Detours and Roadblocks

For the last few days, since finishing my MIL's jumper, I have been working on the "Hirohito's Revenge" scarf. I'm so glad to be finished with that blasted Noro. I will NEVER buy that stuff again. Maybe I'm a bit heavy handed, but still, one wouldn't expect the stuff to fall apart quite as easily as it does, and I've never had that problem with other yarns. I can only imagine the stuff was made for delicate little Asian ladies, certainly not a roughneck like me.




But I'm reasonably pleased with the results of the scarf. I think it looks pretty good, considering I mixed the two colorways, and types, of Noro. I'm hoping it will soften up after a good soak in some wool wash.

One would think, at this point, I would have dived into the "Central Park Hoodie" project, as eager as I have been to start, but I haven't. I ran into a bit of a detour, deciding instead to start on a hat for myself to wear to Bendigo. I decided this for two reasons. I need a decent (ok, fancy) looking hat to wear to a 8AM breakfast in the park where a bunch of us Ravelers are going to meet and greet, and I thought it might be great to get a feel for knitting with the Peace Fleece before committing to the larger project.

So I have started the hat, which I found on Ravelry under the title of "Cabled Force", but I have retitled my version to "Copper Topper". I'm using the Sheplova Mushroom colorway of the Peace Fleece I ordered thru the co-op. This colorway is absolutely smashing when knit up, and I'm thinking it would make a great color for a jumper or cardi, or even a jacket. I'm loving it so far. It's definately knitting I have to concentrate on, but fun nonetheless, and the pattern is so fun to watch grow. I'm thinking I'll have this baby finished in no time flat.



I must pick up Chris' vest as well, and I promised I would before I started the hoodie, so I'll likely get to that very soon, and work on the Fringe jumper in the meantime.

I'm sort of placing some roadblocks in my way, I know, but in a fashion I'm trying to use my impatience to start on the Central Park Hoodie to inspire me to finish some projects that are well overdue for completion. Like dangling a carrot, so to speak.

I also recieved a lovely package in the mail this week. Awhile back, I sent one of my Ravelry buddies some Koolaid to try out, and she in turn sent me some silk caps that she had died with it, in pretty pinks and blues, for later spinning (if I ever get around to spinning agian!!). It may inspire me to get to my spinning, as I'm incredibly curious to see how these colors will spin up.





Well, that's it for now. Until next time...

2 circ anti-drama

I decided to try the method of knitting small diameter "in the round" fabric using two circular needles. I found Cat Bordhi's U-tube videos of the process, part one and part two. Now, I had reasonably assumed, given that the video had two parts, that this was a complecated procedure, taking extra long to explain. I couldn't have been more wrong. I've tried it today, and the drama is: there is no drama.

I watched the videos early this morning. It looked easy, really. I dutifully knit away, decreasing until the stitches would no longer comfortably fit on the 40cm circ they were on. I grabbed up all of my knitting, stitch holders and other knitting paraphenalia I thought I might need, and came in here and sat in front of the computer, with Cat's videos on the screen and ready to play. I put "Radio Margaritaville" on in the background.

Bravely, i decided to start out without looking at the videos, and then refer to them if I needed help. Those video's never got played. It's just that easy. My only complaint is that I thought it would be a good idea to get my second circ in a different, longer, length, so I bought an 80cm ones. I wish now that I had just bought another 40cm one, as when the 80cm needles are the dormant ones, all that cord does get in the way.

Otherwise, it came off without a hitch, and I'm happily knitting away, heading for the finish line. Overall, it's quite a positive experience, and will certainly go a long way in breaking down those mental barriers that have kept me away from making socks for so long.

Sometimes, I amaze myself.

Hat harried

A couple of days ago I was talking to Mom on MSN messenger. My son was visiting, and after I talked to him, mom got on the keyboard and told me that she had noticed his hat had a hole in it. He told her he'd laid it on a lamp??? Must have been acrylic and melted, who knows. At any rate, he has a birthday coming up so I'm knitting him a hat in a hurry so I can send it along with mom's birthday gifts.

Mom told me he's into browns and greys and such, and that the hat he already has is one that doesn't turn up on the bottom and is tighter knit than the one I made for her at Christmas.

I found the pattern on Ravelry (where else?) for a "metrosexual hat" that seems to fit the bill, http://frayedattheedges.blogspot.com/2008/01/mens-metrosexual-toque-by-haley-waxberg.html knit on 3.5 mm circulars. I'm using the Grignasco alpaca from my stash, which is a lovely mix of brownish/greyish/rust colors. So far so good, I reckon. I hope to have it finished by the end of the week.

I'll have to go out sometime soon and get me another 3.5 circular, because I want to shape the crown using the "magic loop" method. I've been wanted to try it ever since I heard about it, as I'm hopeless on DPN's, and often avoid projects because of this, so this will give me the perfect opportunity to try it out.

My Koolaid also arrived, and in record time! THANKS MOM!! Just three colors for now, but I'm going to try them out on the white alpaca fleece I got from a girl at work as soon as I finish the hat and have some time.

In the meantime, cheers and happy knitting!

Three hats and a pattern

I made these three beanies as Christmas presents to send back to the states. Started out, I was just going to make one for my mom, but as it went so quickly and I had lots of yarn bits just perfect for the job lying around the house, I thought I'd make one for my sister and my aunt as well. I used different bits of yarn here and there, but basically, all were 12 or 14 ply wool yarn, and I used some of Spotlight's Yarn Bee novelty fur yarn to trim them in, which I picked up a couple of months back on sale for something like 1.49 per 50 g skein.

The pattern was very simple. I made them on straight needles and just put a seam in the back. I suppose that is sort of the cheaters way out when it comes to hats, but I find that if I'm careful with my seams, they really come out looking pretty darn good.

The pattern went something like this:

Winter Hats on Straight Needles:

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Materials: 2 - 50g balls 12 (or 14) ply yarn

1 - matching novelty fur yarn

8mm straight needles

Cast on 70 stitches,

Knitting with one strand of 12 ply yarn and one strand of fur yarn:

Knit in 2x2 rib (1st row k2 p2 to end, ending with k2, 2nd row p2 k2 to end, ending with a p2, repeat these two rows for pattern) until work measures 9 cm.

Cut off novelty fur yarn, leaving a 6cm tail. Continue on in 2x2 rib, using only the 12 ply yarn until all of work measures 26 cm, ending with a purl row.

Begin shaping:

Row 1 : K2 tog, *P2, K2tog; rep from * to end. 52 stitches

Row 2 : P1, *K2,P1: rep from * to end

Row 3 : K1 *P2,K1: rep from * to end

Row 4 : As row 2

Row 5 : K1, *P2tog,K1: rep from * to end. 35 stitches

Row 6 : P1, *K1,P1: rep from * to end

Row 7 : K1, *P1,K1: rep from * to end

Row 8 : As row 6

Row 9 : K1, *K2tog: rep from * to end. 18 stitches

Row 10 : *P2tog: rep from * to end. 9 stitches

Cut yarn, leaving enough of a tail to pass thru the remaining stitches and also stitch up the seam of the hat.

Pass tail thru the remaining stitches, pull tightly and tie off, but DO NOT cut short. Sew in all ends. Then take the remainder of your very long tail, thread it into a yarn needle, and sew up the seam. Reminder: your fur area is going to turn up, so switch sides as your sewing the seam at the point of the fur, as to keep the ugly back of the seam out of sight.

Easy as! I don't often get to sit for 3 hours and just knit, but I reckon that would have been the sum total of my 15 minutes here and there it took me to knit these up!