Future Friday ~ Rhythm Hat

I just LOVE little boy clothes! I had a customer request a clean and simple newborn hat. No fru-fru's, animal faces, etc and something warm too. Hats like this are excellent for everyday wear, not just a photo prop. Sometimes when giving a gift (as in this occasion), you want to give something extra useful. When you are uncertain of a mom's style or they already have a little of everything, a hat like this is just the ticket. In this case less is more. It has unique color-work that puts a fresh attitude to the common hat.




http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rhythm-hat



Pattern: Rythm hat
I plan on using a sport weight 100% peruvian wool yarn. It's a nice wool that is warm and sturdy without being itchy. Being wool it is a hand wash only item. I will be using a denimn blue and a pesto like green colors per my customer's request. I think they will contrast nicely and really pop to show off the work!

As a moderation I plan on making this hat just a tad longer than the pattern calls for. This will give a little extra growing room and assure that it will cover the baby's ears no matter how big his newborn head may turn out to be. The baby will be in a chilly area and we want to make sure his little ears will be nice and warm.

I have been doing a lot of crochet patterns lately and although they work up a good bit faster and have a truly hand made look, I have been really missing my knitting needles these days! I am quite looking forward to popping those pointy needles out and getting to work on this project.

If you were to buy a hat like this, what colors would you like to have???

Future Friday - ROAR! Lion toy

This future Friday's project is a custom order from a local customer. In fact it's a project that I plan to start tackling this weekend.


http://www.etsy.com/transaction/57164587

 This is a pattern from one of my favorite Etsy designers- Beezy Mom's Creations. I've decided to do this project in a special yarn made of a tightly wound cotton that makes it durable, absorbent, and washable. As a baby toy, this will need to be washer friendly and a natural fiber that can be in a baby's mouth. This will be filled with fiberfill with a lining around it so the fill cannot be pulled through the stitches.

I'm very excited to add to my portfolio Innov8ive Knits very first toy! If you or someone else are possibly interested in a special hand made toy let me know. I am always interested in new ideas and challenging projects!

Weekend Wrap-Up- Newsie Hat photo shoot/ editing

This week was a short one thanks to the holiday but man was it smack full of adventure! From last week's weekend wrap-up you all know I finished my new favorite children's hat - the red newsie! This thing just has such a classic look I couldn't wait to get it on an appropriately sized head (and not just mine). 


This week I got the chance to use it in a photo shoot on the most precious little blue eyed boy I know! He was such a trooper for the shoot and was surprisingly content sitting in the grass for a nice chunk of time. Special thanks to Valerie for letting me borrow him :). Since this hat has such an old fashioned style, I really wanted to convey that in the editing of the picture. Give it an all around look of refined & antique. Valerie dressed him in sweet little overalls with no undershirt and brought some antique looking toys along for the shoot, which not only helped him keep occupied it really added to the effect.

Little story about the photo shoot ~ Sometimes when your brain starts leaking out of your ears and you start acting like a crazy person, you know that you are doing too much in too little time. Prime example here. This whole week I have been doing strange things at work like scrambling simple paperwork, forgetting to do routine things, etc. The night before the shoot I made sure to charge my camera and have it ready to take with me to work in the morning because I was heading to the park right when I get off. I was so totally excited and prepared. Once I made it to the park after work I realized that I had brought the camera and totally FORGOT to bring the hat! I mean HELLO it was main reason for the shoot. So last minute I got my sweet fiance to save the day and interrupted his studious homework time to bring it out to me so I wouldn't be late. After he so kindly saved the day and I was on time (being late is a huge pet peeve of mine) I couldn't find my little model and his mommy. Why might you ask? That would be because I was at the wrong flipping park on the other side of flipping town! I can't even begin to explain how embarrassed I was. This type of behavior is so unlike myself and I could have just DIED! Luckily, I was able to make it to the other park in a somewhat reasonable amount of time (although late grrr) and got to do the shoot in plenty of time before sunset. Little Mason (my model) really kept his cool for me keeping him waiting so long and close to bed time. I still can't believe I did that :-/

I hope that the photos will end up useful in the future for sales. They will be the only impression that most of my customers or anyone interested for that matter will come across before they make a decision. I am learning slowly how to use photoshop from trial and error and I must admit I'm pretty proud of these edits. (BTW I am taking a photoshop class at the local university and plan on sharing some of the tips & tricks that I learn with you- if you bought Photoshop like me and then realized it's a little more in depth than you anticipated) If they don't sell before my grand opening of my Etsy store, the goal of these is to really catch the eye and show the attitude and quality of the work for customers. We will see how affective it is here soon enough :) Wish me luck!

Weekend Wrap-Up ~ Laborous weekend!

Happy Labor Day weekend(well not anymore it's basically over)! I am so thrilled to finally have a good chunk of time to put forward to the things I love- my business! Sometimes it's so hard to get anything done and devote the time and things that it truly deserves and needs while working somewhere else full time. I could use a few extra hours in the day! There is something to be said about the feeling you get, when you get up in the morning and do EXACTLY what you want to be doing.

Special thanks to the storm in the Gulf here all weekend, I have an excellent excuse to stay on the couch all day and knit(and probably gain a few extra pounds). I decided to tackle a project for stock that I've been dying to knit. I had to pick up another project to break up working on the endless scarf. I think this hat is just WAY too precious for it's own good and can't wait to put it on a little model! Speaking of which do I have any takers??? I need a little sweetie around 12-24 months  (maybe even older) for a photo shoot!!



This so does not fit me but gives you an idea or what it will look like on a real head until I can do a photo shoot.

 This hat has been one of the more complex patterns I have done in quite some time. There is a lot of shaping  and short rows to get this thing to do what it does. I'm really enjoying watching it take shape. Each row turns it into something new.

This hat will look so precious on a little one, give them a sophisticated older look. This will make for great pictures, especially with grandparents. I've seen this hat done on Ravelry (click on the link to see the picture) and they had the child on his grandfather's lap and they were both wearing a hat like this in a similar color and it was just TOO cute!

BREAKING NEWS!!! I've also decided to start a line of yoga/pilates socks. I teach pilates on my free time and really enjoy the pair I made for myself. There are holes in the heel and toes so you still have the capability to grip the mat while keeping your feet warm. The warmer the body the better the stretch & more calories burned (plus they are pretty darn stylish if I may say so myself). I am really looking forward to converting some of my favorite regular sock patterns into yoga/pilates socks. There's a million different options for these and I think people will enjoy them as much as I do. These are also good for dancers that need grip in these areas of the foot. I have seen these placed on top of ballerina shoes and bare feet as far as dancing goes. Living in Alabama it's hard to think about needing to keep warm but the cold season is right around the corner and I cant wait! Keep your eyes out for the new line of those!