Cast On: Dewberry Hat

My mom’s trip is bearing down on me and I need to get these last hats done! I already had the Iris Hat on the needles and I also started this second hat in Malabrigo Mecha in a color called Dewberry.

I am sensing some doom on my other hat. So for this one I cast on fewer stitches to make this bulky skein go farther. I think I am at 70 ish stitches for a vanilla stockinette beanie. I am waffling on folded brim or no folded brim.

I really should finish the Iris first so I don’t make the same mistakes twice. But where is the fun in that! Happy Knitting!!

Dog For Cuteness

I don’t really have any updates today. It’s a dreary cold winter Monday morning and I’m struggling to find ambition. Yearning for some sunshine and longer days!

So I decided to just share a cute photo of my baby dog loving on me while I was knitting my Chiefs Hat #7. He was dreaming and snoring and living his best life. Not a bad leg warmer for me either! I would be lost without my puppers….

Happy Monday!

Cast On: Iris Hat

I had an awful no good dog of a morning the other day at work. And over my lunch I had to run into a store for a birthday gift. And there was a yarn store right next door. So I wandered in and grabbed some dopamine.

I picked up two skeins of Malabrigo Mecha which is a singles in a bulky weight. This color is called Iris. The idea was a soft and super fast hat. I am going to my friend’s for a little girls trip and I want to give away more hats. I had the yarn store wind the yarn so I could get off the races.

I am using my US 8s as I don’t feel this bulky is really that much different than the heavy worsted I have been using. I may live to regret that decision but so far this skein and color is working up beautifully. I am hoping for a folded brim hat and powering through with a LARGE sugar free iced coffee.

Happy Knitting!

Chiefing Along

I have had singular focus the past couple of days on this Chiefs Hat #7. I’m already fully chugging through the main hat body

I did stop and install/sew on the patch for the brim. Also weaving in the ends for the color changes on the inside! I hope future Rachelle really enjoys the work that past Rachelle did for her, lol.

Just a few more rows of yellow to get to 20 rows and then I will install the decrease in the final red color stripe. My yarn cakes are shrinking rapidly so I am hoping I get all the way there!

Happy Knitting!!

Finished Friday: 2025 Chiefs Hat

The 2025 Chiefs Hat is done and fully complete with the decal installed!

Pattern: My own vanilla “recipe” for a beanie with 72 stitches (because I can’t count) with a folded stockinette brim

Needles: US 8s

Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in Sauterne and Sealing Wax

For sure this hat is snugger and smaller than my standard adult hat. It can fit over my large noggin but I can feel the squeeze. And that showed in the yardage used with a total of 189 yards of yarn. I think that is like 0.9 of a full skein so I for sure will be fine for my second hat with this yarn.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Chiefs Hat #7

I was a little miffed with discovering the issue with my 2025 Chiefs Hat and the wrong number of stitches. And I was done with with the red color from that hat so I set aside some bedside time to cast on the next hat.

I counted twice and this hat for sure has 88 stitches. Duke was less than helpful in the cast on as he was in charge of napping. I am using US 8 needles for this yarn. It’s still Malabrigo worsted and therefore a singles. The sharper tips of the metal needles are nice so I can get the full strand on every stitch.

Happy Knitting!!

And Now The Chiefs Decreases

I blinked and my 2025 Chiefs Hat was at the brim.

For no good reason that I can explain, I went with larger and chunkier stripes that my previous sports ball hats. The folded brim is roughly 30 rows tall and then the main body is like 20 rows tall.

It does mean that I don’t have as many stripes as before and I’m not using the two colors in an equal/balanced manner. I still think I will have enough leftovers to flip the color sequence and make a second hat.

OH! And I discovered something putting in the needles for these decreases….I in fact made this hat with 78 stitches and not 88. No wonder this hat went so crazy fast. This hat will just be smaller and tighter than my others. I guess that is what I get for lack of attention, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

Finished: 2024 Advent Socks Take Two

I cranked on my 2024 Advent Socks Take Two and those puppies are DONE!

Pattern: My own 68 stitch “recipe” for toe up vanilla socks and an afterthought heel

Yarn: 2024 Advent Stripe from The Cozy Knitter Bliss base and one mini skein of Red Door Fibers Heels & Toes in Hint of Grey

Needles: US 1s

With the added contrast heels, toes and cuffs and then the little flecks, this project racked up 351 yards of yarn. And I was pleasantly surprised that they fit was good. The alterations I made to the afterthought heel worked and I didn’t make these too large.

Really pleased with how matched these came out. And it feels just satisfying to use up every bit of the Advent skein and contrast AND a bonus mini skein. I love marking my yarn “completely used up” in Ravelry. The floats do give the socks a texture on the inside and they may not make the best boot socks. Perhaps socks for being cozy around the house?

I will definitely work this fleck again as I like how it add some visual interest. Happy Knitting!!

Swatch Yes!

I kind of forgot I had a swatch drying in the laundry room. And I grabbed it yesterday after folding a load of towels. Good news….I got stitch gauge!!

I am short a couple of rows on row gauge. This means I get to use the size/stitch count I want but I need to be careful on the parts that say “Knit to XX inch length”. Shall we take on odds on if I remember this whilst knitting?

Now I just need to plan my cast on…heheheheheh!

Happy Knitting!!

Matching Advent Heels

I decided not to wait to install the heels on my second set of 2024 Cozy Knitter Advent Socks.

I might regret this. Picking up stitches with so little fabric on the leg portion…I dropped a stitch at the corner and it ran 5 rows before I noticed. ON BOTH SOCKS, sigh. I secured both with a lobster claw stitch marker and I will ladder back up.

Unfortunately I don’t have any loose ends on the inside of those respective corners to be able to secure that stitch. Which means I will have to grab some waste yarn and tack those stitches securely. But hey…..don’t my heels look great!

Oh! And I took out about 5 rows of my “recipe” afterthought heel and the work measures 9 inches from toe to heel which matches my foot. We will give it the ultimate test when I get to try these on!

Happy Knitting!!