Forty Preemie Hats for Lent

I have many balls of small amounts of yarn, perfect for knitting little preemie hats.  My goal is to make forty of them during Lent.  Here is a sample of yarns I'll be using.

Jack O'Lantern Finger Puppet Pattern

Cast on 10 stitches with orange yarn.
Rows 1-8: Stockinette stitch
Row 9: Knit 2 tog, K6, K2 tog (8 stitches)
Row 10-12: Stockinette stitch
Row 13: K2 tog across (4 stitches)
Gather together.
Embroider face
Sew up seam
Pick up three stitches at the top with green yarn
Do i-cord for 3 rows
Knit 2 tog, Knit 1
K2 tog, and close

Ghost Finger Puppet Pattern

I made a dozen of these.  Now back to making regular people finger puppets.

Here's the pattern for the ghost.
 
Cast on 10 stitches with white yarn.
Knit stockinette for 6 rows
Row 7: Knit 2 together, Knit 6, Knit 2 together (8 stitches)
Row 8: Purl
Row 9: Knit
Row 10: Purl
Row: 11: Knit 2 together, Knit 4, Knit 2 together (6 stitches)
Row 12: Purl
Row 13: Knit
Row 14: Purl
Row15: Knit 2 together across (3 stitches)

Cut yarn,,thread through remaining stitches.
Embroider eyes and mouth with black yarn.
Sew seam with white yarn.

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.