Category Archives: hat

WIP Wednesday: Rosewood Sockhead Slouch

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Happy Halloween to everyone!! Before I head of to collect candy with Jellybean at my office I wanted to give you an update on a project seeing a ton of time lately.

PB is now over five months old and growing like a weed. And along with that growth has come sleep regressions and sleep training. This isn’t a parenting blog and I’m not seeking sympathy or advice. I’m simply trying to say that I have a happy healthy baby that is locked in a sleep training battle with me while I try to do the best parenting I know how. Lord knows I would get a stubborn daughter and I’m sure my parents are somewhere laughing at the Karma of it all!

The silver lining? Well, my Rosewood Sockhead Slouch is seeing a lot of action as my bedside knitting in the dark.

I’ve managed to finish the ribbing and work over an inch of stockinette of the hat in just over a week. I switched from US 1s for the ribbing to US2s for the remainder of the hat. I forgot to do this on my Rainbow Pop hat so I’m curious to see what difference it makes.

This has all been leading me to wonder….are vanilla hats my new vanilla socks? I haven’t touched a sock in almost two months now……hmmmm….

Happy Knitting!

Cast On: Rosewood Sockhead Slouch

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I recently attended a two day conference for work. Thankfully it was a drive home every night kind of thing so I got to be home to be with PB.  This conference was almost exclusively lecture based. So I KNEW I needed knitting. But I didn’t have any autopilot knitting because Rainbow Pop gloves need my eyeballs on them.

So I fished through my tonal sock yarn and pulled out a lovely skein of T & H Fiber Works Heather’s Favorite Sock in the Rosewood color that my mom got at a fiber festival a couple of years ago. Since I hadn’t put away my needles from my Rainbow Pop Sockhead slouch I simply cast on another Sockhead slouch!

Here is my progress by lunch on Day 1….

And here is my progress by the end of day 2…. I got almost of the ribbing done over two days (conference and travel knitting). I got several compliments on my project and a few stares. But my knitting did strike up a conversation with other attendees about Cognitive Anchoring and the benefits of letting people use their hands to be better focused during meetings.

All in all it was a great conference and some great knitting!!

FO Friday: Rainbow Pop Sockhead Slouch

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My Rainbow Pop Sockhead Slouch is done, blocked and dry. I am just over the moon with how cool this yarn and pattern combo turned out!

This is how the hat looks with no folded brim. It’s very slouchy and accommodates a pony tail.

Pattern: Sockhead Slouch by Kelly McClure

Yarn: Lemondade Shop Simple Sock in Stormy Day. I used 76 grams or 304 yards of yarn for this hat.

Needles: US 2s. My gauge turned out to be 7.5 stitches and 11 rows to 1 inch.

And here is how it looks with a folded brim. I personally think this is how I’ll be wearing mine. It just looks so sharp!

I did get some pooling at the crown decreases but it’s very negligible. And if anyone gets that close to notice and point that out then I will just headbutt them. This project was soothing balm to my sleep deprived mommy soul. I almost want to cast on another one to have such a happy meditative knit in my bag.

Happy Knitting!!

Technology Can Be Cool

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I’m every so close to finishing my Rainbow Pop Sockhead Slouch! I’m at 10 inches and ready to start decreasing. I’ve decided that’s enough slouch for me!

I also recently updated my iPhone to the lastest iOS and I got a new tool downloaded. It’s a measuring ap that uses your camera. So I took it for a spin.

I laid down a traditional tape measure for reference and played with the ap. I did manage to get it to come out to the right answer. But I also got several attempts where it was .5 inches on either side. So it’s close but I wouldn’t use it for anything exacting. I would use it if I was just wanting a ball park and stuck without a tape measure.t

img_5980I’m really happy with how the colors are coming out. I know it will change when I start the crown decreases. For sure there will be some pooling and changes in the color blips. But such is the way of this yarn and I’m at peace with it. I just REALLY want this hat for winter!

Happy Knitting!!

Sockhead Progress

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My Rainbow Pop Sockhead Slouch has seen some good progress thanks to knitting in the dark and some car knitting time.

My yarn is almost striping. But it’s doing so evenly and nicely around the hat. I was hoping for more space between the blips but this is close enough for me right now in my life. I also noticed that I forgot to go up a needle size for the stockinette…doh. But again I’m making progress on a thing that makes me happy so I’m rolling with the punches.

My hat is at 9 inches total (including the ribbing). Typical sockhead hats are supposed to be 13 inches before you start the crown decreases. I’m not sure I want my hat that slouchy. I think I will do 10.5 to 11 inches and then start the decreases. I’ll be able to slip it on when I get that point to see how I feel about the fit.

Happy Knitting!!

(Re)Cast On: Rainbow Pop Sockhead Slouch

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I had previously regaled you with the tale of many cast-ons and frogging of a Sockhead Slouch. I think I had “swatched” enough to be satisfied with a gauge and stitch count for the project and then I realized that the 2018 Pigskin Party KAL was starting September 6th. So I frogged what I had and waited to cast on my final iteration of the hat until it counted for the KAL. And then I knit like the wind!

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I’ve cruised through four inches of 1×1 rib and I’m into the stockinette section. I’m pretty pleased with how the color is dispersing. It’s almost a tad bit striped but it is definitely not pooling or flashing so I’m happy.

This project has been promoted to primary purse and bedside table knitting. Just soothing round and round and round knit stitches with no brain space required. I could go for a good movie so I could make some serious progress on this puppy!

I have one niggling thought….do I knit a slightly less slouchy hat and save yarn for some matching fingerless mitts??

Happy Knitting!!

 

Cast On: Rainbow Sockhead Slouch

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I’ve been procrastinating on casting on my next “easy bedtime” knitting project. The Big Bang Vanilla Socks have been done for awhile and I knew exactly what I wanted it next…a Sockhead Slouch from my Lemonade Shop Stormy Day yarn. Why  the procrastination? Well, I have this vision for the fabric that I know I want my hat to have. I want the rainbow blips of color to distribute without stacking, pooling or flashing.

I finally decided to take the plunge…I did some Ravelry research on this pattern and this yarn to get a feel for what happens at different stitch counts and gauges. I decided to cast on the pattern recommended 144 stitches on US 1 needles. This was the result…

It was very clear even at this short amount of knitting that I was going to get total pooling. So I ripped it out and tried 144 stitches on US 2 needles….

This attempt was better and I made the pooling stop.  But now the color blips were stacking and making sort of flashing stripes. While this is a totally cool effect…it’s not what I wanted deep in my knitterly heart. So once again I ripped the whole thing out. For the third attempt I used 164 stitches on US 2 needles.

Much better!! The colors are still touching a bit but for the most part are randomizing and dispersing nicely around the hat. It’s not 100% what I was looking for but its really close. And given how much knitting time I get and how many brain cells I have left after two kids…..its close enough for now.

The caveat….I have no clue how this will fit! I am just working to get a fabric I like. The Sockhead Slouch is an easy pattern and I plan to knit several inches of hat and then try on the ribbing portion to see how things go. Fingers crossed….worst case scenario is that I rip out again and start over. Darn, more time time knitting this beautiful yarn!

P.S. This Lemonade Shop yarn really stood up to ripping and re-knitting!!

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Thotful Spot Hat

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I have a new hat for winter! The Thotful Spot Hat is officially finished, washed, blocked and photographed!! Truth be told…all but the photographs have been done for quite a awhile. I honestly forgot about this finish until I excavated my office and found the FO still in it’s project bag. And it’s worth noting, Jellybean insisted I use his purple patio chair as the backdrop because “duh mom”. And those were his exact words….smh….

Pattern: Thotful Spot Hat by Sarah Schira (Imagined Landscapes)

Yarn: Potion Yarns (Temptress base) in the Walk on the Left Side color

Needles: US 4s and 5s

I used roughly 79 grams or 183 yards of yarn for the medium size in the pattern.

This pattern is extremely well written and super simple yet chic for my sleep deprived brain. I especially liked the unique ribbing that Sarah included. The neutral white base with the pops of color should blend well with my wardrobe and winter coats. And the DK weight yarn has a nice heft to the fabric so it should be nice and toasty.

I didn’t follow the decreases *exactly* to pattern due to my lack of careful reading. But I think they turned out quite nicely and no one will ever notice. And now that I think about it…I am pretty sure I forgot to switch my needles from the 4s to the 5s after the ribbing….whoops. Oh well! This was my second ever DK weight hat….I think I need to knit more of these, it works up so easily and fast!

Happy Knitting!!

WIP Wednesday: Thotful Spot Hat

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The knitting and napping method worked so swell the other day that I tried it again on my Thotful Spot hat!

I’m past the brim and well into the stockinette section. I just need to hit the magic number of 7 inches of work and I can start decreasing for the crown! This project has moved into the “bedside table” slot now that it’s stockinette in the round (in addition to nap-time knitting). But will have to be demoted after I get to the decreases. Double pointed needles plus counting stitches for decreases do not mix with almost complete darkness.

Happy Knitting!!

Thotful Progress

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One bright side about PB deciding to come early….I got to attend my family’s annual reunion in my hometown. Mind you, this is an event I organize annually and had accepted that I would just miss it this year. But it all worked out and we had a lovely weekend and not a horrible first long car trip with two kids.

I squished myself in the middle row between my two children’s car seats to manage diaper changes, pacifiers, snacks and entertainment. (It wasn’t terribly comfortable but I survived). The kids did REALLY well on both the to and from trips so I squeezed in some knitting in the car and at the reunion while other people were holding/playing with my children. This is my hospital cast on of the Thotful Spot hat by Sarah Schira.

I finished the 2.5 inches of ribbing and put at least a couple inches of stockinette on the hat itself. The yarn is from Potion Yarns in their Temptress base in the Walk on the Left Side color. The blips of color are just mesmerizing to watch develop. Since this is stockinette and I’m back home, this has become my bedside/in the dark knitting. So I’m hoping it grows little by little when I can sneak a few minutes here and there.

Happy Knitting!!