All The Hats

I’ve been radio silent here on this blog for the past few weeks, completely unintentionally. Life, as does happen, got busy, and while the knitting hasn’t stopped, writing about it did.

We’re only a few weeks away from Christmas, and I’m certainly feeling the pressure to keep knitting, but like I’ve written about in my last few posts, hats have been the flavour of the month(s?).  Such a simple, quick and satisfying project!

I may have a slight addiction to the Barley Light pattern by tincanknits. I’ve knit five of these hats in the last six months! What isn’t there to love? It’s knit in fingering (although a worsted version is available too), it’s so simple yet the garter panel adds interest, and it’s super chic.  Written with lots of size options, these have made excellent baby gifts which can come together rather quickly – one of the five I was able to knit during a Sunday afternoon.

I’m also working on a super fun, slouchy hat for my friend’s daughter; she’s a super trendy little girl, and a slouchy bulky hat will fit her personality, in my humble opinion.  AI’m hoping to make a hat for her brother as well, but am waiting on inspiration to strike for that.  I started a different hat for friend’s daughter – I had some fun pink and white Cascade 220 in the stash that I thought would be good to knit down, but then, common sense kicked in and I realized MAYBE an 8 year old needs a hat made with something super wash… Just a hunch.

As the countdown to the holidays continues (or maybe is coming to an end for those who celebrate Hanukkah), I am hoping the odds are ever in your favour for finishing those projects you just need to get done!

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A Better Pathway

Last week I wrote about hats that were seemingly flying off my needles, one of which was the start of the Pathways hat, inspired by a hat worn on Once Upon a Time. Well, that hat certainly flew and I was able to cast off and even wove in the cast off tail.  What a mistake. As soon as I was done weaving, I tried it on and it fit rather small. I’m a tight knitter, and other people on Ravelry found that the pattern as written ended up a little small.  We all know how much I like frogging my projects *insert the largest eye roll here*

If this is a project you’re hoping to undertake (and I would ultimately recommend it because the finished hat is super cute and made with worsted weight makes it cozy), what worked for me was making the ribbed brim with 4.5mm needles, and the body was made with 5.5mm.  The hat was simple, with sections of cables, stockinette and seed stitch, and once I adjusted the needles I used, it made a really cute hat.

It’s now going into the pile of finished gifts, put aside for the end of December.

Hats off to Stash Down

One of the several reasons why I love knitting is the sense of gratification one gets by seeing your project grow.  You can see your progress, your efforts and time becoming a thing. This past weekend, I saw the efforts of my labour come together fairly quickly as I’m knitting away for Christmas and, conveniently at the same time, working away at my stash.

I can write about these projects because a) I’m not specifying for whom they were made, and b) I doubt the recipients will read this blog.  I think this is a safe space. If you think you know the destined recipients, please, keep my secret!!

Saturday evening, this beauty flew off my needles. Bulky weight, 6 millimetre needles. I LOVE how simple the hat is, but then the designer hit you with a pop of interest with the crown decrease and these lovely cables.  The pattern is Subtle Twist Hat by Jennifer Tallapaneni, and I used up the better part of a skein of Berroco Vintage Chunky.

I’ve also started a hat I’ve been wanting to make for a while, Pathways by Erica Harbin.  This lovely hat was inspired by one worn on the show Once Upon a Time, and the first season of that show was filled with lovely pieces of knitwear.  I’ve had Schachenmayr Merino Extrafine 85 in my stash for years now, and it is working up like a dream in this project! The plying of this yarn is unusual, but it’s not affecting the fabric being created, so I’m happy.

I may find excuses to knit a few more hats because they are a seriously quick project, and I’m rather happy to find use for yarn that I’ve had on the shelves for some time now.  The Mercury is dropping and a few snowflakes have fluttered by. Winter is coming, friends.  I’m sure it won’t be hard to find reasons for hats.

Long weekends are for knitting

It’s hard to believe September is already one-third over! The long weekend came, and so did the the falling leaves decor and pumpkin spice everything.  This past weekend was exceptionally busy for me at work, as one of our biggest vents, that I’m responsible for co-ordinating, took place.  This meant that I took full advantage of the Labour Day weekend, spending my time knitting, reading, cooking, and very little else.

Just before the long weekend, I finished a pair of fingerless gloves.  The pattern is Cross My Palm by Kate Atherley; it’s a paid pattern, was very fun and fast to make, and would certainly recommend spending the $5 on it!  I received the pattern as part of my Great Toronto Yarn Hop registration, and the yarn, Koigu Painter’s Palette Premium Merino (KPPPM) was another Yarn Hop acquisition. I loved the colours of this skein and am waiting for the weather to get just a touch cooler before getting good use out of these mittens.

Over the long weekend, I also started a hat, one which I’ve been itching to make for months.  The pattern is Grandifolia Head by Vickie Hartog, part of her Grandifolia series of shawls, cowls, and other accessories. I’ve put it off in the past, largely because it has an i-cord cast on, and being frank, I just didn’t have the attention span to work almost 150 rows of an i-cord; over the long weekend I had nothing but time, so cast on I did.  The yarn I’m using is Stitch Please Amethyst Label in their Men in Tights colourway, a vivid and beautiful shade of emerald green. The yarn was bought at the 2016 Knitters Frolic and has sat patiently while I gathered my patience to start.

The picture doesn’t do justice to the colour.

With the days creeping along, as they inevitably do, I will need to switch gears and start thinking of holiday knitting.

Water everywhere, and not a drop to drink.

I just peeled myself off my living room floor, where I was surrounded by yarn, patterns, and a lack of inspiration.  Last night, I cast off my Doodler shawl and blocked it (pictures are forthcoming; it’s too pretty not to take proper pictures), and despite having a few socks on the go and my Boxy sweater, I was feeling the urge to cast on something new.  What that something would be was the challenge.  My lunch hour was divided between eating and chatting with co-workers and passively searching Ravelry for inspiration.  I kept looking at all my pretty skins, every one would make a lovely shawl, sock, cowl or hat, but not finding the right meld of pattern and yarn.  This has happened on occasion, where I find I’m lacking completely and utterly in inspiration, despite having so much around me with which to find inspiration, and despite my desire to start something knew, of desperately wanting to be knitting. What’s the saying, ‘water everywhere but not a drop to drink’? I completely agree.

I may have found a  pattern and a skein to match.  Let’s see if I make it farth past the cast on. If it’s right, it’ll continue.  We’ll see.

Happy Knitting!