FO: Knotted Pine

Ok, I'm not even slightly going to beat around the bush on this one, I freaking love this hat and I think I may actually just live in it from now on.  I love the central cable panel and the way it is surrounded by more cables and a cute rib column.  The short row shaping on the brim is completely delightful and I'm even rather enamoured by the half twisted stockinette which adds a lovely texture even though twisted stitches are kind of annoying to knit.

The pattern is Knotted Pine by Alicia Plummer, a designer who has multiple patterns in my Ravelry library and favourites but this is the first one I've actually knit up.  A few knitters had remarked in their project notes that they found the pattern hard to follow, but I can safely say that I had no trouble whatsoever.  The pattern is very brief and to the point but all the pertinent information is there.  I used KnitCompanion, as I usually do, and really I should have stitched the charts together on there instead of flicking between them but I'll leave that for next time.

I actually cast on for this for the first time when I was on holiday in December, but I'd forgotten my smaller needles and then I got lost on the charts and decided it was best to rip out and try again at home.  Luckily I did because it turns out that my gauge swatch had been telling me some whopping great fibs.  According to my swatch I needed to go up a needle size, so that's what I did and after dithering about what size to choose I went for 22" because that's how big my head is.  It was quite clear before I even finished the ribbing that the thing was going to be massive so I went back down to the suggested needle size and changed to the 20" size.  It fits really nicely now so I definitely did the right thing.

The yarn is Lang Yak, which was sent to me from Switzerland during a recent swap, and I'm a big fan now.  It's really smooth and warm and the colour is lovely.  I haven't washed it yet because I was so desperate to get this hat on my head, but apparently it gets even lovelier after a wash.  I only used a little more than one ball so I have the larger part of the second ball left to make a hat for a small person.  Hmm, now which pattern to choose.....

October

I've had a few weeks off so I'm just squeaking in right at the end to share what I've been up to this month.  I've mostly been working on secret projects, which is not ideal blog fodder but here's what I can share.

After finishing a secret spinning project, I decided to be really good and finish up another old spindle project that's been kicking around for years.  I'd got to a point where the spindle was full so I spun the little chunk of fibre that was needed to finish the stripe I was working on on to the wheel first, then wound the spindle spun fibre on to the bobbin and now I'm spinning the up the rest.   I can't wait to finish this.

Despite having a very strict spinning plan and banning myself from buying any more fibre until phase 1 is complete I did have a blip when I went to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace a few weeks ago.  I was literally just leaving when I spotted the Spin City stall out of the corner of my eye.  I'd been eyeing up Louise's fibre on Etsy for a while and I couldn't resist these two lovely braids.  Her shop can be found here now, her spindles alone are well worth a look.  My only other purchase was the Sewaholic Seymour raincoat.  I'd nearly downloaded it a few days previously but decided to treat myself when I saw it on the Fabric Godmother stall.  My sister, Jess and I had a really nice day out together, even though I didn't buy much, it's always nice to be surrounded by so many people who love making stuff as much as I do.

This is yet another Woolly Wormhead hat for Cassie, this time Lollie from Twisted Woolly Toppers.  The style of the hat is a little shorter than I'd normally go for as it doesn't quite cover her ears, but it's made from bulky yarn so it will keep Cassie warm unless it's really cold.  The yarn is DROPS Peak, which is a bit acrylicky for my liking and I probably won't use again, but it is ridiculously pink and therefore completely awesome for this particular pink enthusiast!

It's swap time again for the Due in April 2012 Ravelry group.  I got this awesome package from Gio in Switzerland and I am so excited to knit with Yak yarn!  I've got a few projects I need to finish first but it's definitely going to jump the queue because its calling to me very loudly.  The chocolate also keeps calling, I've been rationing it because it's really yummy but there's only so long I can make it last!

And lastly, have you seen Eskimimi's latest pattern the Tiny Roar Lion Bonnet?  I couldn't resist her call for test knitters last month because it was so cute.  The pattern is really great and has a couple of helpful videos (seriously, I'm going to be applying icord to the edges of EVERYTHING now!) but unfortunately Lissy wants nothing to do with this hat.  This is literally the only time she has agreed to wear it so I haven't got any good photos.  It's got plenty of room in it though so sooner or later I will catch her wearing it!

So Happy Halloween to those who halloween and have a nice weekend to those who don't.  I'll be back as soon as my swap parcel arrives in it's location and I can finally share it's contents.

FO: Snowbaby Hat

I've not been having the greatest time of it this last week or so. First I came down with a horrible cold, some 'relief' from that came in the form of an extremely unpleasant tummy bug which left me all weak and tired which is when my cold came back with a vengeance. I'm still not 100% but at least I'm feeling well enough to knit again, which I hadn't been for a few days.

Once I was sure I could muster up the concentration for a bit of stranded knitting I got going again on my Snowbaby Hat. Colourwork is certainly getting easier each time and I'm already planning my next colourful project. The chart was really easy and I would certainly recommend it to other novices. Once the chart was done I just had the crown decreases to do and the hat was finished in no time.

I really like the finished product, it needs a bit of a blocking but the pattern shows up well and looks pretty even already. The hat will be lovely and warm too with the folded brim and stranding. However, much as I love it I sort of don't love it on me. I generally prefer a slouchy hat and I've finally realised that it is because, to me, they sort of balance out my tiny head a bit. This hat is now going to make a lovely Christmas gift for a special lady though, so far from being disappointed I've actually managed to make a head start on Christmas, hooray!

 

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