The Hive Baby Blanket

I learned to crochet while my sister was pregnant with her second child.  I didn't have a lot of money, but I had time.  (That was before I had two children of my own.  Now I don't have money or time.)  I started making some granny squares and at some point decided to make enough to make a blanket for my sister's baby.  She wanted to wait to find out the baby's gender until the delivery room, so I needed to find a yarn that was gender-neutral.  I have never been a fan of straight up pastels - pink, yellow, blue - for babies, so I needed to find something a little less traditional.  I ended up with Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in Watercolor.  In my opinion, this yarn is/was perfect.  The price was right for a project that involved several skeins.  And I thought the color was great for either a boy or a girl and I thought it wasn't so babyish that an older child would refuse to use it.

So that was over 9 years ago.  My sister loved the blanket and showed it off to everyone who visited her in the hospital.  She ended up with a second boy and I am pretty sure he still has the blanket somewhere.

Fast forward a year and a half and I am pregnant with my first baby.  I found out I was having a girl, so I started work on a pink blanket.  And I still haven't finished it.  Oops.

While I was pregnant, my husband's sister announced she was expecting and she wasn't going to find out gender in advance.  I got to work on a blanket using the same yarn as before in a different pattern.  She ended up with a girl.  Blanket was a huge success.

Then my brother and his wife decided to start having babies.  They didn't find out gender with any of the three.  Blankets for all, same yarn, different pattern.  They ended up with three boys.

Somewhere in the middle of that last batch of boys, I had a boy of my own and knit him a blue blanket.  Daughter is jealous because I finished his but not hers.  Oh well, she will get over it.  (And I have made her a ton of other stuff in the meantime.  Don't feel too sorry for her.)

So, anyway, for that last baby, what will likely be my last niece/nephew, I searched high and low for the perfect pattern.  And by high and low, I mean I searched Pinterest.  And I came across this gem - The Hive Knit Dishcloth by Being Spiffy.  (Head over to her site and show her some blog love.  This pattern is only possible because of her.  I am not creative enough to come up with stuff on my own.)  I fell in love.  Yes, it is a dishcloth, but I loved the pattern.

I did a few test swatches to make sure I understood the pattern and to see what the back would look like and test out a few modifications.  One thing I decided to change was to "tack down" the vertical bars so you can't stick your finger through.  I actually like that you can stick your finger through, but since I am making it for a baby, I thought it might be asking for trouble if little fingers can get in there and stretch and tug and tangle all my hard work.  So I changed the middle row of the pattern (rows 7 & 17) slightly so it attaches.  And, just for fun, I left one in the middle of the blanket somewhere unattached.

The night before leaving on vacation in July, I cast on the starting row.  Standard cast on, nothing fancy.  However, I have a serious problem with casting on and knitting too tightly, so I always hold two knitting needles together and cast on around both.  When I have the right number of stitches, I pull out the extra needle.  (That's a bonus tip,  You are welcome.)  I knit most of the two hour drive to our vacation destination (don't worry, my husband was driving not me), and I knit for a little while in the hotel, and I knit a good chunk of the way home.  And it felt like I made NO progress.

In August, I knit for most of the six or seven hour train ride to and from Chicago.  The minions on my fingernails helped.  (Also, I highly recommend Amtrak when traveling with children, but that is a whole other discussion.)

My sister-in-law's due date was mid-September and I was really hoping to have it done so I could give it to them right after the baby was born.  Well, baby Owen was born and the blanket was still not done.  New target completion date was Baptism, which still hadn't been set.  I knit off and on, whenever I had time in the evenings and on the weekends, and I finally finished it in mid- to late- November.  Baptism was December 1.

I love how the blanket turned out!  But mostly I was glad it was done.  If I had it to do over again, I would use two strands of yarn held together and use larger needles so that it would go faster.  Or I would magically become a faster knitter.

So, without further ado, here is that pattern.

The Hive Blanket

With US size 7 needles, co multiple of 8 plus 2. [I cast on 170.]

Row 1: Purl across.

Row 2: Knit across.

Row 3: Purl across.

Row 4: K1, {p3, slip 2 purlwise (yarn in front), p3} across to last st, k1.

Row 5: K1, {k3, slip 2 purlwise (yarn in back), k3} across to last st, k1.

Row 6: K1, {p3, slip 2 purlwise (yarn in front), p3} across to last st, k1.

Row 7: K1, {k3, p2, k3} across to last st, k1.

Row 8: K1, {p3, slip 2 purlwise (yarn in front), p3} across to last st, k1.

Row 9: K1, {k3, slip 2 purlwise (yarn in back), k3} across to last st, k1.

Row 10: K1, {p3, slip 2 purlwise (yarn in front), p3} across to last st, k1.

Row 11: Purl across.

Row 12: Knit across.

Row 13: Purl across.

Row 14: K1, {slip 1 purlwise (yarn in front), p6, slip 1 purlwise (yarn in front)} across to last st, k1.

Row 15: K1, {slip 1 purlwise (yarn in back), k6, slip 1 purlwise (yarn in back)} across to last st, k1.

Row 16: K1, {slip 1 purlwise (yarn in front), p6, slip 1 purlwise (yarn in front)} across to last st, k1.

Row 17: K1, {p1, k6, p1} across to last st, k1.

Row 18: K1, {slip 1 purlwise (yarn in front), p6, slip 1 purlwise (yarn in front)} across to last st, k1.

Row 19: K1, {slip 1 purlwise (yarn in back), k6, slip 1 purlwise (yarn in back)} across to last st, k1.

Row 20: K1, {slip 1 purlwise (yarn in front), p6, slip 1 purlwise (yarn in front)} across to last st, k1.

Repeat Rows 1-20 until you reach the size desired length of the blanket. [I think mine was 403 rows total.] End with Finish Rows 1-3.

Finish Row 1: Purl across.

Finish Row 2: Knit across.

Finish Row 3: Purl across.

Bind off knit-wise.

To edge left and right sides, crochet across once, then crochet back in back loops only. (Or use your own favorite edge.0

Finish off and weave in ends.

And that's it.  I hope you enjoy this pattern.

And here are some photos of the finished product.

Close up of the front

The crocheted edge

The back of the blanket

Front at an angle - I love this pattern!

Front of blanket - I love this pattern!

The blanket is finished!!!

The whole blanket - complete!  (Just ignore that it looks uneven on the sides.)

All folded up, ready to wrap.

Baby Owen with his new favorite blanket

Knit Mini Minion

I don't know about you, but we are obsessed with "Despicable Me" in our house.  And I can't wait to see the new movie.  I found a crochet pattern for minions and made a few, but we all know that the smaller something is the cuter it is, so...  I made up a pattern for a knit mini minion.  And every time I give one to someone, someone else requests one, so I am posting the pattern here so everyone can make their own.

A few notes before I get started...

1.  I used standard 4-ply worsted weight yarn split in half (using 2 ply).  You could use a smaller yarn, if you want.  I just used what I already had on hand.

2.  I used size 0 knitting needles.  You could use larger needles and larger yarn and make a larger finished product.

3.  Minions have different hair, different heights, and one or two eyes, so make yours your own.

4.  I think I've made five of these so far and I tend to alter the pattern slightly each time for one reason or another.  I have photos included of three different minions if you are wondering why the photos don't match up.

Mini Minion

Finished Measurements

Each minion is about 1½ to 2 inches tall

Needles

US 0 or 1 (2.25 mm) double-pointed needles (set of 4), 2 spare needles (size 1 or smaller)

Legs

With black, cast on 6 sts and distribute them onto 3 needles to work in a round.

Knit 1 round in black, switch to blue, knit 3 rounds.

Break the yarn, and place the sts onto 2 spare needles with the first 3 sts on one needle and the last 3 sts on second needle.

Repeat for second leg without breaking the yarn. Place the first 3 sts on one needle and the last 3 sts on another needle.

Place the two legs side by side on their needles with the working yarn attached to the rightmost stitch on the back needle.

Transfer the stitches from the spare needles onto the adjacent working needles, so that the first 3 sts of each leg are on the needle in front, and the last 3 sts of each leg are on the needle in back.

Pick up a third needle, and beginning with the sts on the front needle, knit one round, flipping the needles around to work the back needle. This will join the legs together into one round.

Torso and head

Distribute the 12 sts onto 3 needles to continue working in rnds as follows:

Rnd 1: With blue [Kfb, k2] 4 times: 16 sts.

Rnd 2: Knit all sts.

[2 overall top rows - make sure spacing is right, may need to knit one blue st before starting next round]

Rnd 3: With blue, k5; switch to yellow, k3; repeat once.

Rnd 4: With blue, k5; switch to yellow, k3; repeat once.

Rnd 5: With all yellow, knit around.

Rnds 6-18: Knit around.

Rnd 19: [K2tog] 8 times: 8 sts.

Break the yarn. Use needle to weave through remaining sts, pull tightly to close.

Eyes & Goggles

With black, embroider eyes with 4 sts for each, spaced about 2 sts apart, if making two eyes.

With white, embroider around the black.

With gray, embroider around the white.

With black, stitch a strap around from the side of the goggles, around the back of the head, and to the other side of the goggles, if two eyes.

Arms - Make 2

With black, cast on 3 sts onto one needle.  Knit one row of I-cord.

Switch to yellow.  Knit 6 rows of I-cord.

Break the yarn and draw it tightly through the sts with needle.

Sew to side of body and weave in loose ends.

Overall straps

Use blue to stitch overall straps from corner of overalls, over arm, and connect to back overall corner.  Repeat for the other side.

Hair

Use black to make hair as you wish.

One of the earlier versions

A view from the side

My first mini minion... with two eyes

Scratch Off Tickets

I came across this on Pinterest a while back and then this more recently. When I saw the first one, I thought "DIY scratch off tickets?!? No freaking way! I must do this!!!" But then I had to wait until the right project came along. And I found it.

Each year, I coordinate a weeklong employee appreciation event at my work. And this will be the third year in a row that I will have people play "Minute To Win It" games for fun and prizes. In previous years, people would choose their challenge by pulling a folded up paper from a jar. That was just not going to cut it this year.

Scratch off tickets, here we come!

Supplies:
Something to use as tickets
Clear packing tape
Acrylic paint in any color, I chose silver
Liquid dishwashing soap, I used Dawn

The first thing I did was decide what was going on the tickets and got those printed out.  I made mine in Excel, nine to a page.  I printed them and cut them out, then cut out a slightly larger piece of colored paper to glue on the back, but don't glue it yet.

Next, I pulled a long piece of packing tape from the roll and laid it sticky-side-up on my desk.  Then, I placed each ticket along the edge of the tape so that the tape covers the part I want to scratch off.  I trimmed the tape to the edge of each ticket then took an old gift card and ran it over the tape on the front of the ticket to really get the tape smashed down.

Now, get the slightly larger backing paper and glue it to the back.

Following the instructions from the other blogs, I mixed one part acrylic paint to one part dishwashing liquid.

Stir together slowly, so as not to generate too many bubbles.

Now, it is time to paint.

Mine really beaded up after a few seconds.  I let it dry for a while, but not completely, then painted it again which added more paint, but also spread out the first paint evenly again.

Now, let it dry completely.  Then paint over it another time or two until the area is completely covered.

After it is completely dry, you are ready to go.  Grab a coin and scratch it off!

We also have a few employees that work for us from offices in other cities.  Since they couldn't be there in person to play Minute To Win It games, I sent them a scratch off card of appreciation.  Same process, different words.

Decide what you want to say and print it out.

Cut the cards.  Put the packing tape over the area to be painted.  Glue the backing paper on.

Paint.  Paint again.  Let it dry.

Ready to scratch off!  Enjoy!

A few other ideas I came across while researching this idea were Save The Date cards for weddings, a gender reveal announcement during pregnancy, Valentine Cards, reward cards for children with what prize they earn underneath.  The possibilities are endless.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!!

Giant Cupcake!

This year, for my daughter's half birthday, she choose to have half of a giant cupcake (just like last year). So, the first thing we had to do was bake a whole giant cupcake so that we could later cut it in half.The first thing you will need is a Giant Cupcake pan. Mine is from Wilton.  

You will also need two boxes of cake mix and all of the corresponding ingredients or the ingredients to make your cake batter from scratch.  You won't use all of the batter.  There should be some left for a few normal size cupcakes or whatever you want.

Hannah chose Devil's Food for the bottom half and Strawberry for the top.  Mix up the batter so it was ready to go.  And preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  (Wilton shares instructions for this process on their webpage, so you might want to skim their's also.)

Now to prep your pan.  I highly recommend Baker's Joy spray.  This whole process is entirely dependent on the cake coming cleanly out of the pan.  And this pan has a lot of small areas for cakes to get stuck.  You can just do the "grease and flour" thing, but I find the spray much easier.

For now, just spray the side of the pan that makes the bottom of the giant cupcake.  Get it really coated.  Don't leave any dry spots.  Then fill with your "bottom batter".  For our cake, that was the Devil's Food.  Fill it up about 2/3 of the way.  I think Wilton recommends 3 1/2 cups, but I really hate measuring prepared batter so I eyeball it to about 2/3 full.

Now this is where I stray from the official instructions.  I put mine in the oven at this point - with the "top" section still empty and unsprayed.  Bake for 10-15 minutes.  (You are going to bake for an hour total, so either set the timer for an hour at this point and set a second timer for 10 minutes, or set it for 10 now and 50 later.  Up to you.)

Remove the pan from the oven.  Spray the heck out of the empty section.  

Then fill about 2/3 full with the other batter.  (Wilton says 2 1/2 cups.)  We did Strawberry and I filled it up to about where the swirl lines start.  

And then get it back in the oven to bake for the remaining 50 minutes.  

Baking in progress!

After that, do your toothpick test to see if it is done.  Ours was.  (Then bake your cupcakes according to package directions.

Let it cool about 15 minutes in the pan. Then dump it out.  If you sprayed yours successfully, it should pretty much fall out when you turn your pan over.


Now, let the cake cool completely.  Then level off the baked top of each piece.  I used a massive serrated knife.

Please ignore my cluttered counter!  And my almost 6.5 YO is the photographer on some of these, if you couldn't tell.

Spread some icing on the cut side of the bottom and carefully place the top on...umm...top.  Handle it gently so it doesn't crack.

Now decorate it as you see fit.  We left the bottom un-iced.  Hannah coated the top in cherry icing.  
Not sure how all of this is going to taste together, but she picked it all out.  I hope she likes it.  And then she did a lovely rainbow design with sprinkles.

Then, we will end up cutting the whole thing in half, because she only gets half of a birthday cake on her half birthday.  (The other half usually ends up going to work with me.)

Sing "Happy Half Birthday to you...", blow out the 6 1/2 candles, and enjoy!

One extra tip - Before putting away your Baker's Joy, turn the can upside down over your sink and spray it until it is just spraying clear.  Then run the sprayer tip under hot water for a few seconds.  This should keep it from clogging up between uses.