Winter Hat with Welted Brim

 Having lost all his hats, and feeling the cold of winter come on, my sweetie asked me to make him one.  On of my many favorite yarn stores, The Textile Arts Company, was having a sale a few weeks ago so I headed over.  Among other things, I found this lovely variegated 100% wool:  Wisdom Yarns Poems in Olive Grove.  I bought two skeins and got to work.

On US 9 needles, I cast on 60 sts holding the yarn double, and knit one round, followed by one round of purl.  I continued this, knitting alternate rounds of knit and purl, for about 12 rounds, then went to stockinette.

When it was long enough, I started decreasing every other round, starting by knitting two together every 14th & 15th sts (six decreases per round).  And then it was done!  The wool is very soft, not itchy, and the color variation turned out really pretty.  Hopefully this one won't get lost until winter is over...!

Got Sole?

 We had a visitor from California recently for whom I had previously made a pair of felted clog slippers.   Our floors are cold up here in the Pacific Northwest in October and we wanted her feet to stay toasty, so we reminded her to bring her slippers along for her visit.  Unfortunately, when she got here, she found that her slippers were a slippery combination with our oak floors, and didn't want to wear them.  When faced with a situation like this, I know to turn to my sailmaker's bag.

Out came the cutting mat, the awl, the hammer.  Out came the waxed thread, the curved needle.  Out came the scrap leather, the heavy duty Gingher shears, the sailmaker's palm.

I traced the bottom of her slippers onto the leather, then cut about 1/4" inside the line to accomodate the "bumper" on the edge of the slipper.  I marked another line on the leather just inside of the edge.  Along this line I punched holes with my awl and hammer, spaced about 1/4" apart.  Then with my palm on my hand, I sewed the soles on.  It took a little work to get my hand inside the slippers, and coordinate the curved needle.  But they turned out perfectly, and she was thrilled with the result.
Now she not only has non-skid slippers, but they will last so much longer with the leather in place.  I wish I had thought of doing this sooner to my own pair, whose soles are so far gone that I'm in the process of making a replacement (more on that later).

Sure is a nice time of year to have thick wool slippers on hand (or foot...)!

Boyfriend Gloves

Well, the Christmas and birthday rush was over and Valentine's Day was looming.  My sweetheart hasn't received any hand-knitted projects from me in a while, so his turn had come.  I bought this yarn for its natural, undyed, undulating color variegation and its supreme softness.  It is the same Cascade Yarns Eco Duo that I used to make the Cabled Earwarmer Headband.

 I wrote this pattern up copying down my scribbled notes.  If you find any typos or mistakes, I will not be surprised, and would be ever so grateful to hear about them.  Please don't hesitate to comment or email.

Needless to say, he loved the gloves, and I love them possibly even more than he does.  Another pair, this time for myself, is now on my ever lengthening project list.

Happy knitting, happy warming.

Cabled Earwarmer Headband

So, the Cascade Yarns website has a TON of free patterns. That's where I found this one: Up to My Ears in Cables. I used Cascade Yarns Eco Duo (70% undyed baby Alpaca and 30% undyed merino). It's as soft as anything and lovely to work with. A really soft, subtle natural stripe emerged as I was knitting, which accents the pretty cable really well. Joined it with the three needle cast-off for a really pretty, nearly undetectable seam.

Happy warming, happy knitting!

Knitpicks Victorian Lace Scarf

So I'll start this post off with a story of being in the right place at the right time. The moral of which is that accidental felting isn't always as disastrous as it may initially seem.

I found a pattern for a belted cardigan/jacket that I really loved. I perused my yarn store all afternoon looking for the perfect yarn for it (but, which wouldn't break the bank, with my 10-skein requirement). I started the sweater in November and just finished it about a week ago. I had a solid three months of on and off work into it. When it finished it was just *this much* too big, so I thought I'd casually just throw it in the washing maching and felt it down a little. Well, after the 5 minute check, some hollering and cursing ensued as I realized that my huge investment in yarn and time had just been felted out of my size range. (There's a lesson for you). I was so disappointed, but stubbornly determined to make the best of it. Who doesn't love a too-small sweater, anyway? It was hanging on the back of a chair when a friend of a neighbor stopped by. She was drawn to the sweater, fascinated that I had made it myself, and sufficiently sympathetic to my glum report of its shrinkage. She asked to try it on, and loved it. It fit her like it had been tailored just for her, and she was completely enamored. She offered to buy it, and when I doubtfully told her how much I'd spent on the yarn (it is NOT a cheap endeavor to make your own clothes), she promptly offered me double my cost. Well, turns out my mistake with one sweater provides me enough yarn for two sweaters. How lucky was that?

I've always made really warm, cozy scarves, and they're great from November to January. But now it's February and the days are getting warmer. (Seriously!) I've been wanting to make an autumn/spring scarf for a while--something not to stiflingly hot on less than frozen days. And of course, you now know that I have a thing for infinity scarves.

I'm still going through this lovely home-spun wool that my friend gave me and I've been saving this one ball for a special project. It's super soft and I love the color (nearly everything I own is blue) and the gentle variation. I found this Victorian Lace Pattern on Knitpicks.com and fell in love, deciding to just join the ends with a three-needle cast-off, leaving me with not a traditional scarf, but more like a cowl (it goes around my neck just once).

If you look closely at the middle photo, you can see where I knit one row out of order...! Normally I'd have torn that row out and fix it, but I didn't happen to notice it until I saw the photos on the computer. Well, who can blame me? I was watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows while I was knitting this up and was understandably distracted.

I love how this turned out, feminine and delicate, and perfect for that in-between warm/cold weather.

And now my knitting fund is replenished, so I better head downtown and buy some more yarn.

Lacework Headband

I used up some left over yarn from another project to whip up this headband/ear warmer. I am terrible at making knit patterns and since you may want yours wider, smaller or bigger - I'll just give you the general stitch pattern so knitters can customize! I used size 8 needles, casting on 13 stitches, and Lion brand Wool-Ease yarn for this gauge. After casting on, Row 1 is K1 *yarn forward, K2 together; repeat from * to end. Rows 2, 3, and 4 are K to end. These 4 rows are repeated until desired length, cast off, and then ends are sewn/weaved together. I am excited about this machine washable yarn because I wear the headband running in the cold February weather! It keeps all my hair out of my face and my ears toasty.

Pedicure Toe-Up Socks

I've been intimidated by the idea of sock knitting for a long time. And why? I figure if I can make gloves, I can probably manage a wussy pair of socks. But still--the toothpick sized needles, the skinny, skinny yarn...

Anyway, the time came to knit birthday presents for the girls. Jess already knits scarves, I've already made her two hats, and she has a pair of my fingerless gloves. It was time to branch out.

Every time we go to Jess's apartment in the city, we end up on the floor, socks off, surrounded by her myriad bottles of nail polish, and get creative with our fingers and toes. Jessica is a connoisseur of nail color. And since she has an old drafty apartment and lives in a chilly, breezy city, it was a natural conclusion: pedicure socks. Alas, it was time to face my sock knitting fears. So I did a cop out.

I have some more hand-spun yarn of questionable quantity, so I definitely wanted to make them from the toes up. That way, the length would be determined by the amount of yarn, and I wouldn't run out before I finished the foot. Also, I knit these simultaneously on two sets of #3 double points.

Since I made them in a stripe pattern, and the heel is comprised of only one color, I had to carry the other strand up the center of the heel as I was knitting it. So I ended up crossing a purl stitch in front of the unused color every other row.

Due to the sport weight, rather than sock weight yarn, I used #3 instead of the usual #2 sock size needle. However, I probably could have gone with #4, too. Check your gauge. I based my pattern off of this generic toe up method, courtesy of Wendy Johnson.

I was relieved that the project was successful, and I'm now inspired to make a real pair of socks, toes included.

I went ahead and wrote up a pattern. Download it here. Feel free to comment with any questions. Happy knitting! Happy toenail painting. Happy warming.

FairIsle Snowflake Earwarmer Headband

Well, I've been wanting to make a knitted earwarmer for a bit now, and since Jessica already got one for her birthday, I just went ahead and made one for myself. I've never used this method before and have been a little intimidated by it--following charts, keeping track... it all seemed so meticulous.

I found this pattern on Leandra George's website and it was so easy to follow. I softened the colors up using a lovely caramel base and a pale teal snowflake, using some homespun 100% wool yarn given to me by a friend. I love working with homespun yarn--the variations in texture and thickness make it so authentic. And the feel was wonderful; each time I worked it I could feel the lanolin on my hands.

I used my bamboo #5 US needles and it came out just a touch too big (I am *always* too lazy to knit a swatch first to check guage--that's what I get for it). I shrunk it a bit in the washer though, and now it's perfect.

It came in very handy today, as our first snowfall of the year started last night, having us up early for a long, long snow walk. Though I was covered in snow and got pretty wet, my ears stayed toasty throughout.

Knitted Leg Warmers

On cold winters days like these I have a hard time getting warm in our wood-heated house.  And SNOW is predicted for the weekend!  Yay!  It's days like this when I get my craft on.  No, literally.  I get my craft on.  Over my second-skin Polartec tights and thick socks, I pull my new leg warmers and then slip into my felted clog slippers.  Toasty.  Throw on a sweatshirt and my cabled fingerless gloves and I'm perfectly set to curl up on the couch with a mug of hot tea.  Wardrobe is 50% custom home made, 100% energy efficient heat source.  I guess it's Mom who cranked it into us--if you're cold, don't turn up the heat, just put more clothes on.

I originally made the leg warmers because one of my November resolutions (yes, I make monthly resolutions; check out The Happiness Project) was to pay more attention to my attire and wardrobe and to dress up more often. My tendency is pretty tomboy drab.  Less jeans, more skirts; less clogs, more boots.  Naturally, an adorable pair of leg warmers peeking over my boot tops was called for.  I had no idea that I would really wear them around the house, every single day, without fail.  I love them so much.

I'm pretty tall, about 5'10", and one skein of Cascade Yarns Lana Bambu made one pair of mid-calf height leg warmers.  The yarn, a wool/bmboo viscose blend, was an absolute DREAM to work with.  Loved it.  Grab a second skein if you want them longer.  I used my current set of bamboo US #8 double points for one of them, and knit the other simultaneously on a US #8 Addi Turbo circular (this was my first time using one of these, after hearing all the hype, by the way, and I'm a believer!).  As such, I finished each leg warmer at the same time and they came out matching.  So that's a plus.

It's a pretty simple pattern, but if you want a printable download, feel free to grab it here.  Happy knitting, happy warming.

Cabled Wrist Warmers

I found a pattern a long, long time ago for fingerless gloves / wrist warmers.  In fact, it was my first adult knitting project (having learned to knit scarves in 3rd grade, I had a basic idea of knit, purl and casting on) and I learned some more basic skills from it.  Oh the wonders of Google.  M1L?  What?  Thank goodness for Youtube--otherwise, I suppose I'd still be stuck with scarves and dishcloths.

Anyway, I've made any number of these for myself and for family members, relying on several different patterns.  I combined these, refined them for my own style, and added my obsession of the moment:  cabling.  The culmination is what you see here.  I've attached a pdf of the pattern (and this is my first attempt at writing a knitting pattern--any edits/feedback are greatly appreciated).  It's a fun pattern, and they are so cute.  I have a few pairs of my own, and so do my mom, I think all my sisters, and my best friend.  I can make these from memory by now.  A pair of these for yourself first, and then wear them to keep your hands warm as you knit a pair for every person on your list.

I apologize for the poor photo quality.  It's difficult to a) photograph one's own left hand with a DSLR in the b) low winter northwest light.

Download the printable pdf pattern here.

Slouch Hat -- Or, One of the Many Great Uses for Remnants

I found this pattern after a Google search for a basic chunky hat. And voi la, discovered the adorable Midnight Knitter. I heart her patterns. She may even inspire me to try crocheting again.

My goal was to make a quick hat in an afternoon, to use up some remnants I had floating around my knitting bag, and for it to be sort of interesting. I have cabled a few hats, but for the most part I make the typical K4 P2 ribbing, then stockinette to the crown.

So, holding my worsted weight blend double along with the lavendar mohair (now three strands), I also alternated a strand of chunky weight blue, purple and cream, for a total of 4 strands at any given time. The mohair made it SOOOOO SOOOOOFT. Dreamy.

It's pretty loose and floppy and I imagine I'll need bobby pins to keep it on. Sort of lazy beret style I guess. I'm not quite sure I got the shape of it right (that's what I get for diverging from the pattern in my choice of fibers) but I've just blocked it and it's lying flat by the fire. We'll see how it sits on my noggin when it's dry.

My SSKs didn't quite look like they do in the photo on the pattern. They almost look cabled. Which is fine. I did confirm that I'm doing them correctly, too. I like the more geometric look of MK's, though. Maybe I'll try again.

Super fun, easy project. That touch of mohair made it a total dream to work. And I love the colors. They remind me of Fashion Star Fillies :)

Infinity Scarf

I was at American Eagle recently and saw the cutest thing--a long circle of stripey stretchy fabric: a scarf with no ends. I had the hardest time describing it, but I knew I wanted one. Well, if something is makable, I typically eschew the idea of spending money on it--especially when I already have plenty of yarn on hand. (These scarves, by the way, are called "infinity scarves." I was informed thus by my hipper, younger sister Jessica.)

I hate making projects that take forever! Don't even get me started on the cardigan jacket sweater that I'm currently taking a break from. So I cleverly got out my connect-a-needle set with the longest connector, chose a ridiculously small needle size (#7 US I think?) and proceeded to cast on HUNDREDS of stitches. Rather than knit the width of it and then sew the ends together, I knit it lengthwise, and joined it in a round. I thought that would make the texture a little more interesting and unexpected. But it certainly did take forever.

Anyway, this project kept me going though a few weeks' of night shift lunch breaks, kept my fingers going all the way down the west coast in the passenger's seat on a recent road trip, and I finally finished it on the plane back north. It's 100% wool and it's VERY warm. Perfect for windy winter days--no worries about it coming unwrapped. I love the concept and I have a few more of these on my list of pending projects. This is the last one I'm knitting lengthwise, though--any future infinity scarves will be knit width-wise and sewn together at the ends.