A Cat in a Hat

During National Literacy and Numeracy Week the school held a Book Character Parade.

Being a book lover and having missed the last few Book Weeks, I wasn't disappointed when Baden asked me to make him his costume.

He narrowed it down to six (yes, six) different characters and then chose

THE CAT IN THE HAT

I could have easily have purchased a $20 costume in a bag made in a factory somewhere in China.  But that would have been the easy option.  Instead I made him a hat and tie and then he asked for a onesie with a zip, white chest and paws. How could this mother say no!
 

We finished off the costume with some face makeup and with a wave of his tail he was off.

“Look at me!
Look at me!
Look at me NOW!
It is fun to have fun
But you have to know how.”
― Dr. Seuss : The CAT in the HAT 

Pattern Details:

Hat and Paws : My own.  Measured his head and winged it.  The brim is a circle in a cirle and stitched on. The stripes are 3 inches wide and made for a very tall hat.

Onesie:  Kwik Sew 2704. Pattern A, minus the feet and with the sleeves and legs turned and elastic added.

Materials : Rathdowne Fabrics 

The gift that keeps giving... and a pattern

When Baden was a new born I received a little knitted cardigan from Kate.  Kate had received it as a gift from Taphophile and thought that it was just too good to have sit in a cupboard for Martha Moth to find and enjoy.

A beautiful hand knitted and hand dyed matinee cardigan that he wore alot before he grew out of it's size (and I failed to get a photo of him in it)

Once he had grown out of it I went to give it back to Kate and was told to pass it onto another friend who was a knitter or would appreciate such things.  So the journey began.  It travelled to Albury and then over to the US.  It did a stint in England before it returned back to Australia and then over to Germany.  It has finally found it's way back to us with the tiniest of holes.  No one is to blame, except the fact that this little cardi has been loved and worn and washed and finally it has just come apart at one of the ball changes or wet felted points and there is not enough for me to fix it.

I popped it into the 4ply yarn box.  The colour of it was just too good to throw away and I had plans of changing it into something else.

The time came over the weekend with the invitation to a baby shower.  I frogged and knitted a little beanie at the same time.

It was received with love and care for a friend with the story of what was a cardigan that became a beanie.  I will leave it up to her if she keeps it or keeps sending it on its way (which I think she will do) as she liked the story so much and doesn't want it to end.

Live on dear cardigan (June 2007 - July 2011) and look forward to hearing where you travel in the form of a beanie (2011 -    )  Thinking that I need to get my hands on the matinee cardigan pattern so I can start another and send another out there to create another story.

The pattern:  I have knitted this pattern a few times. It is nothing new or special - basically a rolled brim beanie with an umbilical cord, minus the roll.  I can not stand the roll on beanies for little babies (finding that they roll straight off of little heads with the amount that they wriggle)  So I have created a pattern for a ribbed brim.

Yarn:  4ply Baby Yarn  (a great sock wool stash buster)
Needles:  3.25 mm (I used Double Pointed Needles)

Cast on 80 stitches.  Join in round being careful not to twist, place marker.
Rows 1 - 6:  knit 1, purl 1 around.
Row 7:         kfab.  Knit around.

Optional  Row 8:      Change colour and knit around
               Row 9-10: knit around

Continue in pattern established in rows 8 - 10 or
knit in stockinette stitch until length from cast on measures 3.5inches.

Start decreases:  *Knit 7, K2tog   (repeat around)
Knit 1 round
*Knit 6, K2tog (repeat around)
Knit 1 round
*Knit 5, K2tog (repeat around)Knit 1 round
*Knit 4, K2tog (repeat around)Knit 1 round
*Knit 3, K2tog (repeat around)Knit 1 round
*Knit 2, K2tog (repeat around)Knit 1 round
*Knit 1, K2tog (repeat around)Knit 1 round
*K2tog (repeat around)
Knit 3 together x 3times onto the same needle.
Knit an icord until it measures 1 inch.  Thread yarn through and weave in all ends.  Knot the top and block lightly.  Wrap and give as a gift or pop it on the closest newborn head.

As I said - it is not a new idea - just a few different things that I do.  I will Rav link it when I work out how.  If you knit it please let me know.