Hello November!

Well, hello November! Did you see October just zoom by? I did manage to get some projects done.
Floral Opulence is off the needles and waiting to for the straps to be stitched down. No photos yet...

And while that was waiting, I used the extra skein of Comfy to knit up a pair of reading mitts for a college student in Tacoma...

Pattern: Susie Rogers' Reading Mitts
Yarn: Knit Picks Comfy in Pomegranate

Her mom made her a scarf and gave me the leftovers to knit a hat.

Pattern: The Vermonter
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick in Marble

And let's not forget the crown for a certain birthday boy...

 Pattern:Elegant Knit Crown
Yarn: Cascade 220

And there's a pair of socks on the needles...more info later.

July Colorwork MAL

Almost forgot about the July MAL by Colorworks by Debi. I had so much fun in the June MAL making the needle case, I quickly jumped in the July MAL. Blue and white, a great combination. I cast on some Knit Picks Palette in Jay and Oyster Heather and learned something right from the start - corrugated rib. I love the effect and it was fairly simple to accomplish. However this hat was a chore. My tension kept tightening and the stitches were sinking in. I didn't want the hat to be too small so there were many rows done over and over again. I am happy to say that I finished the MAL before the end of the month and while the hat is still waiting to be blocked in to a tam shape, I will call it complete!

A hat to match the mitts - DONE!

Oh,yeah... I'm on a roll... I finished the hat to gift with the mitts. See -


I used the lace repeat from the mitts a few rows above the ribbing. Basic hat pattern starting with 80 stitches. You can find my notes here.
I hope the hat and mitts help keep Kellie warm when she goes back to the East Coast.

A bit of knitting

I did it! I got some knitting done. Weaved in the ends on Christmas morning in time for pictures - a Santa hat for Casey.

Baby Cacoon and hat

 Baby Cacoon - do we need one? Of course, so after a quick check on Ravelry, I found some chunky yarn in the stash and cast on the Laurel Love Cocoon. Yes, I know that it is not really baby colors, but I'm trying to use up what I have. The yarn,

Loops & Threads Charisma Basic Bulky,  was originally bought for hospice hats. It is 100% acrylic. I wasn't sure if one skein would be enough to complete the project, so I started with the solid Charcoal colorway and completed it with Ashes.

I used the small amount of Ashes leftover, to cast on this Trendy Baby Hat and finished it off in in Charcoal.

Yay for bulky yarn, these projects were quick and easy.

Another Greenbriar hat... in tan DONE!

I finished this hat awhile back, but just got a photo of it. Wouldn't you know that there are no notes on the yarn?! I know that the brown swirls are Cascade 220, but not quite sure what the main color is, some kind of acrylic in an oatmeal tweed.

Finally something to add to the hospice package!

Cables, again!?!

I used the leftover Patons Classic Wool to make another hat. A Cabled Hat, except that I did the second twist the wrong way and the cable has a different look than the pattern. Oh well, still functional.

A warm, quick knit! Three down...

Turn A Square - DONE!

Yay! I cast off my Turn A Square Hat this week and weaved in the ends last night. Here's a photo of it folded in fourths. My gauge was off, so it's a bit roomier that I expected, but it is 100% wool, so will be very cozy for the wearer. The orange is Cascade 220 leftover from my giraffe, the gray is Patons Classic wool, my impulse sale puchase on our last trip.

I think there will more of this hat to use up leftovers.

Into the the hat pile it goes... That's two knit for this quarter... 8 more to go!

Turn a Square

I'm trying to keep up with my hat knitting goal... And failing miserably, right now. Only one hat in the hospice pile...So here is my start to the Turn a Square cap designed by Jared Flood. It's a free Ravelry download or you can get it at Knitting Daily.

Have you seen this cap around? This pattern is really popular on Ravelry and it's been on my list for awhile. I don't have any worsted scraps of variegated yarn for the striping, but I do have some leftover orange from my giraffe.
What do you think - does it look too much like Halloween?

One hat done!

 Off to a slow start on my resolutions. One hat done. This is Halley's Comet. My third time knitting this pattern. Usually it is a quick knit, done top down. Once again, I used one skein of Ella Rae Latte, but this time the skein seemed a little short. I ripped the last few rows out a couple of times to get the most use out of the yardage. I'm loving the color...

Congratulations to AmyJo, the brave soul who posted her resolutions. Watch for my email, so I can get your package mailed out. Thanks for stopping by and spending some time with me!

A hat for the Mr.

I posted about this yarn that the Mr. picked for his hat. Here is the almost finished product. Two of them, actually. See all the ends that still need to be weaved in? My thumb is healing and I have been doing a bit of knitting, but I am having a hard time threading the needle to weave in the ends.

Isn't it a great pattern? And it's free! It is designed by Suzy Crancer. You can find it on Ravelry, here. The main color is Cascade 220 in Jet and the design is in Snowbird by Nashua Handknits. Snowbird is an aran weight yarn that I picked up on clearance a couple of months ago.

Back on track, slowly...

I've been knitting some Christmas gifts. My thumb is not completely healed yet, so it has been slow going. But the real reason I'm posting today is the Mr. asked for a hat.

I always give him first choice before I send the hats to hospice. Once he picked out a yellow one, only to add it back to the pile for the next shipment. This weekend he asked for one and even picked out the blue yarn from my last yarn buying binge. The yardage in the skein is a bit short (66 yards) and I couldn't quite complete it. So instead, I'll try this with this Cascade 220 in Jet.  

October HAL #2

The second October HAL from the Hats! Hats! Hats! group in Ravelry is the Equinox Hat by Dawn Hansen.

I decided to use the Stitch Nation by Debbie Stroller Bamboo Ewe, red and gray, that I picked up on the mainland. Dropped down to size 6 needles, but cast on 90 stitches.

The instructions call for the hat to be blocked, but I like it unblocked.

Two down one stitch-along to go... up next Through the Loops Socktoberfest...

Ascendance Crown is finally finished

It seems like I've been working on this forever, but it really has been only a week. In that week, I've restarted this project 3 times... It was a challenge and I was determined to finish. Here is my Ascendance Crown...

I started this about a week ago, the first of 3 October stitch-a-longs. I learned...

1. I should not crochet for long periods of time. Or I should remember to let go of the hook for a moment to stretch out every once in awhile.
2. Don't be afraid to try a project, even if it looks too complicated. Just take it one row at a time
3. If something doesn't look right ask... especially if you are participating in an HAL where the designer is there to help you. It would have saved me a lot of time if I asked before I got to row 41!

I'm glad that I did this hat and am very proud of the result. Who wouldn't want to wear a crown like this!

Green Halley's Comet

One more Halley's Comet hat completed! I am loving this pattern. Thank you Marnie MacLean. Right now it my "go to" pattern for hat knitting. For this hat I used Vanna's Choice in Seaspray mist. It is wonderfully soft and the washable factor is a plus for hospice hats.

Can you see the yellow below the hat? Mr. Giraffe's body is completed and stuffed, waiting for the remaining pieces to be finished. Meanwhile, it makes a great base for hat modeling.

Crochet Hat-A-Long for October

I am participating in a Crochet Hat-A-Long for October. The design is by Akua Lezli Hope and is called the Ascendance Crown. My first look at the pattern was when it was delivered to my inbox on October 1st. Oh my it seems a bit intimidating. It's been awhile since I've picked up my crochet hooks and this has popcorns, berries and cables... The instructions seemed to be written well, so I'll just take it one row at a time...
Here's my progress through row 26.

Not the best photo...I'm using Vanna's Choice in Scarlett. I think I like the festive look. This is going pretty quickly and I may be able to keep up with all the projects that I signed up for this month... We'll see...

 

Another Halley's Comet

Wisp is not cooperating and will be on the back burner for a bit. Meanwhile, I'll make another hat!

I really enjoyed stitching the Halley's Comet Hat and thought I would do another one. I'm running low on washable yarn for hospice projects, so I thought I would try Vanna's Choice. It is 100% worsted weight acrylic and comes in a variety of colors.

It looks a bit anemic here, but it is a nice spring green color. A few more rows to go and this will be done!

Scalloped Caps - DONE!

Two scalloped caps are done. I finished the purple cap. A quick, easy to memorize pattern. I used Caron Simply Soft for easy care.  The color in theeh photo is not true, but you can see the pattern. I decided not to do the french knots on the top or the crochet edging for this cap. Lovely, isn't it?

Since I didn't decide on my next project, I cast on for a second cap. This time using a cream color with a gold thread running through it. Again, acrylic for easy care.

This time I altered the decreases to mimic the pattern, sort of. I went back to the start and added the crochet chain edging.

Two more caps to add to the hospice pile. If the weather stays nice, all the hats will be washed this weekend and packed for the trip to Hilo hospice.

cast on a cap

May I say once again, I love my library? On my last trip, I found this book:

I've passed on  previous editions, but since this one I could borrow and browse I added it to my stack of books. I love that the projects are categorized by yarn weights. A quick flip to the worsted section led me to a hat pattern. The original project calls for Noro Silk Garden to create the striped effect, but for my hospice knitting, I chose an easy care acrylic. My old standby Caron Simply Soft Eco.

Halley's Comet Hat - DONE!

Don't you love it when a project just flies off the needles. Halley's Comet Hat was one of those. One ball of Ella Rae Latte is perfect for this hat. The yarn is a dream to knit with. I think using the second ball to make myself one of these.