Hat to dye for (and Pi too)

My knitting mojo is back with a vengeance. The Pi Shawl is coming along nicely and here is a photo with the first and second parts complete.





Knitting this is making me very happy and the fact that the pattern is broken into pieces is a bonus. When a portion is published, I knit on it until finished and then go back to my other project (which I really need to blog about).


What I really want to blog about is a hat that came out in the newest edition of Vogue Knitting. Color work calls to me and this hat just made my heart do cartwheels.



Buying new yarn hasn't really been on my list of things to accomplish so I searched through that big bag of KnitPicks Palette and found some things that might just work.






The pink was not 'wine' enough. Then thoughts went running through my mind and a pretty good idea came.









Some of the pink yarn went onto the knitty knoddy








and was cooked....for too long! The yarn turned black with too much dye.



After a second try, the perfect shade was produced

The first try is on the right and the second on the left










This is the color before and after








All ready to cast-on.

Warm hats not needed

My new issue of Interweave Knits arrived with the Brattleboro hat pattern that could not be resisted. The designer used worsted weight malabrigo which is beautiful but a little warm for Louisiana weather. I knew there was some beautiful Malabrigo Silky Merino in my stash and it was easily located (bonus)!

After swatching it was apparent that the DK weight yarn could be made to work and it turned out quite nice. The lighter weight will work well for Bugg while going to school in the 'Winter'. She has decided to stay here this semester to see if she likes it. We are thrilled!

All things Darby: After one week on the new insulin, Darby is back to himself. He has gained a little weight and has been playing with his buddy Kasey. When it is time for his shot, he walks up to me and bows his head down. Once finished, he looks up for a kiss on his little snoot. Gosh, I love this dog!

Miller's Hat - a finished object!

Miller's Hat came out from Through The Loops Designs just as I was finishing up the mystery sock.

What a cute, stylish hat and made with worsted yarn. I knew my daughter would love it.

It knit up quickly in just 3 days. I'll admit it was obsessive knitting, but you still have time to get a few finished for Christmas.

The main color is Tosh Worsted in Betine. This is from my fiber club subscription and there is one more skein of it.

The pink trim is Malabrigo Silky Merino in the color Rupestre. This was held double to attain Worsted gauge.

These yarns made for a super soft hat.

This is the only Christmas gift I've made this year!

See it on Ravelry

Syncopated hat and my BFL

Last year my pal Becky sent a link to a Ravelry project that immediately sparked my interest. It is one of those projects I knew I wanted to make...and I tried.


There was some self striping yarn in my stash that went beautifully with a solid black, at least it appeared to match. It turned out that there was a navy blue in the self striping yarn and it was just too close in color to the black.

Regia Silk ended up in my yarn procurement and I tried again. Happily, these colors contrast well and the results are pleasing.

It seems like forever since I've spun and finished yarn. Chris gifted me some lovely BFL back in August and I've kept it hidden because my son fell instantly for this:

6 ounces of BFL dyed up by Chris of Briar Rose Fibers.

Rumpelstiltskin, I'm not - it took awhile for me to finish spinning this lovely fiber.

It appears I've gotten over my hesitation to spin my 'good stuff'.





I really wish you could feel this yarn. It is incredibly soft and light.

There is 500 yards and I've tucked it away until something magnificent can be knit of it.

Heart of a hat

The Mirasol line has totally captured my heart. No wonder that this hat - hearts and all - would fly off of my needles. Of course, it is for Bugg.

Size 9 needles gave me gauge, had I to do it over again, size 10 (which is what is called for) may have been my choice as the hat is a tad snug.

The pattern is the Isla hat out of Book One and is knit with Mirasol's Sulka.

I considered adding tassels or braids to the ear flaps, but decided it was good for now - we'll see how Bugg likes it.

There is a thicker sock on my needles right now and I'm pretty certain I can finish them this week. They will be mom's birthday gift and she is sure to love them.

Babies need hats

A good friend just became an Aunt again. When her sister found out that she was having a baby girl and my reaction was, "oh, she will need a hat."

The baby was born about 2 months ago (ashamed, I admit that I don't know the baby's name) and it seemed about time to get that hat finished...

Bully Woolies has created Knit Kit In a Box and this came from their Tassel Tops in Grape Splash. It is a super quick knit and a great project to get your desire to knit colorwork going.

Note: Here is the link to Bully Woolies, but the site takes for-ev-er to load...even with high speed!

Knit in 100% cotton, this hat is sure to get use up until those winter-y breezes blow.

See it on Ravelry

Now might be a good time to start mom's Philosopher's Wool sweater!

So far behind

Reading blogs is part of my morning ritual - every day, even the weekends. After being away for a week, I've discovered that my pal's posts have exploded and lots of things are going on without me knowing. Not only do I miss reading about your escapades, but I miss sharing...even if there isn't much happening on the needles.

In the past two weeks I've:
-driven umpteen miles through Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana
-ate more fast food than the past two years combined
-ate ice cream nearly every day
-went to a wedding reception of a great friend of 21 years
-spent time with mom and dad : )
-visited family for the first time in awhile
-watched a baseball game
-rode roller coasters
-talked with an old friend
-went to drag races with my son
-had TWO pedicures
and
-missed my hubs!


What I didn't do was:
-knit much
-visit any yarn stores
-read much e-mail
-spin : (
-worry
and
-of course, read your blogs.

I will catch up, but it is going to be a process. Some of the bloggers I like to read post often.


What I did manage to knit was one more hat for Kristy's Hat Quest bringing my total to 4


and start another pair of socks - Zombie!

I am hopeful that there is enough yarn to make these for My Favorite Youngest Son BUT he just got a new pair of shoes and they were size 15! He's only 15 years old and if his feet don't slow down we will be having him fitted for boats soon.

I'm knitting a couple of inches and weighing the yarn. Should know within a couple of days.


Coming up:
-tennis resumes for Bugg
-a visit with a childhood friend whom I haven't seen in 7 or 8 years
-class advisory meeting with Bugg in KY

Hats for Kristy's Hat Quest

Kristy was my pal for International Scarf Exchange 3....way back when.

A few months ago, Kristy took on a huge task of knitting 300 hats for children living in an orphanage in Ukraine. Some fellow knitters joined a group on Ravelry to help accumulate hats.





Of course, I was willing to help...hats are easy enough, right? You would think - it has been so difficult for me to find time to just make a hat. Finally, two are finished and another one is on it's

way. Now that we are out of the gate, I hope to get a move on and crank out some more hats.

Speaking of charity - reminder that there are 10 days left until we draw a name to receive the Hope Blanket. All you have to do is donate to The American Cancer Society here. Just by donating, your name is put into the hat (no pun intended ; )