Frozen Fever Inspired Transition Knits

These last couple weeks we've been taking a look back at all my Frozen inspired knitting projects over the last year or so. I wanted to wrap it all up with this amazing hand knit set inspired by the Frozen Fever short. I shared with you all my Frozen Fever inspired poncho earlier this summer. It's a lighter weight poncho than I usually wear, but I am always looking for a little something as the seasons change that isn't overbearing. I really loved the way the poncho turned out, and I had SO MUCH yarn left over that I was able to make some fingerless mitts and a hat to complete the look! I am thrilled with the result! I used a bunch of odd balls of knit picks Palette fingering yarn that I had collected over the years. This was an incredibly economical project and the yarn looks great with this color work. And for me it was a great way to use up some of the stash yarn I've been collecting! If you are interested in the pattern collection or more detail on the project you can head over to my ravelry page and check them all out!

Now if there's a freak snow storm in the middle of summer I will be TOTALLY prepared. And if not, I really can't wait for fall! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Hand Knit Disney Princess Anna Mittens

These darling mittens are my very own creation! Millie asked me to knit her some and I just couldn't say no! Who could resist such a request? Of course it's finally getting warm enough here that she won't need them now; but won't they be adorable next winter?

I couldn't find a pattern on Revelry that suited me; after all, the rosemaling in Frozen is so beautiful and rather specific to the region. So instead of endless searching I decided to make a pattern myself. I've knit enough mittens and socks to understand the structure and they don't have to fit just so, the way a sweater should. They can be forgiving. Especially for a child!

I designed the charts from those found in Mastering Color Knitting. And I used a basic toddler sized mitten pattern and adjusted the size ever so slightly to accommodate the patterns I chose. If you are into making your own charts you should check out the Tricksy Knitter. There you can create your chart and edit the colors quickly and easily until you have the combination you like.

In the end, I love the way they look! They definitely remind me of Anna, who inspired them. I used Palette yarn, a wool blend, from Knit Picks, a very affordable online yarn supplier. You can find all the details, and a rough idea of the pattern, on my Ravelry pages.

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney's Frozen Inspired Hand Knit Socks

These are the Official Ice Master And Deliverer socks! No refunds, not exchanges! Perfect when you want to stay in and cuddle.

I have been wanting to make a pair of men's socks for a while now, and had been playing with the idea of themeing them to Kristoff from Frozen. And when I walked into a local yarn shop in Maryland and saw this lovely sparkly grey yarn, I knew I had found exactly what I needed. Now, not too many men will wear the sparkly yarn (which doesn't show up so well in the photos, but is really pretty in person), but this pattern would be fantastic in a muted grey as well. You know, for that less flashy Ice Master.

I made this pattern up, but if you have experience knitting socks and wanted to make your own pair, I have all the details on my Ravelry page. Just use a basic sock pattern as a reference. And if you do knit up a pair be prepared to be amazed at just how quickly they will come together. I did the pair of these in a week flat. That's lightening speed for me! I could easily see making these as gifts for that reason alone.

I don't know about you, but I'm certainly getting the itch to get back into fall sweaters and warm socks. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Cowl Knitting Chart Inspired by Oaken in Disney's Frozen

Since I have been busy knitting up a new Frozen Fever inspired set (Poncho, Fingerless Mitts, & Hat), I thought it would be fun to rerun my other Frozen inspired knitting this week. After all, it's time to start thinking about all those Christmas gifts you have to knit! Enjoy this post from two summers ago!

Those of you who follow me regularly know that I love to knit up Disney patterns. And when I saw Frozen for the first time I just kept thinking about all the knitting that was possible from the patterns in the movie! Nordic design lends itself to that sort of knitting, but there are just SO MANY PATTERNS in the movie! I'll be busy for months.

The first project I've created is this wonderfully warm cowl inspired by Oaken. You remember him, right? Big summer blow-out! I loved his sweater from the start - it is a fabulous sort of ugly sweater that was just begging to be knit. I first designed the pattern using my trusty colored pencils and graph paper. And once I had the chart all drawn up, I realized that this pattern, having been originally though up and drawn by graphic designers, and not knitters, did not have the correct stitch count to be easily converted to an actual sweater. So I decided to go with something that wouldn't need any shaping or decreases/increases. A cowl was perfect. It can be knit in the round and then sewn together at the ends so no one has to see the backside of the fair isle! Perfect.

Except that the larger pattern with the two-color diamonds (circles) should really be knit intarsia. Well, I decided to go for it anyway. And while the intarsia was working I was getting frustrated with all the strands of yarn. I decided to knit it as I would fair isle, sort of making it up as I went along, holding three colors instead of two. As long as I remembered to wrap the floats it was just fine. And far less tangled! I didn't mind the extra thickness in back, as it's supposed to be keeping me warm and will be all bunched up around my neck anyway.

I really love the way this cowl turned out. Please forgive me for not having blocked it before taking the photo; but these carrots were destined for dinner and I really wanted to use them in the photo! If you are interested in my charts, you can find them at Tricksy Knitter in the shared charts section. I've also included them here for your personal use. If you knit anything with them I'd love to see it! Please be sure to tag me on Ravelry (@HarrisonAmy) or IG (@merryweatherscottage)!

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Hand Knit DIY Disney Inspired Frozen Poncho

So this spring I needed a stash busting project for all these gorgeous sample yarns I purchased. I had originally thought about making a boatload of socks, because I really wanted a small airplane-worthy project; but this yarn is 100% wool and with my laundry habits, it was sure to produce some felted socks by the end of the year! So I opted for a poncho instead. (I tend to be much better about hand washing the sweaters. They don't hide in the laundry basket the same way the socks do!) It was kind of a bulky project for the airplane, but I was committed to it by the time my flights were upon me!

I found this lovely free pattern by DROPS designs at Garn Studio. I altered the color scheme of my poncho to fit my Frozen-inspired color palette. And the pattern has a different design around the neck, but I just couldn't make it work properly around my neck. So at last I ripped out the scarf-like neck and just did a simple K1, P1 rib for a mock turtle neck instead. I much prefer the look of it!

You can see all the details about this poncho on my Ravelry page if you want to make one yourself or for your Frozen obsessed friend! With so much flight time, I was able to complete it in just about a month. And, I have enough stash yarn left to make some of the matching wrist warmers! It's the perfect "chill is in the air" set that will look lovely in the fall. I can't wait until it's cool enough to use it! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney Inspired Knitted To Go Cup Cozy

I like to advertise my love of Disney everywhere I go. Let's face it: it's good for business! I wanted to have a little something for when I am at meetings. I can't always wear my Disney Inspired T-shirts from my Redbubble shop! So this little guy was born. It's just about one of the simplest knit projects I've ever done. If you can knit and purl in the the round then you can do this. It took me 40 minutes from start to finish. I found these little buttons in my stash; they are 1/2" for those wanting to duplicate this look.

I posted the simple pattern for this on my Ravelry project page. Feel free to knit and modify it to your heart's content! It would be a terrific gift for fish extenders or as Tinkerbell Treasures! I'd love to see a picture of your completed cozy when you make one! Be sure to tag me if you do.

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney's Little Mermaid Inspired Hand Knitted Tails

We've gone a little Mermaid crazy in the cottage these last few months. It's funny how the littles will get obsessed with something and the ride it into the ground. And nothing I suggest or do can shake it. So, I just ride with it and see where it takes us!

Let me start by saying, Little Chef, although a boy, loves to be a merMAID. He want's nothing to do with the mermen, because, as he puts it, Ariel has all the fun. Well, it's hard to argue with that! I would certainly agree. As such, he loves to play mermaid with his sister and we are happy to let him do so (and any negative comments left here regarding gender roles will be lovingly deleted.) When I saw this pattern for knitted mermaid tails, I knew we were going to have to make two, one for each little. They picked out the yarn colors they wanted and I went to work with the hopes of finishing them for our cruise!

This took me exactly five days to finish. Having the littles breathing down my neck was definitely motivation to finish! And with our cruise quickly approaching, I had enough intrinsic motivation to get the job done! This was a prewritten pattern and since I was on a tight deadline, I just used that materials suggested. My gauge is always a bit larger, so I ran out of yarn before all the pattern repeats were done, but as you can see in the photo above, it was just fine for this little mermaid! All the specifics can be found on my Ravely project page.

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney Inspired Aurora Capelet

I love to knit. You know this by the number of projects I show you here! So when I found out we were going to Monaco (I still can't believe it!) I knew there would be some knitting involved! We have been invited to a 007 Gala at the Casino Monte Carlo. Be still my heart! It's not every day your get to play at being a secret agent in the actual setting of Golden Eye! I wanted my attire to fit the bill. I found this incredible dress on Mod Cloth (my favorite place to shop!), but knew I would need a wrap of some sort as I am bound to get chilly at night.

My inspiration was this Summer Rose Capelet pattern. My only hang up was that it didn't open and close in the front the way I wanted it to. And me putting anything over my head at a formal even is a recipe for disaster. I at least know that much about myself! So I decided to try and tweak it to make it a wrap with a clasp. If you are a knitter and into all the details of how I did that, you can hop on over to my Ravelry page and take a look at the notes. I tried to document and give resources for how I tweaked the pattern. As it turned out, the roses were just a bit much once I had finished the capelet, so  I decided not to use them, much to my dismay. But the finished product is better than I imagined it would be!

I named it the Aurora Capelet, as it reminds me so much of Aurora's pink dress, as since it was originally going to have the Roses, and her fairy name was Briar Rose, it seemed perfect. Still, the capelet is fit for a princess and I am sure I will feel like one as I walk into the Monte Carlo Casino! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust.

Louis The Alligator Hand-Knit, Disney Inspired Socks

Because a girl can NEVER have too many pairs of hand-knit socks, I have created yet another pair to cozy up with this winter. And because I am a Disney girl through and through, they are, yet again, inspired by a Disney animated character!

These socks are my homage to Louis The Alligator from The Princes and the Frog. He and Ray Ray are my favorite characters from that movie! These socks, once knitted up in green, made me think of Louis playing his trumpet at Mardi Gras! They have festive bobbles along the leg and jazzy stripes throughout.

While this pattern was not one of my favorites (because lord knows purling most of the pattern can slow a knitting sister down!), I love the way they turned out. I probably won't make this pattern again, but I will be sporting them on Mardi Gras! You can find out all the particulars (like yarn and size) by following the link above to my Ravelry page, if that's your sort of thing.

Until next time, dear readers, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Winds of The Caspian Sea Hand-Knit Cardigan

Let me start by saying how much I love this cardigan! I love it. And apparently, so did the judge at our county fair! It won a blue ribbon and was considered for champion!

This cardigan is the perfect weight for a summer sweater looks great with a tunic or a t-shirt, and best of all, the pattern was very easy to follow. I don't usually like to knit lace because it takes such a long time and I wind up pulling or snagging it; but this sweater is durable enough even for me, a person who regularly wreaks havoc on nice things.

I fell in love with this yarn, Gloss Fingering from Knit Picks when I made the Corona Flower Mittens. It's a blend of merino wool and silk and has just enough heft as well as a subtle, smooth shine. I love the way it looks and feels when it is knit up. This particular color way is Kenai and it reminded me of the sea. (Although some Disney geeks will recognize Kenai as the name of the main character in Brother Bear, I chose to go with the ocean theme instead. It was a tough call.)

I named this cardigan the Winds of The Caspian Sea cardigan because I love the motion it has when I wear it. I floats and flutters in the way the waves ripple and roll in The Little Mermaid. And the color of course, speaks for itself. I also like the way this cardi can be so versatile, living in two worlds so to speak, a little like Ariel.

You can get the full details on my Ravelry page if you are so inclined. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney's Once Upon A Time Hand Knit Mittens

When I saw this pattern I immediately thought of the opening of Disney's Once Upon A Time TV show. It perfectly captures the woods in all it's eerie beauty (the show AND this pattern). So of course I had to knit them up right a way. And at the rate at which we lose mittens in the cottage, I will be very glad this winter indeed!

I will say, this pattern was not as delightful to knit as the gorgeous Corona Flower mittens were. I think it's simply a matter of attention to detail on my part. Not only is the pattern not one you can memorize (it's all asymmetrical), but I absolutely couldn't make out the directions for the braided cuff, so I made it easy on myself and just made a standard checker-board pattern instead. I don't mind that change one bit. And if the attention to detail was a little tricky, it was worth it as these mittens actually fit my hands! That is a very difficult thing to do indeed!

For all the details on this lovely pattern and materials used, you can head on over to my Ravelry page. And until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Liberty Square Inspired Knit Shawl

This was a stash busting project if ever there was one. I mean, those of us who knit, hoard yarn. It's almost a foregone conclusion: you knit, most likely we will find skeins of yarn stored in all manner of hiding places. Like the sleeves of your old winter coat. And the back of the china closet. You know who you are. Every now and again, we knitters need to unload a bit of that stash and the best way to do it is to be stuck on an airplane (at least I think so). So on my recent travels to Puerto Rico, I managed to knit this lovely cotton shawl that reminded me ever so slightly of Liberty Square and the costumes one finds there.

Now, I happened to have the beautiful blue yarn already in my coat sleeves, er, stash. But if I were going to buy yarn for this project, I might just have to choose a Haunted Mansion color like purple or dark green or black to wear with my hitchhiking ghosts t-shirt. (yes, shameless self promotion here.) The beauty of this pattern is that it was easily memorized and fairly simple. It was the perfect sort of mindless knitting one needs for a day of endless meetings, jury duty, or church. I was a little surprised at how heavy it became, but it's the perfect weight for taking the edge off the chill. And I'm down several skeins in the stash department too! Bonus! If you want all the knitty details, you can check out my Ravelry page.

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Flora's Pink Aurora Hand Knit Toddler Mittens

So the funny thing about toddlers is they are constantly changing their minds! (Ok, ONE of the funny things about toddlers . . . .) After the success of the Anna Mittens, my darling toddler informed me that she needed PINK mittens. Her request was so emphatic that it reminded me of Flora and Merryweather's battle over the color of Aurora's dress at the end of Sleeping Beauty. Make it PINK! Make it BLUE! And so I took that inspiration and ran with it. The result is this lovely pair of pink mittens with a fair isle pattern that reminded me a bit of the architecture of Sleeping Beauty castle in Disneyland.

All the details of the mittens are on my Ravelry page for this project. Again, I didn't really have a pattern, I just made them up as I went along. (It's easy to forget to insert the thumb when you do it that way! You might even forget it twice!) These mittens were definitely a fun quick knit, and I fully intend to create some Merryweather mittens (naturally!) to accompany them! Because I like blue! The toddler, for the moment, is delighted by the pink.

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Dapper Day Lace Bag

This little knitted bag was my airplane project for my Ireland trip. I like to have something to knit on the airplane as I listen to my audiobooks, or watch a movie. But airplane knitting is tricky. It needs to fit in my carry-on without taking up too much room. Especially on an international flight which is long enough for me to insist upon some leg room! This bag was the perfect choice. I found it in the Jane Austen Knits magazine, Fall 2012, from Interweave. And bonus for the flight, it's a PDF publication that I could download to my Kindle! No extra papers flapping about; I like that!

The original idea for this bag was that I needed a small handbag in a neutral color that I worked for a semi-formal dress I was wearing to an event. It needed to be big enough for just my essentials: my phone, a lip gloss, my ID and a tampon. This bag is perfect. I actually had to size down a needle size to get the look I was after (a closer, tighter knit), which also meant that I had to add another pattern row to get the length I was after. But in the end the little bag is exactly what I was looking for! 

And as I was knitting it occurred to me that it would be the perfect thing for a Disney date night or a Dapper Day outfit! With the littles, I need a full backpack; but many moons ago, when it was just Mr. Photos From The Parks and I, we didn't carry much of anything into the parks! And with the magic bands today, all you really need is a place for your phone. With the state of women's clothes, and I am talking here about the lack of pockets, there are few places that a girl can keep her phone. This seems like a lady-like solution!

I also lined the bag with cotton fabric. I hate hand sewing (which I realize is a bit ironic because I love knitting and crochet so much), so I used this waxed paper solution to use my sewing machine to sew in the lining. I'm quite happy with it.

If you are interested in the details of the pattern and the yarn, you can check out my Revelry page. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Hand Knit Disney Princess Anna Mittens

These darling mittens are my very own creation! Millie asked me to knit her some and I just couldn't say no! Who could resist such a request? Of course it's finally getting warm enough here that she won't need them now; but won't they be adorable next winter?

I couldn't find a pattern on Revelry that suited me; after all, the rosemaling in Frozen is so beautiful and rather specific to the region. So instead of endless searching I decided to make a pattern myself. I've knit enough mittens and socks to understand the structure and they don't have to fit just so, the way a sweater should. They can be forgiving. Especially for a child!

I designed the charts from those found in Mastering Color Knitting. And I used a basic toddler sized mitten pattern and adjusted the size ever so slightly to accommodate the patterns I chose. If you are into making your own charts you should check out the Tricksy Knitter. There you can create your chart and edit the colors quickly and easily until you have the combination you like.

In the end, I love the way they look! They definitely remind me of Anna, who inspired them. I used Palette yarn, a wool blend, from Knit Picks, a very affordable online yarn supplier. You can find all the details, and a rough idea of the pattern, on my Ravelry pages.

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Disney's Tangled Inspired Corona Flower Hand-Knit Mittens

I love these new Corona Flower mittens I knit as an homage to Tangled! At the very beginning of film, there is the story of Mother Gothel and how she finds the magic flower born of the sun. It sets the whole story in motion. When I saw this beautiful pattern, Lilyfiled Mittens, by Jennifer Coleman, I was immediately reminded of that scene and I knew they would be my next project.

The color choice was obvious, the flower needed to "glow" and purple is Rapunzel's color after all. I have become a huge fan of fair isle (or stranded) knitting in the last several years. I find it sort of magical! You simply follow a chart, knit each little square accordingly, and suddenly, this beautiful picture emerges on your fabric! And I have to say, this pattern was one of the most enjoyable to follow. EVERYTHING worked as it was supposed to. That never happens to me. I got gauge (barely, with US 0 needles), my tension was just right, none of the stitches require enormous floats, the cuff detail just happened on the first try, and the size is actually right! My hands are small, so this seems incredible to me. It's the magic of the Corona Flower. It has to be. Or Jennifer Coleman tested the heck out of the pattern before she published it (which seems most likely). Either way, I'm grateful.

And the timing of these lovely knits could not be better. I just lost one of my first hand-knit mittens last month, before the weather became incredibly cold! I needed a new pair pronto! And here they are, as lovely as a flower. And much more lovely than that first pair! I can't promise they will keep you young, but I can promise they'll get you noticed! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Colonel Hathi's Elephant March Hat

I love this Rose & Lily hat pattern. I am all about the fair isle knitting and this pattern was just screaming out to be knit. The first time I saw it, it reminded me of Colonel Hathi's march in the Jungle Book movie.

I already had the sock yarn for this, so it was easy to pick it up and get started. I knit this one in the adult large size using one size larger than the pattern suggested and using the directions for the slouchy hat. I tried to get Doc to model this one for me, but he said it was a little too hipster for him. Best compliment ever! This is definitely staying in my winter wardrobe. I love it!

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Knit Bambi Mittens

These mittens were so fun to make! They are my second pair of stranded mittens; getting the tension right is always the hardest part for me. And getting the hang of the thumb shaping in this pattern was a bit tricky, but once I saw it happening it was much easier to knit.

I love this design so much I might actually make a second pair! I've been trying to find something Bambi related for a very long time! Thanks to Drunk Girl Designs for such an adorable retro pattern! You can find this pattern at the link above. And just as a heads up, if you are easily offended, her other mitten patterns are probably not for you. I find them hilarious, but I have a former middle school teacher's warped sense of humor. So there's that.







I started knitting these mittens with the intention of making them for myself. They would have totally gone great with my winter coat! But as fate would have it, I started knitting them on an airplane, on the way to Walt Disney World. I thought I would go a little ways, check the gauge and adjust as necessary. Well, I got all involved in listening to my book (which you absolutely need to read NOW) and by the time we landed I was halfway through knitting the first mitten and had completely forgotten about my plan. And then I realized as I was finishing up the first mitten (on the way home) that I was knitting something for a GIANT. The gauge was way off even though I followed the pattern and used the same yarn! (This is a rather common occurrence for me, which is why I try to check the gauge!) Instead of ripping out all that work and starting over, I decided to just knit another giant mitten and felt them both. What the heck? I wasn't going to be able to wear them the way they were.

As it turned out, it worked! And although they were too small for me once they were felted, they are a perfect fit for my favorite 5-year-old! So she can enjoy the total cuteness of the Bambi mittens. They match her totally cuteness in general! Also, don't let anyone tell you you can't use your front loader for felting. Mine worked perfectly. So until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Hand Knit Cruella DeVille Inspired Cowl

 One of my favorite villains from the Disney library is Cruella DeVille. She has her own theme song, she's wickedly audacious and her penchant for fashion should make us all jealous. When I saw this cowl pattern (which also has matching gloves, hat and shawl!) I was immediately reminded of her. And I had to have it; all of it! I'm not usually drawn to these sorts of things, but I must have been channeling my inner Cruella. It makes me smile just to think of wearing it. And obviously, while I'm wearing it too!

This set of patterns is called Frost. (I actually was thinking of Frozen when I saw the name.) The booklet itself is $15 for all four patterns. The corset patterning of the knitting in this cowl gives it a little more interest and helps it stand up to the ostentatious "fur." This cowl is also shaped in such a way as to keep the right side facing out at all times instead of turning in on itself like most cowls do. I love this attention to detail. It's not the sort of mindless knitting I thought it was going to be, but it was worth doing it right. And the pattern made it very easy to follow.

I took some liberties with the materials, mostly because the yarn in the pattern book has now been discontinued, so I had to find a replacement. I decided not to splurge so much on this yarn and went with the Hobby Lobby brand Lace in ivory. I also went wanted something synthetic for the fur, (not so very Cruella of me I realize), but that would drape nicely and not look like fun fur. I went with Lion Brand's Romance in ivory. I am very pleased with how this looks! And bonus for me, all the yarn was 50% off, so the materials to create this cowl were under $10. This looks far more expensive than that! It's definitely going to be my "dressy" accessory for a night out at Dance Kaleidoscope! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Dole Whip Knit Hat

I saw this hat pattern on Pinterest and I knew right away that I was going to do a Dole Whip version for Doc! We are crazy for Dole Whips here in the cottage and we stop to get one whenever we have the chance. (Incidentally, we were delighted to find them at the Hilton Head resort too!)

This was a fairy simple pattern to knit up. The most difficult part of this pattern was figuring out how to put it together once I had knit it. It starts as a parallelogram. Easy enough to knit. But then you have to sew the cast on edge and the bind-off edge together to make a cylinder. That was not specified in the directions, and I had a devil of a time figuring that out! After that, I just gathered the top of the hat with something like a basting stitch and sewed up the gap. I had intended to put a pompom on top, but it was so cool just like this that I decided not to! And the gathered top was not nearly as bad as I thought it would look, so I decided I didn't need to hide it with the pompom.

You can find a link to the pattern and all the details for my hat on my Ravelry page. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!