Golden hats

This may be the last of the hats. I haven’t started anything new so perhaps I’m getting control of the knitting addiction. More yarn did arrive in the mail last week, so…who knows.

Anyway, I want to share two hats I knitted using a yellow, gold-ish yarn: Berroco Lustra in #3163/Bergamot color.

First: The Marigold Slouch

My version doesn’t look exactly like the one in the pattern’s photos, but the photos below are pre-blocking:

The back is pretty interesting looking:

The second knit with this same yarn is a Heart Vines Beret. You can kind of see how the cables form hearts in the photo below. I knit this using US 8 and US 9 circular (16”) needles as well as US 8 dpns. CO 80 st.

I’m not sure what the heck I’m going to do with all these hats, but they sure are fun to make!

“Fenced In”– more knitting hats…

This “fenced in” pattern hat didn’t turn out perfectly and was a little challenging, but I have done it:

The top is particularly cool – it looks a bit like a snowflake:

I knit this using less than 1 skein of Malabrigo worsted in Olive.

The instructions are linked above but I’ve written out the instructions from the chart and am including them below. The instructions are also adjusted for the gauge appropriate for the yarn noted above.

Fits adult 21” head

Needles: US 8 circular (16”) needles and US 8 dpns

Stitches:

CL (cable left) - place first stitch on cable needle and hold to front, purl 1, knit 1 from cable needle

CR (cable right) - place first stitch on cable needle and hold to back, knit 1, purl 1 from cable needle

CLk (cable left over knit) - place first stitch on cable needle and hold to front, knit 1, knit 1 from cable needle

CLp2tog (cable left over purl 2 together) - place first stitch on cable needle and hold to front, purl 2 together, knit 1 from cable needle

CO 80 st onto circular needles – join to knit in the round and pm.

Ribbing: 8 round of ribbing following the following A – B patterns

A = p1, k1, p1, k2, p1, k1, p1

B = p1, k1, p1, CLk, p1, k1, p1

R1-5: As row A

R6: As row B

R7: As row A

R8: As row B

 

Set up: 2 rounds as follows

R1: p1, k1, CR, CL, k1, p1

R2: p1, k2, p2, k2, p1

 

Hat: 18 rounds – 16 rounds following rows 1-16 below and another 2 rounds as rows 1-2

*Row 3: for the last 2 stitches in rnd: place the second to last stitch on a cn and hold in front, p1, slip marker, k1, k1 from cn – continue rnd as row 4,

*Row 6: after the last stitch in rnd: remove marker, k1, place marker, the next stitch is now the first stitch of chart row 7

R1: p1, CR, p2, CL, p1

R2: p1, k1, p4, k1, p1

R3: CR, p4, CL

R4: p6, CLk

R5: P6, k2

R6: P6, CLk

R7: CL, p4, CR

R8: P1, k1, p4, k1, p1

R9: p1, CL, p2, CR, p1

R10: p2, k1, p2, k1, p2

R11: P2, CL, CR, p2

R12: p3, CLk, p3

R13: p3, k2, p3

R14: p3, CLk, p3

R15: p2, CR, CL, p2

R16: p2, k1, p2, k1, p2

Cut yarn, leaving 6” tail. Thread through the remaining
9 stitches and pull tight. Weave in ends.

“Foliage” hat

Yes, more knitting. It’s still “knitting season” – meaning it’s still chilly outside and we even got some snow this weekend. Based on the depth of snow on the backyard table, we received about 8.5” of snow!

So, I’m still knitting and in a hat phase.

The pattern for the hat I finished last night is titled “Foliage” and the instructions are linked but I’m going to include the instructions for just one version in a more understandable order. Here is my finished product:

It’s important to note that this hat is knit from the top down.

Materials: Malabrigo worsted in Burgundy – less than 1 skein

Finished measurements: Circumference, unstretched: 17 inches but will stretch to comfortably fit up to 24 inches.

Stitches:

SKP: Slip 1 knitwise, knit next st, pass slipped st over. 1 st decreased.
SK2P: Slip 1 knitwise, k2tog, pass slipped st over. 2 sts decreased.

PATTERN

Using double-point needle, CO 4 sts, leaving a 6-inch tail. Work back and forth on 2 needles as follows:
Row 1 [WS]: P4.
Row 2 [RS]: [Kfb] 4 times. 8 sts.

Divide sts evenly between 4 needles (2 sts on each needle) and join to begin working in the round.
K 1 round, place a safety pin or split ring marker in the work to indicate the beginning of the round.

Work Rounds 1-19 below. 100 sts.

Round 1: [K1, yo, k1] 4 times. 12 sts.
Even numbered Rounds 2-18: K all sts.
Round 3: [K1, yo, k1, yo, k1] 4 times. 20 sts.
Round 5: [K1, yo, k3, yo, k1] 4 times. 28 sts.
Round 7: [K1, yo, k5, yo, k1] 4 times. 36 sts.
Round 9: [K1, yo, k1, yo, k5, yo, k1, yo, k1] 4 times. 52 sts.
Round 11: [K1, yo, k3, yo, k1, SK2P, k1, yo, k3, yo, k1] 4 times. 60 sts.
Round 13: [K1, yo, k5, yo, SK2P, yo, k5, yo, k1] 4 times. 68 sts.
Round 15: [K1, yo, k1, yo, k2, k2tog, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, SKP, k2, yo, k1, yo, k1] 4 times. 84 sts.
Round 17: [K1, (yo, k3, yo, k1, SK2P, k1) twice, yo, k3, yo, k1] 4 times. 92 sts.
Round 19: [K1, (yo, k5, yo, SK2P) twice, yo, k5, yo, k1] 4 times. 100 sts.

Hat Body
Work all sts onto larger circular needle as follows:
Next Round: [K to last st on needle, k this st together with first st of next needle] 4 times. The last st of the round will be worked together with the first st of the round. Place a st marker after this st to indicate beginning of round.
96 sts remain

Work Rounds 1-12 of Leaf Lace pattern 3 times

Leaf Lace (Worked over a multiple of 8 sts):
Round 1: [K2, SK2P, k2, yo, k1, yo] to end.
Even-numbered Rounds 2-12: K all sts.
Round 3: [K1, SK2P, k1, yo, k3, yo] to end.
Round 5: [SK2P, yo, k5, yo] to end.
Round 7: [Yo, k1, yo, k2, SK2P, k2] to end.
Round 9: [Yo, k3, yo, k1, SK2P, k1] to end.
Round 11: [Yo, k5, yo, SK2P] to end.
Repeat these 12 rounds for Leaf Lace Pattern.

Ribbed Brim
Next Round: Using smaller circular needle, [p1, k1] to end.
Repeat this round 7 times more
Loosely BO all sts in pattern.

FINISHING :Use tail at CO end to sew up small hole in top of hat. Weave in ends.

Block gently, or do not block at all.  The unblocked lace gives a more rustic texture, and the lace pattern will open up when the hat is worn.

Quickie

Knitting hats is so satisfying. This is because, like coffee cup cozies, they knit up pretty quickly. I’ve made three hats in the last two weeks and am working on a fourth! Hats are perfect for when you have a small amount of yarn, say one or two balls of something that you bought because you loved it but weren’t sure what to do with it.

I will share these hats with you now.

Snappy Hat

As with just about everything in my life, I found this pattern online (see link above). It’s basically a cabled hat.

I knit it using a blue color (#04) of Studio Tricot Cedrone yarn – 100% merino wool – so soft and chunky.

Head Cosy

You’ll notice that this one is similar in that it’s cabled also, however this was knit with a slightly different pattern (see link above).

This one was knitted with Malabrigo Wool Clasica Naturals in color #705.

Both were knit on US 8 circular needles (16”).

This is the third hat:

It turned out a little bit larger than I planned…so Dempsey is modeling. I used it as a nap hat yesterday, meaning it is so large it goes over my eyes and, thus, blocks the light. I’m washing it right now to see if it will felt up and shrink. If so, you can look forward to seeing it more clearly in a future post. That’s a reason to live…

Another scarf (knitting)

My winter frenzy of knitting has yielded, yes, another scarf!

This was knit with Brown Sheep brand Lamb’s Pride Bulky yarn (cranberry swirl color) on size US 8 needles. I found the pattern in Vogue Stitchionary – Cables, it’s called “double fantasy.”

Pattern:

CO 32 stitches

Stitches of note:

9-st RPC: Sl 5 sts to cable needle (cn) and hold to back, k4, then sl the p st from cn back to LH needle and p it, k4 from cn.

9-st LPC: Sl 5 st to cn and hold to front, k4, then sl the p st from cn back to LH needle and p it, k4 from cn.

1st 4 rows – knit all

R1, 5, 9, and 11: (RS) K8, [p1, k4] 4 times, k4

R2 and all WS rows: K4, [p4, k1] 4 times, p4, k4

R3: K8, [p1, 9-st LPC] twice

R7: K4, [9-st RPC, p1] twice, k8

R12: K4, p4, [k1, p4] 4 times, k4

repeat rows 1-12 until scarf has reached desired length

last 4 rows – knit all

Bind off and weave in ends

Neck warmer in one day

I spent the Super Bowl knitting, of course. At a the home of friends I tried to watch the game for a while but the knitting just called to me and I couldn’t resist. It led to accomplishment! I finished the neck warmer below, which was fantastic because I started it in the morning.

I used a pattern for a “light and lacy cowl” and the piece is supposed to be knit with a mohair-silk blend of yarn that is very delicate. Instead I had some Mano del Uruguay sitting around and decided to use it.

The cowl or neck warmer is really just a short, wide tube, which is easy and fast to knit. Here is what it looks like on:

Materials: Circular needles size US 8 (24”) and Manos del Uruguay Maxima (color M2152 – reddish color) and Manos del Uruguay Wool Clasica (color 75 – brown color)

Pattern

S1P = slip 1 purlwise

CO 100 stitches

R1: Knit

R2: K1, *YO, S1P, K2, PSSO* repeat from * to end (note pass slipped stitch over both knit stitches)

Knit one more row

bind off very loosely

weave in ends

Big Lacy Scarf (knitting)

I found some really fun chunky yarn recently at Fancy Tiger Crafts: Malabrigo Gruesa. It changes size and varies in shades of color. Around the same time, I borrowed More Last Minute Knitted Gifts from the library. I found a pattern for a big lacy scarf that knits up in two hours! So I combined the yarn with the pattern and voila!

I selected the “Lettuce” color of this yarn and used size US 15 knitting needles.
Pattern
CO 20 st
R1: K1, *K3, yo, SK2P, yo,* repeat 3x, K1
R2: Purl
R3: K1, *yo, SK2P, yo, K3,* repeat 3x, K1
R4: Purl
Bind off
weave in ends.
That’s it!

Cabled Scarflette (knitting)

Yes, more knitting…I took a break from knitting coffee cozies (now that I have a small army of them) and decided to finish the neck warmer (“cabled scarflette”) that I started in the fall. I found the pattern here and did my best to replicate it. I’m not sure that I really nailed the button holes or putting the buttons on for that matter but nevertheless, here it is:

The finished piece is 25” long. I used one ball of Rowan Big Wool (Champion color) and size US 15 knitting needles.

Pattern:

CO 18

Starting Rows
Row 1: K all
Row 2-6: Slip 1st stitch purlwise, K all

General Rows
Row 7: Sl purlwise, K2, Sl, K10, Sl, K3
Row 8: Sl purlwise, K2, P, K, P8, K, P, K3
Row 9-16: Repeat Rows 7 & 8 four more times
Cable Rows
Row 17: Sl purlwise, K2, Sl, K, Sl 4 sts to CN and hold to front, K4, K4 from CN, K, Sl, K3
Row 18: Sl purlwise, K2, P, K, P8, K, P, K3
Row 19-30 : Repeat Rows 7 & 8 six times
Row 31-32: Repeat Rows 17 &18
Row 33-44: Repeat Rows 7 & 8 six times
Row 45-46: Repeat Rows 17 &18
Row 47-58: Repeat Rows 7 & 8 six times
Row 59-60: Repeat Rows 17 &18
Row 61-72: Repeat Rows 7 & 8 six times
Row 73-74: Repeat Rows 17 &18
Row 75-82: Repeat Rows 7 & 8 four times
Row 83: Sl purlwise, K all

Button Hole Rows
Row 84: Sl purlwise, K4, BO1, K1, BO1, K9, BO1, K1, BO1, K2
Row 85: Sl purlwise, K2, Turn and CO2, Turn normal, K8, Turn and CO2, Turn normal, K3

Ending Rows
Row 86-88: Sl purlwise, K all
Row 89: BO loosely.

Weave in ends. Sew on buttons.

Knitting Winter–Trivet Edition

I found a pattern in the Vogue Stitchionary (Lace) for a “Ferris Wheel” pattern, which is essentially an ornate hexagon made of yarn. The draw of this project is that it is doable in a day or less. I sat down and banged one out in a few hours. Lots of fun to make! I will be using them as trivets.

Ultimately I made two trivets. The one directly below is made from Noro Kochoran yarn.

The second one is made from Lamb’s Pride Bulky – color: Wine Splash.

You can see it in use here:

I didn’t copy the pattern from the book and it’s far too long to type out anyway. Get the stitchionary from the library, it’s that wonderful place that loans out books.

Knitting Winter– Cozy edition

Sometime during my many searches for new knitting patterns on the interwebs, I started to come across patterns for “cozies.” For to-go coffee cups these are basically knitted sleeves, but cozies also include iPod cozies, tea cozies, and so on. I have to say that it is a perfect little project for scrap yarn (the yarn left over after a scarf, sweater, or whatever is done but that you love and don’t want to throw away).

Using Noro Kureyon yarn I made a bowl cozy. In all honesty this started out as a coffee cup cozy but I made it too wide.

I had more success with Noro Kochoran yarn, which is sadly discontinued. But I had a bunch of scrap yarn of this kind because it’s so much fun to knit with that I couldn’t part with it. This is the result:

The Pattern

Materials: Worsted weight scrap yarn and size US 4 double-pointed needles (dpns)

CO 38 st over 3 dpns

Knit 6-8 rounds in 3-2 rib

reduce to 34 st by k2tog every other rib

Knit 6-8 more rounds in new rib pattern

Reduce to 30 st by k2tog remaining 3 st ribs (yields a 2-2 rib all the way around)

K to end

Knitting Winter–Part 2

As I mentioned last time, I am addicted to knitting. Knitters are shameless showoffs and always want to share their finished work. It’s such an accomplishment when a project is actually finished! So here is another scarf.

I had a ton of leftover Misti Alpaca yarn that I had purchased to make a blanket with a few years ago. The blanket didn’t work out and I had random little balls of yarn in various colors. This is what I used to make the scarf below!

The finished piece is a little short but it was measured before blocking - 5.5 inches wide by 49.5 inches long.

Materials: Misti Alpaca Chunky – various colors and US 9 knitting needles

Cast on 33 stitches

Used the “Mr. Ziggs” cable pattern from Vogue Stitchionary Volume 2: Cables

6-st RC = Sl 3 sts to cn and hohld in back, k3, k3 from cn

6-st LC = Sl 3 sts to cn and hold in front, k3, k3 from cn

6-st RPC = Sl 3 sts to cn and hold in back, k3, p3 from cn

6-st LPC = sl 3 sts to cn and hold in front, p3, k3 from cn

R1-4: Knit

R5: (WS) k6, p9, k9, p3, k6

R6: k6, 6-st LC, p6, 6-st LPC, k9

R7: k6, p6, k9, p6, k6

R8: k9, 6-st LC, p6, 6-st LPC, k6

R9: k6, p3, k9, p9, k6

R10: K12, 6-st LC, p6, k9

R11: k6, p3, k6, p12, k6

R12: k15, 6-st LPC, p3, k9

R13: k6, [p3, k3] twice, p9, k6

R14: k9, 6-st RC, p3, k3, 6-st RC, k6

R15: k6, p9, k3, p9, k6

R16: k6, 6-st RPC, k3, p3, 6-st RC, k9

R17: k6, p9, [k3, p3] twice, k6

R18: k9, p3, 6-st LPC, k15

R19: k6, p12, k6, p3, k6

R20: k9, p6, 6-st LPC, k12

R21: K6, p9, k9, p3, k6

repeat rows 6-21 until reaching the desired length

Knit last four rows

Knitting Winter–Part 1

I am addicted to knitting!! I can’t stop doing it or looking up patterns or posting patterns to Pinterest. Of course, I’m not doing anything serious – like a sweater or socks or mittens. I’m making scarves and leg warmers because I enjoy the patterns. In fact, I’m somewhat hooked on cables. 

So here is an example of a scarf I just finished – it’s a braided cabled.

It is a dense, substantial scarf. Probably would have been looser if I had used bigger needles. Here are the specs:

Finished piece is 4 inches wide and 55.5 inches long.

Materials: Lamb’s Pride Bulky yarn – Grassy Knoll and US 10.5 needles

C6F = sl 3 st onto cn, hold to front, k3, k3 from cn

C6B = sl 3 st onto cn, hold to back, k3, k3 from cn

Cast On 24 stitches

R1: (RS) Knit

R2: (WS) Purl

R3: C6F four times

R4: Purl

R5: Knit

R6: Purl

R7: K3, C6B three times, K3

R8: Purl

R9: Knit

R10: Purl

Repeat rows 3-10 until scarf has reached desired length

my skillz

Aside from solving problems with Excel and organizing my closets, I can also bake and knit. Although I am not claiming to do any of these things successfully. This past holiday weekend I tried a new cookie recipe - Cinnamon-Ginger Cookies. We ate them all that night. I recommend this - the recipe that is, not eating all of them in one sitting with only one other person.



I also spent about 90 minutes trying out various knitting patterns for this spare yarn I have in an attempt to put it to good use (besides sitting in a storage bin in the closet). This is what the temporary working space looked like:

I have several other projects going but have grown a bit bored of them...maybe those projects will be lucky enough to be featured in a future blah post.

If only I had a maternal instinct, I'd be all set with my knitting and cookie skillz.

Guess who cooked!

I did! I made two new recipes this weekend, which is two more recipes than I made this whole month! Don't quite know what motivated me.

I made Ginger-Lemon Pinwheel Cookies which are a serious pain in the ass to make. You're really making two different cookie recipes at the same time and then combining. Something went awry with the molasses dough. They look interesting (I would have loved looking at them in my high school years) but are a bit hard. I don't recommend the recipe unless you have a lot of time on your hands and enjoy frustration.



The second recipe was a Breakfast Tortilla, which, surprisingly, is a Cooking Light recipe. I say it's surprising because of the amount of fat and cholesterol in it but I guess you're supposed to eat it in moderation...This is a hard task because it was tasty. The end product is here:


I made if for a knitting get together and it looked much nicer on the table with the other treats:


This is the real money shot though - a yuppie's dream :) - some Darjeeling tea, quiche, fresh strawberries and breakfast tortilla. It was so tasty and satisfying.


I think I probably gained weight today.

Random

I just saw this on the Bent Objects site and had to share. It's a little macabre but it has that knitting connection...

knitting

I have just spent about an hour knitting and listening to podcasts. As a 30-something, white, female with glasses, this is about as close to heaven as you can get. Oh! And I was drinking a yummy Layer Cake Malbec!

I've come across (or been sent) several interesting knitting-related items as of late and thought I'd share them with the virtual world.

This is an astute comment from a really out there artist, Natalie Dee. For you non-knitter this comes across as pretty flat. To the knitter, this rings true.

Now this is from a truly creative, if twisted, knitter who is actually somewhat inspiring:

This little cutie appealed to me:Knitting can be utilitarian too! Who doesn't need a cable warmer?
Anyhow, I could go on about the wondrous products of knitting but that's what google is for.