Don't Laugh

"Darn it, Jim, I'm a knitter, not a crocheter!"

So please be kind as I put this out there . . .


This is a crochet hat I did to send along with the knitted ones I'm doing for the medical mission to New Guinea.

Please keep in mind, I never really learned to crochet (or at least I don't remember it) other than single crochet and a shell pattern to edge on my knitting. I wasn't even quite sure how to decrease for the top of the hat. I used a few different stitches to accomplish the hat.

A couple other hats I finished are baby/toddler/child sized. One has an i-cord drawstring closing up the top and the other has a seed stitch rim instead of ribbing.





I'm still working on the KAL hat as well....updates to come soon!

Happy knitting! (or hooking for those of you who do crochet!)

KAL Pattern

The goal for my KAL hat project is to complete the first section of the 10-row pattern by the end of today.

I really like how it looks!! It reminds me both of a leaf motif and a stained glass/arched window. I had to pay close attention on a couple of the rows because I got off by one stitch (which, as you can imagine, throws the entire pattern off!!) and had to frog back to the beginning of the round and try again. (Thank goodness I discovered the error before going on to the next round!)

The next part of the pattern is to repeat this 10 row pattern. I'm thinking I can have that done by the end of Friday given the fact I've now done it once.

Stay tuned! (and happy knitting!)

Vivonne Bay Hat

I am knitting a couple hats for charity from stash and completed one over the weekend. I really like the pattern, which is called Vivonne Bay. It was fun to do and went quickly...I'd guess maybe 5 hours of knitting altogether. (maybe less)




(thanks to my DD for modeling the hat!)

Happy knitting!

Catching Up

I must admit, I didn't do much knitting over the weekend. (*gasp!* "so close to Christmas?" you're thinking.)

Well, it's true. My left wrist has been very sore for a few days, so I was giving it a rest.

But I did take photos 1)of a completed project:



It's another of "Fool's Gold" by Chris Church from the Knotions ezine. I LOVE this pattern. Have now completed 3 child size hats for nephews & niece. This is the niece version. I knit it double stranded using 2 colors of pink superwash wool. I think it turned out great!

Also, I couldn't resist trying the sock blank that my swap partner/friend K sent me from California. K dyed the sock blank herself and I think it's really lovely.



I've been knitting on this in public and discovering that most people don't get the concept of a sock blank. So I'll explain.

The piece of knitted fabric comes that way. I am not undoing a piece of knitted fabric that someone took the time to lovingly hand knit. It came as one piece of fabric. And it was white.

K then dyed the sock blank in the manner of her choosing, with the colors she wanted to work with.

The blank was knitted double-stranded. That means that however K dyed it, when it unravels to become the sock yarn I make the socks from, the two seperate balls of yarn (which were knit together, side-by-side, into one piece of fabric) will knit up two identical socks. [This is a huge benefit to the people who must have identical twin socks....i.e. stripes must match up when the two seperate socks are layed side by side.]

Here's a shot that shows the two seperate strands coming apart from the knitted fabric, each going to its own sock. (I am knitting two socks at once on 2 circular needles.)



I met a woman at the car dealership last week who looked at me as if this were some sort of magic. We were both getting our oil changed in our vehicles. She was a crocheter. First off, she'd never seen "such tiny knitting needles!" Then she was convinced I had knit the sock blank fabric and changed my mind when the piece turned out too small to be anything useful. She seemed mesmerized by the whole process. We chatted for 15 or 20 minutes beyond my car being ready to roll. And I got a pattern for crocheting pot scrubbies from nylon cord to boot!

What have you been working on?

Happy knitting!

Fools Gold

The minute I saw Chris Church's pattern, Fools Gold over at Knotions, I knew it was a pattern I HAD to make for my niece and nephew (whether for Christmas or otherwise).

It is simply THE cutest hat I've ever seen!

Even though they were actually visiting this past weekend, I went ahead and cast on for the project. I had some Swish bulky from Knit Picks left over from another project. It is a washable, 100% wool, so it seemed ideal. I started Friday night, knit a little on the hat Saturday evening and completed it Sunday afternoon in a couple of hours. (All total, knitting time was around 3-4 hours....I think.)

Here's the completed project:



. . . and atop a real head (though, granted, a head larger than the one it is intended for!!)




Chris Church's design rocks! It was easy to knit (and fun too!) It only takes about 135 yards of bulky weight yarn (1 skein!!) and a U.S. #10 24" circular needle. I think the wee kiddies (and their mom & dad) will like it!

Happy Knitting!