WIP - Angel Wings Baby Blanket by C. Lee Goss

Right now I'm working on a gift for my boss. As soon as I found out that she was pregnant I went digging through all of my knitting patterns. The moment I saw this gorgeous pattern I knew that the search was over. 

This pattern was in Creative Knitting's May 2009 issue. It looked elegant enough to stand above all of the other mundane blanket patterns but not so complicated that I couldn't finish it quickly. I used Caron's Baby Soft yarn with my trusty size 8 needles. 

So far I'm really enjoying the pattern. There's a simple progression that builds on itself to create the angel wing design as well as the bumpy texture. It didn't take long for me to get the repetition down so I don't have to constantly check the chart to make sure I'm doing it right. Overall I feel satisfied with my choice and I know that my boss is going to love her gift.

WIP - Enchantment Shawl by Hélène Rush

I got the yarn and pattern as part of a fabulous knit kit at my LYS, Yarn Junkees. They have a wide variety of knit kits available from shawls to hats to gloves to scarves. This particular shawl kit ran me about $53. Included in the charming plastic bag was the Knit One, Crochet Too yarn brand in Crock-O-Dye #564 Teal and Kettle Tweed #4435 Bamboo, the pattern (which is worth about $6 or so on its own), and the needles required for finishing this project. Each hank of yarn is worth around $25 each and the needles are about $10-ish. You really do get your money's worth with these kits. Not to mention it's the perfect way to pick a project when you're feeling a little indecisive or if you're new to knitting and want to give yourself a challenge.

You begin with the border working side to side as you can see in the WIP photo above. The lacework gives the impression that you're creating cables with the edge, but you're not. They do look pretty convincing though. Once you've finished the border, you pick up the stitches along the edge to begin working on the body. I'm a few rows in and now I'm starting to feel a little lost. There's some confusing phrasing in the directions that I'm having some problems deciphering.

The rows I'm struggling with are as follows:
Row 7: K7, *(k1 wrapping yarn around needle 2 times) 3 times, k7; rep from * across
Row 8: Using B, k7, *sl 3 wyib dropping extra wrap for each, k7; rep from * across

So, I guess I'm not supposed to knit those stitches? I'll figure this out, but for right now I'm stumped. I know that there will be some bobbles up ahead and I'm looking forward to those. From the picture of the pattern it almost looks like the slipped stitches are actually knitted in later which makes a lot of sense. So far, I have to say that this pattern is a lot of fun. I can't wait to start working on the short rows.

As for the yarn itself, I am beyond amazed at the color, texture, and ease. The first thing I noticed were the gorgeous colors of the skeins of yarn of the Kettle Tweed and Crock-O-Dye. The Crock-O-Dye is made with superwash wool, nylon, and silk. It's very soft to the touch and doesn't break easily. One of the things I loved about working with it is that when I needed to do the P2togs with the YOs in the pattern, the yarn didn't untwist very much making it easier to pull those stitches off without having to retry them over and over again. The Kettle Tweed is crafted using merino wool, baby llama, bamboo, and donegal. It has a crimped texture and feels even softer than the Crock-O-Dye. The blending of the earthy colors are even smoother. I'm totally falling in love with this yarn. The cable definition is outstanding.

Virginia Is For Lovers

I've really been enjoying my stay in Shenandoah, Virginia. My grandma and I have been going through a lot since losing my grandpa but together we are getting through it. My heart has always belonged to the valley and I have been seriously considering a longer stay. I have the advantage of running my own business online. This means that I can pack up whatever I need to and go where ever I feel like going for as long as I desire. This freedom has allowed me to help my grandma in her greatest time of need. It makes me glad that I decided to follow my heart instead of submitting to the idea that the only way to make a living is by going to work for someone else in a retail store (or something like that).

So far I've been doing very well for myself. My collaboration with another Etsy shop is continuing, albeit with a few disadvantages with the distance but we are working it out through trial and error. There are many people that pass through this house and my grandma loves showing off everything that I make. She's my best promoter! Many of the people that I've met are interested in lessons. I'm sure that I could teach them in the house. It would be really great if I could get that part of my life back. I really miss teaching.

The landlady for the house also owns all of the buildings on the block. There are a lot of empty business spaces available in the gorgeous historic town of Shenandoah. I would very much love to open a yarn shop. It would be perfect in keeping with the aesthetic of an old train station town. She seemed to be really into the idea of having a yarn shop in the area. With all of the crafty people around, I should have no problem having people consign a few of their pieces. This will also be a great way to bring awareness to some of my favorite charities involving yarn. I really hope that this can happen!

I do have to be realistic. The chances of this shop coming to life are slim to none. I have no collateral for the bank, I have no money saved up, I don't have a business license (I would need a new one for the shop anyway), and I have no credit. There are a million things working against me right now. That doesn't mean that this dream of mine is impossible. I'll look into all of my options before I give up.

Why I Hang Out In Yarn Shops

I like to visit my local yarn shop as much as I can to say hello to the yarn. One day while I was visiting a very professional man walked through the door and started asking questions about the Cascade 220 yarn displays. It didn't take me long to figure out that he was a representative of Cascade Yarns. The ladies from the shop introduced him to me. Moments before he had walked through the door I had purchased two skeins of Cascade 220 yarn. As I was being introduced to this man I felt relieved that I was knitting with yarn from his company. 

The man's name was Mike. He watched me knitting away as we got to know each other. Mike was impressed with my ability to not only follow an intricate pattern with cables and such, but that I could do so from memory and without looking. He began talking me up to the shop owner and convinced her to utilize me in any way that they could. He asked if I could teach some classes. I already teach the speed knitting class. Then he asked if I could knit the display projects to help sell the yarn. That's when I got really excited. 

Mike left the store for a moment and came back in with some beautiful light green yarn and a gorgeous cowl that was knitted.  He started to tell the story behind the cowl and explained that the yarn that was used was the ball that he was holding. He said that the company tried to come up with several one skein projects and that this was one of them. The cowl that he brought in was actually made by the president of the company. A jolt of excitement went through me as I gave the cowl a closer look. I admired the even stitches and binding off technique used. The yarn itself had impressive stitch definition. I had to have this yarn! That's when Mike told me that he wanted to give me this yarn and even told me the name of the pattern so that I could try it out for myself. 

That was just the beginning. Mike began going through the store and was on the hunt for yarn to use for display pieces. That's when the store owner Terri presented three zip locked bags of yarn with patterns inside. All of the yarns were different styles made by Cascade. There was: 

Alpaca Lace: 

 Eco Duo:

and Ultra Pima:

 Then Mike started talking about a new type of yarn that Cascade just started selling called Souk:

So, the task was presented to me to create these beautiful designs using the patterns given to me with all of this amazing yarn. I felt like I had made it out of that store like a bandit. Not only was I given all of this beautiful yarn for free, but I was even offered compensation for my talents. This was one of those rare moments when I was in the right place at the right time. Mike even discussed an opportunity for me to sell patterns through Cascade. With all of these wonderful things happening I no longer felt bad for splurging on the other items I had purchased. I felt like I had been given a wonderful deal!

Owl Lace Sweater - WIP/Review

I've been working on an amazing sweater with owl lace for the past couple of days. It's Ginny's Cardigan by Mari Chiba from the Unofficial Harry Potter Knits magazine published by Interweave Knits. I love their regular magazine patterns, but this collection really knocks my Narcissa socks off. I literally want to knit every single pattern. They have a few sweaters, socks, scarves, and mittens. There's over 30 patterns for me to sink my teeth into.

Here's what I have so far. You can't really see the sides, but it's all stockinette stitch. This is worked mainly in one piece from the bottom up. I love the shaping techniques used in this cardigan. Short rows were used to construct the bust line. Decreasing, then increasing stitches creates a snug fit for the hips.

The owl lace is the main focus point of the cardigan. It's really important to pay close attention to the chart as you're working. I usually can pick up on a lace pattern rather quickly and won't have a need to follow the chart after a couple of passes. This lace pattern is to intricate for me to memorize like that. You work this pattern over 23-31 stitches which means that you gain and lose stitches as you go. Regardless, it offers a challenge that I enjoy. 

I'm going to make a trip to the yarn store later this week to pick up some size 4 and 6 DPNs. I've had to buy brand new needles to do this project, but luckily the yarn was free for me. The needles are the interchangeable kind from Knit Picks. I'm really loving them so far. I can't wait to get the DPNs. 

The yarn I'm using is the Bernat Nylo Sports wool blend. It's 50% wool and 50% nylon. The colorway is Silver Mix which gives a great denim effect to the cardigan. I love how soft it is. I can't wait to put this sweater on!

The Red Scarf Project

This year I've dedicated some of my time and yarn to a very special project that I'm rather fond of. It's called the Red Scarf Project. Basically, knitters and crocheters are invited to use various hues of red yarn to create beautiful, soft scarves for unisex college students. The students are foster kids putting themselves through school and may not receive such a kindhearted gift from a loved one. 

This year I have made three scarves to submit. I wanted to take this opportunity to teach myself some new skills and get rid of some extra red yarn I had lying around the house. Believe it or not, I still have some more. The new technique I taught myself this year was working short rows. You can see how I utilized this new technique in the scarf below:

I also converted a pattern that I've used about 20 times with a beret that seems to be a favorite among my customers. I took the cable panel and added a simple border around it. I plan on using this for future scarves to sell in sets with my berets. They look really lovely as their own accessories, so I can only imagine how beautiful they will look together as a dynamic set!

This year I came up with a clever little way to solve a couple of problems. One, I needed a way to keep the scarves folded. Two, I had such a small amount of each color left over that I really didn't have a lot of options as to what I could use that yarn for. So, I came up with the idea to make a coffee mug cozy to wrap around the scarves. This also presents a new gift to the student who receives this scarf. Not only is this a clever way to keep your scarf in place, but it also gives the student something to keep their coffee mug from being too hot or cold. And we all know how much college students love coffee. 

I've got some of my students making scarves as well. We're all writing letters with words of encouragement and shower them with some love for Valentine's Day. Next year I plan on getting involved much sooner. The range of time that donations are allowed are from September to December. This was a really fun experiment for me! I tried some new stuff and succeeded and tried some other things that didn't quite work out. I'll get it by next year though! 

Lemme Teach You A Thing - How To Cast On (Knitting)

I finally started making videos on how to knit. I'm so excited! Please tell me how I did, if you followed along, and if you have any specific stitches you'd like to learn. 

New Collection of Headbands

I've made a few more of these delightful headbands. I plan on working on new colors and new patterns soon. These have been gathering a lot of interest for my store! I've already sold three and it hasn't even been 24 hours since I've made the first one. I'm very happy with the decision to include headbands in my store, albeit long overdue. I feel kinda slow for not doing this sooner. 

I'm offering a range of selection for these little beauties. If anyone wants a different color then feel free to request a custom item! Also, the pattern is available here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/154580897/leaf-lace-knit-headband-pattern

New Headband

I saw a cute little pattern and decided to give it a go. It was very quick and easy. I'm going to start making these in a few different colors. So excited! ^_^

Coin Purses

I love coin purses. I looked everywhere for a pattern for a lacy coin purse and couldn't find one. I came up with this. 

I'm very happy with how it came out. It's so elegant and simple.

I can't wait to make more of these in different colors. I'm also thinking about putting beads in.

Tiny Tina Cosplay WIP #1

So, I've made the decision to make a Tiny Tina cosplay. I'm super excited to do this and I have plenty of time to get this done. If you're not aware of who Tiny Tina is, she looks like this:

So far I've got the knitted top part of her shirt completed.

Not the best picture, I know, but it's the best I can do right now. I'll be sure to get better pictures once the costume is complete. I am really happy about how this has turned out. I completely improvised the pattern and it turned out to fit perfectly! Yay math! :D

The next part of the costume that I'm going to work on is the orange knee-length pants. I've got the orange material and matching orange thread and I'm ready to go! After I finish making this costume I'll have to dirty it up a bit. She's filthy!

I've got the wig ordered, but it's on backorder right now so it'll be a while before I get it in the mail. I also ordered a wig stand to attach to my table so that I can style it to look more like Tina's hair. I'll probably make my own pink ribbons to go in the wig. I can't wait!

This is the style of wig I got from www.arda-wigs.com:

I got this wig in platinum blonde. I can't wait to see how it'll look in person. I've bought wigs from Arda before and I've never been disappointed.

Anyhoo, back to creating!

RIP Hero of Canton Hats

A few people have already heard, but I wanted to make an official statement regarding the situation involving a certain network banning the sales of a certain hat. If you haven't heard, read this (http://io9.com/fox-bans-the-sale-of-unlicensed-jayne-hats-from-firefly-471820413).

Here's what I have to say:
I depend on making these hats to afford to eat. I depend on these hats to keep my business running. No one really buys anything else from my store. Out of the 125 sales on my Etsy shop 76 of those are Jayne hats. That's roughly 61% of my sales.

When fans want to buy a Jayne hat (oops I said it!) they want to buy a handmade one made by a fan for fans. They don't want a machine made hat from a company that hasn't even seen the show or claim to be a fan. ThinkGeek is not at fault here. Too many people were requesting the hat to be sold on there. They were just giving the people what they wanted.

Here's what I don't get. Why didn't they just get a bunch of people who make the hat already with love and passion for the show and pay them? Haven't we taken away enough jobs? There are too many people who make this hat that would love to work for a company like ThinkGeek and provide these hats to true fans of the show, but no we have to manufacture them with a machine. We can't have independent contractors make the hats for a retail website because that's just too complicated.

Here's what I don't get with Fox. Why after ten years do they just now get around to telling people not to sell these hats? Because someone bought the license for it? Because they realize how much money they're losing not having this licensed? To protect the company that bought the license? Because they're tired of hearing people beg them to bring the show back? Because they're Alliance? Whatever their reason, they still have a legal right to protect, but that only goes so far.

"Although characters have an identity, persona, and other expressive elements, clothing, by itself, is considered a useful article, unprotectable under copyright (a principle that's proven a major irritant for clothing designers). In a 1989 case, a court of appeals refused to protect costume designs even though the company had registered its costumes as "soft sculptures" with the Copyright Office. Other decisions reinforced the rule that costumes are not protectable. There may be instances where a movie company that owns a series such as Indiana Jones could complain that your costume sale -- for example, hat, jacket and whip -- could violate trademark laws if you used the name of the character in your advertising... To be safe under trademark principles, avoid any advertising statements that imply endorsement or an official connection with characters or films." - Posted on Whedonesque.

 With this information it seems that I can still sell the hat so long as I use terms that aren't used in the show. But hold on, here's what Fox told Etsy to tell me.

 Etsy received a notice from Kasimira C. Verdi (foxip@fox.com), Director - Intellectual Property for Fox Group Legal. The notice said that Fox is the owner of copyright, trademark and other intellectual property rights in and to the television series FIREFLY (the "Series"), which currently airs on the Science Channel. These rights also include characters, images, designs, slogans and/or other distinctive creative elements of the Series, and the exclusive right to license merchandise in connection with the Series. According to the notice, use of various trademarks, characters, images, designs and/or other distinctive creative elements is not authorized. 

The letter stated that these listing(s) incorporate designs, symbols, language, images, or photographs that infringe upon the concerned party's copyright or other intellectual property right.

So who's in the right here? And who do I talk to so that I can find out? Here's part of the FAQ that they included with the cease and desist letter.

------------------------------

-Q- May I change the design or wording of my listing(s) and
reactivate them?

-A- Etsy cannot offer advice on how to change the listing(s).
Please address any questions concerning this matter to the person
who contacted Etsy (see contact information above) or an
attorney. Do not reactivate these item listings or relist these
items until the issue has been resolved.

------------------------------

An attorney. Because people trying to make a living on Etsy have easy access/can afford those. Oh, but I can try to contact Fox about this matter? Fine. They've been so great about settling this in all of those interviews they've been doing - oh wait, they haven't actually responded to anyone about this situation? Huh.

Here's part of the letter that I found downright insulting and pissed me off more than anything else.

This is a confidential matter, and we request that you not discuss this issue in the Etsy Forums or otherwise violate the confidential nature of this email.

They just took away something that I depended on to provide for myself and keep my business afloat and they expect me to keep my mouth shut? Fuck that. To these corporate asshats a $20 hat might not mean much of a loss for the people who made them. Just like how a certain retro-futuristic sci-fi show didn't mean much to them. All they see is the dollar signs and how they can profit. They don't see how this really affects the people who made the hats.

I've been looking for a job for the past two years and you know how many people actually gave me an interview? One. I got the job, but I only get to work EIGHT FUCKING HOURS A WEEK!!!! I also teach a knitting class every Friday, but I only have two students that actually show up every week and then there are weeks that they can't show up. Not a very stable income. What if these students decide that they're done learning or get to a point that they feel it's too complicated and stop coming to classes? I'm screwed. That's what happens. Does Fox care about my situation? No. Does anybody? It certainly feels that way sometimes, but I do know that I have people in my life that actually gives a shit about me.

I've been paying attention to how the fans have been reacting to this situation and it really fills my heart with pride to be a part of a fandom that genuinely cares for not only the show, but the people who also love the show. The overwhelming support of the Browncoats show that we really are unified and I feel like together we can achieve anything. To anyone reading this, Browncoat or no, thank you. This has been a very stressful couple of weeks for me and my mind is spinning trying to find a way to make this work. There's been a lot of screaming and a lot of tears. Now that I've seen how the fans have been reacting to this I feel like I'm not alone and I might actually be able to find a way to continue making a living.

New Photos!

The photo shoot was a success! I finally had a chance to get out and take a few pictures. My friend took the pictures and I modeled. It was still kinda wet outside, but it was a beautiful day for taking photos. This is just a taste of what I did. I have more photos on my Facebook and Deviant Art. 

www.facebook.com/magicineverystitch

www.branxnia.deviantart.com

Zombie Prom!

I will be selling my wares at the Zombie Prom in association with Indie South Fair. I can't wait! I've been making a lot of Valentine's Day things and hats for guys and gals in preparation for this event. I need to finish a lot of things before hand so I hope I get it all finished in time.

During December I sold a lot of Jayne Hats from Firefly. January I sold a Dr. Who scarf and so far this month I've sold four Harry Potter House scarves. Therefore, February is the month of Potter!

Ravenclaw seems to be the most popular of the four houses. Gryffindor is the second, with Slytherin third and Hufflepuff fourth. I've been thinking about making separate listings for each house and then the alternate first movie edition. I've been making these things for years I just haven't made the listings. 

I know I sound like a broken record when I say this, but I really, really, really need to do a new photo shoot for Etsy, Deviant Art, Ravelry, Facebook and here. I feel like my business could be doing better if I had better photos up. It seems like every chance I get to actually take the pictures it's always raining, foggy, or the people who said that they would help can't. 

Classes are now on Fridays!

I'm going to start doing knitting classes at Hobby Lobby off of Atlanta Hwy in Athens every Friday from 3 pm to 5 pm. I did a demo last Saturday to get the word out there. I got a lot of people to notice me since I was sitting at at a table knitting, but most of the people who talked to me thought that I worked there and asked me where things were. I tried really hard, but only got three people to actually sign the sign up sheet. Several people said that they weren't sure if they could make it, but would try their best. They legitimately seemed interested, but usually it's a nice way of saying "no thanks". I would much prefer it if people said what they really felt. Telling me your opinion won't hurt my feelings. Pretending you care and giving me hope will.

I made a cute flyer for my classes! These will be at the front of the store, so it doesn't have the location on it. I don't really plan on having these flyers anywhere besides the inside of the store that I'll be teaching in.

I've been preparing for the con season that is coming up. Hopefully I'll do as well as I did this past year. Momo Con is coming up and unfortunately I didn't get accepted into the artist alley. Sukoshi Con is next month and they haven't even opened applications for the artist alley yet, but it's pretty scary since the event itself is so close. I've been getting ready for it just in case. AWA is a really big event and it takes all year to get ready for that.

I got a lot of stuff done today. I finished a lime green and black elf hat, a Knives Chau scarf, and a Jayne hat. One of the things that I wish is to actually have a Jayne hat or two available for cons. They're my best seller on my Etsy shop so I know a few people would be interested in buying one at a con. It would be ideal to have a Dr. Who scarf available as well.

First knitting class!

My very first knitting class will be tonight from 5pm-7pm and I'm really nervous. I'm trying to think of ways to teach the class without losing control over everything. Hopefully I'll have a full classroom with really nice people in it. I was thinking of things to give to my students and really drew a blank. I can't give them a starter knitting kit because the whole point of having that class is to have people buy from the store. It's how they make their money. Also, I'm not sure when to collect their money. Before or after the class? If I teach them and then collect their money there's the chance that someone might not have the money and they just got a free class.

Again, I hope it's a bunch of really, really nice individuals. Maybe next week I'll have an idea of what to give my students. I was thinking of a charm bracelet and then adding a charm for each week they show up, but that would be way too expensive. Cute, but costly. I could try to make the bracelets. I'll have to see how much that would be.

Twilight Sparkle!

Though I am not a fan of My Little Pony, I will be making more pony hats. I have quite a few Brony friends and there are way too many people out there who truly enjoy the show for me not to make Pony hats for them. I've been doing the unicorn hats for years now so the MLP transition should be smooth.

I just bought the yarn for a Twilight Sparkle hat. I've been getting a lot of requests for her so she's next. I've got made to order Rainbow Dash hats up for sale right now on my Etsy shop.

Made To Order Rainbow Dash Hat

One of the criticisms I've gotten over my pony hats is that they don't have the cutie marks on them, which some people think is lazy. The reason why I don't do it like that is because these are meant to be worn as cosplays to make you look like the character, not to represent the character. The cutie marks go on the rear, not the head.  If you notice with my other animal hat designs, I never add a face to the hat. Your face is the face. 

I'll eventually get to the point that I can make the other main ponies as well. I occasionally get requests to do Pinkie Pie and Applejack, but I've yet to get a Rarity request. The ones I get the most requests for is Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, so those were the ones I started with. 

[rant] I hate it when people request that I make a specific pony, or anything really, and then have no interest in actually purchasing it. I would rather spend my time and money making something that I know will sell than take random requests and lose that time and money. It really annoys me sometimes how people don't understand that I have to actually charge them money for my work and then they get offended that I would actually ask them for money for something that I made. It's like they forget that I am running a business. Or they try to play the friend card and I haven't seen them in years. My real friends are the ones who at least offer to pay. I try to work out deals for them because they understand.[/rant]

Doctor Scarf

I just sold yet another Dr. Who scarf. My shoulder is going to fall right off. This is going to be me for the next few days.

I don't mind it though. I could really use the money. Gotta pay them bills. And eat. Eating's important too. I just wish sometimes that people would commission me for clothing every once in a while.

Shipment Received!

I finally got a hold of my new choker findings! I just added the ribbon clamps to several chokers and they look amazing! I love how my chokers are evolving into perfection. After I perfect these little guys I'll start coming out with various patterns.

I can't wait to start taking pictures and listing these on my Etsy site. So many new colors and new cameos. The bronze findings look amazing! The new gun metal findings are gorgeous! As soon as I sell some I'll order more parts.

Pixie Hat Tutorial

What materials you need:

* 7 double pointed needles (dpns) size 8

* Stitch holders

* Cable Needle

What skills you need:

Working in the rnd with dpns

C4b

C4f

C6f

C6b

T3

i-cord

K2tog

K3tog

P2tog

Tbl (through back loop)

Gauge:

22 sts and 26 rows = 4in/10cm worked in cable st in the rnd using US 8 (5mm) dpns

You will be working in the round. Start with three needles and as you increase more sts, add another dpn. Be sure to have even amounts of sts on the dpns.

CO 6 sts
Kfb al sts - 12 sts

(K1, kfb) 6x - 18 sts

(P3, kfb) 6x - 24 sts

(P2, k1, kfb) 6x - 30 sts

(P2, k2, kfb) 6x - 36 sts

(P2, k1, t2, kfb) 6x - 42 sts

(P2, k4, kfb) 6x - 48 sts

(P2, c4f, k1, kfb) 6x - 54 sts

(P2, k6, kfb) 6x - 60 sts

(P2, k7, kfb) 6x - 66 sts

(P2, k2, c6f, kfb) 6x - 72 sts

(P2, k9, kfb) 6x - 78 sts

(P2, k10, kfb) 6x - 84 sts

(P2, k12) 6x

(P2, c6f, c6b) 6x

(P2, k12) 6x

            Rep rnd 16 twice more

19. (P1, pfb, k12) 6x - 90 sts

20. (P3, k12) 6x

            Rep rnd 20 twice more

23. (P3, c6f, c6b) 6x

24. (P3, k12) 6x

            Rep rnd 24 twice more

27. (P2, pfb, k12) 6x - 96 sts

28. (P4, k12) 6x

            Rep rnd 28 twice more

31. (P4, c6f, c6b) 6x

32. (P4, k12) 6x

            Rep rnd 32 5 more times

            Rep rnds 20 - 32 3 more times

59. (P4, k12) 6x

            Rep rnd 59 3 more times

* Divide for ear flaps. You will stop working in the rnd at this point.

P2, place next 32 sts on a holder, turn.

Starting with last 2 sts worked, k2 (p12, k4) 3x, p12, k2

K14 (p4, k12) 2x, p4, k14

K2, p12, k4, p2, place rem 44 sts on a holder, turn.

(Working on first ear flap only) k2, p4, c6f, c6b, k2 - 20 sts

K2, p12, k6

K2, p4, k14

            Rep rows 6-7 twice more

12. K2, p12, k6

13. K2 (p2tog)2x, c6f, c6b, k2 - 18 sts

14. K2, p12, k2tog, k2 - 17 sts

15. K2, k2tog, k13 - 16 sts ****

16. K2, p12, k2

17. K2, k2tog, k8, k2 - 14 sts

18. K2, p10, k2

19. K2, k2tog, k6, k2tog, k2 - 12 sts

20. K2, p8, k2

21. K2, c4f, c4b, k2

22. K2, p8, k2

23. K2, k3tog tbl, k2, k3tog, k2 - 8 sts

24. K2, p4, k2

25. K2, k2tog tbl, k2tog, k2 - 6 sts

26. K2, p2, k2

27. K1, k2togtbl, k2tog, k1 - 4 sts

28. K1, p2tog, k1 - 3 sts

Continue on these 3 sts on one dpn to knit a 10in i-cord.

Cut yarn and draw through sts to secure.

Work second ear flap. Return to sts on holder and with WS facing, work across first 20sts as follows:

(WS) k6, p12, k2, turn, leaving rem 24 sts on holder.

K2, c6f, c6b, p4, k2

K6, p12, k2

K14, p4, k2

            Rep rows 3-4 twice more

9. K6, p12, k2

10. K2, c6f, c6b, (p2tog) 2x, k2 - 18 sts

11. K2, k2tog, p12, k2 - 17 sts

12. K13, k2tog, k2 - 16 sts

Work as first ear flap from **** to end, finishing with another 10in i-cord tie.

Return to 24 sts on holder; beg with a WS row, work 2 rows garter st. BO.

Slip rem 32 sts from first holder to needle. Beg with a WS row, work 2 rows garter st. BO

Sew down front and back loose edges to sides of ear flaps. Make a 2in diameter pompom for the top of the hat and two 4in tassels for the ends of the i-cords; sew on securely. Sew in all loose ends.