Another Folded Brim

The 2025 Conference Hat has a turned brim and is roasty toasty in front of the fire.

My ball of Yarns Northwest Silk and Merino is disappearing rapidly so I need to dig out the second ball from my stash in order to finish this hat. I can still work this one on auto pilot after getting the brim turned.

It’s been hard to keep working on this one as the Swiftie Beanie has been calling to me to work on. The bigger yarn and changing colors are giving me more dopamine than solid color in the round.

Happy Knitting!!

Casting On: Swiftie Hat

I couldn’t help myself, I cast on another hat. I am staring a Touchdown Beanie by Katie Carlson with a Chiefs kit from TreasureGoddess and her fall sale. I am calling this one the Swiftie Beanie though. I have a colleague turning 50 next year and she both loves Chiefs and Taylor Swift.

I had just enough mojo to power through a TON of 2×2 ribbing for the brim. I extended the ribbing a bit so that she can fold the brim. But I do not plan to turn and sew it down, at least just not yet.

Happy Knitting!!

Slogging Along

The 2025 Conference Hat is still muddling along. Not much progress but at least another inch or so of brim has unfolded.

This silk and merino brim can work up to be quite splitty. I have to be very careful with my metal needles. This project bag has been living in my work back pack. It counts as “emergency supplies” for long meetings and boring conference calls.

It’s my only “vanilla” or “auto pilot knitting” on the needles right now. I have to pay attention to my advent socks, my Cozy Classic Raglan and count in the shawl. Maybe I should have some more socks or another hat? That surely is exactly what this holiday seaon needs, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: 2025 Fall Hat

I do love a good cozy cast on. I was traveling recently and after finishing my Firepit Hat and my Dragonfly Hat, I needed a new hat for on-the-go knitting. I grabbed some Yarns Northwest Silk & Merino from my stash because it didn’t need wound. I was low on prep time before traveling.

This is finer yarn than the worsted that listed on the label. I feel like this is closer to a heavy sport or sport weight. Therefore, I chose to go down in needle size for my beanie “recipe” and up in stitch count. I cast on 112 stitches with US 5s. And I snuggled into a fluffy hotel bed with my complimentary glass of wine. What could go wrong! 😛

Happy Knitting!!

Finished: Firepit Hat

The Firepit Hat is DONE!

Pattern: My own basic vanilla folded brim beanie. I didn’t even count stitches on this one

Yarn: Isager Yarn Ararn Tweed in Black

Needles: US 10 and 8s for decreases

Turns out my fears about using smaller needles on the brim were unfounded. I really don’t think you can tell a discernable difference. This yarn is SUPER rustic and will definitely end up in the gift pile. I do not think this is a yarn I would buy again or work with by choice. It’s just too rustic for what I am used to.

I used up most of the skein as this hat turned out to be Large. Not surprising based on the fact I didn’t count my cast on or worry/calculate gauge. I let the yarn chicken gods figure it out and I won. This hat is 89 grams or 140 yards of yarn in the finished object.

Happy Knitting!!

Finished: Dragonfly Hat

The Dragonfly Hat is complete!

Pattern: My own basic beanie recipe with 88 stitches and vanilla turned brim

Yarn: Abstract Fiber Dakota in Dragonfly

Needles: US 8s

This hat turned out pretty decent and I think the flashing/pooling ended up being very aesthetically pleasing. I used 58 grams of yarn or roughly 150 yards of yarn. This hat did end up more in the Adult Medium size versus some of my past ones were Adult Larges.

I think I would work with this yarn base again. I don’t normally use a ton of variegated yarn for hats but this was a nice departure from solid or tonal yarn. I am not sure if this will stay in the house or go in the gift pile but it will be nice regardless!

Happy Knitting!!

Knitting To Stay Warm

I am in meetings this week in large rooms and I am FROZEN. I firmly believe the facility I am in is running the AC. It’s wild. So I am knitting faster so I can be warm!

I shouldn’t be surprised that this Aran weight yarn is working up faster than worsted does. And this hat is also ready for decreases. The downside is that I don’t have (or can’t find) any DPNs in 10.5 US. I have 8s and 9s….

I think I will end up using the smaller needles in the interest of being done with this hat. I either lean into trying to actively make my gauge looser or just go with the crown will have a tighter fabric. Either way, I really don’t think it will make a jarring difference on the hat. And my brain is ready to move on to the next WIP 🙂

Happy Knitting!!

Ready For Dragonfly Decreases

I love how quickly a basic beanie moves after turning the brim. Basically you knit twice as far to just get halfway when you make a folded brim.

The Dragonfly Hat is ready for decreases now. I was pleased to see that the micro stripe didn’t change much when I got into body knitting. And the fold worked perfectly. I do need to remember where my DPNs went so I can close out this hat, lol. The time change has my brain chemistry a little lagging lately.

Happy Knitting!!

This Is Going To Be Rustic

This Bonfire Hat is going to be RUSTIC. This yarn has tooth to it, especially knit up.

I managed to get the brim knit and folded up. It was not the easiest to do with this incredibly blunt needles and this thick yarn, but I managed. I can now cruise on the hat body and see what I can get done.

I have some travel coming up and I think I will take my Round Yoke Pullover and several hat options to work on.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Firepit Hat

Friends invited us for a driveway hang with their new fire pit. And I didn’t have anything on hand that I wouldn’t mind to knit and have it smell like fire.

I grabbed my skein of Isager Yarn Aran Tweed I picked up on Looped DC this past summer. Mostly because it was already caked up. And I cast on a whole whack of stiches, I didn’t even count. Just went on vibes.

And after one good hang out and a couple of beers, I managed to get this much hat done. Just using my basic recipe of a vanilla beanie with a folded brim. No ribbing, just miles of stockinette. Love me some basic auto pilot knitting…

Happy Knitting!!!