Works in Progress
On this page you’ll find out what I’m currently working on and what I’ve already completed.
I welcome your thoughts, suggestions and ideas.
Feel free to leave a comment and share your knitting expertise with me (Reply/Comment tab below).
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June 25, 2009
BELLA’S MITTENS, HERE I COME!!!
Okay, no more procrastiknitting, I am proud to announce that I have finished the Fake Isle hat (see details below). I have appropriately renamed this hat Paul’s Taj Mahal hat because it reminds me of the Taj Mahal (thanks to my own addition of an i-cord tassel).
This was a real challenge for me to knit.
I’m glad I forged ahead, even when stranded knitting seemed an impossible task for little old me.
I had to model this hat because my husband refused to do so (something about not being clean shaven and looking like a suspicious foreigner).
I enjoyed wearing it so much, I might just make one for myself!
And tomorrow…I start Bella’s Mittens!!!
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Fake Isle Pattern by Spunky Eclectic (www.spunkyeclectic.com)
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June 23, 2009
Long Island Girl- Stranded and Floating
Well it’s official, I’ve gone hat crazy.
I am currently working on a hat called Fake Isle. The pattern is one I consider to be the equivalent of Cliff’s Notes for the knitting world. A clever knitter discovered that by using a variegated self-striping yarn along with one contrast color, anyone can achieve effects that closely resemble a fair isle pattern with a lot less difficulty.
I have always wanted to try stranded color work but feared the complications of carrying several yarns. This was a great foray into the world of multi-colored knitting with only limited hassle.
After I cast on and joined my contrast color to begin the charted pattern, I was a bit dismayed that loops of yarn followed along behind my work. I consulted the kind folks on Ravelry and I was assured that ‘floats’ as they are called, are normal but must be limited to only a few stitches. If more than three or four stitches are left between colors, the floats become too wide and loopy and require that the resting color be secured between stitches. There are a number of ways to secure them but thankfully, that will be a lesson for another day. The simple pattern I am working on has at most, five stitches between color changes and I managed to twist and carry the yarn during those spans based on a technique I learned in a library knitting class. I won’t pretend that it’s the “right” way, but it got the job done and allowed me to feel confident enough to continue my exploration of charted knitting.
Several knitters responded to my questions with interesting information about fair isle knitting. I was surprised to find out that some experienced knitters actually prefer to have floats (especially inside a hat where a round head poses little threat of getting snagged on the loops) because it allows for a thicker, warmer garment. I tested this theory by placing my half-finished hat on my head and compared it with the cable tuque I made last week. Sure enough, the floats give a bit of cushiness to the hat and it feels as though it’s double knitted.
Aren’t knitters brilliant?
I haven’t yet decided how I will finish the hat. The pattern calls for a straightforward decrease that showcases the bold pattern on the crown of the hat. So impressed with my Funky Big Hat however, I am tempted to add an i-cord to the top of this one.
The hat was intended for my teenage son, but he seems less than enthusiastic about wearing a hat that deviates from the team colors of the Dallas Cowboys. Hubby has kindly offered to take the hat off his hands (his head?) and might welcome an added i-cord and perhaps even ear flaps.
I’ll cross that bridge when I’m no longer stranded and floating.
Sounds like I should be knitting a canoe, doesn’t it?
As promised, I will start on Bella’s Mittens as soon as this hat is finished.
But after that, I can’t promise I won’t go back to knitting hats.
They’re just so damn fun to knit!
Fake Isle hat pattern by Spunky Eclectic www.spunkyeclectic.com
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6/19/09
As I impatiently await the arrival of my size 9 circulars for Bella’s Mittens (pattern free on Ravelry.com for members), I started and completed “Big Funky Hat” ( by Laurie Lee–available from www.alarmingfemale.com).
I call this my Amnesia Hat because the yarn remained unidentified until the kind folks at Ravelry helped me crack the case. The yarn is Boboli by Trendsetter Yarns.
After knitting with it, I wasn’t sure the color or content was right for a hat. The yarn is a bit scratchy (due to 40% mohair, I suppose) and the colors are a bit intense.
I used two different colors of Boboli but soon ran out of the single olive skein (my favorite of the two), and so most of the hat is made with the orange colorway.
I suppose it looks a bit like Walt Disney threw up, but it’s growing on me.
Nonetheless, I love the hat because of its construction.
I wanted an adult sized hat with ear flaps and this one fit the bill. It was quite fun to make and it allowed me to experiment with knitting i-cords (which really are easy enough for an idiot–or so I’m told).
I will certainly make this my go-to pattern for holiday gifts; especially for those who qualify as fat-heads (myself included) who appreciate a unique topper. I am eager to explore color options as this was great practice using two colors of yarn. I successfully carried my secondary yarn throughout the hat. It wasn’t as difficult as I had expected.
I almost can’t wait for winter.
Almost.
6/16/09
I really had my heart set on starting “Bella’s Mittens” but discovered that I don’t have a pair of size 9 DPNs in my collection. Though the pattern (free on Ravelry.com if you’re a member) suggests size 8 needles, many of the reviewers who actually made the mittens reported that they run on the small side. So the mittens will have to take the back burner until I borrow or purchase the right size needles.
Two balls of unidentified yarn were glaring at me from my yarn basket and so I decided to try another free pattern awaiting my attention. It’s called “Big Funky Hat” (available for free at www.alarmingfemale.com- thank you Laurie Lee). It’s a cheerfully striped ear-flap hat for adults, with i-cord tassels and ties. The author used self-striping yarn (Big Mexiko from Schoeller & Stahl) with great results. I am using my mystery yarn and I plan to call this hat my “Amnesia Hat” for two reasons:
(1) The yarn has no band or tag and thus cannot be identified by me (purchased at Tuesday Morning from a tangled clearance bin). I am including a photo below and perhaps you can enlighten me (use the contact form on the tool bar if you want to drop me a message or your best guess).
and
(2) Anyone brave enough to wear the hat in the colors I am knitting, may experience sensory overload and thus suffer temporary amnesia.
Nonetheless, I am eager to see how it knits up. It will be my first time knitting an i-cord and I hope I find it as easy as others claim it to be (it’s not called an idiot-cord for nothing).
Wish me luck!
This is the author’s hat from her pattern page: Big Funky Hat by Laurie Lee
Made using Schoeller-Stahl Big Mexiko Color 100% superwash
www.alarmingfemale.com
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Week of 6/08/09
I’m currently working on a hat called
“Groovy Cable Tuque.”
It’s a pattern available for free on Ravelry.com.
To be quite honest, the hat is lovely but I’m almost sorry I started it.
I should have read the reviews more thoroughly before casting on. Though my gauge was near perfect, the sizing seems to be a bit off and if blocking isn’t successful, I will have to find a peanut-head recipient for my labor intensive effort.
The cables are tiny and a bit fiddly. I chose a dark grey yarn, as this is intended for a
man-gift. The dark color doesn’t help with stitch counting when necessary.
Nonetheless, I will forge ahead in anticipation of my next project–a pattern called “Bella’s Mittens” which I’m told was inspired by mittens worn in the movie Twilight (wasn’t there, didn’t see it). Working with chunky yarn and bigger needles will be a welcome respite from the hat project.
6/15/09
Well, I’m pleased to announce that I finally finished the hat!
As expected, it’s too short and too small for the man-gift I had intended it to be.
So, I’ll chalk this one up to great experience practicing small cables. I’ve also learned a valuable lesson about paying closer attention to repeats. I can’t afford to make mistakes until I finally learn how to successfully replace a dropped stitch or fix a stitch made in error.
It’s a cute hat but one I would not likely make again.
