Tag Archives: teal

Very Slow Hat Progress

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We are still basking in Christmas glow, mostly because I love the lights and we have been too busy to undecorate. My teal dreams hat finally saw some knitting time. I have the brim turned and working up the main hat.

A coworker asked for a ponytail hat and I am considering turning this hat into one of those. I haven’t made one in this construction method but I feel like it wouldn’t be hard. I might even try to incorporate a hair tie for the closure to add stability.

I have much pondering to do. Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Teal Dreams Hat

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I needed another easy project on the needles to kick around when I am tired or watching movies. Another hat it is!

I cast on this hat during a 90 minute customer care call with a work vendor. I added 96 stitches and then did a single row of 2×2 rib and then switched back to stockinette. Those few rib stitches are really helping the brim to keep from rolling all the way up.

I am going to work a folded brim for this one, but in stockinette this time. I just didn’t have the fortitude to work 4-6 inches of ribbing. My brain is still digesting the Christmas haze and carbohydrates. Other than that decision, I am just winging this hat. I’ll decide the rest as I go!

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: The Other Coworker Hat

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I made it! The second hat is done and ready to move to the Pacific Northwest

Pattern: My own 96 stitch basic beanie “recipe” with a folded 2×2 brim (Rav link)

Yarn: Lilliput Yarn Woof Worsted in the Chasing Cars colorway

Needles: US 8s

This hat was made to be a large but somehow, magically, I used THE SAME amount of yardage as my medium hat. I don’t under the physics….but the scale does not lie. It could be this skein was a tid bit heavier/larger than the chocolate? Whatever, this hat is roughly 177 yards of yarn and 80 grams.

Happy Knitting!!

Coworker Conference Knitting

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What a difference 8 hours of sitting and listening can make! My second coworker hat is ready for decreases!

I am super ready to NOT be sitting in ballroom straight backed chairs and drinking really bad coffee. The muggles around me were really impressed with my multi-tasking skills and I think I just might make my deadline!

I do think I will STILL have yarn leftover even with a larger brim and more stitches. Perhaps I could use these leftovers and the chocolate leftovers to make a wee toddler hat for my coworker’s kiddo? Shall I dare?

Hat In A Hotel

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I finished my first coworker hat and wasted no time in busting through the second. I’m working against the clock here. And it’s conference season so I’m working out of a hotel room for a few days.

This is going to be a bit larger than my first. I knit the ribbed brim longer this time in an effort to use more of the yarn. Since I am making up this from a “recipe” it is a dangerous game as I also increased the stitch count. I need to monitor my yarn usage to ward off yarn chicken.

The good news is that I am already in the stockinette section and I have two days of conference lectures!

Happy Knitting!!

A Plying Spree

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My wheel was empty after finishing my Fusion BFL skeins so I decided to ply up my first couple of set of singles. My purple singles and teal singles were WELL rested and ready for plying.

I used my ball winder to wind both singles into center pull cakes to ply end to end. My spinning teacher recommended this for me based on the twist/singles she saw me making. So I just decided to give it a whirl and I learned a lot.

First up, I could really tell I spun the purple singles first. They had much more thick and thin spots with plenty of unspun bits. That is compared to my teal singles that got more consistent thanks to practice. And both skeins had some overspun spots where it made plying extra hard because the yarn kinked back up on itself.

At the end of the day I have two filled bobbins with almost finished yarn. Next up for those yarn babies is bath and whack! Happy Spinning!!

Starting and Finishing Teal Singles

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I’ve had a steal spinning project on my wheel ever since I finished my purple singles. I had second 4 oz bag of merino blend roving from The Shepherd’s Mill where I took my lessons, this time in teal with rainbow flecks.

I admit I struggled in the very beginning with this fiber. I was trying to spin WAY to thin for my skill level so I was breaking every couple of minutes. Once I calmed down and consciously spun thicker then I really started cooking with gas.

Over the course of the past couple of week I managed to get all four ounces on one bobbin. I will likely ply this yarn with another single but it hasn’t told me what it wants to be when it grows up. So I am going to let it rest and start another batch of singles. I think I might be hooked!

Happy Spinning!

One DK Weight Heel

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My Double Vanilla Sock is growing much faster in its current iteration than it did in the first. The foot literally took no time at all and the heel only one evening’s worth of knitting.

At this point I decided to be smart and weight my yarn ball. After that I weighed my sock. And then did some math and pulled enough yarn off the ball to have split the skein in half. This was done as a precaution and to prevent running out of yarn on sock two.

I think for this pair of socks that are likely to be worn as house slippers, I will knit the leg largely in rib. This will give a nice snug fit and perhaps keep the sock on my foot while its not going to be a in a shoe.

Happy knitting!!

Ripping Back

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My Double Vanilla Socks having been sitting in timeout for….awhile. The foot just kept looking super skinny compared to what my normal socks come out to. So I pulled a finished sock from my drawer and held them up together. And my instincts were correct….this sock is too skinny. So to the frog pond it went.

I didn’t go crazy, I only ripped back to the toe. I think I am going to only add 4 stitches to the total sock. That equates to two more increase rows before proceeding with the foot again. I think I will just be happier with a bigger sock.

My interest in this project has been rejuvenated since I made the decision to make them bigger. Sometimes my sub conscious is better at knitting than I am, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Hurricane Hat #2

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My second Hurricane Hat is complete and I’m not sure who is more excited….myself or Jellybean. He immediately grabbed his Hurricane Hat and put it on so we could match. Still isn’t cold enough long enough for us to wear them so the fashion session didn’t last long. Oh well, lol.

@rlmathews

Pattern: Hurricane Hat by Andrea Guldin (Ravelry link)

Yarn: West Yorkshire Spinners Aire Valley DK (held double) in the Teal colorway

Needles: US 7s

Mods: I added 8 stitches to hat total and just fudged the number of stitches between each swirl and kind of made the crown decreases fit.

@rlmathews

This hat ended up with a nice relaxed fit around the crown and a good slouch in the back. I did give this a good bath in my Tuft woolens bar so I could add some lanolin to this hat. The West Yorkshire Spinner Aire Valle DK is pretty “rustic” feeling. It did soften up with washing but still has some toothiness to it. But for SURE it will be a nice warm wooly hat for winter. I think this will go in our hat bin that sits by the front door ready for grab and go needs.

Happy Knitting!!