A while ago I posted a tam I made here. Unfortunately, it was cool yet totally impractical as it was a.) way too damn loose and b.) freakin' GIGANTIC and HEAVY.  Needless to say, it hasn't seen the light of day because I don't have a head like the elephant man...

I've written two more tam patterns since then, the first of which ended up way too small and looked more like a puffy little mushroom cap than a tam, but the second finally ended up exactly as I wanted it to!! It's big and slouchy and I can fit all my hair in it but it stays firmly on my head and it's soft and squishy. The yarn is just some Malabrigo I had in my stash and I admit, they weren't my first choices for a color combination but I really like the way it ended up. It reminds me of the little mermaid .


This picture shows the overall shape the best...see, nice'n slouchy!


Snuggly!


Obligatory arty type beauty shot.


The stitch pattern is an incredibly easy slip stitch brick sort of pattern (think ballband dishcloth, but in stockinette).

If anyone is interested I could post my pattern. Here's the pattern, gals!

Gauge: 4.5 sts on size US8 needles = 1 inch


With MC, CO 80 sts, divide among 4 dpns.
Work in k1, p1 rib for 1.5 inches


RND 1: (Increase round) increase as follows *KF&B 3 times, K1 (rep from * to end of round)

You should have 140 sts

RND 2: Knit one round even

RND 3 & 4: With CC: K3, Sl1 purlwise (you're slipping a red stitch) to end of round

RND 5 & 6: With MC, knit from beg. to end

RND 7 & 8: With CC, k1, sl1 purlwise *k3, sl1 purlwise (rep to end of round)

RND 9 & 10: With MC, knit from beg. to end



Basically, you repeat RND 3 - RND 10 ad nauseum till you have a length you like.
Mine was about 7 inches when I stopped.

You can decrease however you like but I chose to put a stitch marker in the middle of each DPN and k2tog at the beginning of each DPN and right before my marker.

**For those not in the know, MC stands for MAIN COLOR (it's the red in my hat) and CC stands for CONTRASTING COLOR (light teal in my hat)

If my pattern writing skills are crap, let me know and I'll try to be a little clearer.

I'm looking for some good knitting patterns for berets or tams that you guys have had success with. I've tried drafting my own pattern with only relative success...Are there any in particular that you've had a lot of success with and would suggest? 

Thanks in advance, lovelies! 

I made these little mice for the folks in my office at work. They're sort of a joke because we have a bit of a mouse problem now that the weather is bad! They've all come inside to escape the snow and they leave behind little presents under desks and in storage closets.

They're not terribly original, I know I've seen them on here before.  They just turned out so cute I had to share them!

I carved this pumpkin tonight and I am so PUMPED about how it turned out! This is the first time I've tried anything like this and I actually had to go out to the craft store and get some ceramics tools to do it. (Can you tell this has been on my mind for a while?)

So without further ado, my untraditional pumpkin:

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! This was definitely a learning experience for me. (Now let's see how quick it rots... )

I recently purchased my first car ever, a *pre-loved* 1998 VW Beetle.
Within two weeks of having it I was rear-ended.   No serious damage was done but the lights/lenses around my license plate were broken and a good amount of paint chipped off of my bumper, it's fiberglass so it didn't dent or break. I FINALLY got the check from that guy's insurance company and it's a GROSS overestimate (totally awesome for me!) so I've decided that I'd like to totally repaint the car. My dad will be painting it and the sky is pretty much the limit. The only thing we're not really able to do is airbrush work.

I've been trying to think of different ways I could potentially paint the car and I'd really dig seeing what you guys could come up with! Post pictures you find online, things you draw, or just explain it to me and I can sketch it up.

Here are some photos I found online (just for inspiration, not concrete ideas):



Flames are a definite maybe.



and I've been playing around with the idea of doing lace panels/racing stripes on the car. Here are a few sample pics of what I mean:




Any suggestions or ideas you have would be much appreciated!! Thx. 

I'm a knitter by nature and currently I'm making a lacy drop-stitch shawl with Rowan kidsilk haze. It's pretty open and airy and quite stretchy, but thus far it isn't knocking my socks off. I can do some basic crochet stitches and I was wondering...if I did a shell stitch all around the outside of this shawl would it take away its stretchiness? I want to keep this thing as loose as possible...I don't want to do the shell stitch if it means it'll tighten up the edges.

Replies are much appreciated!

Do any of you guys know how to do shaping while working in double-knitting?

I have an idea for a scarf, but it requires some decreases and increases to make it a shape (wiggly, like SnB's wavy gravy) and I'd really prefer it to be double-knit.

I've got no idea how to go about doing that though...or if it's even possible. 

Thanks, guys! (or gals, rather)

I absolutely adore the way this project turned out! I was perusing my new favorite LYS the other day when I happened upon the most luxurious yarn EVER. It's Malabrigo 100% merino wool, and it is softer than I can even express! The colorway is absolutely fantastic, it's a sort of coral-y peach and brownish-green variegated called Peachtree.

I was inspired by an old floppy sort-of-tam hat a friend of mine was wearing. It was a chemo hat that belonged to her aunt many years ago. After examining it for a few minutes I decided I could whip up my own version.  This is 100% my own pattern and it used one full skein of the Malabrigo wool (about 3.5oz).

Check it out!!

I went a little nuts with photos because I'm so happy with how it turned out!


It's a pretty large hat (hence the title of the post). I wanted a hat that I could comfortably fit all of my hair in. It could definitely accomodate some medium-length dreads.


This photo doesn't do the colorway justice! When knit in the round it stripes in a cool spiral pattern.

Hope you all like it!

Some of you might have seen the first monster I made here. He was, and still is, quite a charmer. To get him to settle down I crafted a monster love interest for him! Here she is:

ARE YOU READY FOR THIS!? She's got corset-piercings!!!






And here's the lovely couple's first photo together! <3

If at all during this post you thought, "this chick is off her rocker..." I assure you you're totally correct.

[EDIT:]

First I'd like to state that this is my first ever attempt at crochet and I am intensely proud of how it turned out! He's a wee batty monster!

Ladies, beware! Keep your stuffies locked away 'cuz he's a charmer! Even the fish-cushion couldn't resist him!



Here's a little close-up of his devilish smile and little wing piercings.

Hope you all liked it!

EDIT: Here's his lady love-interest, finally done!!