Meet Kate! The lovely little “kitten in britches” as she’s described by creator Jess Hutchison. Yep, that same Jess Hutch who makes those rad knit robots. Good luck tracking that pattern down though, its long out of print… Any way back to the pattern for Kate. If you’re an avid knitty reader, you know this pattern has been around a while, and it’s been on my back burner for just as long. I really just love everything about her. From her little striped top to her cute little “britches.” I think it might be time to upgrade this to “current project” status. :)

I spied these adorable little ankle socks a little while back [via Craft:], and they have not let me forget about them. For the most part I don’t wear any kind of socks besides little cotton below-the-ankle socks or peds. So I was pretty stoked to find this pattern for pom-pom peds from purl bee. My only caveat about making them is they are knit in wool. While it is 100% organic merino wool, it’s still wool. Not my ideal choice for a summer sock. I’d love to find a fingerling weight, cotton or cotton blend yarn with enough give to knit a pair of socks. Such a yarn must exist, no?

Now I’m consumed with the urge to knit, and boy have I been knitting. I finally finished an old project that has been hanging over my head for over a year, and in a little over a week knocked out another brand new one (more on these to come). So now I’m on the hunt for some new projects! Now that’s almost summer (and for the most part, pretty much always summer here) choosing a knitting project can be tricky. I’m looking for some fun summer appropriate projects that would be well suited to the climate. For the most part I prefer smaller projects for their portability and more instant gratification. Also bonus points will be awarded to projects that I might enable me to use up the small portion of my stash that made the move with me.

Got a suggestion? I’d love to here it!

One of my favorites was this rad mix tape belt buckle by Customink. It’s such a simple idea, yet so fantastic. If I ever get around to making a non leather belt that accepts those interchangeable buckles, I’ll have to whip one of these up.

Lindsey of BraveMoonman made this little mix tape coin purse. I love the cute little details in the stitching and the gradation of the felt. It totally reminds me this old tape my aunt Julie taped Michael Jackson songs on for me when I was 5 or so.

I’m also pretty fond of this mix tape pouch by Brenda of goodkarma, particularly the contrast of the different fabrics and the mix of machine and hand stitching. 

Finally, I’d like to point out this fabulous Ohio Mix Tape t-shirt by Alison Rose. It’s shown above, modeled by my best friend Rhea, who of course rocks the eff out of it. I am seriously in love with this shirt. I have an incredible soft spot for all things Ohio, especially the rad Ohio sunglasses I got at the state fair when I was about 6, but that’s a topic for another post. :) In short, Ohio + Mix Tape = Totally Awesome. You can get your own here.

I love the simplicity of the implied records on this necklace made of buttons by Minski. Maybe you’re looking for something that’s a little less representational, like something literally made out of a record? Check out these rad record cuff bracelets. 

(L) This great wide record cuff is made by etsy seller wonderful. 
(R) Christine of EyePopArt made this simple record cuff, and gave it a coat of blue paint. 

For a while now I’ve wanted to try my hand an making one of these. My friend Juniper and I used to make journals, bowls and coasters out of old scratched up records and album covers that were in abundant supply at the record store she owns with her husband Dave. We had a couple times discussed trying to make some other things, like record cuffs but never figured out a good way to cut them. Turns out it was easier than we thought. Jennifer Perkins of Stylelicious showed how to make these on their show, you can check out the steps to make your own here.

Rachel of Chezlin whipped up this great wallet reusing an old cassette tape, a zipper, some felt and some glue. Not only that, but she posted a great tutorial so you can make your own! I would like to make one of these! Just imagine all the great reactions you’d get when you pull this out to pay for something… 

Tawny of QuietDoing makes these terrific vinyl recreations of records and turntables. This dual turntable wallet is what first caught my eye, but she also makes cute little ipod nano cases, and little turntable pins. They are pain-stakenly hand cut, hand sewn, and as she points out - vegan friendly. You can find these, and many more, available in her etsy store.

As long as I can remember music has been a big part of my life. I spent the bulk of my youth obsessing over it and going to shows. Starting with the dreams I had of being the next Debbie Gibson when I was in grade school, to the my current indie rock pretentiousness. With varied stops along the way ranging from radio-friendly, early 90’s R&B; to alternative/grunge; to mid 90’s progressive punk; and even a serious stint with late 90’s straightedge-hardcore and what we called emo back then. Regardless of what I was into at the time, the music was alway there. 

Wanna snoop what I listen to these days? Check out my last.fm.

Amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals and anthropomorphic creatures. Amigurumi are typically cute animals but can include inanimate objects endowed with anthropomorphic features. 

Cute is the operative word here. It’s crazy how the simple addition of a couple dot eyes and a mere hit of a mouth can convert just about anything into a lovable little friend.  In this post I’m going to focus on one kind of anthropomorphized objects in particular, vegetables.

Anna of Mochimochi land has created this outstanding knit wonder she callsninjabun. It’s a little garden patch that’s growing more than just carrots. You can purchase this pattern along with a ton more from her online shop. 

It seriously has to be one of the cutest knit things I’ve seen in a long while. I’d love to knit one of these up for my nephew Logan once he gets past that “putting everything in his mouth” stage, beacuse those little guys are teeny. :) 

I’ll finish up this post a round up with a just a few of the cuties I’ve come across. First we have a pattern for adorable little mushrooms by Roxycraft. Next is a pattern for carrots and carrot bunnies from etsy seller stripeyblue. Finally I found this lively bunch of veggies by livejournaler parsnippity. 

Looking to get started on some of your own but don’t know where to begin when it comes to crochet? Make sure to check out Hook and Needles’s excellent beginner tutorial on making Amigurumi.

I’m really digging these cute little recipe cards by Michelle of myzoetrope. The little character illustrations are adorable and I love the tone-on-tone printing. If I ever got organized enough to actually write my recipes down, I would love to do it on a set of these cards. Check ‘em out in her etsy shop.