Last hat post for a while - I promise!

I didn't resist the temptation to turn Santas into trees.  I worked out the mathematics of the  repeat and just jumped in.  My first dilemma was where to switch the background from green to blue. I decided to keep the light green going a fair way up the trees, setting a horizon further away.

My second was the colour of the pompom.  I went for white, partly as a contrast and partly because the white yarn is acrylic and much fluffier than the other colours which are cotton. The cotton tends to droop.  I tried the smallest pompom maker, which I haven't used before. I had a near disaster when I accidentally cut through the tie thread by mistake. There were a lot of 2.5cm threads to retrieve and tie together! 

I discussed the dilemmas with my granddaughters, who were clear that the pompom should be white, but like me, were in two minds about the horizon, so I knitted another one to see how it looked.

While I think both are OK, I do think the second is better. I also increased the size of the trees on the second one

The second pompom is also white and slightly larger.  The photo doesn't reflect the colours accurately, but  you get the idea.

I could almost knit a hat blindfolded now, but I'm not planning to try. 

There are a few embroidery projects awaiting my attention.

Cats on a Hat or a Hat in a Cat

This was a gift project, knitted in 10 ply cotton for someone with a black cat and a wool allergy. I'd been thinking about it for a while and checking out patterns. I purchased one that had three dimensional tails looping over the band, but decided it was unnecessarily complicated. 

I ended up using Meowf Hat which proved to be a joy to knit.

I resisted the urge to use up the 4ply cotton in my stash. The pattern called for 10ply, so I invested in three balls of Fiddlesticks Finch Cotton from The Yarn Trader. I went for Black, Cornflower and Sea Foam. Cornflower is more Midnight Blue, and Sea Foam is Khaki in my book. The latter does not show up true in the photos.

It was a pleasurable knit, taking a bit of concentration but easy to check and stay on track. I do like those little cats!

I used some 4ply cotton for the stars (or lights - or whatever it is the cats are gazing at). Amongst the decreases, they didn't work out evenly - but I figure that's as it should be.

The cotton has a lovely soft feel.

I managed to finish it off without either a protrusion, like an elf, or a hole. I took advice from my granddaughters about a pompom, and left it without. The offer is there if the recipient wants one. We discussed the options - black, blue, a mixture of all the hat colours and a mixture without white. Consensus favoured either black or blue if one was requested.

It folds up neatly, which gave me the idea of knitting a bag to keep it in, especially since it was to be posted. 

It didn't take long. I stuck to the khaki colour and worked a cat on either side. It fitted compactly.

I'm pretty happy with this one - and no pompom required!

Knitting bits

For much of winter I knitted up some yarn my brother bought at an unclaimed post auction late last year. There were two huge boxes of yarn - more than I could ever use, so I chose three modest bags of what I thought most interesting. I've been trying to work my way through it. My new resolution is to use up yarn as far as possible as I buy it, rather than adding to the three drawers I have stashed. I succeeded in knitting up the wool I bought from North Ronaldsay, and some alpaca from Adagio - ands I've been trying to reduce this pile from my brother.

I tackled the easiest one first - a ball of Joy Rainbow tape designed to make a scarf. I adapted a pattern I found online for a scarf, and it knitted up quickly. 

The colours are attractive and the texture interesting. I narrowed the ends and created a loop on one end through which the other end slips.




It's a bit of fun - not really my style, but  someone might enjoy it for a while.












Next I tackled a
couple of balls of this rather attractive Sirdar Aura. These screamed 'hat' to me, so I tried out a couple of patterns, one for a beanie and one for a slouchy.

I rather like these, although I'm not sure it was a good idea to practice a new elastic cast-off on the slouchy. I think, however, some family members who like bushwalking will get good service from them.

I then turned my attention to some silvery Rico which I knitted up into a triangular shawl.

Once blocked, I got Veronica to model it for me. I think it needs to be blocked again, and stretched out a bit further. The yarn is spectacular but I'm not convinced  it works on its own.



I still had three balls left, so I tried a bit of an experiment, matching it with some fine one-ply mohair and a pattern for a chevron shawl that alternates one-ply mohair with four-ply merino. This is taking me a long time to knit, but is coming along beautifully. I think I might save that one for its own post.
In the meantime,  I bought a bit more Adagio alpaca - because Adagio are needing a bit of support through the drought, and I also bought a kit for a scarf from Marie Wallin - because it was beautiful. I doubt I am half way through my brother's wool - so I'm afraid there is no rest for my needles regardless of the heat!

More knitting

I've been on a bit of a knitting binge of late.

I had the best part of a ball of wool left from the jacket and hat I knitted for myself. It was  Bendigo Woollen Mills Bloom - a heavy 8 ply and very warm. (It is now on special until the end of the financial year -tonight!)
As I am trying to use up wool as I go and there were a couple of simple things I had wanted to try for a while now, I used up the left-over wool to knit, first, a headband for Veronica.

I was well into the swing of cables, so stuck with that, measured her head and knitted this simple headband, secured by a button.

I'm not sure she will ever wear it, but I have at least tried it out - and used a bit of wool!

My second project was a messy-bun hat for Niamh. I have always wanted to try one of these too. Again, I stuck to the cables. This was harder to get right.

Before I congratulated myself, the hat turned out to be much too long, so I undid the last rows and shortened it. I think I am more enamoured of messy-bun hats than Niamh, but again, I've made one, satisfied my curiosity, learned a bit - and used up all the wool!


I then launched into using up some of Bendigo's Mystery (no longer available) with a pattern for the Brindabella Cowl from Australian Alpaca Yarn. It's more a poncho than a cowl, and I could see it in this wool, so thought I'd try it out before buying any more alpaca.

Even though Mystery was listed as 8ply and I had 100gm more than the pattern recommends, it felt more like 10 ply and did not reach the length needed to pull over the head as a hood.

It nevertheless looked fabulous - such great texture. I love the really chunky cables and it knitted up quickly in the round.



After some consultation with, and modelling by, family I brought it in at the top to keep it snug around the neck and shoulders.
It is very warm.

I'm so pleased it proved to be useful for Katherine at the Netball carnival this morning - and the girls are through to the semi-final!

Hat from Corriedale/alpaca yarn

A friend suggested a hat with a turned back edge to both show off the dyed-corriedale-tops-with-alpaca yarn I bought from Rose Cottage Handicraft and to go with the cowl.

I found a pattern that fitted the bill in Hats - a Knitter's dozen. It is called Chenille Chapeau and features a smart roll and shallow crown.
It's an easy and enjoyable knit.

 I rather like the way the crown of this hat is in garter stitch, rather than stocking stitch  - a nice texture touch at the top.

I don't think I will keep these for myself. There is enough wool left for another cowl, so I might make one more and keep one of them.

They look good with a neutral top, and the cowl can be worn loose, or tight around the throat, depending on weather.

Thanks, Katherine at Rose Cottage for spinning the lovely wool. It's been a joy to knit and play with.

Knitted Hat

I had been nursing a pattern for a while now for a hat, looking for the right circumstances to use it. It is called Fan Vaulting Beret, and was published in the Canadian magazine, A Needle Pulling Thread in Spring 2013 p50. The design was based the fan vaulted ceiling of Bath Abbey in the UK.

I decided to make one for the Canberra winters, to go with the cardigan I completed for my daughter. She recently visited Bath.

It is knitted around an i-cord - a useful variation on the usual ribbed band.

The pattern is not as distinct in the yarn mixture as it would be in pure, single-colour wool, but it still provided texture.



As you can see, it goes well with the cardigan. It is also toasty-warm.

                                                                                                                   

Hat and bag for one-year-old

To complete the present for the one-year-old birthday party, I made a hat. I figured it was about that time of the year, here in Australia, when a boy needs a knitted hat.

As his dad is a marine scientist, I found a 'fishbowl' hat in 101 Designer one-skein wonders. It is knitted as a tube with a knitted 'lid' inserted to close off the top- to give the notion of the rim of a bowl.




I used a ball of what I think is a wool/alpaca mix (not sure where that label went). The fish are pretty subtle in the wool, but will be sufficiently visible on the head.




To finish off the present, I made a bag in blue denim - those with good memories might recognise the leg of my jeans left over from the denim bags made last Christmas. The appliqued Holden rally car was from the One Stop Fabric Shop . I used elastic rather than a drawstring in the top in the hope Ed might open it himself.

Banana, bear, fish, car - I haven't exactly achieved a theme!

Maybe next time.

More gloves and a hat.

Brigid asked if I could make her some gloves to wear in the mornings - fingerless so she work her iPod. I was pretty happy to oblige. I like knitting gloves and I like using up wool in my stash! She chose an apricot 8 ply wool which knitted up really nicely and easily.

I used a pattern from Patons C.16 Gloves and Socks which I've had for about as long as I can remember.

I had plenty of wool, so decided to make a hat that I had been wanting to try from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders. It was also great to knit and pretty quick.














These are a hit: a great match for her favourite jumper and no hindrance in being active.