Ms. Purple and the Mouse

Alice had a birthday in January and a birthday is always a great opportunity for some special knits. My goal in life is to be known as the auntie who knits and in support of this aspiration, I did not break tradition. For the past three years at every Christmas, birthday, Easter and sometimes just because I wanted to, I have knit both Noah and Alice a special something. This birthday celebration was sponsored by the color purple and the number 2. Alice is crazy about purple. I'm not sure if this is because it is so much fun to say or she really wants to be a girlie girl, much to mom's satisfaction and great encouragement. I wanted to experiment this birthday and tried two new patterns- both using the all important color purple and some pink for accents. The first is Zoe Mellor's Colorful Mouse. I used some left overs from her Christmas socks in Rustic Wool and some pre-made felt in pink. It was a simple knit with a bit of finishing but nothing too complex. The second knit is Katie Ahlquist's Top Knot Hat. This pattern has an interesting twist to it as it is knit in the round and the colors are picked up across the center of the hat and held on the opposite side while knitting on the side closest to you. Difficult to explain but the graphics in the pattern are a big help and after a few rounds it becomes obvious plus it's free, so you can't beat that. I used Mission Falls Cotton for this hat so that she could use it into the spring when the weather is a bit warmer.