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.

People sell these things…

Recently, a “Harriet Carter” catalog arrived via the US mail for me. I have no idea why I am the recipient of such a catalog. It looked amusing so I spent some time perusing it and found loads of “as seen on TV” items that I have never seen. A few of these items had hilarious illustrations or were generally weird. I want to share.

First, the curtains. Who hasn’t wanted to block out the backyard or the world in general and replace it with a beach scene or a garden path…?? Well, now you can by purchasing these curtains that show a faux outdoor scene. Classy.

Speaking of classy, this “fanny” bank is just what every home needs. It actually makes a farting sound when you drop coins into it’s anus. As the witty catalog copy writers point out – it’s a “real gas.” This item is just the first of a few butt-centric things for sale.

Perhaps I’m not being very sympathetic or just don’t spend enough time on the toilet, but the toilet footrest caught me by surprise. Particularly the use of the illustration; could we not figure it out otherwise? However, I was thrilled to see that the copy writers did work the word “stool” into the item’s description.

I truly hope my range of motion doesn’t ever prevent me from wiping myself on my own. If it does, I’m relieved to know that there is an “ergonomically-designed bathroom aid” that can extend my TP reach. *AND* I can get two for $18.50!

After one has wiped, why not whip out the “portable, easy-to-use hand bidet”? How European…

Finally, as proof that Harriet Carter has its finger on the pulse of modern society, the catalog offers a cassette tape carrier! I don’t know about you, but most of my cassette tapes have long been sent to good will or have otherwise moved on. I don’t even keep CDs anymore now that I think about it.

Anyway, go ahead and check out the Harriet Carter website for more useful, mostly as-seen-on-TV items.

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

My First Ski Vacation

Yes, even though I have lived in Colorado for almost 15 years, I have never actually spent an entire weekend in the mountains on a ski vacation. Mainly that’s because I haven’t enjoyed skiing until last year. Not sure what changed but I tried skiing again last season and got out about four times with friends who were nurturing and instructive. Lo and behold, I enjoyed it!

So last weekend we packed up Dempsey in the car and drove to Steamboat Springs for a three-day weekend of skiing and a tiny bit of snowshoeing!

On the way into Steamboat Springs, we stopped on Rabbit Ears Pass and snowshoed a short 3.7-mile loop that has no snowmobilers and is reserved for skiers and snowshoers. It was a gorgeous day – sunny and warmish, well, it was still cold but while snowshoeing we were only in long sleeved base layers and vests (and pants…).

Dempsey loved the snow. He jumping into it flopping full-body into fluffy piles that came up to his chest. He buried his head and wriggled around. He ran up and back the trail. It was fun to watch.

Saturday and Sunday were the main ski days. However, Saturday it was actually snowing, which you’d think is a good thing. Unfortunately, it made the light kind of flat and in turn, made it hard to see the lay of the land. There were also clouds and fog throughout the mountain, so visibility wasn’t great in general. What’s more, I’m not exactly a seasoned skier and I’ve never skied in fresh snow in a significant quantity and I didn’t quite know how to navigate this kind of snow. It turns out that there aren’t that many green runs at Steamboat and the ones they have are kind of boring. The blues on the other hand are harder than I’m used to – full of bumps and a bit steep. I only lasted about half the day…we did do quite a few runs in that time though.

Here are some photos from Saturday that give some idea of the conditions:

We spent the afternoon napping and watching bad TV in the hotel room. Dempsey even got to have some quality bed time:

The evening was spent getting drinks and snacks at Laundry in downtown Steamboat and walking around in the snow checking out the snow sculptures. Laundry is a cool little place that is in a historic laundry building and they serve yummy cocktails. We even tried one of their house-infused whiskeys – maple syrup slim jim whiskey.

Since Denver hasn’t received much snow, being in a snowstorm in Steamboat was quite nice – it was like traveling to a winter planet.

Then there were the snow sculptures. I think they were done as part of the Winter Festival that was going on. I got this shot of a dolphin snow sculpture – that’s right a dolphin in the landlocked place of snow.

In contrast to Saturday, Sunday was fabulous. It was sunnier and from my brief experience with the snow the day before, I was able to work with the snow a bit more. Also, it snowed most of the night and there was a bunch of fresh powder! All in all, I had a much, much better ski day on Sunday even though I did fall a good number of times…

We were in the car and headed back for Denver by 2:30 pm but we didn’t arrive home until 7:30. Yep, I-70 traffic added two hours to the normally three hour trip. This was our view for a good chunk of the drive back:

Once again, Seth and Dempsey were wonderful travel partners and my first ski vacation was a success!

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.