Pattern #5

I'm working on a hat pattern at the moment. I started it over Christmas when I was 'confined to barracks' because of all the snow that we had. It was the ideal opportunity to pick up my needles and some yarn from the stash and just knit.

When I finished the piece though, I was so shocked by how good it looked that I decided I needed to be able to produce it again. This is proving more difficult than I thought it would. The combination of the stitch pattern, the sizing and those decreases for the crown, have led me now to prototype #3.

This could be the moment where boredom gets the better of me and I pick up my "Monkey" socks instead! The thing is, the hat looks so bloomin' good when it's finished. I'm determined to master the pattern writing issues simply because the hat deserves to see the light of day.

My first sample was made in Heirloom Merino Magic, a lovely 100% Australian wool. For the second though I switched to RY Cashsoft, a blend of 57% extra fine merino, 33% microfibre and 10% cashmere. It felt a little strange to knit with at first, but now that I've got used to it, it's great. The stitch definition is amazing and perfect for this particular hat.

So I'm on to sample #3 and at this rate I'll have made a major contribution to my Christmas gift knitting! Guess what they'll all be getting?!

This And That

Well, we had a lovely Thanksgiving and I trust that all my American friends did too. The Central Park Hoodie was put on the backburner for the long weekend in favour of smaller projects that don't require quite so much concentration. It's still sitting there calling to me inbetween all the Christmas shopping, card writing, cooking and event attending that goes on at this time of year.

I did make one little foray to the yarn store on Black Friday. I hadn't planned it, but my dear daughter persuaded me to take her. I had a long chat with the owner about choosing buttons. I had been surfing the Central Park Hoodie group on Ravelry checking out other people's versions and noting the myriad of different button choices. It got me thinking. It would seem that the best thing to do is to take the finished garment to the store, lay it out on the table and choose the buttons there. That way I am less likey to make a mistake with my choice. I'd hate to get home and discover that the buttons were too heavy for the fabric or just didn't look as good on the piece.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. I haven't knitted the hood yet! You see, I've also been trying to decide whether to continue the cable up the back of the hood or to keep it plain? It looks lovely both ways, but I've concluded that, as I won't be wearing the hood up very often, it would be a waste of time to decorate it. I will just stick with the single cable across the front, which will look fine layed flat across my shoulders, which is how I'll wear it most of the time.

Meanwhile, I've finished the Tretta hat. What a pretty pattern Grumperina has created. I think my choice of yarn could have been better though. My Lion Brand Wool seemed just a little too thick for this design. I thought I'd got a DK, but it turns out that the yarn symbol 4 (Medium) is actually classed as a worsted weight/Aran. I think that a DK/sport would have been better. I know, it says in the pattern DK, but I fell for the colour. I still haven't got used to these yarn weight symbols. I much prefer it when the band tells you straight whether it's a DK, worsted, fine etc. I hail from the old school of 2-ply, 3-ply, 4-ply and Double Knit, you see! It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks!!

Still the hat turned out well, so now I will just have to take some pictures of the finished product.

While I was at the yarn store though, I did fall in love with a sock yarn called "Happy Feet" by Plymouth Yarn. After the "Oh My!" debacle, this is the first yarn by "Plymouth Yarn" that I've bought. I'm hoping that it performs well. The colorway is a glorious red with a hint of burgundy here and there. On Sunday I cast on for Pomatomus by Cookie A. I'm hoping that this pattern will have the right balance of design to go with this yarn. I'm using 2.5mm needles, so it's very small work; progress will be slow.

Finally, I have finished my Christmas knits. DH's Navy hat was completed and hidden away until Christmas Eve, although I will need someone to model it for a picture before I wrap it up.

I wonder who's available? Perhaps Brad Pitt could oblige?

WIPs And Gifts

Well I finished the Odessa Hat and it looks lovely. The blue beads add a subtle elegant touch to the piece which will suit its recipient perfectly. I also came across the tube of pearl beads that I was sure I'd bought in the summer, but couldn't find when I went to start this project. (That's how I ended up using the blue ones.) I found them in a pocket in my handbag! Looks like I've been walking around with them in there for months!!

I now seem to have several works in progress (WIPs). Despite a totally manic weekend when my time was certainly not my own, I did manage to get myself organised enough beforehand, so that I had a small project with me wherever I happened to be. The project in question is Nicky Epstein's Chameleon again. This is my second version and on Thursday I took a moment to wind a skein of Cascade 220 (whose shade is aptly named Puget Sound) into a suitable ball for the project. I do not have a swift, so resorted to my Nan's tried and tested trick with a couple of chair backs. My greatest challenge was completing this exercise before the cat decided to investigate! Thankfully, I just got finished before my large ginger and white bundle of fluff strolled languidly into the kitchen to check out what I was doing.

I repeated the same procedure with the lilac Cascade 220 that I am using to knit the Central Park Hoodie. I cast on on Saturday evening and am so excited to see this pattern taking shape.

I managed to score a whole bag of this yarn at a closing sale at the beginning of the summer and it's knitting up beautifully.

My other WIP is the Strawberry hat that I'm making for my niece. As I've hit the construction of the top, it's not such a portable project anymore (I actually have to concentrate a bit now!) so I'll be working on it at home over the next few days. It will be another of my Christmas projects completed, so I'm feeling quite pleased with myself now.

I'm now awaiting the arrival of a KnitPicks order which will contain some beautiful yarn for my final Christmas project - a lovely hat for the man in my life. After 20yrs, it's about time I knitted him something!

Hat Spotting

Isn't it funny how you start looking at knitted items that other people are wearing. At church on Sunday, I found myself looking at this very sweet little knitted grey jacket that a lady was wearing. It caught my eye because it was a knitted fabric, possibly a handknit, with a very interesting basket weave pattern worked into it.

It's the same when I'm watching my son's soccer games. Now that the weather has turned more autumnal, people are breaking out the winter headgear, so there I am spotting different styles and wondering how I can make them into knitted hats. I then race home and draw a quick sketch, so that I don't forget what I've seen.

In the meantime, I'm cracking on with my Christmas projects. Yesterday, I finished my second Odessa hat and I must say the blue beads on the blue yarn have actually been pleasantly surprising. It's a cute little hat with a very feminine design, which knits up quickly once you get into the pattern.

I have now cast on in King Cole Merino Blend DK for a strawberry hat for my niece. I love this yarn because it's so easy to work with. My pattern is an old one from a Norwegian magazine, which I have used several times before with great success. The little green stitches incorporated throughout really give it the look of a summer fruit. Every child looks cute in this hat!

Stash And Dash?

I've finally turned a corner on my terrible cold and have got back to knitting again. I cast on for another Odessa hat by Grumperina, this time in blue. I have blue beads too, which I'm still not sure about. They are almost the same shade as the yarn, so sometimes I feel that it's hardly worth knitting them in. However, the person I'm knitting for this time likes her clothing items to make a subtle statement, so I'm sure they'll suit her in the end just fine.

Now, I wanted to mention stitch markers. How do you manage with them? Last weekend when I was making the Center Square hat, I tried using my daughters collection of plastic stitch markers to mark the decreases for the shaping. This was a first for me as I'm an old-fashioned knitter and have always used remnants of old yarn to mark my stitches with. I thought it would be a good experiment though, so I gave it a try.

It was indeed a useful exercise. I didn't get on with them at all. Every time I got to a marker it felt bulky in my hands and the inflexibility of the plastic really annoyed me. Consequently, I've gone back to my tried and tested bits of contrast yarn!

On another note, yesterday I went stash diving (like dumpster diving only for a different kind of treasure!) In fact I had a major sort out. The corner of the room where I knit has become increasingly untidy in recent weeks and my stash has been spreading all over the place. I couldn't run from it any longer. It was time to do something.

It was a wonderful experience. I came across some beautiful yarns that I hadn't exactly forgotten about, but I hadn't got round to either. I am now completely out of Ziploc bags as I've packaged everything up nicely to keep it safe from those dreaded moths. My knitting area is positively pristine (not sure how long it'll stay that way though) and my stash looks so much neater now. Amazingly, I can fit even more yarn into my baskets than I could before!

Hmmmm, that has an ominous sound about it.

Finished Odessa!

I've finished the Odessa hat (just got to block it). Loved every minute of it. This is the first time I've knitted with beads and I think I'll do more as it's very effective. The yarn was great to work with. Not a particularly dainty yarn, but used with this pattern, it has made a warm hat with a feminine look to it.

Now I am looking for a suitable sock pattern to fulfill my son's desire for another pair made from Reggio Exclusive by Gjestal. He loves the black and cream twisted sock yarn #701. I have been making socks for my kids with this yarn for several years now, but fancy branching out with a different pattern.

Wish me luck!