twenty-eight

It's almost my birthday!

And speaking of holidays, it's also Madelinetosh May! Since I can never pass up a celebration, I had to knit with some Madelinetosh yarn (as if I ever really need an excuse). I decided on a hat that I've had queued for quite a while, Windschief by Stephen West. The pattern is actually for a hat or cowl, so you can have a set if you'd like. There's some twisted stitches, and a asymmetrical motif, which is no surprise considering the source. I used a hank of tosh DK in the gilded colorway. I know it doesn't really need to be said (but that's never stopped me before), but madelinetosh is the cat's pajamas. Here's a pic of James modeling the hat, and the other details are raveled here.

handsome devil

I'm also working on another hat, and my first sock! Golden Autumn is the hat that I'm knitting out of Rowan Felted Tweed DK, another pattern I've had for a while. Also, this is a rare case because I'm knitting the item in the yarn that the pattern actually suggests! I feel like such a good boy. We'll get to that once I'm done (it's still in the early stages).

Progress on the sock is going well. I've made my way to the foot! If you're keeping track, that means I've made it through the ribbing, leg, heel turn, and gusset! I'm trying to keep copious notes, so when I knit the mate, all I'll have to do is keep a row count. The pattern (right here if you're curious) is quite basic, because I didn't want to bite off more than I can chew. My goal is to have this sock finished by the end of the week, and cast on the partner next weekend. I've got more details on my ravelry project page, and I'll be working on this sock for a while today.

So, you guys know that I get a little stashy sometimes, and this next challenge is no exception. I'm participating in Stash Dash 2013, a yearly event hosted by Leslie and Laura of The Knit Girllls. The goal is to knit from stash for 73 days (05/24-08/05) and get through 4,375 yards of yarn. Any item you finish during this time can be counted. So far, I'm at 200 yards... Once I finish both of the projects I've got going right now, though, I'll be at around 1,000 yards. As long as I knit 60 yards each day (on average), I'll make it. This is a lofty goal, but I've never been afraid of a challenge...

Oh yeah, speaking of my birthday, I'm going to be 31 on Friday! That's right, 31 on the 31st. If James is reading this, I'd like a Natural Stitches gift card for my birthday... Just give them a call... (412) 441-4410, they can keep it at the store for me. Have I mentioned how much I love this store?

Yes, I think I have.

twenty-seven

Mississippi.

Oxford, Mississippi.

Population 18,916

This past weekend I was in Mississippi. My little sister graduated from Ole Miss, so we drove (yes, seriously) from Pittsburgh in a big van to see her. We didn't really need a van for the three of us; it's more for all the goodies that have accumulated in my sister's apartment for the last three years. My sister isn't moving home just yet, but a good deal of her crap stuff is. Mississippi was wonderful, and it was the first time I've ever been there. Of course, I had a sweet tea with every meal. Also, with every meal, there was slaw, beans, some kind of sauce. The weekend was wonderful, and the graduation ceremony was lovely. I'm so proud of my littlest sister.

Before I left for Ole Miss, I had just finished test knitting a hat pattern for my friend Megan (aka JustRunKnit on Ravelry) of the Stockinette Zombies, but the pattern hadn't been released. The hat pattern, Weather the Weather, is available now on Ravelry, and it's free! Isn't that fun?! All you need is one hank of worsted and you're good to go. I knit my hat with Stonehedge Fiber Mill Shepherd's Wool, since I had a hank in the stash. I love the hat, but the next time I knit this pattern, I'll be using a variegated yarn, as there's a bunch of garter (which you know I love) in the pattern. There's a few more details on my project page, if you'd like.

While I was in the car (for a while) I was working on my Happy Street shawl, and I managed to get a few stripes done. Since we've been home, I've almost finished the shawl. Well, I knit the last few rows yesterday, and now I have a 546-stitch bind off staring me in the face. Wow. 546 stitches. Eek. Last night, I opted for margaritas instead of the bind off, and I think tonight might be just the same. This feels like a Sunday morning task to me... Perhaps with a movie. Steel Magnolias?? Of course! I should have guessed. Pink is my signature color.

This picture is the best I could do for now, since it's all scrunched up on the needle. Hopefully this will be blocking sometime early next week, but we'll have to wait and see. Oh yeah, after the bind off, there's just about a bazillion ends to weave in. That's okay, though, because I'm really excited about the FO.

In other exciting knitting news, I've cast on a sock! Not just any sock, my first sock with sock yarn and itty-bitty needles! I've made a few socks before, but they were made with big chunky yarn on US 10 needles, and just to learn basic sock construction. This time it's for real! Now, I don't know how successful I'll be, as I've only just finished the ribbing of sock one, but I'm staying optimistic. I feel like the time for socks has finally arrived. I'm not expecting progress to be especially quick on this, and if you're curious about it, you can check my project page. Wish me luck!

Until next time!

twenty-four

This morning, the house smells like chocolate.

I love it.

Earlier today, I was busy making brownies. Now the brownies are on the counter cooling, but they won't be ready to eat until tomorrow at the earliest. Not only is this an exercise in will power, but it's totally part of the brownie ritual in our house. When I make brownies, they need to cool to room temperature after they come out of the oven, then they get refrigerated overnight before I cut them. This makes for a nice clean edge, and a much tidier brownie. Thanks, Ina. You're a diva.

I know it's been a few weeks since my last post, but I didn't have too much knitting to show until today. I was in Arizona (for business) last week, so I didn't get much knitting done (with the exception of my mile-high knitting). This past week at work has been a bit busy, and also, I've been totally exhausted. Not sure why, maybe I'm just a little dramatic. Probably. Maybe...

In any event, I have finished a couple items in the past few days. The Piewhacket Shawl was what I knit during my cross-country flights on my Arizona trip. It's a shawl done entirely in garter (I know, I know, when's the last time I knit a shawl that wasn't completely garter??) with lots of short rows, which I really love. The short rows are used to create three triangles, that are then bordered by a little more garter stitch. I used one of my favorite yarns for this shawl, Sweet Georgia Yarns Tough Love Sock in the Peashoot colorway. Sweet Georgia really has the most amazing colorways. You should go check them out. Sadly, I don't have any left in my stash... at the moment. This shawl won't be blocked for a while, as I'm going out of town (again) next week. Here's a quick (unblocked, unwoven, and quite sassy) photo of the shawl, and the project details are raveled here. I'll post a photo on the project page once it's blocked, because the shape is really going to change once I get it pinned out. My goal is to make the triangles a bit pointier with blocking, so we'll see...

Also, I finished a hat for James. It was a quick knit (as most hats are) that started with ribbing and ended with broken ribbing; the pattern is "Graham." I used Berroco Vintage, which I think is a great, affordable wool/acrylic blend. James may or may not be crocheting an afghan out of Vintage in the near (or not so near) future. The hat is green, as are most items that I knit for James, but it's a really great shade. The colorway is "Fennel," if you're wondering. My husband was gracious enough to model the hat for about 18 seconds while I scrambled to snap a picture last night. If you'd like the details and pattern info, it's over on my public project page.

That's all I have for now, but hopefully it won't be so long before I post again. On Monday, I'm headed to North Carolina (for work again) for a week, which is where the brownies will be as well. I'm planning on bringing brownies into the office, but there's always a chance (slim as it may be) that they'll never leave my hotel room. Here's hoping I have enough will power to share them...

twenty-two

Two months, two yarn festivals.

Yeah, I didn't mind that at all.

Yesterday was the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival! I went last year, and had a wonderful time. I bought seven hanks of yarn and vowed to use them all before the 2013 festival. I used four of them to make this Noro Scarf. The remaining three lovelies were used for this hat and this hat.

I only took a small bag, since Stitches West was just a month ago. I did some damage there, and I only posted a small portion of the haul from that trip here on the blog. Seriously, you have no idea. I was really excited about seeing all the indie dyers and especially excited for a few vendors in particular, more on that in a moment...

This year, I ended up with six hanks of beautiful yarn. Since I always immediately reach for the blues, I didn't let myself get any blue yarn yesterday. I need to start to knitting outside my color comfort zone a bit more... I've stashed them on Ravelry, and here's a quick shot below. I picked up three hanks of Zoe Sock from Shalimar Yarns, a hank of Superwash Merino Worsted from Unplanned Peacock Studios (the variegated yarn - top right), my very first hank of Fibernymph Dye Works Bona Fide DK in Golden Brown, and a hank of Ball and Skein Providence in Goldenrod.

And speaking of Fibernymph Dye Works, I got to meet Lisa, the owner (and host of the 90% Knitting video podcast)! She was fabulous and just so sweet. Her colors are so beautiful! Lisa lives right here in Pittsburgh, and it was so nice to finally have the opportunity to squish and squeeze her yarns. As if that wasn't exciting enough, when I got to her booth, I ran into Emily, host of the Whatcha Swatchin' video podcast, and we got to chat for a minute or two. Although, I can't imagine how weird it was for her. She was just standing there shopping politely, and I was like, "OH WOW! I feel like I know you, even though we've never met!" Emily was super fun, just like she is on her podcast, and we talked about her upcoming wedding and our dogs, of course. Here's a picture of Lisa and I (and my first hank of FDW) at the festival yesterday.

I finished my hat last night after I got back from the festival, and decided to take 18 hours without having anything on the needles. I really like the hat, and I'm happy it only took one ball of yarn. Now I still have one left for another hat. Here's a quick shot of the new hat, taken by James, photographer extraordinaire. And here's the project page with all the knitty gritty details.

I also stopped at Natural Stitches, since I hadn't been there in months! I know I've mentioned them before, but it really is the best LYS around. Seriously. What a fun place. Seriously. I would live there. Seriously.

Seriously.

So, after yesterday's yarn crawl and finishing the Bartek hat, I needed to cast on a new project. Seriously, I needed to. I've started a new shawl by Veera Välimäki called Stripe Study. It's an asymmetrical triangular shawl in garter stitch. I'm using two different colorways of madelinetosh tosh merino light (because it's fabulous!), French grey and stove pipe. This one may take a little time, but I'm determined to have only one project on the needles at a time... Probably. I mean, I'll try. Here's the project page, and a quick shot below.

That's all for now.

Oh, and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Seriously.

twenty-one

"This guy needs to cool it with the shawls for a moment."

Well, some people might think that, but I don't. I like knitting shawls, and I like wearing them as well. Also, I love scarves. And hats. I guess it's a good thing I love to knit.

Anyways, speaking of shawls, I did finish one a while back, and finally get it on the blocking mats. Now it's all dry and lovely. I knit a Tricot Grande Vitesse and I'm not sure who this will go to just yet. It's not for me, and that's fine. I don't wear too much teal. Or any. This was knit from Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in the Pacific colorway. Here's a blocking pic, so you can see the shape, although the color is a bit dark. It was wet. Raveled here.

This pattern was designed by Susan Ashcroft and it was great for knit night and traveling. It's not too complicated, and I didn't have to worry about wasting any yarn. I weighed the yarn ball a few times before I boarded the plane to California, so I'd know how many rows I had until the bind off. I love a pattern that doesn't have much waste. It's so satisfying. Geez, I'm getting old. Just listen to me...

I also finished another shawl, since my last post. I've knit this shawl before (and I wrote about it, too) and it's a great pattern called 22.5 Degrees by Martina Behm. Martina is one of my favorite designers, as many of her designs feature garter stitch. I love garter because it's great for those amazing variegated yarns that I always love. Here's the Ravelry project page. For this shawl, I used madelinetosh tosh merino light, one of my very favorite yarns. It's a lovely single-ply superwash merino fingering weight yarn, with a generous 420 for under $20. This colorway was called "volga" and it's a great blue, with some light spots and some turquoise spots here and there. It almost looks purple-ish in the right light. Modeled below, by my handsome husband, and raveled here.

The last project I finished (just yesterday) was another Purl Ridge Scarf, this time for James (last time it was for me). This is a Stephen West pattern, and it's free. I used Knit Picks Shine Worsted in the Wallaby colorway. I love the drape of this yarn so much, I didn't even bother to block it. The scarf is gray (like most items I knit for us) and he'll be able to wear it for the cool mornings on his way into work. Since Shine is a cotton/modal blend, he won't get overheated, like he would with a wool scarf. And speaking of overheated, here he is turning it up and serving y'all some serious model realness in his new scarf...

America's Next Top Knitwear Model

That's all my knitting for now, and the next post will probably come some time after the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival, which is only SIX DAYS AWAY!! I'm still deciding on my budget, but you can bet it will be significantly less than the Stitches West budget. Yowza.

twenty

It has been a busy couple weeks.

I've been to the west coast and back, and my trip was fantastic!

Last Tuesday, James and I flew out to California for a "long weekend." It was a Tuesday through Monday trip; that's a long weekend, right? Anyway, our long weekend was riddled with needles and yarn, hooks and patterns, and books and knitting at every turn!

On the flight out, I finished a shawl that I had mentioned starting last time I posted. I don't have pictures yet, and I still need to block, so that doesn't really count today. Next time... However, after I finished that I made a few little Mug Hugs. This pattern was great for worsted scraps. Since I didn't really want to start a big project right before Stitches (even though I did... read on), I made a few of these on the second leg of our flight. Seriously quick knitting, and it's good for the environment, too! Raveled here and here.

We arrived in California and had dinner at my Grandma's house the next night with my Aunt and Cousin. Dinner was amazing, homemade French Dip Sandwiches!! My Grandma (or Nan, in my world) had mentioned to me that she had some of my Great Great Aunt Elsie's knitting supplies, as she had recently passed away. She called me a few weeks before we flew out and asked if I wanted her to hold them out there for me, or just donate them. Well, I'm sure you can guess what I said. "HOLD THEM RIGHT THERE, NAN!" Aunt Elsie was seriously crafty. She was a very skilled knitter, and she also loved needlepoint, crochet, and many other hand crafts. She even helped my Nan knit her very first sweater! Nan had quite a few goodies for me (and even a full set of crochet hooks in my Great Grandmother's old case for James) when we arrived. Here's a few pics.

There were needles galore. I especially love the giant bamboo needles and crochet hooks.

There were many different pattern booklets, the oldest dating back to 1945!! I haven't looked at them page by page yet, but I'm setting aside most of the weekend to pour over the collection.

There was a group of Workbasket Magazines from 1979-1980, and the cover models were enough to make me holler. Their shoulder pads weren't bad, either. I just love these vintage publications!

It was really amazing to see all this stuff, and just to hold the same needles that she held so many years ago. I'm not a great historian, or all about genealogy, but I do love using the same crafting tools that my relatives once used. This was the second time I've received "heirloom" knitting supplies, and I can't express how much it means. It feels quite special, really.

As we still had a few days before Stitches, mom took us to her LYS. A Yarn Less Raveled in Danville, CA is a fabulous store. We met the owner, Mindy, and she was so welcoming. You could tell the yarn selection was carefully chosen, and there were a few items I'd never actually held in my hands before. I bought some madelinetosh (shocking, I know) and decided to cast on a hat that night. I thought, "I can finish this in two days..." Under normal circumstances, that wouldn't be a lofty goal. You know how you get all busy on vacation, though?? Below is the Antler hat I finished on Saturday, out of tosh vintage in the grasshopper colorway. It's nice and bright, and I've already worn it a few times! Details are on my project page.

On Friday, with an unfinished hat in tow, we went to Stitches West in Santa Clara. It was overwhelming, in every sense of the word. There were so many vendors, so much yarn, so many different products, and tons of people. I'm painting this picture for you to try and explain why I only snapped a few photos during the entire event. I was just stunned. In a good way, though. James took a break about and hour after we arrived, as he had scheduled a tour of the famous Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, a mere 7 miles away. This gave him a good three-hour break, as he doesn't get as much joy out of staring at yarn as I do. Everybody wins.

Here's some amazing fair isle hats I spotted, at the Nelkin Designs booth. I love fair isle.

There were so many vendors that I loved, but I wanted to at least mention a few here. I met Karida Collins, owner of Neighborhood Fiber Company out of Baltimore, and she was a delight. Her yarns are just beautiful; you should have seen all the amazing colorways! I was quite impressed and am now regretting that I only grabbed a single hank of her yarn. The folks at Cephalopod Yarns were quite fun and exciting, and their yarns are scrumptious. I've been eyeing them up for a while, but never got to squish the yarn for myself... Until Friday. Also, I stopped by Miss Babs first thing, and that turned out to be the best move of the day. She had a line two booths back for most of the day!

Here's a quick shot of a few of the treats I picked up. From left to right, I got Miss Babs Cosmic Sock in the Mending Fences colorway, Neighborhood Fiber Company's Rustic Fingering in the Logan Circle colorway, and Cephalopod Traveller in the Goodnight, KY colorway. There's also some Tosh Vintage in Betty Draper's Blues and Pashmina in Charcoal from WEBS. I couldn't help myself. I will always need more madelinetosh. Peeking out from behind the yarn is Malabrigo Book 4, a great book with some patterns I will be knitting very soon.

California was wonderful, but any trip to see my mother never feels long enough. We always have the best time.

So, as of this week, my yarn stash has doubled to 28 yarns. I'm totally okay with that. However, the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival is only 16 days away, so I'd better jump on those needles. Well, not jump, but at least pick them up. And knit. A bunch. Not a problem.

Oh yeah, I started another shawl, but we'll talk about that next time... Promise.

nineteen

I'll be on a plane to California in exactly seven days.

And I will get to see my mother for the first time in five months.

This is some serious excitement, friends.

Among all this anticipation, I still managed to finish the Antelope Hat... and start and finish another hat as well. We'll get there, though. So, the Antelope Hat was really fun, and the pattern was well-written and straight forward. The only slightly fiddly part was the crown decreases at the end. I learned something new with this pattern... I learned that I'm not a fan of working yarn overs on double pointed needles. At least I know now. In any event, it's done and I blocked it over a balloon to let the eyelet pattern open up and guarantee sufficient slouchy-ness. I also used waste yarn (basted in a running stitch, and then cinched) along the ribbing to keep it nice and stretchy. I found this little tip in the finishing notes of the Brambles pattern I knit a while back. It really helped! Details are here on Ravelry.

Since I decided it'd be nice to finish more than one item this week, I knit another hat. This hat, named for a fabulous Broadway tune, is called For Good. If you haven't heard the song, go here immediately before reading the rest of this post. The pattern was designed by Megan Williams, one half of the hosts of a super fun knitting videocast, the Stockinette Zombies. Megan and Amy are a straight out of an owl's beak (A HOOT), check it out! Back to the hat... the pattern was designed in remembrance of Megan's sister Melissa, who passed away in 2007. All proceeds from the sale of this pattern are donated to the National Women's Health Network, in Melissa's name. It's great cause to support, and you get a fabulous pattern to knit as well.

I used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Tweed in Prussian Heather, and it's definitely one of my favorite (super-affordable) yarns. PS - Does "Prussian Heather" remind you of "Prussian Blue" and then remind you of Bob Ross? That's what my little brain did just now. It's a nice, rich blue with some lovely flecks of black and white. Sadly (kinda), I don't have anymore of this yarn in my stash. Looks like some more tweed might be in my future...

I really loved knitting this pattern. It's not complicated, but the finished product is quite impressive. The fit is great, probably since I knit the large, and I will be wearing this tonight. Even if I'm just on my couch. Now, I didn't really care for the crown decreases of the Antelope Hat, but this hat was the exact opposite. The crown decreases (pictured below) were my favorite part of this hat. Kudos to Megan, because this pattern stays interesting until the end, and (in my humble-ish... okay, maybe not that humble... opinion, ahem) looks great! This will definitely be knit again, because it'll make a great gift. And I'm keeping this one. And I'm telling you... It's not going... anywhere. Raveled here.

Oh yes, if you're keeping track, my yarn stash is down to 14 yarns. OKAY?! I'm pretty excited about that.

Also, I started a shawl yesterday, but we'll talk more about that next time.

eighteen

I've been working hard lately.

On and off the needles.

I'm still going strong with my stash-busting... This week, I finished a Boneyard Shawl, which is yet another (FREE!) pattern by Stephen West. It's a triangular shawl, full of meditative knitting and a few purl ridges thrown in for good measure. I knit this out of Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in the Kindling colorway. It's a few different browns, really. Stroll is a good yarn at a great price, in my opinion. I've been working quite a few mindless patterns lately and I don't mind one bit. It's been a welcome contrast to the craziness at the office. Shudder. Here's a different angle on the shawl (since it's still drying) as well as the Ravelry project page.

Just the other day, I started a hat (and PS... I have no idea who this hat is for) using two different sock weight yarns. I think they just about equal a worsted weight when I'm holding them together. I'm not worried if the gauge isn't exact since (a) it's a hat and (b) I don't know who it's for just yet. The two yarns I'm using are Shibui Sock (superwash merino) in white and Knit Picks Gloss (merino/silk blend) in Bordeaux. It's not a total equal pairing, but this is what comes of aggressive stash-busting. This project was a two-for-one! The pattern is Antelope (why, I have no clue) by Kelly McClure of bohoknits. It's a slouchy hat with some eyelet detailing and a few purl ridges. Apparently, I can't get enough of purl ridges these days... Oh yeah, this is a free pattern as well! Anyhow, the progress (although there hasn't been that much) is shown below, but I suspect this hat won't really come to life until it's been blocked over a balloon. Raveled here.

That's all that's on my needles at the moment.

One more thing... The third season of Downton Abbey was just released on DVD last week, so of course I bought it and James and I devoured the remaining four-ish episodes that have yet to air in the US.

Let.
Me.
Tell.
You.
What.

I love this show, even if it makes me emotional. The third season was such a whirlwind and I can't even talk about yet, because I don't want to give anything away to those that haven't seen it. I guess this is another talk for another time. Well, to sum it up... It's fabulous. Watch it. You might as well go out and buy seasons one and two and start from the beginning, while you're at it. Trust me, you'll love it. Two words. Maggie Smith.

PS. I get to buy yarn in 17 days!

sixteen

My mother is always right.

On Saturday, I knit a hat, among other things. It just sort of happened. Now, don't go thinking I'm a hero. It was bulky yarn on US 10 needles and entirely in ribbing, but it did help with my stash down (25!). However, my excitement with finishing an entire project in a matter of hours was short-lived. Let me tell you why, folks. My mother told me when I was a little kid that I had a big head. I had a strange surplus of self-confidence when I was a kid and I think she was just trying to bring me back down to earth. Sadly, she's had my number all along. The name of this pattern... "Gargantuan Melon." As if that's not bad enough, the thing fits me perfectly. Well, she was right again. Ten points for mom.

Raveled here.

In other knitting news, I'm finally done with my Windward, and I think it's going to be great. The shaping of this scarf is like nothing else I've ever seen. It took me quite a while to pin out, but that's okay. I'm not worried. I love the process. Here's a little pic below (that really isn't that great, but I block knitwear in the guest room, so there) and it's raveled right over here. It's a little crazy, but so am I. Okay, maybe I'm a tad bit more than a little crazy.

I'm not sure what my next project will be, but I'm feeling something cowl-ish, or scarf-ish, so we'll see. Whatever the project might be, I've already chosen the yarn from my stash. After two big projects with sock yarn, I really need to knit something in a worsted weight. I have 3 little skeins of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Tweed in Garnet Heather and that's what I'll be knitting. It's a warm, rustic red. I've used this yarn before, and it's a delight. So, here's a shot of the yarn below, and by the time I post again it should be an FO. I mean, honestly, it's only 330 yards. How long could anything take, really?

Oh yes, and ONE MONTH from today, I'll be at STITCHES WEST! Ergo... One month from today will be the first time I'll be shopping for yarn in a very long time. Since November 10, 2012, to be quite exact. Hooray!

eleven

Let us take our hats off (the needles).

This week, I finally finished my Sockhead Hat. Insert applause here. I'm quite happy with the look and feel of the finished object, and I'll be getting some use out of it this winter. The hat is quite slouchy, just like the pattern noted, and I'm happy with it. This was a great project for my weekly knitting group, as it was 4" of ribbing, followed by 9" of stockinette, and a crown. Mindless knitting kept alive by the wonderful company of friends and lively conversation. I also worked on it during a couple movies, and a few episodes of Frasier. And now it's done... Finally.

As if that weren't exciting enough, I (gulp) knit another hat this week. And not just any hat, I knit the Fitful Head by Aileen Ryder. This was knit in 6 different colorways of Knit Picks Palette, and the seventh color was Knit Picks Gloss Fingering in Jade. This was my first time using either yarns, and I enjoyed them both. Palette was nice for this project because I needed seven different colors, which can get expensive. I may have also mentioned that I just so happened to have this yarn in seven different shades of green. The pattern was wonderful as well, and I guess I have a thing for fair isle crown shaping when I work on hats. I mentioned the crown shaping details on the Norwegian Snowflake Hats in an earlier post, and I really like the six-pointed star that developed on the top of this hat as well. This was also my first foray into the world of corrugated ribbing, and the jury's still out on that. I love the finished look, but the process... eeshk. Suffice it to say, I've had my share of hats and fair isle to hold me over for at least a few months now. Weaving in 38 ends will do that to you. My husband was a good sport and decided to model the hat for you in the shots below... Or maybe I forced him because I just finished today and the hat now belongs to him, but that's neither here nor there.

Is it a coincedence that the two most complicated fair isle projects to come off my needles were both for my husband? Has this ever happened to you? He's 100% worth it, though. He supports my crazy knitting adventures and that is no small task. Can't help loving that man of mine...

Oh yes, and my next project, whatever it may be, will be worked from (mark my words) one ball of yarn.

ten

I've been all about knitting hats lately.

Honestly, I took a look at the last few projects on my Ravelry page and I've really been on a hat kick. I've finished three hats this month alone, and the only project I have (lingering and languishing) on the needles currently is my Sockhead Hat. Please don't take this as a complaint, though. Knitting, no matter the project, is always fun. And speaking of fun... I already finished the pair of Norwegian Snowflake Hats that I was worried about starting. This was a great project, and I particularly enjoyed the crown decreases. The hat is squared at the top, and I love the look of the additional snowflake that comes together as you are finishing the crown. The public project pages are here (red) and here (navy). I may even have a chance to wear one of these hats, as the weather reports here in Pittsburgh are calling for snow on Friday, the first day of winter. How nice.

Even without snow on the ground (yet), it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at our house. Full disclosure... We put the tree up (and the stockings, banister garland, and decorations) the Monday after Thanksgiving, and I've been listening to Christmas music since October... So I guess I should really say that it's continuing to look a lot like Christmas. Oh yes, and there are pine cones in a bowl on the dining room table, in case you were wondering. Here's a picture of our stockings hung in the stairwell (since we don't have a fireplace) with care. I knit the stocking on the left for my husband this year (for a few months), and the one on the right belongs to our chihuahua, Ringo. I don't have a knitted Christmas stocking yet, but maybe by next year.

And if anyone is curious, my stash is now down to 36! I'm slowly, but surely, getting to my goal of 30 by February 2013. Sadly, I can't type anymore at the moment. Somebody needs some attention...

nine

The weeks seem to be getting shorter.

This week has been quite busy. Not in a bad way, though. I was mailing Christmas presents, making marshmallows, enjoying two different holiday lunches at my office, finishing up the Christmas shopping, and of course there was some knitting and a Christmas movie or three.

First of all, let me take a moment to address the marshmallows. I've been making homemade marshmallows for years, usually sometime in December (when the Hot Chocolate really hits the spot), and they always get great reviews. However, I'm not a confectioner in any sense of the word. Anyone can make these. All I have is an excellent recipe from Ina Garten (or the Barefoot Contessa) in which my stand mixer does most of the work. Honestly, they are quite easy, albeit a little fiddly at the end. Patience required. If you thought you liked marshmallows before, well, just wait until you try these! In the picture below, there's a few pale pink marshmallows on the left, those are the peppermint... Thanks for the inspiration, Williams-Sonoma. The others are vanilla, and just as soft and pillowy.

I've also started a rather daring knitting project. Well, maybe not as daring as one I've done in the past, but certainly ambitious for me. I'm knitting a set of two hats. The Norwegian Snowflake Hat pattern is free on Ravelry and was designed by Tim Doran. I'm using the last three hanks of yarn from the 2012 Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival that I mentioned here. I'll be knitting two hats, one blue with white snowflakes, the other red with white snowflakes. Here's my public project page for the first hat. I've started with the red hat, and here's my progress so far...

As if knitting two stranded hats one after the other isn't ambitious enough, I've just added another stranded hat to the mix. This week, Knitty released their Winter 2012 Issue. For those that don't know, Knitty is a completely free online knitting magazine. 2012 marked the 10-year anniversary of this publication, and it's a resource I've always loved. Anyway, anyway, back to the hat. The new issue had two stranded hats, and the one that caught my eye is Fitful Head by Aileen Ryder. It just so happens (cough) that I already have seven different balls of fingering weight yarn in my stash, all in different shades of green. Between the available stash, the pattern requirements, and the fact that I'm trying to stash-down, this was a coincidence I couldn't ignore. In any event, I think I may end up spending the remainder of 2012 knitting stranded hats.

I hope I'm not as crazy as I sound...

eight

I just love a good BLT.

Today's post is a quick one, and is coming to you following a delightful Sunday BLT brunch. I guess I'm using the word "brunch" a bit loosely here, though. All we really did was eat an early bird lunch. Not that I'm too worried about any particular time of day, since I've found through extensive research that bacon can be enjoyed during any hour of the day... or night.

Yesterday, I finished a hat. The pattern is called The Natural and you can take a look at my public project page, if you'd like the knitty gritty details. It was a great way to use up one of those single skeins of worsted, Cascade 220 for me, that most of us just have hanging around in our stash. The pattern was pretty straight forward, and would be a great project for the beginner that's never cabled before. Below is a selfie that took me about 10 minutes to capture, as it was a new angle for me. However, it shows the basic cabled detailing along the hat, so I guess that means mission accomplished.

I'll be casting on another item soon (of course), but right now I really have now idea what that will be. For some reason, I've been a bit wishy washy about what to knit next, and I'm not sure where it's coming from. Hopefully I'll figure it out soon. I'd hate to waste a whole Sunday without knitting...

seven

Photography can be tricky.

I finished a pair of Fingerless Mitts recently. However, the only picture I've been able to take is of the gloves on the table. I haven't quite figured out how to photograph gloves while wearing them, so this photo will have to do for now.

This is the second pair of mitts I've made from this pattern, and they worked up quite quickly. I think the total knitting time was somewhere around 5 hours. The pattern is in the book Knits Men Want by Bruce Weinstein. It's a great book, with patterns written for multiple sizes and gauges. This pattern calls for a diagonal purled pattern, but I just knit the hand in stockinette, for a simpler look. Also, this was my first time using Knit Picks Swish Worsted and it was a pleasure to knit with. It's not my favorite superwash merino, but you can't beat it for the price and array of colors.

I'm still currently working on the Sockhead Hat, but that's not really a surprise. Knitting 144 stitches per round on a US 3 needle in stockinette for 9 inches will take some time... and wine. This hasn't stopped me from casting on another project, though. I was a monogamous knitter for a few months, and I did enjoy the simplicity of it. However, I've been feeling creatively frisky lately, so working more than one project at a time has somewhat satiated my thirst for excitement. Wild, I know.

In other news, my yarn stash is down to 44 and I haven't purchased a skein since November 10th! Personally, I think I deserve a small reward. Yarn? No. Chocolate? Indubitably.

five

It might be just me.

I'm not sure what it is, but it always takes me about 15 minutes to put a pair of socks on. Seems absurd, right? Read on. It gets better. And I'm not talking fancy socks with tassels and fringe, or even hand-knit (he gushes) socks. I'm talking about plain old crew socks; the kind you get at Target in a six-pack for $10. I'm not a perfectionist, not really. It's not even that fact that I grew up in a climate where I only wore socks two or three times a year. Sure, sometimes I put a sock on and then I immediately have to take it right back off because there's some sort of fuzz ball in it that feels nearly as large as a fleck of dust does when it settles under your contact lens. The sock must then be turned inside-out, combed with one's fingers, re-prepped and applied once more. I'll admit, I'm probably making this process more complicated than it needs to be. We all have our strengths...

The answer is simple... Procrastination. I know that it's easy to procrastinate, we've all done it, but is there anyone out there that can make me sound sane by comparison? Here's hoping.

In fact, even as I type this entry, I have a sock on my left foot and it's mate strewn casually across my right thigh... just waiting to go to work.

I will put one sock on, and then a variety of things will happen. A text message. An email. A knitting pattern that I need to look up immediately. Online shopping. A show that I can't stop watching for even a second to confirm my right foot's exact location. There are things that just. can't. wait.

In other news, here's something that might be more interesting... Knitting! I'm excited already. Well, speaking of procrastination... I still have three hanks of worsted-weight Shepherd's Wool (pictured above) from Stonehedge Fiber Mill that I got in February at the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival. I made a pact with myself (so if I don't make it, I won't really be that mad at me... I hope) to knit with all the yarn I purchased before the next PGH K&C. Well, I've already used the four hanks of Noro Silk Garden for a scarf (shown below) and I'm planning to make two fair isle hats with the aforementioned yarn. Since the 2013 festival isn't until March, that gives me a good three and a half months to make it happen. I think I can do it.

As soon as I finish putting my other sock on...

Oh yeah...  Speaking of socks... Here's the progress on my sockhead hat. I knew that this was going to take a while, but I don't mind at all. It's perfect TV knitting!

two

Today is certainly a top-drawer day.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year, but I'm really not sure I can say anything that hasn't already been said by one person or another. I love the turkey. I love the cranberry sauce (before -  the jiggly can-shaped mass; now - the orange zesty homemade kind). I love the Olive-Cheese Balls. Wait, what? You've never had olive-cheese balls? Well, for my family, they're definitely a signature appetizer for any gathering where we all look nice and drink some sort of sparkling wine. I can't remember a party without them. Try them at once! They are wonderful. Trust me.

My sister Sara and our cousin Kheli took the train in from Boston and arrived around six o'clock this morning. I didn't mind picking them up that early, as I've become a chronic early riser. The other day, I woke up completely naturally at 4:30 AM. Nothing makes me feel older than waking up before 5 AM. Well, maybe back pain...

Thanksgiving with my family is always full of traditions. The turkey, for instance, is always cooked by my father on his Weber Grill that he's had for years. It's always delicious, and always a little bit different year after year. An adventure, really. We always get a pumpkin pie, even though no one really eats it. However, I always try one new recipe every Thanksgiving, and it usually includes pumpkin. This year was no exception. I made Pumpkin Cheesecake Crumble Squares from the October 2006 (*gulp* a little late to the party here) Bon Appetit Magazine.

Today I started a new knitting project as well. Since it's Thanksgiving, I wanted a project that would be (a) easy to pick up and put down, (b) something I could work on without a printed pattern and highlighter, and (c) a single skein project. I decided on the Sockhead Hat by Kelly McClure of bohoknits. Knit in the round with a lot of ribbing, followed by a lot of stockinette, this pattern definitely fit the bill. Since I have a few <cough> random skeins of sock yarn that I haven't really queued in my head yet, I thought this would be a great option. I'm using Malabrigo Sock in the 871 Playa colorway. This project is great for parade watching, telling stories, and everything else we like to sprinkle in between snack breaks on Thanksgiving.

I hope that your Thanksgiving was wonderful as well!