My Silly Little Hat

I finished my slouchy silly hat project I was dreaming of on Friday.  It's so warm!  And truly a very silly look.  It makes me so happy!  There are lots of reasons.

First of all, I really like the way the pattern came out, and I'll definitely use it again.  Second, it's snuggly, warm and soft because it's made from the wonderful Cascade Yarns Baby Alpaca Chunky.  Third, it's the first thing I've designed and knit in my new apartment. 

I used to say that you don't really feel like you live in a new place until you've gotten really sick, thrown a great party, and depending on your situation, been home for the holidays.  Now I know that as a knitwear designer I can add design and knit a garment.

As I set up my new yarn swift and ball winder, I was very excited.  But then to settle into a corner of the couch and get this hat finished - it's priceless.  To me, anyway.  I've included the pattern in case you're feeling a little silly yourself.

The Silly Little Hat

Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky yarn in your choice of colors

4 US 7 DPNs

2 US 7 Circulars longer than 16"

2 US 5 Circulars longer than 16"


Cast on three stitches and divide across all three needles. 

Round 1: Knit, make 1, knit, make 1, knit, make 1
Round 2: Knit to last stitch on needle 1, make 1, knit to last stitch on needle 2, make 1, knit to last stitch on needle 3, make 1. 

Repeat round 2 30 times, switching to 2 circular needles as needed.

Round 33: Knit

Repeat round 33 until hat is desired length ( I did 18 rows for mine.)

Ribbed rounds:  Switch to size 5 needles, and knit in (k2, p2) around.
Repeat the ribbing rounds for a total of 12 rounds. 

Bind off! 

Weave in your ends.

Slouchy hat day

The weather in Buffalo stinks today.  It's cold (wind chill around 4) and snowing positively sideways.  As you might imagine, this weather is just the thing to make a girl feel creative about her knitwear. 

In an ideal world, knitwear would help cut the wind on a day like this.  Even the best felting I've ever done wouldn't stand up to these 50mph winds, so I've decided to forgive the felting, and just go for cuddly.  I'm a big fan of alpaca, and I happen to have a lot of different colors hanging around right now.  So this little mountain of alpaca is going to be my project du jour.

I never did jump onto the "big and chunky" bandwagon, but I think today is the day to start.  I'm hoping to post a picture of a slouchy cozy hat tomorrow or Sunday.  I have about a thousand other things to do today, so I'll be looking forward to knitting tonight for the rest of the day!

Does the weather of the day influence what you choose to knit or design?  Or due you knit the next object in your queue?

New Mittens!

These mittens were sample knit for me by the intrepid and wonderful Colleen Croce.  The pattern was inspired by a trip back to my native Berkshire Hills (Massachusetts) last spring.  As anyone without a GPS will tell you, it's very hard to find your way around all of those loopy, winding roads.  There's hardly one straight one in the bunch.  Honestly, though, I love it!  And so, the Winding Roads Mittens were born.

They have a short cuff, like a driving glove would, but in the pattern there is a modification for a longer one.  Made from a blend of alpaca and merino, they are very warm, and oh-so-soft.  The yarn is Cascade Yarns Lana D'Oro, and it is delicious.  It comes in generously sized hanks (210 yds), and one hank easily makes both mittens.

Available on Ravelry as Winding Roads Mittens for $4 USD, or .  Enjoy them!

"Nashua Handknits", We Barely Knew Ye

The whole Nashua Handknits line has been discontinued by Westminster Fibers/Coats and Clark.  I know, it rots, but this isn't that unusual in yarn land.  It's a fickle market.  As much as I will miss the line in general, I will miss one yarn in particular. 

It is a sad thing to report that Julia (25% Mohair, 25% Alpaca, and 50% Wool) is nearly history.  A lovely soft yarn in delightful brights with excellent warmth and good halo, it was a unique combination that made it a perfect fit for any "won't fade into the background" project.  The color saturation is delicious, which isn't easy to achieve in an Alpaca/Wool blend.  Designed by Kristen Nichols of Color by Kristin and Kristin Knits, it was lively and joyful without being gaudy and over-the-top.

This tends to happen to all of us: our favorite lipstick shade gets disco-ed, our favorite restaurant closes, our favorite band breaks up - but somehow in knitting it's different.  All those creative possibilities lost - all the unfinished projects and designs - there quickly becomes a community of orphaned artistic projects.  We will move on like we always do, but with a wistful backwards glance at another one of the good ones who went too soon. 

If you're not quite ready to say goodbye, WEBS seems to have a pretty good cache in a variety of colors.  It's on sale for $3.99 per ball here.  Grab what you need, and maybe a little extra, because sadly, this is your last chance.  Rats!

CNY Wool and Fiber Festival

Well, I'm back.  I had a lovely time.  There were so many really nice people!  There were about 20 vendors, all with cool product.

There were also 6 spinning wheels in use that I saw.  A charming woman named Ann patiently tried to remind me how to spin.  Treadle, pinch, draft, and again.  After most of an hour, I had achieved about 12 feet of yarn, and several yards of completely ruined roving.  Ann didn't laugh at me once, which is remarkable.  She was calm and supportive the whole time.  The skill of spinning is more complex and delicate than it looks.  I saw crafters making gossamer-thin threads, and multi-ply yarns. Beautiful.  I am definitely in awe of their skill.

Amy Klee, from Stone Edge Fibers, Phelps, NY, explained quite a bit about her herd, and which types of sheep yield which types of fiber. She was pleasant and informative, and I really enjoyed getting to know her.  Her yarns were varied and remarkable, in particular due to her jewel-toned color palette.  It's stunning stuff, and though I'm allergic to wool, I'm hoping to find a way to work with it.  It's just seductive!

Chris Gilman, from A+ Alpaca Fiber Mill, showed me her wares as well.  Whe runs a small mill and dying operation in Jordan, NY.  The fibers were soft and beautiful, and for handmade product the price was surprisingly affordable.  She also possesses a unique color palette, with a variety of solids and marled colors. 

I wandered the fair for about 2 hours, and then took a spinning lesson.  I knew I was tempting fate, but I had doubled up on the antihistamines in the morning, and thought I could get away with it.  WRONG!  My hands developed hives, and I had a full-blown allergy attack.  I went in the restroom and washed my face and hands, took off my sweater to get stray wool fibers farther from my face, and sucked down some cool water.  Not enough.

I went to my car with itchy eyes, coughing and sneezing, and took a look in the rear view mirror.  Swollen red eyes.  Rats.  My fiber day was over - no getting around it.  On the long drive home it occurred to me that I probably will never take another spinning lesson with wool.  That was a mistake.  And I'll need to wash my hands often as I go through the fair, and try not to touch my face.  Because I'll be back next year. 

Ghosts of Knitting Past

I was trying to tame my stash last night.  I don't know why.  I know better.  I had this notion that I could separate all the wools from all the non-wools, and that this would somehow make my life more - I don't know.  Better.  In this process I discovered many things:



Applique Stocking Sample



1. I own a whole heckuva lot of yarn.

2.  The stash is about the same weight as my dog.  Max is a German Shorthaired Pointer, Labrador Retriever mix.  Think your average 8 year old child.

3.  My children become concerned when they see the entire family room furniture and floor covered in yarn, when I'm sitting in the middle, head in hands, saying, "Maybe. Maybe."

4. While purchasing yarn I have largely disregarded my allergy to wool.

5. I really DID buy a ton of Cascade Pure Alpaca about a year ago.  I just found it again after looking several times.

6. While purchasing yarn I have made a great many dubious choices.



Tweed Faroe Mitten.  Why?



Why would I buy one skein of cashmere that is only 60 yards? Why would I buy tweeds for a Faroe Project? (Yes I did.  There are pictures to prove it.)  Why did I store the stash in so many different places?

How could I lose track of making Christmas stockings for my children, and just quit after designing and knitting a sample? Why would I store FOs in with the stash?  When did I ever think I would use acrylic for anything except baby blankets?  Why is my darning egg in with the bulky yarns?

This makes me think that a few years from now, while re-sorting the stash, I may find more unanswered questions.  Will I be wondering why I made so many cowls?  What was my obsession with mittens all about?  How much sock yarn does any woman need?  What the heck was I thinking the last time I sorted out the stash?

Camelids, free pattern

First things first - the Girlfriend Socks are done!  They are photographed, but I won't post the pics until the intended recipient has them in hand.  (I don't want to ruin the surprise!) I'll miss using the Shaeffer Nichole sock yarn, as it is a pleasure in color, texture, and fabric.  But I'm moving on.

Right now I'm having a romance with camelid products - alpaca, camel, guanaco, llama, suri, and the other fibers from the camel family.  They come in light and heavy, long staple and short staple, breathable, wicking, stain resistant, and more. For folks like me with a wool allergy, they are a huge relief.  They allow us to knit soft snuggley things without itchy hands!

This is exciting for me because I'm about to launch into an alpaca project for me.  I don't knit for myself very often (it's very hard to fit me in!) and have chosen a brioche stitch vest.  Since I haven't done brioche stitch since I learned it 20 years ago, this is a bit of an undertaking.  I've chosen to precede it with a brioche stitch scarf to even out my stitch and tension before I launch into my vest. The pattern can be found here.  I haven't cast on yet, and have a nutso day today, but I'm hoping to get into it tomorrow.  I'd love company if anyone is in the mood for a knit-along!

A Free Pattern for a Boy Sweater

This is an adorable sweater for the man/boy in your life.  You can make it in any kind of colorway, and as it is knit in blocks, you could add any or subtract any colors you want. 

Make it in a solid and it could go to most offices.  Make it in two contrasting tones, and it celebrates the weekend.  Make it in the Mr.'s favorite team colors (Red and Blue for the Buffalo Bills) and it's a multipurpose garment.  (Warmth and spirit in a handmade.  Woo Hoo!)

Make it in a cashemere blend, and it's a luxury he'll never forget.  Make it in baby alpaca, and it's warm enough for outerwear, even here in the Buffalo area. 

Have fun with it.  Take pictures.  I'd love to see them!

Thankful

As a knitter, there are many things I'm very thankful for:

Alpaca, mercerized cotton, and superwash wool!

All the knitters for hundreds of years who have figured out the details of this craft and have written them down for me to understand.  (I would never have thought of this on my own!)

My LYS community, who keep me sane (ish), inspired, and plied with baked goods and yarn.

Knitting bloggers and Ravelry, who help me feel less alone when I can't write a pattern I like, or when I have to frog hours of work.  It's nice to know the "big kids" have these problems, too.

MaryAnn, Colleen, and Cecile, for our close-knit friendships.  I'd love you even if you didn't knit, but the knitting is so cool!

My family, who have loyally worn my work, no matter how strange or ill-fitting it may be.  They have heard "I'm almost finished with my row - I'll be right there" a million times, and only rarely roll their eyes.

All of you who read this.  Thanks for your comments, contributions, and talks in virtual and real life.  It's been a real enhancement to my knitting experience to hear from you.  Thank you.