tsp. vanilla 
1/2 cup flour 
1/4 tsp. salt 
1/2 cup brown sugar 
1/2 cup granulated sugar 
1/4 tsp. nutmeg 
1 Tbs. butter 

Directions:
Combine cream and vanilla and let stand 10 minutes without stirring. In large bowl, mix flour and salt. Gradually add 2/3 cup cream mixture, stirring constantly. When smooth add sugars and mix well. Stir in remaining cream mixture and let stand 20 min. for sugar to dissolve. Pour in pie shell. Sprinkle with nutmeg and dot with butter. Bake @ 300º for 10 minutes. Continue baking @ 350º for 45 minutes or until filling is set.

I am anxious to try this! Hopefully my pie loving husband will enjoy it no matter if it tastes like wicks brand. He didn't grow up with it, but he has tried it and I think I have him hooked as well. 

Happy Baking!

My latest creations

I have been busy lately finishing an order. I made a bunch of headbands and an adorable little newsboy hat-all for a friend.

Here is one of the last headbands I made for a little girl.

 And this is the little newsboy hat. I just love these hats! They look good on everyone!

These are both slight modifications from patterns on ravelry. Here is the link to my ravelry page.

My Ravelry Page

NEW (hair) 'DO

It wasn't too long ago that I got my hair cut and colored. I kept the length and dark color and just added bright blonde highlights...It was fine for awhile, but my crazy thick eyebrows  looked much bushier with that color. I decided to go all black! I even cut some bangs. It was drastic, but I love it. What do you think?

This was my hair pulled back before cut and color...the second one is obviously after ;p

Headbands galore!

I have been working on an order for a friend this week. So far I have three headbands finished. I am absolutely in love with the yarn choices and the colors! Oh my goodness the colors! Don't you just love that bright pink/purple?!! 

The yarn for the last two is the Red heart boutique treasure. It is so soft and so fun to work with.

These all come from the same pattern...here is the link.

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