'Nother Hat... With Bags

This time you get the preemie hat first because it is just so cute.  Plus this is my blog and I can make it any way I want to.  So there.  The president of the Bay Lakes Knitting Guild, VJ, started an outreach project last fall going to a retirement home in town and starting a knitting group.  I hoped to go but didn't manage it even once.  Turns out one of the ladies came back to knitting and over the course of the year not only did she turn into a baby hat knitting machine (she's up to 58!), she even dyed her hair.  Now that's a renaissance, and all because of knitting.

I have mostly worsted weight yarn and, honestly, it's about the smallest yarn I like to knit with, so I searched online and on Ravelry for a preemie hat using worsted and found the Too Early Birthday hat.  I had some red (of course I did, are you surprised?) variegated yarn on hand and had just learned the Magic Loop method of knitting in the round so I cast on and zoomed off.  I confess that it is acrylic yarn but preemie hats need to be sterilized to be used and wool yarn can't take the heat so acrylic is the right yarn for this use.  This is very nice, soft, non-splitty yarn in bright colors that makes excellent hats.  (I'm not anti-baby colors but I think babies, especially the littlest ones, need bright colors for stimulation and to make them look awesome and not like dolls.)  This turquoise one is perfect for that baby with an affinity for the ocean.

Yesterday I cranked out a couple small zip bags like the medium ones I made last weekend.  This pattern is so well written and easy to follow, plus I'm using heavyweight fabrics so I don't need to put interfacing in.  Takes out one step and eliminates one supplies need.  Booyah!  I'm loving these bags.