I’ve overcome my dropped stitch problems and busted through the entire brim! My Everyday Slouchy Beanie is soooo soft, I can help but stop and pet the fabric!
This is yarn I picked up from Winter Woolfest 2020 from Apothefaery Fibers. I’m holding brushed Suri alpaca and fingering weight sock yarn to make my fabric. It’s melted butter soft and doesn’t shed like mohair. And the best part is now I’m on to the bigger needles and the at is just FLYING!
I am cruising along through the brim of my Everyday Slouchy Beanie. This has been my Zoom meeting and assorted work from home conference call knitting that I keep in my lap. I looked down tonight after I had created about an inch of fabric throughout the day to discover a d*mn dropped stitch….
So I took a fortifying drink of chamomile tea and laddered back down in floofy suri alpaca lace weight held double with sock yarn. I didn’t feel like working the dropped stitch back up as it’s own column so I just worked a K2TOG with the stitch next to it. And then worked the single column of stitches all the way back up.
The fix was pretty seamless aside from you can see the decreased stitch. The floof of the suri silk really hides a on of sins. And now I’m back on track to almost be done with the brim. This hat has a folded double brim instead of ribbing. I am almost the point I can pick up my cast on edge and work into my live stiches.
Yarn: Bernat Satin Solids in black and some scraps of Caron Simply Soft for accents
Needles: US 5s
The knitting of the bomb portion went pretty well. I was getting a nice fabric on the 5s and none of the stuffing is showing through. My crochet for the fuse could be a bit tighter but I think it looks very fuse like. Now, my duplicate stitch is ATROCIOUS but at least successful for my first go at it.
I have looked at several tutorials now for the duplicate stitch and I think having this piece being in the round and the fact that there is stuffing on the inside makes this process not as simple as it would be for a flat piece. All I really need is more practice and I think I can improve.
I really liked this pattern and I think I’m going to crank out a few more to give out to coworkers and family once it’s safe to be in the same place at the same time again. I am finding this kind of knitting to be very cathartic!
Still working from home and my current coworker (aka my husband) insists on opening windows or running the AC because he is warm all the time. I meanwhile am freezing my debits and credits off. So I’m looking quite the sight on my Zoom meetings….but at least I’m warm!
I’m calling it….I’m frogging the TINY neck band for my Party Top. And this isn’t an April fools joke.
I just can’t pick this up to knit on it so there’s no sense in just letting it sit. I have had this on the needles since November…that is just too long. I still love this yarn and want it to turn it into something (its Moonstone Dyeworks DK in three coordinating colors). I also still want to make this top…but I think I have yarn in my stash that would be better suited to it.
I have found some clarity in my knitting lately and I feel in a much better place to “finish” or “frog” it. I want to work on things I will wear and want. No sense in forcing a project just because it is sitting there.
I am thinking a nice big squishy shawl would be great for this yarn. Maybe with these colors striped or faded? Time to dig into Ravelry!!
I felt the itch for a new project this weekend. And in light of recent world events I decided this project from my Ravelry queue would be PERFECT.
I even managed to find some black yarn from my stash that would be serviceable enough for this project. I have some Bernat Satin Solids in black rolling around from my early knitting days. I printed the project, grabbed some needles that should get me gauge and pulled a cute project bag from my stash.
I just need to work up the courage to cast on in the round with a small number of stitches on my DPNs. Not my favorite type of knitting but I really want this project. I will also have to learn to duplicate stitch as the F is added after the fact. So I guess I’ll use this time of distancing to add a new skill to my knitting tool kit.
I would hope to crank out a few of these over the next few weeks. I think they would make cute thank you gifts for my staff and other work colleagues when we (hopefully) get back to working regularly.
I was trying to be a good knitter and give future Rachelle a leg up on finishing these socks. I decided to weave in the end on my Dark Side Vanilla Socks (Take Two) before starting the heels. I am making these from a sock machine cranked sock tube, so there are a LOT of ends to weave in from the contrast heels, toes and cuffs.
I was working with the sock turned inside out and when I turned them right side out I had a d’oh moment. I had accidentally dipped my needle in too far and grabbed a stitch from the sock. After a couple of curse words I turned the sock inside out again and PICKED OUT MY CAREFULLY WOVEN IN ENDS. It took 30 minutes because the universe was teaching me a lesson.
I very carefully re-wove in the ends after I released the extra stitch. It looks much better now! It was a total weaving fail but at least one I could correct. I think these socks are ready for their afterthought heels now!
I have capitalized on my winding frenzy earlier this week and cast on my Everyday Slouchy Beanie by Dragon Hoard Designs. I also threw on the Corner of Craft podcast and had a dose of the amazing Hannah. I’m in my basement guest room/craft room surrounded by chaos but I just felt the need for a new cast on.
The project called for a provisional crochet cast on. I was not in the mood so I just did a knitted on cast on. I may regret my choice when I have to fold this brim over later in the project and join it to the live stitches on my needle. But today I didn’t have the stamina to deal with a crochet provisional cast on. I also chose to have a glass of wine in my favorite glass. The wine is a nice crisp Pinot Grigio from Yellowtail Wines.
I received some happy mail this week. I managed to catch one of Hannah of the Corner of Craft’s shop updates. She is maker in the UK that bead weaves stitch markers among other crafts. And my package arrived very neatly packaged (and with a sample of tea, yum!).
I chose a little pink and white unicorn. And it just so tiny and perfect that I can’t help myself. I am trying to figure out which project this should live on! It’s so perfectly light that it will work for almost any project….so maybe my next pair of socks?
I have am really leaning into knitting as a balm for my anxiety and stress levels. My brain has been really drawn to my recent Apothefaery Yarns acquisitions. I really want to work the Suri Alpaca yarn and jump on the bandwagon. I have chosen a pattern yet but I did wind it up this past weekend. I have never wound laceweight before and I was nervous….
It was loose on my swift and I literally held my breath the whole time I was winding. Even with the floof….it wound perfectly the first time with no tangles! I was worried because it looked a little matted in the hank. I had more trouble with the fingering weight skein I picked to hold with the Suri! I had to wind that one THREE TIMES.
And while I had tools out I wound more yarn for some more socks. I pulled my BFL sock yarn from Amy of Stranded Dyeworks and some self striping Must Stash yarn. They both wound just fine. Although I didn’t pay attention and wound the Must Stash perfectly matched skeins backwards. One I will need to knit from the inside and the other from the outside.
I think this is all proof that I have a case of Cast-on-itis in the works!