Tag Archives: beanie

A Second Chaotic Marl

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While my needles and project bag were still at hand I did cast on a second Scrappy Marl. I tried to group my tiny scraps into coordinating pairs to use when I hold them double. So far I am not convinced about this project….its reading a bit more “ugly” than “chaotic” to me.

My husband told me to put my OCD brain on hold and wait until I have added all the colors added in. He thinks it will all blend more when I get some other colors added in. He could be right but my sequential and orderly brain just rebels against this, lol.

For sure this hat will go into the gift/donation bin. While I am confident I can make this into a perfectly serviceable hat….I don’t see myself keeping or wearing this one. But I am jazzed about how many tiny balls of scraps are disappearing from my stash!

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Mom’s Christmas Hat 2021

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After accidently leaving my project bag at my parents house…I can finally show you that I finished my Mom’s 2021 Christmas Hat!

I took advantage of a grandparent babysitting weekend to really power through this project. I only had like 3 inches of hat and the decreases to go so it wasn’t too bad. But it felt great to get another gift hat off the needles. So much so that I tossed the project bag behind their recliner and forgot it when I left for home, lol.

Pattern: None, just a 96 stitch basic beanie

Needle: US 7

Yarn: Shepherd’s Mill 2 Ply DK in the Berry Gradient

Mods: really none because I just made things up as I went (including the decreases)

I purposely made the brim super long so it could be folded up and keep ears warm. This yarn is made of wool and bamboo so it blocked quite a bit with little stretching. So I gained a lot of length in blocking. I used roughly 52 grams or just over half the skein of this long gradient. I think I have enough for a second (and slightly shorter) hat….

The only bummer of this project is that the yarn my mom chose was too long of a gradient to really get much color difference in one hat. It does change from bright berry to dull berry but I never got to any of the browns. I guess I’ll save those for a bonus hat!

My mom was pleased with the finished product so that is all that counts. And it’s another hat down this year with my hat mojo still going strong. Happy Knitting!!

Scraps Go Fast

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I could not put this project down. As with my faded/marled shawls I just kept wanting to knit another row and see how the new yarn was fitting in. The bonus? I have a finished Scrappy Marl!

Pattern: Scrappy Marl by  by Beata Jezek (Ravelry Link)

Yarns: Many many many assorted scraps leftover from my sock weigh yarn. You can see some of them on my Ravelry page if that is a safe place for you

Needles: US 4s and 6s

Mods: None

After final tally this project used up 349 yards of sock weight scraps. That is almost a full skein of yarn! And I was able to craft something purposeful and beautiful. The finished hat does have a little bit of a slouch but not so much that you can turn the brim.

I am tempted to do another one of these hats with the TINY balls of scraps that I have floating around. I don’t think I will be able to plan or fade what I have left. It will be more of a “chaotic” pairing of yarns. But I weighed the bag and I have almost 100 grams of scraps I could use.

As I anticipated, the hat blocked nicely and fits well. It was tight on my skull prior to washing but has relaxed nicely. I really love this hat so I’m not sure if this will go in the gift bin or into my personal hand knit drawer. I have time to decide before it gets cold, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Scrappy Marl Hat

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A happy Memorial Day to all those in the US. I am taking advantage of the long weekend to cast on a scrappy project I have been dreaming of for a minute. My Scrappy Marl is on the needles and flying along.

This project holds sock yarn double so it is really chewing through scraps. And yes, I am purposely planning my yarns. I am moving from light to dark in a pseudo rainbow. I’m blending purples and reds right now.

So far I am super pleased. It does feel a little small and tight, but I think blocking will do a world of good on this project. It is a lot of super wash yarn so its going to grow. For my sanity I am spit splicing or Russian joining the ends as I add new colors. No way I want to weave in 100 ends on a scrappy project, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

Knitting In The Wild (Safely)

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I have been slowly and safely dipping my toe back into “normal”. Not going to lie it causes me a lot of anxiety after the last year and I still stay 6 feet away and wear my mask. But so far this week alone I have played volleyball, took Jellybean to his favorite park and took myself out for a beer tasting (during non-busy hours). I feel lucky to be fully vaccinated as are many around me and have hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Along for the trips this week was my Mom’s Christmas Hat. I have gotten past the brim ribbing and into the hat. I am flicking this to make the process faster and to keep building my muscle memory.

And for my beer tasting, for those interested, I tried three new to me beers at my local brewery The Happy Basset. From left to right I had a Mango Sour, Belly Rub Red Ale and a Kolsch. All three were good but my favorite was the sour and I took home a to go container of that one!

Happy Knitting!!

Wishful Knitting: Scrappy Marl

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I am still doing a decent amount of wishful knitting centered around using up scraps or holding fingering weight double. This week’s pattern search is the Scrappy Marl by Beata Jezek (Rav link)

For this one I can foresee using some of my larger scraps up that won’t be large enough for a memory blanket square. Maybe even some of small scraps for when I reach the crown decreases? The best part of this project is that I can just add and drop colors as I want because there is no right or wrong.

And this feeds nicely into my 2021 hat knitting kick and dovetails nicely into using up small scraps. I think this might be my carrot to get me to finish my Mom’s Christmas hat. Because arbitrary knitting rules, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Mom’s Christmas 2021 Hat

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Next up in my hat addiction is the yarn my mother specifically picked out to maker her a hat. My last few hats have been worsted but this yarn is DK so I’m having to re-do my numbers. I have tentatively cast on 96 stitches on a US 7 needle.

I really should gauge swatch but I am just going to start the hat and see what comes out. I mean the worst that happens is that I rip back and start again, lol. This yarn is some of the Shepherd’s Mill I picked up on my accidental yarn crawl. It’s a two ply DK with a subtle pink fade/gradient to the colors.

It will be interesting to see how far I get into the color progression before I need to finish the hat.

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Purple Worsted Hat

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Happy Glorious Friday! Spring is really starting to bloom in full force here and I have a FO to share today. My Purple Worsted Hat is done, washed, blocked and photographed!

Pattern: None – a basic 80 stitch toque/beanie with 2×2 rib brim

Yarn: Shepherd’s Mill 3 ply worsted

Needles: US 8s

Mods: None really as I made this up as I went

I went with an 8 point decrease on this hat for no other reason than it divided nicely into the 80 stitch count. I even leveled up my knitting skill and I worked these hat decreases with DPNs while doing an outdoor walk. And I didn’t even fall!!

This hat probably won’t fit the hugest head but will fit an average adult or large child. The fabric did end up very robust and dense so this will be a very warm hat. This has been tucked away in the cedar chest for whenever I need a gift. I didn’t knit this one with a recipient in mind.

And even after four or five hats I am still scheming my next hat cast on, lol. Happy Knitting!!

More Hat Decreases

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My Purple Worsted Hat is growing nicely. I popped my hat onto my mannequin head to see where I was to determine if crown decreases were necessary.

This yarn is custom milled here in Kansas at the Shepherds Mill in Phillipsburg KS. It’s a nice round three ply. I think this would be what knitting with handspun would be like? I noticed some thick and thin changes in the plies for this yarn as I work. I’m not knocking it but its certainly different than working with a mainstream commercial yarn.

After consulting the mannequin head and getting the hubby’s opinion, I think I am ready to start the decreases. And maybe I can have a FO this week?

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Purple Worsted Hat

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Now that my arbitrary knitting rules are satisfied with finishing my Toxic Oreo Vanilla Socks I let myself cast on my next worsted beanie.

I snuggled into my bed with my knitting and zoom knit night friends. I plugged away and got the ribbing complete. This yarn is quite a bit thicker than my last worsted skein. It is the 3ply worsted from Shepherds Mill I got on my accidental yarn crawl. So I only cast on 80 stitches to keep the hat coming out oversixed.

This thicker and rounder yarn is creating a much denser fabric than previous hats. This will for SURE be a wind proof hat, lol. But the world needs all kinds of hats so I’m just going with it.

Happy Knitting!!