More Knitting...What Else Did You Expect?

       I had promised myself I would start my Christmas knitting on Dec. 1st so this week I've been trying to keep busy.  I made 2 baby animal helmets to send to my cousins' children who are expecting babies in the coming months.  The 1st one, a Baby Rabbit

This helmet went to Bryce Clayton Hanneman who was born on Thanksgiving: 8# 7oz, 21" long

helmet,  made up cuter than the original size one!  It should get to it's destination in Colorado tomorrow.   The 2nd one, a Puppy helmet is

almost finished.  Just have to finish fitting the lining and sewing it down and adding the pompoms to the I-cords.  It looks rather cute, too.  How about those ears?  It will go to another cousin in Colorado sometime this week.  I had to take a break from the hand-sewing.  Boy, do I get cramps in my fingers from holding a sewing needle!  I always say I prefer knitting to sewing!
    In the meantime, not doing anything, not really interested in my library books, I was getting bored so I decided to do a couple more hats for the shop...JUST in case there is a major run on my display during our Open House/Black Friday celebration this weekend I'd be prepared and wouldn't have to interrupt my Christmas knitting. HA! (And remember, the easiest way to get to Cooper Country Crafts due to the construction in Doubleday Field parking lot is to turn off of Chestnut St on to Doubleday Court opposite the Cooperstown Fire station.)

The 1st hat I did was this gray and blue Fair Isle watch cap...with a big blue pompom.  I used the border designs from a Norwegian Fair Isle sweater pattern called Baby Norgi that I found on Ravelry...spreading the motifs out a little to fit around the hat.  It's done with 100% acrylic, KnitPicks Brava Worsted on US's 4 and 7's.  The blue and white yarns were just leftovers...also acrylic.  It is machine wash and dryable...just be sure to take the pompom off first. It will fit a child 6-9 years old.
   Then last night I started fooling around with this

pink heart watch cap.  I was all out of gray so I had to stay with pink and white. That's not a row of tiny hearts above and below the big hearts but a row of single pink stitches that ended up looking like hearts!  I wanted just a hot pink pompom but didn't have enough yarn so I used all the hot pink yarn combined with the pink and white to make the pompom.  (It looks OK but would have been better just hot pink.)  This hat is knit with Red Heart's Soft Pink acrylic worsted yarn on US 4's and 7's and will fit a child 6-9 years old. 
   OK, so I'm prepared for a GREAT Black Friday at the shop but since it's only Monday, what do I do until Dec. 1st?    I was talking to Nancy the Children's Librarian this morning and asked if the library was going to have their free hat give away this year.  (People donate hats that are placed in plastic bags and tied to the fence that runs in front of the library.  Anyone who needs a hat is welcome to help themselves.)  She said a couple of plastic bags have already been put on the fence so I told her I'd bring in some hats later this week.  After Jeff's PT today we went to Walmart and I got a couple of skeins of yarn so tonight I'll start working on Hats for the Library.  I think between now and Friday (Jeff's next PT appointment) I can probably make 5 or 6 and we can drop them off on the way home.  That should keep me busy till it's time to start my Christmas knitting Dec.1st.  Oh, Jeff just asked if I finished the socks I started for his birthday (March 1st) or the ones I started for Theresa (for that favor)?  I think I have enough knitting to do, the question is:  how much time do I have?