40 in 40 2015 week 1

Our first week is done!  Every year I seem to forget how much I enjoy making these hats.  For me there is just something about taking some time and focusing on DOING something for someone else, praying for someone else's needs, allowing God to lead those prayers that I find fulfilling.  During the time I am creating these hats I feel purposeful for the Kingdom.

Do you know who Dorcas is?  She is my favorite woman in the Bible, despite the fact that her entire story is told in 7 verses in Acts chapter 9.  This was a woman who was known and loved for using her gift of sewing for those in her community.  Dorcas is the woman I aspire to be, someone who uses the talent God has given me to help others.

That being said, here are my projects from last week:

Day 1 -This is my rendition of the Scallop Hat.  I used Red Heart With Love 1001 White for the hat and Simply Soft Collection Yarn in Pagoda for the flower.  The flower pattern I chose is called the Flat Daisy Flower.  Rather than chain 3 and forming a circle I chose to use a magic ring so that the center would not be open, but I think this would be cute also if you placed a button at the center or used a contrasting color for the center.

Day 2- The Pigtail Top Knot Baby Hat.  This is the crochet version (the knit version is coming next week!).  I love how quick and easy this hat works up.  The openwork design gives some interest to an otherwise basic beanie.  The choice of light weight yarn makes this a perfect hat for spring or early fall.  I chose to use Paton's Beehive Baby Sport Yarn in Baby Grey .

 Day 3 - The Sweetheart Hat.  Although the pattern was designed for children to adult sizes, I was able to do several gauge swatches and try a few different yarn choices and come up with some modifications to make this adorable pattern infant sized.  I wish I had had either pink or red yarn available as I think it would have made this much cuter.  I LOVE the repeating hearts and cables on this hat.  To achieve a 0-3 months size I used size 5 knitting needles and Paton's Beehive Baby Sport Yarn in Baby Grey.  I only did two of the heart repeats and eliminated the final repeat of rounds 1-12 that the pattern calls for before beginning the decreases.  This pattern is SUPER stretchy, so while it looked really small on my needles, as you can see it fits perfectly and has plenty of room for baby to grow without being to tight on the head.

Day 4 is my own design, The Ellie, available for free until Easter of this year.  This one is worked using a worsted weight yarn, I used Hobby Lobby's I Love this Yarn in Rosy Cheeks.













Well, I hope that you are off to a good start on your personal Lent challenge.  Next week I will be working on the knit version of the Pigtail hat, as well as a pattern called The Otis.  Other than that, we will have to see what inspires me.  I would love to see your creations on either the Facebook page here, and/or on the Ravelry group page here.

 Until next time,