Bell Ringing and Teacher Hats

Tonight I was ringing bells for the Salvation Army with C and O. It was our first time and we had a lot of fun. The kids are naturals. O was giving a huge smile and a sweet "Merry Christmas" to everyone. She was too cute to refuse. C passed out the candy canes like a champ. He made sure that no one went without. We ran into school friends, teachers, knit night ladies, and neighbors. Getting out there and volunteering our time like that really put me in the holiday spirit.

As I mentioned before, I am knitting quite a few gifts this year. I have a bag full of completed projects waiting to be photographed and talked about. I love the fact that a lot of my family and friends stay connected via the internet, however it makes it difficult to share projects at times as I don't want to spoil anything for anyone.


This week the kids will be bringing the hats I knit for their teachers to school. Since neither one will see this post I feel safe in showing off these fun hats.

Hat #1 is Ripple from Knit and Tonic. This was such an easy hat to knit. Some of the ripple sections took forever but it was SO worth it.

Ripple was knit in Fields of Barley sock yarn from The March Hare. This is the first time I have ever used this yarn. I am really happy with how it knit up. In my opinion, this is a sock yarn that is not just for socks. I love how the color goes from the lightest butter yellow to the deepest gold. 

Hat #2 is called Cabled Beret  from the Debbie Bliss knitting magazine fall/winter 2008 issue. The first time I saw this pattern I knew that I would make it many times.  I love how the shaping is worked into the cables and they get smaller as you work to the top.

Hat #2 was knit with Miski from Mirasol. This yarn is 100% baby llama and is so very soft. The blue looks solid in the picture, but has hints of white, dark blue, and purple. I like the fact that buying this yarn helps fund schools for the children of the shepherds in Peru. I figure, if you are going to buy yarn and knit, why not buy something that will give back.

Yesterday I knit a bit more on gifts that I need to have done for Christmas. All I managed to get done was the turning of 2 heels though. Whenever I feel like I am loosing steam all I have to do is look at the very long list of things to do. I smile when I see that almost everything is crossed off.

S