Casner Family Blog

The Autumn/Winter of 2008, Toast catalog had some beautiful, simple hand warmers. Just lovely, anyway… when scrolling some blogs I found a free pattern for them. So, I must confess, basically all I have done is tweak the pattern to use smaller needles and change the size a bit to fit a younger age group (specifically my girls). I also added a larger size in parenthesize for an adult-still using the size 4 needle.) I am one who doesn’t feel too confident to stray from patterns, so if you are like me, here is one more knitting pattern for your collection.

If you want a pair for yourself with a worsted weight yarn and size 7 needles, please find the original pattern at a-friend-to-knit-with. (It is on her side bar.) I have made both “toast” and “toastys” many times.

Hand warmers

yarn: dk  or sport weight. (I used Blue Skys Alpaca, Sport weight)

needles: size 4 double pointed. (4 of them)

Cast on 34 (46) sitches. Divided onto 3 needles.

Join for working in the round. Knit for 5 1/2 (7 1/2) in.

Make thumb: Knit 6, slip 4 (6) stitches to a piece of waste yarn. Cast on 4 (6) stitches using the backward loop method, knit to the end. Continue knitting in the round until entire mitt measures (from cast on edge). 8 3/4 (11) inches.

Loosely bind off all stitches.

Thumb: Place 4 (6) sts from waste yarn on one of your needles. Pick up and knit 4(6) sts around thumb opening using another double point. Using a third needle, pick up and knit 4 (6) more sts around the thumb. 12 (18) sts.

Join in the round. Knit for 1 (1 1/2) in.. Loosely bind off. Weave in ends. Repeat for other hand warmer.

If you need help with any of the directions feel free to email me. If you want to watch a tutorial on backward loop cast on or any of the steps – I love to use knittinghelp.com.

One of my last projects in the garden was to harvest the remaining lavender-I was very late this year so I am thankful that the weather has been so warm . My plan is to make sachets-but that was my plan last year and it never happened. However, if you walk throughout our home right now, you can spot lavender drying in random spots. I know it is best to dry in a dark spot, but sometimes you just have to make choices that help a gal smile…

This was my first felting project. I have to say, I don’t know if felting is for me. I may be a bit too impatient for it. However the slippers are a super fast knit and the instructions were great. The pattern can be found at French Press Knits. She also sells them already made to fit. (If I could copy her banner-I would.)

One last thing. I spotted a really cute cupcake printable over here– for free. 🙂

A stocking for a small dollhouse or a Christmas ornament for a tree?? We will soon see.

I love it that Alli loves handmade scarves and hats. 

A bit of warmer weather on Monday. 🙂

with a bit of star wars action thrown in.

Needles:

16 in. (40cm) circular

size US 8 (5mm)

5 double pointed size US8

Yarn:

Worsted weight

Gauge:

16sts and 24 rows to 4 in. st stitch

Sizes:

Toddler (2-4 year old)

Child

Pattern:

Using circular needles, cast on 64 (72) sts. Join for working in the rnd (round), being

careful not to twist your stitches. Place a stitch marker (pm) at the beginning of your

work so you know where the beginning of each round is.

Work K2, P2 as follows:

All Rnds: *K2, p2; repeat from * to end.

Work K2, p2 rib until the hat measures 1in. from the beginning (the cast-on edge).

On next round:

Knit all the way around and continue until the hat measures 4 in. from the

beginning*

*If you desire to add some stripes, change to contrasting color when you are ready. On

the hat in the photo, the contrasting color was on the fifth row above the edge of the

ribbing.

To shape crown and begin decreasing

Setup round: Knit  16 (18), pm, K16 (18), pm, K16 (18), pm, K16(18). You are now

ready for your decreases.

Round 1: k2tog, knit until 2 sts remain before the next marker, ssk, slip marker, k2tog*

repeat until you are all the way back to the first sm. (sometimes I will clip 2 sm’s together

so I know which marker is the beginning of the round.)

Round 2: knit all stitches

Repeat last 2 rounds, switching to double pointed needles when necessary, until only 4(6)

sts remain on each needle. [16 (24) sts] Break yarn leaving a 7 in. tail. Weave tail through

live stitches and tighten. Weave in ends & block.

Note: For Luke’s hat (in photo) I used the solid color up several inches and then begin knitting with the self striping yarn for the remainder of the hat instead of adding the stripes as mentioned in the pattern.

Whenever I sat down to type, all thoughts of what was on my mind vanished due to the amount of things that needed to be done around me. So beware, this post is going to be a bit of knitting overload. 🙂 Last week, my knitting projects included 3 hats, 1 pair of  Toasty’s (hand warmers from Leslie), and finally a completed Lady February Sweater.

A hat for Luke to match the one I made for Matheau’s birthday. The self striping yarn is Run Forest Run from  Jenny over at Etsy. The camel color is from  Knit Picks.

A hat for a friend. The Pattern is the same one I use for Matheau’s hats.

Another children’s hat for a sweet little guy. The yarn is some great wool I had been saving and some Mission Falls wool. The pattern is one I came up with. I will try to post it in the next week…

After two months of on and off working on this, Lady February is finished! The yarn is from also KnitPicks, the color is thyme.

Besides for knitting, there was a birthday party for Hannah, a costume made for Jedi Hannah, new recipes (like pumpkin swirl brownies) tried in the kitchen, bulbs planted for next Spring, more roses starting to bloom, more winterizing outside. Luke is beginning to read like crazy! Our first Thanksgiving with family, a Fall Festival, a bit of sickness and pink eye along with everything else… One more thing, a couple of weeks ago I received an email from a new friend with a photo of a hat I had knitted for her daughter, Veronica (our friend, Azucena’s niece) in Spain. Since I don’t get mail from Spain everyday, nor photos of little darlings wearing knitted hats, I asked to include a photo of her with her Dad.

Thanks for letting me post these Belen! Hello Azucena. 🙂

Pumpkin pie for breakfast. My favorite! 

 

 

Sneaking in some time during piano lessons to work on my February Lady Sweater… Yarn is thyme from KnitPicks.

Alli’s “new” jeans.

Finished mittens for the chilly morning.

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Three fresh eggs a day…

for all three girls and I still have much to do. But, early, very early this morning, I finished the biggest project, a gift for Hannah (photos later). I still have one dress to complete, otherwise… I’m almost ready for baking. :)  

 

Alli modeling a gift for Lizzie. More info on the beautiful yarn later. 

 Not a great photo, but it totally shows the surprise and excitement Hannah had opening a birthday gift from my amazing Secret Superchick. Thanks again. 🙂

 

A bit from the garden.

 

 

 

I’ve been trying to fit in taking care of the tomatoes that are finally all ripening. Also this weekend, I need to dig out the rest of the sweet potatoes and plant some garlic. 

 I let Allison try on her new shirt that will be officially hers for her birthday. I contemplated waiting and just surprising her, but I am not always the best with my sewing machine… so we tried it out. It goes perfectly with her orange corduroy skirt.  

   

Some fingerless gloves for a friend’s birthday.  Yarn is from The Plucky Knitter.

    

Another birthday gift. The cotton roving I did not make, Liz did. 🙂

 

 

 

  

 

We ended up without a football(at least American football) for Lizzie’s cake, but we did find some other cake decorations to use. For the cake and frosting, I used recipes from Apples For Jam. I absolutely love this cookbook, from main courses to desserts – it rocks. The weekend goes so fast, I can hardly believe it is Monday evening. The good thing is bedrooms are clean, the garden is cleaned up and watered, dishes are done, and bread is ready to go in the oven. Yes, I said bread!! Hannah is going to have a sandwich with her lunch tomorrow and I am making some bread.  I am probably more excited then she is. 

 

Here is Matheau with the kids and my sample hat from the pattern from Brooklyn Tweed. Not much knitting done this weekend, but I did a bit of stitching for a birthday girl. I have several sewing projects/birthday gifts to complete before the end of this month…