Fluffy Decreases

Turns out that a full day of sitting in a cold ballroom is just the right motivation to get my Great Sweater Hat all the way to the decreases! And impress a few muggles along the way.

My extroverted introvert is now safely tucked into bed and I have the needles in for the decreases. I also have my complimentary glass of wine from the happy hour and I’m flat out exhausted. We have a half day tomorrow and I should be able to finish this one. Don’t worry, I’ll tuck a backup project in my bag for when I finish.

Happy Knitting!!

Bonus Mom Night

I am gearing up to run a conference this week and I checked into my hotel a night early to get settled. And I took all the hats that I cast on with me in a big ole bag. For the first day, I focused on the vanilla fuzzy hat that I am calling The Great Sweater Hat.

The sport yarn is Leading Men Fiber Arts callback base in the Great Sweater Debate color and I’m holding it with Stranded Dyeworks Mohair Silk in the Patisserie. I cruised through the brim and got it folded/attached. And now it’s stockinette cruising until I reach the decreases.

I am really loving this hotel/convention as I have a sitting area separate from the bed/sleeping area. This is the same place I stayed for Knitting In the Heartland 2024 and its amazing! I am excited to see what else I can crank out when I’m not bouncing between mom-life and work life.

Happy Knitting!!

Noir Brim

My Film Noir Hat is swimming along nicely. I am safely into the main body pattern repeats.

I can now confirm that the stockinette is softer than my previous 100% wool version of this. The mohair still has a tooth to it but the cashmere blend smooths that out. I am not sure I can tell any difference when it gets to the patterned section. I think the texture negates any softness you gain with the fiber content.

Happy Knitting!!

After Dark Cast On

I have been petting these skeins of 100% cashmere since I purchased them at The Studio. I am dying to see what this feels like knit up.

I am going back to my beanie “recipe” but adjusted for my gauge at this weight of yarn. I am using US 5 needles and casting on more stitches. I did unwisely choose to cast this on…at night….in my bed….when tired. I counted more than three times to get my stitch county and ensure this was not twisted. My eyes are not what they used to be!

But I am cooking with gas now and I need to get some more fabric made so I can really feel the hand of this fabric! Happy Knitting!!

Another Bluestem Beanie

Over the weekend, I cast on another Bluestem Beanie and once again, couldn’t put it down.

I smashed through the brim and several repeats of the pattern repeat. For this version I chose to use some scraps of Apothefaery Fibers Delightful DK that was leftover from a baby sweater for PB. I paired it with some Stranded Dyeworks Mohair Silk in the Gloom colorway. The mohair is a light grey that dulls down the minty green of the DK.

I will note that this finished fabric is NOT as soft as the alpaca and mohair combo. Not in a bad way but it does feel more rustic with a less soft base yarn under the mohair. I’m interested in what people think of this one when its done.

Happy Knitting!!

Deer Hat Progress

My Oh Deer! Hat has been living in my car these days for car line knitting and appointments. Progress has been slow but I did finally turn the brim.

I am also reading Remarkably Bright Creatures for my book club. It has been just the right amount of story detail and family drama to fit in my brain space this fall. I was unloading my car this morning and noticed how well my knitting coordinated with my book, lol!

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Chiefs Hat #4

I am still working my projects for 2024 Pigskin Party KAL points so here is my fourth Chiefs Hat this season.

I decided to start with the Malabrigo Rios I recently stashed in the “non-traditional” colors in my basic beanie recipe. This is my 88 stitch basic beanie recipe. I did make the brim about 5 rows taller so I could fit the embroidery patch on. The ones I have left are pretty tall.

I also chose to have the red keep going after the fold. I like the edge it creates to the hat. And then I moved back to my smaller stripes in the body of the hat. I was disappointed that the grey skein had a knot in it and I had to splice the yarn. You can TOTALLY see my splice. I do plan to put the patch over this to hide it.

Happy Knitting!!

Pardon My Sneezes

I have been obsessed with my Bluestem Beanie and it has been my all consuming project. I have forgotten how much mohair fuzzes and creates floaties. I find myself with mohair on my clothes and tickling my nose/eyes. To the point my kids asked me why I was sneezing!

Since this weekend, I have knit the 6 inches of stockinette and started in with the patterning. I had to concentrate to set up the stitches but once I was established then I can knit it almost without looking.

I do have to be careful to catch both plies. I found a couple of stitches where I didn’t grab the mohair. And thus far I have been pleased with the mohair as far as staying tangle free and being able to pull back mistakes. And the feel of this finished fabric is DEVINE! I will definitely work this combo again.

Happy Knitting!!

Multiple Blues (And Grey)

This morning was a full morning of gymnastics for PB. To give myself a break from the Chiefs Hats….I only packed my Musselburgh in Blues hat to the gym.

Between Trick or Treat knitting and Mom Cab knitting, I have made good progress! I very quickly realized that I needed some neutrals to tie all these blues together. So I grabbed some grey scraps to break up the blues. This one might end up more “Frankenstein” than the first but it will still be a warm hat, lo

Now on to a well earned Saturday afternoon nap! Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Musselburgh In Blues

Happy Halloween!. I decided to start that Musselburgh in Blues hat while passing out candy at the door later tonight. But first I needed to get the increases done and get the knitting going in the round in the circular needles.

I am customizing the Musselburgh pattern for a worsted yarn (but adjusted for my gauge) to make this hat. I’m not 100% following the pattern but using it’s guidance to get a hat I like. As I am using scraps, I am flying by the seat of my pants to know where and how I will finish. It’s kind of like a “choose your own adventure” hat as I start building these colors.

Be safe and save me a Twix!! Happy Knitting!!