There’s so much goodness happening around the Internet, I wanted to have a way to share some of it with you each week. Enjoy!

Leo shared his thoughts on raising men who respect women. Great words.

A day in the life of super popular Etsy shop owner Hailey of Ozetta. Love this girl, love her pieces, love that she's so open about her work/life balance!

In love with Elise's new posting focus on how to run a small business. Her piece on how to ship items and still stay sane is brilliant!

Speaking of Elise, I've been acting like a super creeper lately, digging through her archives (which are a goldmine). Especially digging on her Taking Photos tab in her left-hand sidebar, and am re-learning so much!

Gotta love a good potty training story, and since this is definitely where our life is right now, I could so totally relate!

In love with this new stitch dictionary from Blue Sky Alpacas!

A new free hat pattern from Ysolda!

Gala Darling's Blogcademy now has a home school option!  

P.S. - My first book, She Makes Hats, was released into the world a few weeks ago, and I couldn't be more happy to see it out in the world! I'm so thankful to you all for supporting this work I do ... I couldn't do it without you!  

You can help the book launch by: Sharing the blog with friends, family, and fellow knitters, as well as on social media sites. Buying a copy of the book from Amazon, either the paperback or the Kindle version. If you've got time, I'd love for you to share a review of the book on Amazon.

Out And About 5

May 31, 2014


Lately I've had a few folks ask me to help them learn to knit hats, which is just about the greatest thing a person can ask of me, to be honest. While some of these folks are local (and I'm working on some learn-to-knit classes for them), at least one of these folks is far away.

So how do you help someone learn to knit hats from a distance? Well, it helps if they already know how to knit, which this person does. With the basics under her belt, turning a sometimes-knitter into a hat knitting addict simply takes the right tools - some yarn, a few patterns, and the right needles.

I grabbed a few skeins of Wool Ease from my stash to add to the package first. All of these are full skeins, even though some don't have their ball bands and one had already been wound into a yarn cake. These being full skeins means my friend will be able to get at least one hat per skein, with enough left over for either a second hat or some stripes.

Once you've got your yarn, you need the right needles. For me, that's 16" circular bamboo needles and accompanying double points. Oh, and a few patterns and a cable needle, just in case. Some knitters prefer metal needles at every size, but I love the feel of bamboo, so I hand them out like candy.

All of this went into a package, with a few patterns thrown in for good measure. And then the box was sent off to sunny California, where hopefully some hats are already being made! If your knitter doesn't need needles, or already has yarn, your knit kit might look a bit different.

I didn't have to include stitch markers, a tape measure or scissors, for instance - this knitter already had those tools on-hand. But building a knit kit is a great way to turn just about anyone you know into a hat knitting addict!

Building A Hat Knitting Kit

May 28, 2014




There’s so much goodness happening around the Internet, I wanted to have a way to share some of it with you each week. Enjoy!

Knitters across the world are rejoicing! Popular Instagrammer and farmer Benjamin Hole announced that his family farm will begin selling yarn from their adorable sheep later this year!

Late to the party for sure, but I'm loving me some Lisa Congdon lately, especially this Do What You Love interview!

Free pattern alert! Jane Richmond recently released a free pattern for knitted tube socks, and they're making me re-think m aversion to sock knitting!

New post from Shauna Niequist - "we're living a love story, not running a small business together." - YES!!!

Fringe Association knocked it out of the park with this post on starting a sweater.

For more of what I'm loving around the internet lately, check out my Bloglovin' profile.

And finally, this week has been filled with so many amazing moments thanks to the release of my first book, She Makes Hats! If you haven't already, I'd love it if you picked up a copy - in it I share how I became a hat knitter, how I became a mother, and some of the hats I've given away as I work my way towards 10,000 hats for 10,000 people.

If you've already grabbed a copy, I'd love it if you left a review on Amazon - your thoughts on my book can help others decide if they'd like to read it as well!

Out And About 4

May 2, 2014

This free pattern was designed for the 2014 Charity Hat-Along with Ewe Ewe Yarns.

MATERIALS NEEDED

* Ewe Ewe Yarns, Wooly Worsted Washable, 95 yards (1 skein for preemie and baby sizes, two for child and adult sizes)
* size US K / 6.5 mm crochet hook
* Darning needle

GAUGE

14 dc over 4” [divider margin_top="" margin_bottom="" style=""]

SIZES

preemie (baby, child, adult)

This pattern is available for free download. DOWNLOAD NOW

Shanti Hat

May 1, 2014

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