What a Hoot! Bobble Hat

I saw a lovely jumper on Ravelry that had been designed with a row of owls around the neckline. I could see that the owls had been created with a simple bit of cabling that was incredibly effective! I couldn't wait to use the same technique to create a bobble hat. I particularly like the buttons for eyes, which you could also substitute for those wiggly craft eyes, though I do prefer the buttons.

You will need:
4mm 16" Circular needle
4mm Cable needle
Dk yarn
22 small buttons for the owl eyes

Explanation of terms:
K- knit
P - purl
sts - stitches
K2tog - Knit 2 together
C4B - Slip 2 sts to a cable needle, hold to back. knit next 2 sts, then knit sts from cable needle.
C4F - Slip 2 sts to a cable needle, hold to front. knit next 2 sts, then knit sts from cable needle.

Cast on 112 and join in the round
Row 1-10) K2, P2 rib for 10 rows
Row 11) K1 row, decreasing by 2 sts - (110)
Row 12-27) follow owl chart x 11 times around

Row 28-30) *P2, K8* 3 for rows

Row 31-60) K 30 rows
Round 61) K3, K2tog to end - (88)
Round 62) K2, K2tog to end - (66)
Round 63) K1, K2tog to end - (44)
Round 64) K2tog around - (22)
Round 65) K2tog around - (11)

Cut yarn, thread through remaining sts and pull tight. Sew in ends and make a bobble for the top!
You can then either sew a button over the purled area for each owl's eyes, or you can cheat like me and use a glue gun... I was feeling a bit lazy!

And that's it - what a hoot!!

Enjoy :) Kat x

'Winter Star' Hat & Glove Set (Free knitting pattern)

EEEK! Its that time of year again...
Time to start knitting the winter gear! This year, I fancied something with a bit of a pattern, but not too much; I wanted it to be simple, but effective. I saw this star motif and thought it would be just about perfect.

The majority of the hat is knit with a 4mm 16" circular needle and finished with 4mm DPNs when the stitches become too few for the circular.

The gloves are knit on standard straight 4mm needles and sewn up on one side, leaving a thumb hole space.

So, without further ado, here we go:

'Winter Star' Hat
Using a 4mm 16" circular needle and blue DK yarn,
Cast on 120

Round 1-12) *K2, P2* rib for 12 rows
Round 13) Change to green for your star band background colour and Knit 1 round.
Round 14-26) Follow chart for next 13 rounds, using White DK for the star and other detailing. Chart is repeated 6 times.

Round 27) Knit 1 round.
Round 28-35) Change to main hat colour and knit 8 rounds

Begin decrease:
Round 36) Reduce next row by 3, *K38, K2tog* to end
Round 37) **K11, K2tog** to end
Round 38) Knit row
Round 39) **K10, K2tog** to end
Round 40) Knit row
Continue in established pattern, (You will need to change to 4mm DPNs when stitches become too few for the circular) until last row worked is K1, K2tog. K2tog to end.

Cut yarn, attach needle and thread through remaining sts.
Pull tight, tie off and weave in end.

Now for the gloves!

'Winter Star' Fingerless Gloves
Using 4mm needles and blue DK, cast on 34
Row 1-14) *K2 P2* rib 14 rows
Row 15) Change to green and knit one row, increasing by 1st at some point over the row - (35sts)
Row 16-28 Knit 13 rows of chart:

Row 29) Knit row, decreasing by 1 at some point over the row - (34sts)
Row 30-36) Change back to blue and Knit 7 rows
Row 37-40) *K1, P1* rib for 4 rows.
Cast off, sew up row ends, leaving a gap for your thumb:

Repeat instructions for a second glove, only this time rotate the glove star chart 180 degrees for the other hand.

I reckon this would make the perfect Christmas gift!!

Happy knitting, folks xx
 

Watson my head?

What do you do when your bloke says he wants a deerstalker? Crochet one, of course!!
Clearly we’ve been watching a lot of Sherlock……

I can't wait for the next series, just can't get enough of the Cumberbatch!
Needless to say, Rob hasn't taken this off yet - I think it's a winner :) xx

Anyone for Prawn Cocktail?

Ok, so it's a little wacky; but I've been seriously into crocheting food recently. After my success with a crochet burger and a box of eggs, I thought a prawn cocktail might be a bit more of a challenge; consisting as they do of many awkward shapes! I'm thrilled with how it came out, I drool every time I walk past it in the kitchen so it can't be far off the real deal! What to do next? A friend has pointed out the blindingly obvious transition to a sushi platter given the success of these prawns..... it would be nice to do something completely different again though. We shall see! :)

Coffee Cuddlers 'n Corsets

Alert, Coffee fanatics! Introducing my Coffee Cuddlers 'n Corsets; a reusable, eco-friendly way to not only help you hold on to your steaming hot beverage, but to funk up those boring cups at the same time! These cute little holders replace those flimsy paper sleeves, giving you a more personalised way of protecting your hands from the heat whilst helping to save the planet! :)


"Coffee Cuddlers" and "Coffee Corsets" will help keep your hot drinks hot and your cold drinks cold.

They cost £3.50 and are customisable. Chose the design you like and your favourite colours - there's even a Christmas variety which makes a lovely seasonal gift. P&P is £1.50. Paypal payments can be made to Chilekat@live.co.uk. State your choice of design and colour preferences when making payment. Alternatively, you can e-mail me to discuss :-)

"Coffee Cuddlers" and "Coffee Corsets" © Kat Williams

End of chilli season 2011.....

Determined to get a head start after a pathetic crop this year (thanks to the erratic weather), I've just taken a secateurs to my babies - now they are all cut back and ready for overwintering. Fingers crossed for a good survival rate!



Hopefully I'll get a good crop of chillies earlier in the season next year, rather than waiting for a whole plant to grow from seed.....that's assuming the plants survive the winter! I've kept 1 x Orange Habanero, 1 x Jamaican Red Hot, 1 x Fatalli, 1 x Cili Goronong and 1 x Criolla Sella. I'm also keeping the 7 Pot White that didn't grow white.

Fingers crossed!!

Cap'n Kat's Craft Cabin

YAY! I've created a Facebook page for all my crafty doings, most will be available for sale. I'm excited to say that with the interest I've had so far, I've decided to start taking commissions! You can follow me here at: KatsCraftCabin

I look forward to meeting some of you on the great book of faces :)