[knitting] Quick Pink Fuzzy Hat

Got distracted with some pink novelty yarn:

After the slow shawl and socks and tea cozy projects, I wanted to make something quick in just a couple weeknight evenings. This is an ultra soft and fuzzy hat. The yarn is bulky Skacel Luxor- given to me by a former coworker. This was a breeze to whip up on US 10 (6 mm) needles. Cast on 72, k2p2 long enough for a fold-over brim, continue on in stockinette, decrease, close, weave in ends, sip some wine, put on the finished hat, sip some more wine.

But now I should get back to stash diving for what I was really looking for: yarn for a simple, two-color brioche cowl...

[knitting] Byron's Hat

Made a hat to send to a coworker:

It's a free pattern from Ravelry called Allen Hat. This is my second time making the pattern- I made one in December as a Christmas gift. It's a nice, quick pattern.

It's being mailed to Minnesota; I just have to gather some more Vermont-y things to send along with it.

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Made some nice short ribs for dinner last night for the Season 3 finale of True Detective. And some lazy focaccia. Pizza tonight.

Worked on the Rumplestiltskin shawl and reached the end of the first ball of yarn (I have three).

We've moved our offices around at work and have nice new furniture. Everyone has spiffy glass "white" boards for dry erase writing but there's nowhere to store the markers. No shelf/ledge like a chalkboard. I'm going to crochet some pen holders that can be hung from one of the support pegs- for holding the markers. Maybe I'll make one for everyone. OR MAKE THEM PAY FOR ONE.

For any local people reading- there's a new yarn shop opening in Norwich called Norwich Knits. It's going to be in the same spot as where Northern Nights Yarn Shop was. The grand opening is this Friday, March 1 from noon to 8 pm. I'll be checking it out for sure!

[knitting] Traveling Cable Hats

I completed a new cabled hat:

The pattern is free from Purl Soho and it's called Traveling Cable Hat. The adult size makes a pretty deep hat, so take care with regards to how much ribbing for the brim you do.

The yarn is Sabine by Juniper Moon Farm (discontinued). It's a blend of 40% cotton, 30% merino and 30% llama. It's a light worsted weight and a little... crispy? Not particularly bouncy because of the cotton content but the llama gives it a bit of a halo and I think this is the type of yarn that will only get softer and nicer over time and the more the hat is worn.

So once I had the pattern down, I did another:

The yarn is March Hare by Wonderland Yarn. It's 100% superwash merino, dyed by Frabjous Fibers, and the colorway is Tea Tray. This is the most sqooshilicious yarn I've used in a looooong time. It was pure joy to knit with. It made me realize that I usually only work with workhorse and economical yarns. I was knitting with this yarn like, "Oh my god, are there people that knit like this allllllll the time?"

Not that I have a bad time knitting with my frugal yarn- I (usually) always love whatever I make. But this yarn was like sleeping on silk sheets or eating caviar or hunting and killing a poor person for sport. You know, stuff rich people do.

But I'm not rich and I'll stick to my stashed pauper yarn. But I am for sure going to pick up another skein of this yarn when I run across it.

[knitting] Even more hats!

Finished five aran caps:

Patterns clockwise from lower left:

Spicule - Frazil

Spicule - Shuga

Spicule - Nilas (all three come as a set - by Hunter Hammersen)

Blue Star Beanie by Shana Schasteen (modified for worsted weight yarn)

Candide Aran Cap (Out of print- I have an old leaflet pattern. Have made this four times now.)

Ugh, if I never have to look at a twisted stitch again, it will be too soon. Will prob give them a nice, warm, soapy soak. Some I did as beanies, some I did with a fold-over brim. 

I think I'm done with hats for now. I did nine hats in three weeks. That's... that's enough. I've moved on to knit some plain vanilla worsted socks. The what-I-knit-when-I-don't-know-what-to-knit knit. 

I have some WIPs I can finish up. And I'd like to do some scrappy ornaments to give as gifts.

Will be going offline for a while- Thanksgiving prep, party and recovery. Hopefully I'll have all the dishes done by Saturday. 

[knitting] Hats and Hats and Hats

I am so obsessed with hats right now.

In two weeks, I've made 7 hats and just started the 8th.

The first was the purple one at the bottom right of the photo. Pattern is The Elm Road Hat at Ravelry but it's just a twisted rib beanie. The yarn is a lux 50% cashmere / 50% yak blend (Lhasa by Debbie Bliss) gifted to me by my sister. The hat is so warm and so soft- already claimed and being worn by Dollar. 

Next was the dark blue variegated one in the top center. Pattern is The Glen Abbey Hat. Nice, a little long to make it slouchy. Yarn is Mountain Goat by Mount Colors, 55% mohair / 45% wool. It's a little itchy at the forehead if I'm being honest. But this is a great pattern for breaking up variegated yarn.

Then the brown one. Pattern is Graham at Ravelry. Basic broken rib. I like that it's knit on the wrong side and then turned inside out for a nice, nubbley purl texture on the outside. Knit a little long for slouch. Yarn is Berroco Ultra Alpaca, 50% alpaca / 50% wool. 

The blue cabled pattern at the bottom center is Father Cables. Knit the smallest, fitted size and it's still quite large. The yarn is Aslan Trends Invernal, 50% angora, 25% nylon, 25% wool. So soft- I don't work with angora enough. The yarn is whatever while you're working with it but after going around and around and around and pushing stitches along, you can see the angora start to bloom and make a nice halo several rows down. I particularly like this hat.

The natural colored ones to the left in the photo are from a pattern called Spicule- which is actually three hat patterns (and three little matching hat ornaments- so cute!). I'm doing all three. My plan is to do five natural-colored aran(ish) hats and then give them to Dollar's bandmates. And then they can wear them out to winter gigs. The yarn is mystery undyed wool from the stash (ripped from a big, off-white cabled sweater that someone started, never finished, gave to me and I've reclaimed the wool).

I've started the fourth aran hat (from a pattern I've made three times). Now to scour Ravelry for the last pattern... Then I miiiiiiiiiight take a break from hats.

[knitting] PussyHat3

Finished the third PussyHat:

It was in a state of "almost done" for weeks, I just ran out of yarn and back to rip back an old project to get more. And then skein and wash the yarn. But now I have lots of good-as-new pink superwash:

Sunday morning I got out the swift and ball winder to wind one smallish skein of pink yarn to finish the hat. I resisted the urge to pull out a bunch of random skeins from the stash to also wind into balls. (When I start winding, I want to wind everything.) I did find a 7-year-old project that has been monopolizing a 16" pair of US 7 circular needles- that green linen stitch cowl in the middle. 

Ugh, the color pooling. I hated it from the get-go but rather than ripping it back, I just buried it away. Well, it's all gone now and I'll use the yarn for what it was originally intended- socks.

Speaking of socks- the specs for the first round of Sock Madness were released yesterday! Time to stash dive!

[knitting] Gretel

Another cabled hat:

Pattern: Gretel by Ysolda

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Cloud 9, two balls

Needles: US 5, US 7

I did the mid-slouch version. This is the 2nd time I've done this pattern and it's really great. I used Malabrigo Worsted before (the hat came out wonderful- I gifted it to my grandmother) and this time I used Cloud 9, which is 50% merino wool / 50% angora. I love the halo that the project gets as you work round after round and your fingers make the angora in the yarn bloom.

Can't wait to wear it this winter!

[knitting] Brambles

I was on a hat kick recently, probably triggered by this project:

Pattern: Brambles Beret

Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Rittenhouse Merino

Needles: US 4 (ribbing), US 6 (body)

I knit the Medium size and probably only used just over half of the skein of yarn. The unblocked hat comes out really, really small. Even after blocking around the usual dinner plate that I use for blocking tams/berets, the hat is still small and quite close fitting. I would definitely knit a Large size next time.

It's a pretty pattern and works up quickly.

[knitting] Capucines

I found a pattern that was so easy and cute, I couldn't stop making them:



Pattern: Capucine

Yarns:

- Purple hat on the left used Cascade Yarns Pastaza
- Beige hat in the middle used Knit Picks Decadence (discontinued), and Rowan Kidsilk Haze (both carried together)
- Dark gray hat on the right used Cascade Yarns Lana Bamboo and Madil Yarns Kid Seta (both carried together)

Needles: Purple used US 8 but the hat came out too small for me, so I went up to a US 10 for the next two.

This was such an easy and fun pattern. You work back and forth for the ribbing and garter sections, then join to work in the round for the stockinette section. I particularly like this pattern because I wear my hair tied in a ponytail at the nape of my neck and the construction of this hat allows for the ponytail to be out in open.

The finishing wasn't bad- making the tassels was fun. I omitted the tassels at the back of the hat.







This is a great project for ~110 - 120 yds of chunky yarn.

[knitting] Gothic Paths

Another finished hat:



Pattern: Crooked Paths by Knitting School Dropout

Needles: US 5 (3.75mm) for ribbing, US 8 (5 mm) for main body.

Yarn: Dream in Color Classy, 'Gothic Rose' colorway

Mods: Did two repeats of of pattern, rather than three.

Blocked:



These pictures more accurately show the color. I love this hat. Still turned out fine w/out the extra pattern repeat after blocking around a large dinner plate.

Love the pattern on the crown:



Looks like a flower to me. <3 <3 <3 this. Will be going to my mom for Christmas.

[knitting] Turning Beanies into Tams

This past April, I finished a few hats:







They've been hanging out in the "finished bin" in my craft room ever since. I wanted to block them into more of a tam/beret shape. Which I finally did:







I love blocking things- it opens up lace, it smooths out stranded colorwork.

I'm keeping the purple and green/oatmeal ones; the light blue angora one will go to my mom for Christmas.