Cast On: Kindness Double Brim Hat

Last week I finished my Kindness Mitts out of my last skein of Hedgehog Fibers Merino DK. And I have about 80 grams of yarn left between my two colors. So I did some pattern searching and I found pattern to start a hat. I am using Staci Perry’s Double Thick Brim Hat.

Now I’m just using this pattern as loose guide. I definitely don’t have enough yarn to knit a double thick brim or to make it exceedingly slouchy. But I like the stitch count and gauge enough I think I can modify it enough for my purposes.

I’ve completed about 3 inches (ish) of ribbing and I’m starting the stockinette portion. The next trick will be to decide how to work in the Salty Tales (grey speckle) color into my hat to maximize my hat size. I am deciding between small stripes to match my Kindness KAL 2019 shawl or one thick band/stripe just to be done faster.

Happy Knitting!

Mother’s Day Cast On

The hubby gave me the best Mother’s Day present ever….three hours home alone by myself! I took a luxurious shower and cast on my Mother’s Day Cast On….The Kindness KAL 2019 shawl by Jamal’s Spiro.

I amazed myself and got through two sections while laughing myself silly to Knitting Vicariously podcast. It was HEAVEN!

Did anyone else cast on something special and selfish for Mother’s Day?

Cast On: Baldwin The Bathroom Monster

I knit Jellybean a toy for his second birthday. And I got the crazy idea back over a month ago that PB needed a monster for her first birthday. So we went shopping and she helped me pick yarn. Well I finally got around to starting the silly monster. I had a silly mental block around the fact I would need to magic loop this toy. While I understood the mechanics I have never really use that technique. I finally put my big kid pants and just started.

I worked both feet and got the project started in the round. It was kinda fiddly and my cord on my interchangeable needles isn’t exactly ideally flexible but I’m making it work and figuring it out.

I did make a not so nice observation. My monster feet are two different sizes. One is noticeably smaller than the other because I must have forgot some rows somewhere. It’s less than three weeks until PB’s birthday party and I have decided I don’t care and all the cool monsters have mis-matched feet. I’m the boss of my knitting!!

Ps. This is living in my Bags by Awesome Grannie project bag and it’s making me soooo happy!

Happy Knitting!!

Prepping My Mother’s Day Cast On

For the past couple of years I have joined the Prairie Girls Knit and Spin Podcast bandwagon and set aside time for myself to cast on a selfish project for myself on Mothers Day. In the past I have made the Old Man of Storr in 2016Nangou in 2017, and Antarktis in 2018.

This year I have always known what yarn I wanted to cast on for my Mothers Day project but I have been waffling on the pattern. I know I want to use my Hedgehog Fibers Merino DK yarn in Ink and Salty Tales. But I have been wishful knitting this yarn and nothing sang to me. But now I know what I want to do!

I’m going to knit the Kindness KAL 2019 shawl pattern by Jaala Spiro of KnitCircus yarns. I have more yarn than I need but I’m just going to either extend the pattern or knit the leftovers into a matching accessory.

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Is it Mothers Day yet?? In the meantime Jellybean and I need to get to caking up my yarns…..Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Westport Blanket

I have conquered the annoying yarn vomit and managed to start my baby blanket! With my Mighty Stitch held double I just over 600 yards for a blanket. So I did a quick search of my queue and favorites and found the Westport Blanket by Fifty Four Ten Studio.

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So after the kids went to bed I managed to get a good start on the blanket. I have enough yarn for the Small size. It’s supposed to be crib or lap sized. I didn’t check gauge (bad knitter, I know) so I don’t know if I’ll end up with the pattern dimensions. Ask me if I care? 🙂

You just gotta love bulky yarn on big needles right? Even with my limited knitting time I feel like I accomplished something decent!

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Free Your Fade

I have a FO to show you tomorrow and to celebrate I cast on a project I have been thinking about for MONTHS! I finally put my Free Your Fade on the needles!

I finally settled on my One Twisted Tree Lavish in Chaotic Nuetral (grey) followed by Leon Alexander Yarns Duke DK in Oh La La (variegated) and finished by some Anzula Ava in Raspberry (pink).  It’s neutral(ish) with nice pops of colors and should coordinate with my wardrobe really well.

It took me honestly casting on three times to get a product I was happy with. I didn’t like my initial slipped stitches on the edges. Then I messed up the yarn overs on the my second go. But finally this third attempt is looking pretty spiffy! This might quickly become my new obsession…

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Dad’s 2019 Christmas Socks

I was feeling a sock sized hole in my life after finishing my Helping Hippos Socks. My dad is the most grateful and totally knit worthy person in my life. So I decided to get a jump on some 2019 Christmas socks. I found some machine washable sport weight sock yarn in my stash I got from a yarn store closing in 2017. It’s not one I have worked with before but it feels sturdy and will stand up well to my dad’s work boots. I managed to pull together a full kit and get started after my tiny humans went to bed.

The best part of these? While they are 72 stitches total, they are sport weight on US 3 needles so they really feel like they fly!

I am having to keep a lotion bar in my project bag. This yarn just sucks the moisture out of hand. Look at all those lovely guard hairs! These babies are going to warm!!

Happy Knitting!!

(Re) Cast On: Mini Solutions Scarf

Next up on my breast pumping/lunch project rotation is my Mini Solutions Scarf. You can remember here that I misread the pattern and had to rip out the whole Christmas Eve cast on progress. So this past week I decided to get back in the saddle.

This little wedge is one 45 minute lunch worth’s of progress. And its WAAAY better looking than my first attempt. And how cute is this subtlety tonal yarn?? Or is variegated? I really stink at deciphering….nonetheless its pretty!

Now I’m cruising through all soothing garter stitch until I run out the first mini ball of yarn. This super tired working momma sure loves her some garter stitch. It keeps my hands busy and my brain pleasantly calm.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Gonna Need Sunglasses Vanilla Socks

I have a serious case of Cast On-itis and I’ve held it in check to try to finish Jellybeans sweater. But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel on that project so I indulged myself.

My lunches at work involve quality time with my constant companion aka my breast pump. So I spend about 45 minutes sitting. Turns out that if I eat before I pump then that time span is just enough time to start a toe up sock toe. This is some Regia Fluormania that has been in my stash for awhile. Between the obnoxious color and the fact I didn’t have to wind it made this the perfect yarn choice! My sock needles were cold…..what’s a girl to do!? CAST ON ALL THE SOCKS!!!This will be my bedtime knitting as the Mood Indigo currently resides in my purse. I really should finish the soon too….

Happy Knitting!

Cast On: Charlotte Winter

Over the Christmas Holiday we spent several days at my parents house and off of work. Hooray! For this I had a goal, I wanted to work on something for myself in the day leading up to Christmas. I had my birthday yarn all wound up and waiting. And I had also swatched and done my sweater math for the Charlotte Winter. THIS was going to be my “my parents can babysit so I can breathe and knit a bit” project.

This was the first day’s progress. Gotta love bulky weight yarn and big needles right? I worked out my color work plan started cruising through the raglan increases. I had a bit of trouble keeping track of right side and wrong side since I wanted the “wrong” side of the garter ridges to show. And I may have made a few mistakes but garter stitch is very forgiving and no one will ever know.

Stay tuned for more progress tomorrow!

Happy Knitting