Gotta Protect The Wrist

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Turns out knitting all day for three days is a little hard on your RSI. And I know better. So here I am knitting slowly, using my brace, stretching and icing my sore spots.

My back up project to finished out my conference was a new hat I am calling my Rusty Merino hat. It’s a new to me dyer that I picked up at SSK this summer, Another Crafty Girl. It’s a Merino Worsted in the “Pas Old Tool Chest”. I am going with my tried and true worsted hat on US 8s and just vanilla stockinette all the way through. My wrist was not feeling any ribbing at this point.

Happy Knitting (and resting)!!

Fluffy Decreases

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Turns out that a full day of sitting in a cold ballroom is just the right motivation to get my Great Sweater Hat all the way to the decreases! And impress a few muggles along the way.

My extroverted introvert is now safely tucked into bed and I have the needles in for the decreases. I also have my complimentary glass of wine from the happy hour and I’m flat out exhausted. We have a half day tomorrow and I should be able to finish this one. Don’t worry, I’ll tuck a backup project in my bag for when I finish.

Happy Knitting!!

Birthday Yarn Haul

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My birthday was earlier this month and I took the bait from The Studio Knitting and Needlepoint shop where they give me 20% on a single purchase before my birthday. How could one waste that!

I took a fiber friend with me on this adventure and we chatted whilst shopping. We also got tacos afterward and it was amazing. Apparently I was in a grey and green mood that day, lol. I ended up with:

  • Flying Goat Farm Zephyrette – an alpaca, silk and cashmere blend in a 50 gram skein. The color is called Basalt
  • Two skeins skeins of Yarns Northwest Silk and Merino in a teal color for 100 grams total
  • Two skeins of Malabrigo Rios, one in the Gris colorway and the other in Vaa (deep black with green pops)
  • And finally two more skeins of NOrdic Yarn Eco Cashmere in the light grey color for a total of 100 grams

Shocker of shockers, this will all be for hats. I just can’t quit! And I as I am spending more time in KC these days, I will be sure to check back in this shop for new colors or yarns next time!

Happy Knitting!!

Bonus Mom Night

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I am gearing up to run a conference this week and I checked into my hotel a night early to get settled. And I took all the hats that I cast on with me in a big ole bag. For the first day, I focused on the vanilla fuzzy hat that I am calling The Great Sweater Hat.

The sport yarn is Leading Men Fiber Arts callback base in the Great Sweater Debate color and I’m holding it with Stranded Dyeworks Mohair Silk in the Patisserie. I cruised through the brim and got it folded/attached. And now it’s stockinette cruising until I reach the decreases.

I am really loving this hotel/convention as I have a sitting area separate from the bed/sleeping area. This is the same place I stayed for Knitting In the Heartland 2024 and its amazing! I am excited to see what else I can crank out when I’m not bouncing between mom-life and work life.

Happy Knitting!!

Hat Cast-On-Itis

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I stayed up late last night and did a crazy cast on party. I got not one but three new hats on my empty needles!

The top hat is some Unicornia Republica Rambouillet Worsted that will turn out to be a basic beanie. I did learn from my LSP Redo Hat that I need US 10 needles and a smaller stitch count. So I am working with 72 stitches and calling this my Bonnie May hat as that is the colorway name of this yarn.

The bottom left is another mohair hat. I grabbed some Stranded Dyeworks Mohair Silk in Pattiserie and Leading Men Fiber Arts Callback in The Great Sweater Debate. I am working them held double but instead of a textured hat I think this one will be stockinette through out.

And lastly is my basic worsted weight beanie. This skeins is a new to me dyer Another Crafty Girl Merino Worsted in Pa’s Old Tool Chest. Its my go to recipe of 88 sts on US 8 needles. I am naming this hat the Rusty Merino Hat

Now the only question is….which one will win my attention? Happy Knitting!!

Finished: Film Noir Hat

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The Film Noir hat is complete and looking MIGHTY fine if I do say so myself!

Pattern: Bluestem Beanie by Rebekah Lill (Rav link)

Needles: US 7s and 8s

Yarn: Potions Yarns Dryad DK in Film Noir and Stranded Dyeworks Mohair Silk in Gloom

Mods: added one (maybe two) extra body texture repeats

I really love how much yarn this pattern uses up. It’s just satisfying to rack up that yardage and draw down the stash. For this version I used 361 yards of yarn across both types of yarn. Also, the fuzziness of the mohair is a nice change of pace to soft merino hats.

I think this hat will go to my friend Sylvia who likes black and regularly walks her dog. She has a lot of hair so I am hoping its a fit. If it doesn’t…she can pick from the full hat bin!

I have really been clearing the needles lately and I need to get more WIPs cast on so I have projects to grab and go! Stay tuned….

Finished: Chiefs Hat #5

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Chiefs Hat #5 is done and dusted. As I suspected in my gut this hat leans more Ravenclaw that Chiefs Kingdom. And is a lovely hat nonetheless.

Pattern: My own 88 sts beanie “recipe” with turned stockinette brim

Needles: US 8s

Yarn: Malabrigo Rios in Pearl Ten, Sunset and Sealing Wax

I paid attention to my gauge a little more carefully and that resulted in tighter gauge and more yarn used. Across all three colors I used 199 yards of yarn and just about 99 grams. The dark grey only appears in the lining and the pop at the brim.

I don’t love weaving in the ends but I like the variety it adds to the hat stock I have been building. I have decided I like the woven ends instead of the Russian join so you don’t see that teeny portion that is a little thicker. Or at least that is what I tell myself when I have 12 ends to weave in at the end.

Happy Knitting!!

Noir Brim

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My Film Noir Hat is swimming along nicely. I am safely into the main body pattern repeats.

I can now confirm that the stockinette is softer than my previous 100% wool version of this. The mohair still has a tooth to it but the cashmere blend smooths that out. I am not sure I can tell any difference when it gets to the patterned section. I think the texture negates any softness you gain with the fiber content.

Happy Knitting!!

This Brim Is So soft

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For real, this hat is CRAZY soft. It does take a little longer to make progress with thinner yarn and smaller needles and my All The Cashmere Hat has a finished brim!

It’s tricky getting photos of this yarn with as dark as it and the morning/nights are. Most people identify this color as a hunter-ish green. I can believe that but I also see brown tones in the right light.

I have 100 grams and 328 yards of this yarn. And I’m working brim up, so I need to mind my yarn management so I don’t run out before the decreases. I want to thread the needles of using most of it, but not running out. I haven’t made any many DK weight items this year so I need to get a feel for my yardage needs. And that is what I get for winging my own recipe!

Happy Knitting!!

Bonus Pink Tube Socks

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I forgot to you show you all the finished Pink Tubes I made for Jellybean after finished his regular socks.

I had Jellybean try these on as well to make sure they were a good fit. I didn’t tell him what I was doing and he’s used to me knitting all kinds of stuff that he didn’t ask any questions. He did wonder how I got those spirals to happen. I told him Magic….

These tubes with the sock yarn and mini skein, I added 340 yards of yarn to my KAL total. And I really like how the contrasting cuff and toes look with the variegated yarn. I also put these in my cedar chest to chill out until the holidays…

Happy Knitting!!