Monster Finger Puppets

Here are 20 little monster finger puppets.   I've used the same pattern, just changed the colors and added a zig-zag mouth.

Finger Puppets

I thought a long time about what I could make with small amounts of yarn that would work well for charity giving, had free patterns, didn't involve a lot of weaving in ends, and was fun to make!

My answer was---finger puppets! There are many free patterns on the Internet to make animals-- here and here are two examples-- and monsters like these as well as people. I have decided to start with the ones found here. I'll modify the hair and clothing from other patterns I've found so I'll be able to make dozens of them, no two alike. And because it's close to Halloween I'll be making some monster ones as well. Fun!

And what will I do with all these finger puppets? Give them away to the phlebotomy departments of a children's hospital so that children can be given one when they have blood work done!   I'll be sending mine to the Doernbecher Children's Hospital Phlebotomy Department in Portland.

Here is a photo of the first eight:

And Finally, Santa Hats!

Pattern

DK yarn in white and red
Size 2 dpns

Cast on 40 stitches with white yarn and join.
Purl 1 round
Knit 1 round
Repeat until total of 8 rounds

Break off white yarn and use red yarn
Knit 15 rounds, end with knit 2 tog
*Knit 5, knit 2tog*  end knit 5 ( 35 stitches)
Knit around
*Knit 4, k 2tog* end knit 5  (30 stitches)
Knit around
*Knit 3, k 2 tog*  (24  stitches)
Knit around
*Knit 2 k 2 tog*  (18 stitches)
Knit around
*Knit 1, k 2 tog* (12 stitches)
Knit around
*Knit 2 tog* (   stitches)
*Knit 2 tog* (   stitches)

Last Four Hats Done!

Six Patriotic Preemie Hats

Knitting Goals for the Rest of September

My knitting goals for the rest of the month are:

1. Finish the last of the 100 preemie hats for Doernbecher Children's Hospital  NICU.  I'm knitting hat #92 now so it shouldn't be long.

2. Mail the hats and mittens I've finished to The Maine Mitten Project.  I plan on working on more of these for next year, probably starting in January.

3. Knit and assemble finger puppets to send to the Phlebotomy Department at Doernbecher. I will put up photos and links on this blog once I have some to show.

4. Knit Merridy, an adorable tunic/dress for Violet.  I may wait to start on this in October,but I want to finish it before Violet's second birthday on November 1st.

5. Work on socks (see another of my blogs, Knitting Only Socks.

I also want to decide on what sweaters I want to knit for Isabella in the next  few months as well as Violet's sibling, due  in the early Spring.

Six More Little Hats

Six Patterned Hats in DIfferent Colors

And Here's Another Six Preemie Hats

Six Preemie Hats from Fingering Weight Yarn

Three Plain Preemie Hats and Three Acorn Preemie Hats

The pattern for the Acorn Hats is free on Ravelry and can be found here.

Six Fingering Weight Yarn Preemie Hats

Three Pumpkin and Three Tomato Hats

Preemie Tomato (or Apple) Hat

Cast on 48 stitches in red, join in the round.

Knit 24 rounds

Attach green yarn

Rnd 1:  K 2 in red, K 3 in green.  (K 5 in red, K 3 in green)   Repeat in ( )  End K 3 red

Rnd 2:  K 1 in red,  K 5 in green. (K 3 in red, K 5 in green)  Repeat in ( ) End K 2 red

Rnd 3:  K 7 in green, K 1 in red.  Repeat. Cut red.

Green only:

Rnd 4:  K3tog, K5 (36 stitches)

Rnd 5: Knit

Rnd 6: K3tog, K3 (24 stitches)

Rnd7:  Knit

Rnd 8: K2 tog, K2 (18 stitches)

Rnd 9: K2 tog, K1 (12 stitches)

Rnd 10: K2 tog (6 stitches)

Rnd 11: Knit

Rnd 12: Knit

Rnd 13: Knit

Rnd 14: K2 tog

Rnd 15: Knit

Preemie Pumpkin Hat

I unfortunately have lost the pumpkin hat patterns I'd used previously and I had trouble finding a pattern I liked for a pumpkin hat and so I devised this one.  I have enough orange yarn to make three and I'm going to modify the pattern a bit to make tomato or, if you rather, apple ones.

Cast on 48 stitches, join in the round.

Knit 7 rounds

Knit 16 rounds of K6, P2

Knit 1 round

Attach green yarn

Rnd 1:  K 2 in orange, K 3 in green.  (K 5 in orange, K 3 in green)   Repeat in ( )  End K 3 orange

Rnd 2:  K 1 in orange,  K 5 in green. (K 3 in orange, K 5 in green)  Repeat in ( ) End K 2 orange

Rnd 3:  K 7 in green, K 1 in orange.  Repeat. Cut orange

Green only:

Rnd 4:  K3tog, K5 (36 stitches)

Rnd 5: Knit

Rnd 6: K3tog, K3 (24 stitches)

Rnd7:  Knit

Rnd 8: K2 tog, K2 (18 stitches)

Rnd 9: K2 tog, K1 (12 stitches)

Rnd 10: K2 tog (6 stitches)

Rnd 11: Knit

Rnd 12: Knit

Rnd 13: Knit

Rnd 14: K2 tog

Rnd 15: Knit

Another Six Preemie Hats

Three hats knit in Beanstalk pattern and three knit in the following simple pattern: Rnd 1: P1, K1 Rnds 2-3: Knit

Six Beanstalk Preemie Hats

These hats were knit from this free pattern, Beanstalk Preemie Hats, on Ravelry.

Six Camo Preemie Hats

Not everyone feels comfortable with the idea of camo preemie hats, but the NICU nurses who write to thank me for my donations always specifically mention these hats, telling me they're popular with military families.  In particular, the fathers with preemie boys prefer them to pastel hats.  Because of that I always make sure to include a few.

And These Make Thirty!

I posted that I'd knit 30 preemie hats for my goal of 100 preemie hats this summer, but I'd only posted photos of 24.  Here is the photo of the last six I knit.

Distracted for a Bit and Now Back on Track!

In the last few weeks I've been working more than usual, took a much needed vacation at the Oregon Coast with my husband, and finished two sweaters for my almost two-year old granddaughter,Violet. Her cousin, five-month old Isabella, is also going to need more sweaters this winter. Violet is going to have a sibling in March so that means I'll get to knit even more sweet little newborn hats, sweaters, and mittens.

Here are photos of Violet's two sweaters.   Details can be found on my Ravelry account where I'm MoniqueL.

I'm on preemie hat #31 which means I have a ways to go to get to my 100 hat total.  I've given myself a break, however.  Fall term at the  university where I work doesn't start until September 29th  so I'm declaring it summer until that date.  The Maine Mitten Project, however, wants their donations for this year by September 26th so I'll have to mail them earlier that week.  I need to print out and attach tags to each one and I still have two hats and one pair of mittens on the needles and they'll need  to be finished and tagged too.

Oh, and I almost forgot!  I've figured out how to use all the tiny little scraps of yarn I've been collecting. Finger puppets! I've knit quite a few of them but haven't sewn them together or embroidered faces on them yet.  I've found several websites with free patterns (people, bunnies, bears, kitties, monsters are a few) and I'll post links to those soon along with photos.  So, what are these for?  Phlebotomists in children's hospitals give them to children for finger pricks and blood collection.  Awesome!