Winter

I’m finally ready to share two of my latest knitting projects, a knitted “Helmet Hat” from a Vogue Knitting pattern and a knitted “Backseat Passenger Cowl” from a free Amy Castillo pattern on Ravelry.

Helmet Hat

I used size 8 circular knitting needles and 1 skein of Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Mink Brown.

I followed the pattern as written, but modified the side pieces slightly. As the pattern was written, I thought they would be too tall and floppy.

Here’s what I did:

After the textured rib pattern repeat, work row 1 again.

Next row: K1, p2 *ssk, p2* repeat from * to *, end with k1. 25 stitches total.

Next row: P1, k2tog, *p1, k2tog* repeat from * to *, end with p1. 17 stitches total. Bind off.

Passenger Cowl

I used size 8 circular needles and 2 skeins of Lion Bran Wool-Ease in Mink Brown.

I followed the pattern as written except for 2 minor things: I casted on 144 stitches instead of 157 and I added 1 additional knit & purl round repeat.

I love how this pattern is reversible! Each side has a different look due to the number of purl stitches. One is a bit chunkier.

Visit my Ravelry projects page to see these and more of my projects!

29. "Sky View" Snowy Cedars by courtneyec90

29. “Sky View” Snowy Cedars, a photo by courtneyec90 on Flickr.

December Photo Challenge, Day 29. This is a view of my skyline…or rather what was falling from the sky. It was gloomy and overcast this day, but the snow was beautiful. This photo was taken with the HDR painting photo effect on my Sony A65.

30. "Your Winter Wonderland" Hungry Cardinal by courtneyec90

30. “Your Winter Wonderland” Hungry Cardinal, a photo by courtneyec90 on Flickr.

December Photo Challenge, Day 30. This little cardinal was hungry in the snow. He found some bird seed.

31. “Fun” Ombre Rain, a photo by courtneyec90 on Flickr.

December Photo Challenge, Day 31. For my final photo, I chose this macro of raindrops on my windshield. This photo was taken with my new lens–I’m really excited to use it for macro shots and distance shots (it’s a Quantaray 70-300mm Macro lens).

I would like to say Happy New Year to all my readers and followers! I hope that you have enjoyed seeing my adventures this December through my photo challenge posts. I think I’m going to take a break from photo challenges this January, but I have plans for upcoming photography and craft posts in the next few weeks.