I have started a second Boreal Hat to use my Alaska yarn. I really didn’t enjoy the Alaskan mohair so I pulled some Stranded Dyeworks mohair to do this second version.
I took some lazy time this past weekend to snoodle in bed with Duke. This is still the Raven Frog Fibers Bear Feet sock yarn but this time held with some softer and less coarse mohair. I am still working on US 5 needles and I cast on 100 stitches. I liked the size of the past hat, just not the height.
Happy Knitting!!
Well, the Boreal Hat is finished!
Pattern: My own basic beanie “recipe” with 100 stitches
Needle: US 5
Yarn: Raven Frog Fibers in both Bear Feet and Cirrus Bay yarn bases
I have given this a quick wash in some Soak and set to dry. The mohair was very resistant to absorbing water. And from the light blocking I gave this hat shows I could have knit more main hat body. It still fits nicely but it more like a skull cap.
I used about 40 grams of the sock yarn and 12 grams of the mohair so that worked out to roughly 308 yards of yarn. I didn’t even use half of both skeins. Meaning I could knit a second version with more height in that. But I am not sure I want have another hat with this marbling and that scratchy of mohair….
I wonder if I have any partial mohair skeins I could swap in? Happy Knitting!!
Another day, more couch rotting with coughing and drinking warm tea. We are starting to feel better but the fatigue and coughing are lingering! It’s good news for my Boreal Hat which now has a finished brim and ready to start the main body.
This hat sheds like a son of a gun and the mohair gets everywhere. But the fabric is going to be ever so warm and cozy. And now I can catch up on Ted Lasso Season 4 today and see how much hat body I can create.
Happy Knitting!!
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!!
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!
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!!
Skagway was my favorite stop on the cruise. Mostly because I got to hold 8 week old sled dog puppies but also because the town was beautiful and so much to do.
I found Auroras Yarn and dropped some tourist money there.
There were two indie dyed yarns in there: Raven Frog Fibers and Alaska Yarn Company. From Raven Frog I picked up a hat kit that was Glacier Bay themed, then a dark green sock yarn and some grey mohair to do more hat/cowl things. Followed by a worsted skeins, one each from Raven Frog and Alaska Yarn Company.
I had to vacuum bag and seal up all the yarn to fit it to go back home. Totally worth it and would do it again 😁😉
Happy Stashing!!
Jellybean has inherited my love of books. And we found a local used book store in Juneau.
I picked up three new books. Treasure Hunt is a series of murder mystery I think? Little Fires Everywhere is fiction and a Netflix show that looked good. And then Truly Devious I just picked up because it looked pretty.
Jellybean grabbed one kid’s fantasy novel, a fiction that also might be science fiction and then a kid’s murder mystery/detective novel.
Suitcases were stretched tight but we got all these home! And I made good progress on The Mad Wife that I started reading on the plane ride.
Happy Reading!
I was able to find yarn in Alaska! First stop was Juneau and Juneau Woolies. Walked up a very steep hill to get there but it was worth it.
The shop was quant and did a great job on the window display. My kids preferred the ice cream shop next door though.
I picked up some spinning fiber in a bright purple and it’s a merino/tencel blend. Next up was some Juneau Woolies hand dyed yarns. I picked up a mohair lace for more fuzzy hats with some of their cashmere merino sock yarn. Then two skeins of their worsted for hats and an Aran weight skein for maybe some mittens. And finally a wee mini skein for scrap blankets.
Oh and I grabbed some wool wash in cash I magically need to block something in this trip! Hahahah, wishful thinking.
Next Jellybean and I found a used book store on the way back to the boat!
Happy Knitting!!
I got to hold a 9 week old sled dog puppy on our first day on the boat. I was as happy as my face shows!
She was sleepy sleepy and had beautiful blue eyes. I can’t remember her name but I can remember how dense her fur felt and how’s she cuddled into my arms to fall asleep.
Okay, I promise more knitting content tomorrow. Don’t tell Duke I cheated on him!
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