Oogyknitter

I was only going to cast this on yesterday to take a break from two-color knitting, but of course I was lured by the ever-changing pattern and 2-stitch cables that don't need a cable needle: This is November Hat , with a lone skein of Patons Decor that leaped out at me when I was last digging around in the deep stash.  I'm probably about halfway through the main section of the hat (prior to the decrease section for the top).  It's decidedly female-leaning, and will want to have a modest self-pom when completed. In the meantime, I've continued working on the Cold As mitts: I had a minor panic when, after taking this pic, I noticed for the first time that the pattern is different for each mitt.  I hadn't realized that was by design - I'd been following the charts diligently, but the charts are indeed different for each.  The only modifications I made were to use smaller needles (for a tighter gauge and warmer mitts), a longer and one-color cuff (to pro

I made some decisions about the Audrey Hepburn I've been working on for my mom's Xmas gift.  Mostly resulting from my ignoring the pattern gauge and ending up with a much smaller item than intended.  But all is not lost - and I think I may have actually made it better!  I'll save further explanations for when I have pics - I just have a bit of finishing to do first.  For now, I'll just add that it's become more of a shrug than a shawl.  And the beads still look awesome!! Other projects in the works include some other holiday gifts (which need to remain secret for now), and these: I'm making these for the same friend for whom I made disrespectful lace coasters that spelled out the same word as in these mitts.  Mostly so she can get a kick out of them - even better if they keep her hands warm!  I'm using some KnitPicks Palette and yarn left over from the wedding shawl her mom made her - which I think is a wool/silk and maybe mohair blend.  There are

You can't mess with green tea. I know - all these years, and I never really paid much attention to it.  I got a bunch of assorted teas once, and there were some green (and white!) ones in there.  I'd brew them up once in a while, but couldn't understand why some people seem obsessed with them. Now I know why. There are two very important variables to manage with this process:  1) water temperature; and 2) steeping time. You probably knew this already, but I did not.  I even went so far as to ascribe the specific and detailed instructions on the side of a tin of white tea to Woo.  Boy, was I wrong. Boiling water, which is required for important beverages like coffee, espresso, and black teas, is harmful to the greens and whites.  The oxidation and/or roasting process protects the others. Steeping tea longer releases those bitter tannins.  This is true for black tea as well, but it happens more quickly for the greens and whites.  (However, this is not true for her

#1:  Don't Let the Winter Weather Fool You.  Just because it's prematurely cold and snowy here doesn't mean that there is any more time between now and the holidays (or the cousin's wedding), or that the days are any longer.  Thinking about adding more projects into the (currently bulging and excessive) queue (even the non-serious, non-urgent one) is asking for trouble. #2:  When disregarding Lesson #1, Bring a Bag.  Lest you risk leaving spare balls of yarn throughout the house. #3:  Be Flexible.  That untouched child's sweater kit from at least five years ago can easily become a few hats.  (Right - what if the Hat A Month people keep going after December??) #4:  Be Brave.  That partially-knit shawl or sweater can be repurposed for something that will actually get completed some day (see Lesson #3). #5:  When All Else Fails.  Tell yourself that you're just reminding yourself of what you have in there, for better and more cost-efficient future planning.

So - nearly five years after I purchased the pattern and Neuro and I spent a great deal of time working on our respective Crazed Scandinavian cowls, mine is now blocking after being kitchenered and soaked: My favorite part continues to be the marching Squatches seen along the top there.  Due to its thickness and shape, I'll need to rotate it periodically so that it has a chance of drying - it's two colored knitting, double-sided, and folded over - 8 layers!! Along similar lines, here is February Hat, all finished and blocked: Lastly, and nearly right on schedule, is October Hat, pompom and all: These cables were super fun. I've mostly been focusing on Audrey Hepburn, but obviously took some breaks to get all of these done.  I'm also undoing the slippers I made for myself, so that I can re-knit them as a single ply (they were originally double-stranded - now that's fun to rip out and re-ball!).  Not soon enough - we're due for some very cold we

I am declaring my Girasole swatch experiment a success!! You can't tell from there, but it is floofier, much softer, and light as a feather.  It seems like it will be super warm as well, even with all the holes.  (And, the swatch is cute as hell!)  I had so much fun with this, I'll have a hard time resisting working on this project.  But - it's got to get in line behind holiday knitting and the Cousin Wedding Afghan.  And I still need to figure out how to arrange all the colors. Now that I've figured out how to use my high-efficiency washing machine for soaking and safe spinning, I've finally blocked Veronika: (I'll get a couple more pics once she's completely finished.) In the meantime, I have a couple of confessions to make (I figure if I can survive the Cuddlee story, anything goes!).  First - whilst I was digging around in the "unfinished" bin, February Hat popped out.  Evidently I never finished working in the ends and adding a

Hypothesis:  The Icelandic Unspun will be a suitable yarn for an adult-sized Girasole blanket. Materials and Methods:  Size 9 DPNs, light pink Unspun, Chart A of the Girasole pattern Phase I Results: Preliminary results support acceptance of the above hypothesis.   Phase II includes a knitted picot edge, a good soak, and blocking. Discussion:  I'm really surprised at how easy it is to work with this yarn.  I've never used it before, and had heard that it's a challenge not to pull it apart as it's worked; after all, it's essentially pencil roving.  I got the yarn from a former colleague, whose mother had given it to her after becoming disillusioned with ideas of felting.  I have five colors - light pink, dark pink, medium blue, a natural brown, and some natural white.  I'm thinking there is enough of the pinks, blue, and accent color (brown? white?  dyed white?) for a blanket, but I have no sense yet of how this will all come together. Not only is thi

A few years ago, I got one of those presents (probably from my mom) that I opened and thought - huh?  Then I thought - well, I'll bring it to the cottage by the Big Lake, where it gets cold at the beginning and end of the season, and where the heat didn't reach the master bedroom.  And there it sat - not because it wasn't cold, but because there are always blankets, tea, and whiskey, and I probably forgot about it most times anyway. When we sold the cottage, I brought this thing back home and put it with the other cottage items we wanted to keep - mostly a few craft pieces and other memorabilia.  This is probably how it survived the massive purge we did when we moved - you know, the one where you decide if you keep/pack/move it, or you get rid of it (donate or garbage).  So it got moved.  When I unpacked it, I put it in a closet downstairs along with some towels and sheets. Back in the present time - we haven't been able to get the heat working in our bedroom this s

The beads arrived on Saturday, which gave me just enough time to start over with only one strand of Kidsilk Haze and figure out the slipped stitch edges.  The pattern is just starting to emerge: The beads and yarn together look amazing.  The pattern is an 8-row repeat, is easy to memorize, and I can tell right away if I've messed up.  Also - the yarn is so sticky that there's little worry about things falling off the needles and becoming a mess of unraveled confusion.  I'm really enjoying working on this project. I mailed the Nephew Wedding Afghan this morning, and it should be there by Wednesday.  At some point I need to start planning another adult-appropriate afghan to have in reserve - either partially or fully completed - so that I can have it on hand for the next surprise event.  Evidently I already have two completed baby afghans in reserve, and one partially complete, so I'm covered there (no pun intended!). In other news - we were out fairly late

I know that March is usually the month that has the option of doing this, but November sure came in like a lion this year!  We had big rain yesterday, followed by big wind all night (which made a lot of noise and kept waking me up).  So far we don't seem any worse for the wear here otherwise, but there are others in the area without power, and the Big Lake is all worked up.  I had also read that Lake Erie was expected to experience a seiche during all of this - that's when it sloshes around like coffee in a mug, from side to side; which is cool, except for the flooding and other possible damage that can result! I'm in the home stretches of October Hat and thought I'd show you a partial pic prior to finishing, blocking, and pomming: I like how it turned out.  I made a couple of changes from the pattern as written (in addition to using DK yarn and a different needle size!).  As I'd mentioned before, I really hated the brim (so did many others who've al