Bound with a Bow Hat

The cold weather has officially arrived here, and my little princess was in desperate need of a cute new little hat.  This is what we came up with. It's very simple to make, just basic crochet with a little ribbon added. For those who would like one for themselves, I'll try to give you an idea of what I did below.

MATERIALS

I used 1 skein of roving yarn, but I'm sure another chunky yarn would work. Not sure exactly how much I used but less than 1 skein.

U.S. J or K Hook

Ribbon of your choice

ABBREVIATIONS (nothing too unusual here)

ch-chain

sc-single crochet

dc-double crochet

fpdc- front post double crochet

bpdc-back post double crochet

[ ]-total number of stitches there should be in round

sts-stitches

PATTERN

I start crocheting in the round by using the Amigurumi Double Ring. (Click for a tutorial on how to do one.)

SC 6 stitches into the loop and pull tight. Join Round and Ch 2.

Rnd 1: Work 2 DC in each stitch around [12 sts] Join Round and Ch 2

Rnd 2: Work 2 DC in next stitch than 1 DC in next* Repeat around. [18 sts] Join round and Ch 2.

Rnd 3: Work 2 DC in next stitch than 1 DC in next 2 stitches* Repeat around. [24 sts] Join round and Ch 2.

Rnd 4: Work 2 DC in next stitch than 1 DC in next 3 stitches* Repeat around. [30 sts] Join round and Ch 2.

Rnd 5: Work 2 DC in next stitch than 1 DC in next 4 stitches* Repeat around. [36 sts] Join round and Ch 2.

(Now this is where I stopped increasing, but if you need a larger size you could keep increasing in this manner until you reach the circumference you need. Just make sure the stitch count is increased by 6 every round.)

Rnd 6-9: Work 1 DC in every stitch around. Join Round and Ch 2.

(If you need to make your hat longer continue working this until you have the length you need.)

Rnd 10: Ch 1 skip next stitch than FPDC in next, Ch 1 skip next stitch than BPDC in next.* Repeat around. Join round. Ch 1 (This is where we will weave in the ribbon.) 

Rnd 11- Work 1 SC in each stitch and around each ch.* Repeat around. Bind off.  Weave in ends.

Weave the ribbon behind your FPDC's and in front of your BPDC's and tie a bow. Make sure you don't tie the ribbon too tight or the hat won't fit! If you can't try it on when tying the ribbon be extra generous, because you can always trim it down later.

If you have any questions or something doesn't make sense, feel free to ask me. I'm happy to help! Hope you enjoy and please share what you make!

Fabian Perez

Last night I was looking for some inspiration for Thanksgiving table settings. I planned on sharing with you my favorite finds, but I didn't find anything I completely loved. Let's face it though, my table probably won't look that spectacular anyways, even if I had found some divine inspiration. Someday it will, we're just not there yet. Who knows, if I find something worth sharing I will, but I'm not promising anything. Anyways, after giving up my search I decided it would be much more worthwhile to look at something else, and somehow that landed me at the portfolio of Fabian Perez. I know I'm pretty random, but you gotta love his paintings. They are absolutely stunning, and I had a hard time picking just a few to share. So in lieu of Thanksgiving tables, I give you the much more impressive paintings of Fabian Perez to feast your eyes on. Enjoy!

 

 

Seeking That Perfect Shade of Red

Red lips are HOT right now. Seriously, I'm seeing them everywhere. They seem to be a make-up must on everyone's list for Fall's top trends. Really, I don't think red lips ever go out of style. Red is classic, bold, beautiful, and super sexy. It's strong yet feminine. Red lips demand to be noticed. That little red lipstick can be a girl's best friend, but can be awfully intimidating. Unfortunately, I have yet to find my perfect shade. I've looked and even experimented a little, but they've always been a little off. I'm always afraid to buy a new red lipstick that may end up in the cosmetic graveyard at the back of my drawer barely even used. Well that fear ends today, I am bound and determined to find my match in the red lipstick world.

I found this on Sephora (and luckily they tell you exactly how to do it, and what they used.) I think it looks very promising.

On my search for the perfect red lipstick, I stumbled across this photo. It was love at first sight, but I couldn't find where it belonged. I really want to recreate this look though! It reminds of all those vintage beauties and their perfectly shaded ruby pouts. Wish me luck!

I Do Believe in Fairies...I Do! I Do!

I recently made a charming, but totally unexpected little discovery...a mysterious miniature door. I was a little curious to say the least, and after some searching found that it probably belonged to an urban fairy. I quickly came across the work of Jonathan B. Wright, who found these little doors popping up all over his hometown and has kindly compiled all of his observations and research for us curious folk. Now it's no secret that my daughter and I adore fairies, and who wouldn't want to happen upon a magical fairy dwelling? As I walk around my house, I am seeing all sorts of places that are begging for fairy inhabitants. I really hope some fairy friends discover them soon!

Anthropologie-aholic Annonymous

Hello. My name is Katie, and I'm a catalog-aholic. I really can't help it, especially around this time of year when there are so many and they are all so inticing. This time it's Anthropologie. I'm obsessed with this store...and their new catalog. They really are just brilliant, and I swoon everytime I shop there (whether it's on the web, in the store, or even just the catalog.) Trust me, I look often, so often in fact you really could call it an addiction. I'm sure it's no surprise, but I'm loving their newest catalog. The effect of the snow falling in indoors is almost bewitching. I mean seriously stunning! So creative!

Some Crewcuts Love!

Can I just tell you how much I LOVE Crewcuts?! No, seriously I love them! I spend an unhealthy amount of time drooling over every single catalog I get from J. Crew, but I get especially excited when I see that it's a Crewcuts. If my budget allowed it, I would buy every single item on every single page and maybe one of their super talanted stylists to pick out our clothes every morning. Okay, so I know that will never happen, but a girl can dream. It's not just about the clothes and accessories for me either, the photography is usually so creative and I always find some inspiration. It is truly a form of art. Take a look at some of the photos from their past couple of catalogs, and tell me you don't think they're fabulous.

 

 

 

Wreath Wrap-up

There seems to be a trend lately in the blogoshpere with wreaths (and not just any wreaths--wreaths you can make yourself!) I love wreaths and have a different one for every season. I think they make my front door much more inviting and welcoming. My problem--I don't have one for winter! The time of year when I want my front door to look especially inviting and festive, and also the time of year when my piggybank seems rather empty. Finding a beautiful wreath isn't complicated, but for some reason actually purchasing one is for me. I feel guilty spending money on something like a wreath with the holiday season fast approaching. I feel like I should be spending that money on a gift for a loved one, or I think of all these people who are struggling to meet their most basic needs, and all of a sudden spendng that money on a wreath seems frivolous. (Please tell me that I'm not the only one who has these sorts of thoughts while shopping.) Well now I can have my wreath with a clean conscience because of all of the DIY wreath inspiration I've seen lately.

I found this monogram wreath over at Desin*Sponge. I'm loving all the possibilities with this!

I found the instructions for this festive little beauty over at the CB2 blog.

Holly over at Decor8 did such a wonderful job with her yarn wreath, and I totally want one of my own.

I've completely fallen for this book page wreath, and Lindsay has posted such a fabulous tutorial on her blog Living with Lindsay.

Thank you all you super talented and creative people for the inspiration and the instructions to go along with it! Now I just need to figure out which wreath I'm going to make. Do you think it's too much to make all of them and just switch them out every week, or maybe I can hang one in every room? Hmmm...I'm so bad at making decisions.

Storybird

Have you seen the new website called Storybird? It is absolutely fabulous and has quickly become a family favorite. It is no secret that I love children books and illustrators, and now Storybird allows us to create our own stories using the gorgeous work of different illustrators. We can also log on and read stories that others have created. It is still in beta so they are still working on some features, like being able to print your stories. I  could spend hours on there just browsing the gorgeous art of the different illustrators, and my creative kids love the idea of making their own stories and being able to share them with friends and family. What a great resource this could be for educators and families everywhere!

 

I can't wait to see how the website continues to grow and develop. It's great to see all these budding little authors and what they create!