A Welcome Mistake

Well I took on another project...one of those "didn't turn out as expected but still turned out pretty great" types. I decided to knit billed beanie for my "man friend". I found a pattern on Ravelry here :http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/reasonably-hip

Some how I ended up with a toddler sized hat instead of a man sized hat. Which is ok, since I happen to have a pretty darn cute toddler running around this place in need of a hat. Part of the problem is I used a light gauged yarn then the worsted size called for in the pattern, but I still used the same size 7 needles called for. I was not expecting such a drastic size difference. Once I started working the piece up I started to realize it wasn't big enough and my choices were to with rip it out and start again with a new pattern or try to adjust the existing pattern, or I could keep on going and see what happened...not  fan of ripping any work out, I continued on.In stead of knitting til the back measured 6 inches I stopped at 4.5 then I cut the template for the bill out smaller. Needless to say I'm quite pleased with the results.

So, I am off to try this again, with a chunkier worsted weight yarn and bumping the needle size up to 8. If the hat is still too small I figure that the worst thing that could happen is that I end up with a hat that is too small for the man friend but big enough for the 7 year old :)

Beard Hats!

So a couple of weekends ago it was cold out side and I was bored and found myself with out a knitting or crochet project, so I decided to knit up some beard hats for my kiddos...too funny!

 This is my 7 year old, I decided to give him a nice full beard resembling his grandpas!

This is my roommates 4yr old....we told her to make crazy eyes...lol, her beard is detachable.

 My 2yr old looks too funny with his red viking beard!

Props must be given to "Busting Stitches" where I got the idea and a good idea for making the beard detachable and also for giving me a good idea for how I wanted to crochet them up! 

www.bustingstitches.com

Kisa

Fabric Available as of 5/30/2011

TheMommyMercantile's photostream on Flickr.

Pretty Flowers

I spent the good part of my afternoon taking pictures of a beautiful little baby to show case a line of headbands I am creating. As the mother of two young boys I never get to knit pretty, frilly, girly things. So I am so excited to be able to have an out let for that desire! The headbands I've been working on have been inspired by the flood of flowers I've seen in fashion recently. I've also been inspired by my own frugal nature. If I had a little girl I would want to have her fully accessorized for every outfit, but I wouldn't want to spend an insane amount of money doing it. Out of these two trains of thoughts I decided to see if I could make a headband collection that included interchangeable flowers. After quite a few attempts and some interesting results I was finally able to come up with a functional and pretty line of bands.

I wanted the headbands to be able to grow with a child, so I included an elastic band in the back of the head that is hidden in a casing. Then after a fun afternoon of button shopping I found the most ideal and cute way to secure the flowers to the bands. The next step was to make a few sizes of bands and as many flowers that my imagination could think up. I'm quite please with the results and am looking forward to finding more pretty flowers to crochet and knit.

Kisa

Amber is getting her buns in gear!

I finally got a few pictures taken and listed a few things on etsy.  I have to say that this venture is a labor of love thus far.  Here are a few of the things I've finished lately:

Sweet little "owlet" crochet hat

Summery Teardrop Bag

Sassy and Classy Teardrop Bag

All of these fun items are listed on Etsy right now.  Thanks for looking and invite a friend!!!

Free Pattern!

This coffee cup sleeve can be used with paper cups or preferably with your resuable ceramic coffee cup. It can also be used on your clear plastic cup for iced drinks to keep your hands from getting cold. This sleeve is stretchy and will slide onto your cup from the bottom, the buttons are not functional but for decoration only. Feel free to make as many of these as you like for your self or others but please do not use this pattern for profit with out my permission.


Materials

Needles: US size4

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport

Notions: Three buttons, 1 large needle for sewing on buttons and weaving in ends.

Gauge

Approximately 6 sts=1 inch

Gauge in this pattern isn’t too terrible important for this project, the most important part is the length measurement which you can check as you

knit.

Pattern

CO 21 sts

*Seed Stitch (K1, P1 Repeated to last stitch, K1, Turn, Repeat, also known as moss stitch) for 20 rows.

Place short row as follows: on wrong side row seed stitch for 18 sts, bring yarn to the back, slip next stitch to right hand needle, bring yarn to the front, slip stitch back to left needle, turn work and seed stitch back.*


Repeat from * until you've knit approximately 80 rows and the sleeve wraps around your cup tightly with about an inch of negative ease and 1/2 inch overlap.

Bind loosely.

Make Up

Using yarn ends, sew sleeve together to form a “cone” with about 1/2 inch overlapping, sew both the top and underside seams.

Sew on three small to medium sized buttons of your choice.

Weave in any loose ends.

Here We Go!

Hello!

Welcome to our blog. My name is Kisa Libby and I am a 32 year old single mother of two boys. Among the many hats I wear, I am an obsessive knitter, Navy Veteran, loving daughter, sister and hopefully a true friend. I am also the part owner of an Etsy shop called the Mommy Mercantile where I hope to sell knitting patterns I've designed, original knitted gifts and knitted wearables. My partner and dear friend is Amber Williams, who is also a single mother and obsessive crafter. Her area of expertise includes both sewing and crocheting and together we hope to show case our creations and perhaps even make a little profit.

This blog will be an opportunity for us to memorialize our courageous business venture and share the experience with others. I have learned much from other blogs and am excited to have the opportunity to give back and share what I have learned with others. In addition to sharing our experience as first time web business owners Amber and I will also use the blog forum to share our reviews about yarns we like or dislike, designers that inspire us and fabrics that could push us into debt faster than shoes or purses combined. We will also talk about our positive or negative experiences with vendors and online supply stores. In addition we hope to use this blog as a way to share bits and pieces of our lives with others who share our interests and passions.

Please feel free to share with us any ideas or requests. Feed back about our creations will also be appreciated. In the future I hope to include tutorials and free patterns as well. We have high hopes for our little business and as our logo states...”it takes a village.”

Kisa