Author Archives: atangledyarn84

Cast On: Synthe

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I finally knuckled under and cast on my Synthe sweater. My swatch told me I was on gauge and I am making the 44 1/2 size.

This starts at the neck and appears to not have a neckline. Just cast on and get straight to stockinette. The pattern shows no rolling but I don’t have confidence in my version. I may have to add some reinforcement to my neck opening.

So far the knitting is fast as the stitch count is still increasing. The yarn, Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, has a lot of veg matter in it that I am picking out as I go. I am not alternating skeins yet but I may do that as I get to the main body. My biggest hurdle is keeping the stitch markers from opening and falling off.

Happy Knitting!!

Half Of My Advent Skeins

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I decided not to wait until to spin the last half of the 2024 advent spinning calendar to ply the first half. I call it spinners prerogative.

I chain plied these singles to maintain the colors. I think overall I got a heavy worsted that is mostly uniform with some thick/thin spots. I was worried about the colors being too crazy but I think they came our mostly rainbow, in a good way.

My singles were just a tiny bit overspun and a bath washed that right out. The finished skein was 181 grams and 212 yards of yarn. I am going to tuck this into the spinning bag where my other half of the fiber for motivation to finish the rest!

Happy Spinning!!

Finished: Touchdown Beanie Chiefs #2

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Happy Friday and welcome to my next finish. My Chiefs Touchdown Beanie #2 is done!

Pattern: Touchdown Beanie by Katie Carlson (Rav link)

Yarns: Treasure Goddess Warmth Worsted in Ruby Daggers, White Sand Beaches, Poseidon’s Trident

Needles: US 4s and 5s

I am super glad that I shorted the ribbing on this hat. I JUST had enough red yarn to close up the crown without altering the decreases. I have a tiny ball of yellow and a lot of white left. This is the size medium and it does look a bit shorter and squatter than the previous one but still fits an adult sized head. On my head I can’t roll the brim but my kids can.

I should note that this pattern contains charts for other teams and one for Swifties, if that is your jam. This dyer’s worsted is on the skinnier side compared to something like Malabrigo Rios. I would be cautious and definitely check gauge if you substitute yarn. But it is an excellent pattern all around.

Happy Knitting!!

Weaving Or Darning?

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Not much sleep has happened with all the coughing so I had a lot of time to finish not only the colorwork but also the crown of my second Chiefs Touchdown Beanie.

I also chose to block this hat a wee bit before weaving in my ends. I just wet it under the kitchen sink and let dry on my Styrofoam head overnight. And then when dry turned the thing inside out to attack my ends.

I wove the ends in for several stitches and then doubled back on itself to lock them in place. I was careful to look at the front side to make sure I liked how things were laying before locking them. Having the head on the inside made this feel a bit like darning, lol. I will have to remember this trick in the future!

Happy Knitting!!

Second Attempt At Colorwork

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Duke and I snuggled in for this latest cold snap to start the colorwork on my second Chiefs Touchdown Beanie.

We’ve been hit with a bout of COVID in the house so I don’t have a lot of witty repartee to share today. I think some hot tea, re-run TV and knitting will do just fine.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Touchdown Beanie Chiefs #2

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I did in fact decide to cast on another Chiefs Touchdown Hat with my leftovers from the kit I purchased.

I did opt to make a medium size this time instead of large, so as not to tempt the yarn chicken gods. I had training all day today and I powered through ribbing and the second two color additions. Stopped short of starting the chart for the pattern as I need concentration.

I also hedged a tiny bit and worked 1/2 an inch less of ribbing to conserve my use of the red color. I am eager to start the colorwork again now that I have had some practice. I know what kind of tails I need to leave and where I tended to knit too tightly or made errors on the chart.

This should be a quick finish! (Famous last words…) Happy Knitting!!

A Scandia Brim

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Another day and another “mom carpools to some practice ” kind of vibe. Today I am progressing on my Scandia Hat and a diet coke for motivation.

I knit enough stockinette to finally turn the brim. And I have finally gotten over the grumps for twisting this hat brim in the first place. This fabric looks really nice in stockinette with the speckles popping against the grey background.

It’s all round and round until I need decreases. This yarn needs a good bath too. It’s not the softest at the moment and I have a suspicion that it’s got excess citric acid holding around from setting the dye. At least I hope so!

Happy Knitting!!

Finished: Touchdown Beanie Chiefs

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The Chiefs Touchdown Beanie is completed and fits my noggin!

Blocking in fact worked wonders. Off the needles the hat looked teeny but after relaxing in a bath, it fits my large head nicely. And the colorwork evened out and flattened beautifully. I did have a “fun” time weaving in the ends in a way that wouldn’t show on the outside. Still worth it.

Pattern: Touchdown Beanie by Katie Carlson (Rav Link)

Yarn: Treasure Goddess Yarns Warmth Worsted in Ruby Daggers, White Sand Beaches and Poseidan’s Trident

Needles: US 4s and US 5s

The total hat used 150 yards of yarn or 69 grams. It was almost half of the red skein that I had so 50 of the 69 grams are red and barely any grams from the other. I think I could possibly squeak out another hat in a smaller size.

It’s Colorwork!

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I finished the colorwork on my Chiefs Touchdown Beanie!

I did make a couple of mistakes that I didn’t catch during the knitting of the letters. And I am still super proud of myself. The stitches are fairly even and I think would do for a good blocking. I need to weave the ends in carefully so they don’t show on the front of the work.

I am now progressing towards the crown decreases. I still feel like the hat is coming out small even though I am knitting the large size. Fingers crossed this works out!

Happy Knitting!!

Finished: Frankenstein Hat #3

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I blinked and the Frankenstein Hat #3 is finished!

I only ended up using three scraps total. I should have probably used another the hat is wee bit short but still fits a small adult head. I really blocked it aggressively to get more size to it and it only worked slightly. I did use under 100 grams or just at 200 yards. This is less than my previous scrappy Musselburgh hats, so I should have known.

On the plus side, one side turned out in a solid color! That makes it feel more intentional for some reason. I don’t know if this will be a keep or go into the gift pile. I think I will let it marinate for a bit.

Happy Knitting!