Headwind

A friend of mine, Rachel, the lovely lady behind Arbor Twist yarns and designs, was featuring a new hat pattern and needed test knitters.

The hat comes in Beanie or Slouchie, and she was in desperate need of Beanie testers, so I signed up in a heart beat, and was able to use some deep-stash yarn from way back in 2013 when I went to Tennessee.

I'm very happy with it, and it's warm, comfy, and beautiful - what more can a girl ask? I love the pattern - it's so simple to follow but beautiful - and I love the result!


Ravelry Project Page

Fair Isle Tam

Last week, I wrote about my adventures at Stitches West and how on Saturday, I took a class on Traditional Fair Isle Tams.

I must say, it was worth it.  Best money I've ever spent.

The class was with Beth Brown-Reinsel of KnittingTraditions.com, and she was one of the most wonderful knitting teachers I've ever had.  Everything that she said was clear and concise.  She taught multiple methods for each technique, but never in a way where you got them confused with each other.  She broke the group up into small sections so you could see better, but you never felt like you had to wait for her, since there was always something more to do.

She taught extensively about Tams themselves, their construction, and their makeup, and with the nature of Tams as they are, you were able to work steadily as she went around from person to person and checked your work.

The class was over a morning and afternoon session, each one three hours, so it was a long day, but it didn't feel like it.  By the end of the class, I had almost finished the Tam, and quickly finished it up and wove the ends in that night at the house with the ladies.

The end result was a child's Tam, which was a little sad because you couldn't wear your accomplishment right away, but I think it would probably have been overwhelming if we had tried to make an adult tam in that time.

She also had dozens of beautiful examples and tips for great ways to improve our knitting as we went on and other resources to use to create our own patterns.  We got to experiment with color (and I learned that I probably should have switched the green and orange placements in my tam).

I am so glad I took this class.

Oh, and here's my cute little finished tam!

Ravelry Project

Dad's Cozy Gator

As you know by now if you follow this blog on anything like a regular basis, I make lots of gifts.  Lots.  Well, my Dad's birthday was this past Monday, and so, surprise surprise, I made him...a gift!

My Dad is always hard to shop for.  He doesn't really have a keen appreciation for the arts, doesn't particularly enjoy unique items of clothing, and really only will use something if it fits directly into his current routine or optimizes his life somehow.  Last year, I got away with Double Helix Socks, which he seemed to like, but socks again?  That was out of the question.

But, lucky for me, he does have a few hobbies, and most of them are outdoors.  A Miami boy transplanted to Boston, he's learned to love the cold without impinging his outdoor passion.  This means November through March, you can find him winter camping, skiing (cross-country and downhill), snowshoeing, or mountain biking in the snow.  It's certainly an invigorating set of activities!

When I moved to San Francisco, a place where 45 degrees is a chilly day, I found a plethora of people who used this newfangled item called a "gator."  As someone who always wore down coats and scarves, I hadn't ever considered this an item one would use, but upon further investigation, I saw its use.  It can be just that little extra warmth you need on a day between the seasons.  It can line your scarf-coat area where the wind sneaks through on a particularly blustery day.  And it can be pulled up to catch the bottom of your ears that never quite get covered by the hat.

You guessed it: I made my father a gator.

I followed a pattern I found on Ravelry, but used Bulky weight yarn, bigger needles,and fewer stitches.  It actually ended up being less stretchy because of that, which was somewhat sad, but it worked anyway.  Next time, I would make it longer by at least a few inches.

Ravelry Pattern | Ravelry Project

The Heartwarming Headache: HeadCrab Hat (PATTERN)

My brother-in-law's fantastic post about his hat.

I posted a few months ago about my brother-in-law's birthday gift from last year - cow slippers.  As you can imagine, I had trouble again this year, until my husband sent me this link.  Apparently, headcrab hats are all the rage this year, and he was convinced that Whitsun would love one.

The only problem was that I couldn't find a pattern.

And so, lo and behold,  bring you...the Headcrab Hat Pattern!

Materials:

• about 150 yards of a bulky, crab colored yarn (subject to change)
• scrap yarn for your leg-ends
• size 9 needles

Hat:

(note: this was made to go over dreadlocks)

• Cast on 66 stitches, join in round
• Knit in a (k2, p2) rib for one inch
• Knit stockinette stitch until hat measures 6-7"
• K2tog every 11 stitches for 9 rows.  12 stitches remain.
• Cut yarn, thread through, and bind off.

Short Legs:

(make 4)

• Cast on 5 stitches, join in round
• Knit for 10 rows
• Switch to contrasting color, knit 2 rows
• K2tog twice, knit 1
• Cut yarn, thread through, and bind off.

Medium Legs:

(make 2)

My hubby in the hat before we sent it out.

• Cast on 5 stitches, join in round
• Knit for 15 rows
• Switch to contrasting color, knit 2 rows
• K2tog twice, knit 1
• Cut yarn, thread through, and bind off.

Long Legs:

(make 4)

• Cast on 10 stitches, join in the round
• Knit for 15 rows
• K2tog 5 times
• Knit 20 roww
• Switch to contrasting color, knit 2 rows
• K2tog twice, knit 1
• Cut yarn, thread through, and bind off.

Finishing:

• Attach the four short legs across the "forehead" of the hat
• Attach the two medium legs on either side of the stretch of short legs
• Attach two long legs on the outside of the front stretch of legs
• Attach the other two long legs about 4 inches apart in the back
• Weave in the ends and be consumed!

Ravelry Pattern | Ravelry Project

Minion Hat!

My brother, Ben, turned 16 on March 3rd.  (Yay!).  Well, of course, I wanted to make him a birthday gift, and I searched for patterns for a long long time.  Finally, I found this one.  It was perfect!  He was obsessed with Despicable Me for a while and still thinks it's pretty cool, so I made him a Minion Hat (Blog Pattern).

I decided to nix the smile that the original pattern had on the hat and leave the goggles un-attached (turns out that was a good decision; he wears the goggles by themselves sometimes!).  I've had it done for a few weeks now, but he came to visit me at college this weekend and I was finally able to give it to him!  It was a great hit!

Ravelry Pattern | Ravelry Project

Katie's Hat

I knit to keep my hands busy while my brain is doing other things, like watching a movie, reading, or listening to a lecture, so I'm always looking for new things to knit.  Often times, friends ask if I could make something for them, and my general policy is that if they buy me the yarn (and notions if necessary , I'll make it.  IT ends up working well for both of us -- they have a new cool thing they like, I have something to do with my hands for a while for free, and typically, I also get a little bit of yarn for my stash!

A few weeks ago, I was hanging out with some of my friends, and my dear Katie saw Design 18 in my
Noro Mini Knits book.  She was enchanted.  So later that evening, when we all went to JoAnn Fabrics, she grabbed some yarn and asked if I could make it for her.  Of course, I said yes.

Well here's the finished project!  It was difficult because I didn't have the right needles, but I made it work.

Ravelry Pattern | Ravelry Project