Cast On: Juneau Woolies Hat

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I got start-itis again. We are still on the germ train this week so I wanted a second option for easy knitting. So this is another hat I kitted up this summer from my Alaska purchases. I am calling this one my Juneau Woolies Hat.

I decide to mix the details up a little on this one. I cast on another basic “recipe” for a simple beanie. This one is Juneau Woolies Cozy Toes Sock in the Chum colorway held double with Cascade Yarns Kid Seta mohair. I’m going for an easy hat with yarns held double to score extra points in the 2026 Pigskin Party KAL.

For this version, I cast on 88 stitches on US 8 needles for a more open fabric. I am also working a 2×2 ribbed and folded brim. And then work a stockinette main hat body with centered decreases for the crown. This version is much softer than my Boreal Hat as this Kid Seta is a softer mohair.

Happy Knitting!!

All The Self Care Items

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We are really suffering with a lingering upper respiratory bug in this house. It’s all I can do but to just sit on the couch. It has meant that I have made some pretty good progress on my Boreal Hat.

This hat is coming out more marbled that I had imagined. I was hoping for a softer green but the grey is sticking out more as a contrast. I am several inches into the brim, but I think another inch before I do the brim turn. Surely the book, diet coke and knitting will make the germs go away faster!

Cast On: Boreal Hat

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I am casting on my first 2026 Pigskin Party KAL project. I grabbed one of the hat setups I made this summer. All the back to school germs have hit so I need an easy project that doesn’t have any complicated pieces.

I am calling this my Boreal Hat. I picked up the yarn in Skagway, Alaska. It is the Raven Frog Fibers Bear Feet sock yarn in the boreal colorway. I am holding that sock yarn double withe Raven Frog Fibers Cirrus Bay mohair. This is not the softest mohair and it’s got some really long staple fibers. But it will be a very warm hat!

I am using my “recipe” for a basic beanie. I cast on 100 stitches on a US 5 needle. I think I am going to work a folded stockinette brim and then a stockinette body with 8 point decrease for the crown. And holding two yarns together means I will double my yardage for KAL points!

Happy Knitting!!

So Close And So Very Far

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I am getting ready to put the Super Scrappy Granny Stripe Blanket into hibernation. But I also wanted to see it’s progress. So I plopped the whole thing on the queen bed in the basement.

It looks so very close when viewed from this angle. But I want it to cover the whole bed so the top can be folded down. It’s easily as tall as me now, I’m 5’7″.

But when you look at this part, I easily have another 15-20 inches left to crochet. Which is very doable especially if I sneak a row in here or there during the winter and my KAL. Of course, I could blow off the KAL and just go ahead and finish this. We will see where my whims take me….

Happy Crochet!!

Hand Sewing

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I’m trying to trick my brain into doing tasks I have been avoiding. Usually by promising myself a reward or by putting the task somewhere I can see it and it will annoy me. Today’s was to hand sew the pile of things that had been collecting my dresser.

First up, was sewing a label into my latest sweater finish. This was my Bibliophile 2 and my very last tag from my Etsy order from back in 2011/2012. I have different tags now and I will kind of miss these old ones!

Next up was reattaching the button to my strawberry pajama set. It popped off after it’s latest wash. I must admit that I am rusty at buttons. I forgot to leave some room under the button so the fabric has somewhere to lay. So this button fits rather snuggly.

Alas, it’s functional so I am gathering that I will not redo it. Happy Mending!!

Kirby Wirby Sock Club – September

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Turns out that past Rachelle signed up for the KirbyWirby sock club, lol.

This lovely skein showed up in my mailbox and it was a great surprise and delight. She is calling this one “Fade into Fall” and its 75% superwash merino and 25% nylon. A nice sturdy sock yarn. And as this is a 3-month club, I will get two more skeins yet this year!

Happy Stashing!!

Family Time

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Here I go again, sneaking in a few rows on my Super Scrappy Granny Stripe Blanket.

A few stolen moments with Jellybean (who is taller than me now, btw) on the couch before bed. He had completed his school “must do” list and we both a few minutes before screen time ended. So I crocheted and he watched Minecraft videos.

Not a bad evening at all. Happy Crocheting!!

Cast On: 2019 Cozy Knitter Advent Socks

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I have my first cast on for the 2026 Pigskin Party KAL. These are some self striping socks from the Cozy Knitter. I am still working on the backlog of previous advent calendars. This newest pair is the 2019 colorway.

I used the contrast color (white) to cast on the toes and then after some school events and sitting at sports practices….I have several rows of color added! This is my “recipe” for my own toe up vanilla sock with an afterthought heel. It’s 68 stitches on US 1 needles. And I’ll work the afterthought heel with some added depth for my high instep.

Happy KAL and Happy Knitting!!

Blankets In Hotel Rooms

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The Super Scrappy Granny Stripe Blanket has grown a lot this summer. Turns out two solid months of focused work can really lend itself to progress.

Jellybean and I took some trips this summer and so I could take advantage of the hotel bed to “measure” my progress. Turns out this random cast on that I made is turning out to be a queen sized throw!

It can hang nicely over the sides and I’m just working on length now. I would say, based on eyeballing this, that I am roughly 2/3 done. I will need to put this down when the 2026 Pigskin Party KAL starts. WIPs are not allowed in that competition. I have several other projects planned but it does feel a little melancholy to put this down after so much progress.

I may still sneak a few rows in on this here and there…. Happy Crocheting!!

Helpless For Books

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The heat of summer and back to school busyness has tampered my crafting. I am pretty much only working on my Super Scrappy Granny Stripe Blanket. But my book consumption has gone WAY up.

My current book mojo is definitely detective fiction. I have been binging Anthony Horowitz (Magpie Murders and Hawthorn & Horowitz series), Robert Thorogood (Marlow Murder Club series, and Richard Osman (Thursday Murder Club series). Very British and very Sherlock Holmes-esque.

I had a coupon from the local Summer Reading Challenge so I wandered into the bookstore close my work and picked up some new detective and mystery novels. I have mostly been consuming audio books but I like collecting physical books and switching between pages and audio on my books.

But today, I just needed a pick me up. And some books a nice coffee really did the trick! Happy Reading!!