Twisted – A New Hat Design

During the last week of 2011 I designed and knit up (and wrote down) a new hat pattern!  It features twisted cables and ribs, a massive pompom and braided ear tassels.

I love the details of this hat

A simple but unique design, this hat would be great for the knitter who wants to practice different techniques in a smaller project and the finished result is great for snow sports!  Perfectly mirroring cables and ribbing add to the charm of the hat and the super soft, lightweight and warm yarn is a treat for your hands and your head.

Perfect for men and women

Sizes: One Size Fits Most

Finished Measurements: Fits head sizes 20-23 inches in circumference

Materials

Size US 9 Circular and DPN Needles

400 – 450 yards of Katsara Yarns Bamboo Merino (held double throughout)

1 stitch marker

Cable needle

Gauge: 4 sts x 6.5 rows = 1 inch in stockinette stitch on size US 9 needles

Pattern Glossary

K – knit

P – purl

C3f – cable 3 stitches to the front

C3b – cable 3 stitches to the back

K2tog – knit 2 together

Skp – slip 1 stitch, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over

Sl1 – slip 1 stitch

Psso – pass slipped stitch(es) over

K2tog – knit 2 stitches together

P2tog – purl 2 stitches together

This pattern can be found on Ravelry here and on Etsy here.

FO Friday: Babies Need To Be Kept Warm

I actually finished this project last week but didn’t get photos in time for the FO Friday, so you’re seeing it this week!  The friend of a friend welcomed a baby into the family recently and a blanket was in order. 

pink v pink

I knit up this cute square one using Plymouth Encore in two colors switching them up at random intervals and doing an inch and a bit of garter endging before the bind off.  After blocking, the drape of the blanket was much drapier and the softness much softer.

I may have had a slight moment of panic whence "this is a baby girl right?" was asked in my direction. It was.

Bonus?  The yarn is machine washable.  Because its for a baby.  You gotta do that.

Share what you finished this week (or last…or recently) over on Tami’s Blog!

Denver HaHo Round Up

I promised you pictures and a round up this week from the show I participated in last Saturday and today’s the day! 

For weeks prior to the show much of my knitting efforts had been focused on producing enough stuff to make my table full and let me tell you, it was full.  I am lucky enough to have a woodworker as a friend (and he has other new skills, didn’t I tell you?) and he very very kindly made the majority of the fixtures you see on my table.

the whole table before the show started

He made me a ball bouquet that supported my hats, he made me a scarf rack and he even made a little tree so that I could hang ornaments from it.  Generous, no? 

tree, ornaments and hats!

Without those fixtures, my table would have been quite flat.  I really like all the height I got, I think it brings the pieces to life a bit more.

blossoming ball bouquet

Overall, the show was awesome.  We got there early to set up, didn’t end up needing all the time but I was glad that we weren’t rushing at the end.  Talking with the organizers after the show, they saw more people show up in the first hour than they’re used to showing up the entire time!  Needless to say, at times the venue was packed.  Traffic was stop and go in front of our booth which can be a little overwhelming, especially if you’re a shopper.

scarf rack, patterns, cards, buttons and sign-in notebook

I made some awesome connections that I hope lead to future opportunities, sold some pieces and am really looking forward to taking part in more shows!

FO Friday: Today It’s Rich Milk Chocolate

I realize I discussed Bittersweet yesterday, but today it’s about the plain milk chocolate.  When not being mixed into baked (coughshouldbebakedcough) goods, milk chocolate is at it’s best.

Today’s FO is a plain and simple pair of cozy chocolate colored socks (Raveled Here) knit as a custom order for a friend’s Christmas present to her sister.

Smooth and Rich

I knit them on size US 2 needles with Sirdar Snuggly and used about a ball and a half to make both socks.  Next time I shall make them toe-up so that I can get the most use out of the skeins and longer socks, but ultimately, I am quite pleased with how these turned out.

Perfectly Simple and Satisfying

Want to read more FOs and share your own?  Check out Tami’s blog!

FO Friday: Hats

This week I can share two FO’s with you! Remember that Dreadhead Hat I showed you last week? Well it’s done, and doesn’t look anything like I showed you. I ended up frogging what I had knit so far of the original beanie and making it bigger. In the process I decided to change which yarn I started the project with.

lighting in tattoo parlors is not ideal, but the hat fits!

As per request, there is an elastic band in the brim of the beanie in an attempt to secure the hat to the dreadhead even with the weight of his three-foot dreads bundled up inside. I’m still awaiting the final critique to see if I’ve accomplished this task, but regardless it’ll be a warm beanie for the coming winter.

much less full without dreads in it

I also have a simple beanie to share with you that I’ll be putting in the shop but don’t have adequate pictures of yet.  Just a basic beanie with a k4 p1 pattern in some super soft yarns in a more manly color pallet for the gents among us, or really anyone who prefers the grey/green colors over something more vibrant.

Skip on over to Tami’s blog to see more FOs and share your own!

WIP Wednesday: Not Those Again

Happy Wednesday!  This WIP Wednesday is brought to you by the same people who always bring you WIP Wednesdays, and all the details can be found on Tami’s Blog.

This week, I don’t want to share the clown pants again, suffice it to say that I didn’t like the way I shaped the waist area the first time.  You know what that means?

Yup.

Frogged and restarted.

Don’t you I hate it when you I keep knitting knitting even though you I know that there is a mistake but you I don’t want to rip back and fix it? Hoping the knitting fairies will fix it overnight for you me?

So, I’m not sharing those today.  What do I share instead?  My other major WIP is Sooper Seekrit at the moment, so I can’t share that either…

I suppose I could tell you a leetle about what’s going on in my life right now, life is always a work in progress, wouldn’t you say?

The semester ends in two and a half weeks, then finals and commencement.  I graduate in less than a month.  That means I join the real world.  That means I have to find a ‘real’ job. That means I have to pack up my cozy little room in my cozy little house and uproot my life and resettle somewhere else.

At least I have the place picked out: Lakewood (Denver for those who don’t know the area well), Colorado.  I have the house picked out (lease signed yesterday), I have the roommates.  I need the job.  Still working on that part…

But that’s my WIP for today!  The job-hunt.

And that’s a fair amount of my personal life that ya’ll haven’t seen before.

What are you working on today?

Can You Guess What These Are?

Hmm....grey.....white....

Snowshoes?

Nope.

two different materials....

Elephant feet?

Not that either, good guess.

they kinda look like boots...

If you guessed the hand-sewn soles of the Max Suit then you are correct! DingDingDing!

 

I can’t show you the rest of the suit yet, but these are some teaser photos for you