FO Post: Burgundy and Blue

Here's a project I finished not that long ago, but am just now getting around to posting about. 

Two things I hoped to do during 2025 were: 1) knit from my stash, especially using amounts that were relatively small, but still worth keeping, and 2) knit more things for charity. This project is part of both of those!

Project: Burgundy and Blue 

Pattern: A mishmash of several things

Yarn: Plymouth Encore Worsted in the Burgundy colorway (#999), and Baby Blue (I don't have the band, so don't know the colorway number)

Needles: US 8/5.0 mm

Notes: I had small amounts of these two yarns left (31 grams of the burgundy, and 44 grams of the blue), and thought it would be enough for a hat, as long as I inserted some color changes throughout. So I took a look at a couple of different worsted weight hat patterns I had, to see what needle size worked best, and how many stitches to cast on, etc. And then I just got started and hoped for the best!

I love the way to crown decreases worked up!

And here's the yarn I had left - 7 grams of the Burgundy and 3 grams of the blue! Not bad, I was happy that I had enough for the hat, and that how I decided to start worked out in the end.

While I had the hat on a medicine ball blocking a bit, The Tim said, "What a great-looking hat! That should look nice on you." I told him that I had actually made it for charity, and he said, "Well you should save that pattern, because I really like the design." Which was nice to hear ... except, well - I didn't write anything down, so although I have a decent idea of what I did, I don't have any specific instructions for myself or even for anyone else to duplicate it. 

I mean, I'll likely be able to figure it out if I try, but right now, it's just floating around in the universe somewhere, perhaps never to be found again ... 😀

But the best things are: 

1. It's finished and looks nice.

2. It will keep someone warm and cozy.

3. I used up most of two scraps that were leftover.

4. The yarn was from my stash.

Any of those would please me, but all of them together make me feel pretty good. 

Small victories, people. Small victories.

Last FO of 2024: Tim's Ribbed Hat

Hello everyone, and Happy New Year! I hope that so far, 2025 is behaving for you. I have no complaints (other than my usual complaints, which are more than enough) so far. 😊

I wanted to share my final FO of last year with you, and tell you a story about a conversation that was had when it was gifted. 

Anyway, do you remember that a couple of months ago, I finished this hat for myself? Well, after I finished it, I had quite a bit of yarn left over, and considered that maybe I could reverse the colors and make one for The Tim. The yarn is merino wool and cashmere, and so it would be a nice Christmas gift. At the time, I was doing a bunch of other things, so it was a bit on the back burner.

Then at the beginning of December, I decided to cast on and see how things went. If it didn't get done for a Christmas present, I'd give it to him for Valentine's Day. So I would knit on it every couple of days, and since it's a hat, and not very complicated at that, it was finished in time for Christmas!

Project: Tim's Ribbed Hat

Pattern: Classic Ribbed Hat, by Purl Soho (large adult size)

Yarn: Purl Soho Cashmere Merino Bloom, colorways Red Mulberry and True Turquoise

Needles: US 3/3.25 mm

Modifications: None

Here's the story part:

The Tim (opening gift): Oh wow! A hat just like Greg and Preller have (two spouses of two nieces who received Musselburgh Hats in the past)!

Me: No, that's not a Musselburgh Hat. When I asked you if you wanted one, you said you had one, even though I have never made one for you.

The Tim: Well then what is this hat? [Tries it on, "Oh this is soft!"]

Me: It's like the hat I made for myself a couple of months ago, but the colors are reversed. It's extra soft because the yarn has some cashmere in it.

The Tim: So we're going to match?

Me: No, not exactly. My hat has the same colors, but reversed from yours.

The Tim: Oh, OK. Well this is nice. [a minute or two passes] Maybe next year I'll get a Musselburgh Hat then.

Me (in my brain): *^%#$%^&*(

To his credit, he did say that it was good timing since the hat he has been wearing it "all stretched out" (because he PULLS at it!), and he has been happily wearing it. And he really loves anything I knit for him.

But after having a whole conversation months ago about whether or not he wanted a Musselburgh Hat, and him saying no, even though he thought he had one but he doesn't ... 

So next year for his BD or for Christmas, I guess I know what to make for him!

Friday FOs - Twofer Edition

Hello on the last Friday of September, which is sounding like it will be a rainy one here in Philadelphia. But fortunately, it's just rain, not like the terrible hurricane/tropical storm that those south of us are facing.

I have two FOs for you, and I'm combining them into one post for a few reasons. Firstly, they took way too long to finish. Not because they were hard, but because there were weeks when I didn't knit a single stitch, so they just kept sitting there waiting for me. Second, I decided I wanted to finish them before the first day of fall, and that was able to happen. Finally, I decided I wanted to do the FO post for them before the end of September. I know I could have saved one for Monday, which is the last day of September, but I decided to show you both in one post instead.

First up, a pair of socks.

Project: Scrappy Shortie Socks

Pattern: Vanilla sock pattern, just shorter in the leg

Yarns: KnitCircus Spectacular Sock, in The Orange & The Green Speckle colorway (the variegated yarn); and, Yarn Addict Co. Free Range Fingering in OOAK (the green yarn)

Needles: US size 1/2.25 mm

Notes: I originally started these because I thought it would be nice to have shortie socks for the warmer weather. And it will, but it didn't work out for this year. But I've been wanting to get rid of some of my scraps - I was able to use every little bit of the variegated yarn, which made me very happy. I have about 50 grams left of the green, which I know I'll use for things, so no worries there. If I was a conscientious knitter, I would have weighed my yarn and tried to use equal amounts in each sock. But I am not, and did not, so one sock has more green than the other one. Since they are my socks, and the foot part will be inside of shoes anyway, I really don't care.

I did decide to put a little cable motif on the cuff of each sock, just for something different. 

So into the sock drawer they go!

Next, a hat.

Project: Two Color Ribbed Hat

Pattern: Classic Ribbed Hat, by Purl Soho

Needles: US size 3/3.25 mm

Yarns: Purl Soho Cashmere Merino Bloom in colorways True Turquoise and Red Mulberry

Notes: Months ago (a lot of months ago), Purl Soho was doing a hat-along, and offered this yarn at a discount. At the time, I truly thought I would participate, so I ordered the yarns, and then of course didn't participate. But I had wound it a while back, and every time I would grab something from my knitting supplies, I would see the balls of yarn. So near the end of July, I decided I would start the project and then have it for when the weather was cold.

The pattern is very straightforward, and I did wonder why I had decided to knit a 1 x 1 rib project again, but to be honest, since it was just a hat, it didn't bother me as much as with an article of clothing. The pattern is written for a wide range of sizes, and gives instructions for stripes, colorblocking, and of course just a solid color hat. 

If I had not had my non-knitting hiatus, this would have flown off the needles, but such is life. The yarn is lovely - I mean, it does contain cashmere! - and the resulting hat is just luscious. One of the best things: I have enough of each color if I want to make another in reverse colorblocking for myself, The Tim, or someone else!

Of course, you can use any DK weight yarn you may have, but I would say to keep an eye on Purl Soho's sales, because this yarn does make a really nice hat. It would be an especially nice gift for you, a family member, a dear friend, or anyone who is especially knitworthy.

*****

So there you go. The last "summer" projects that I had, now officially done and dusted. I have already started two of the projects with the yarns I showed you in the post where I did a lot of winding all at once, so my fall projects are underway - I just hope my knitting mojo hangs around, since I would really love to get them finished.

Nothing else much to report. After I post this, I'm going to scrub the bathrooms, so it's done and out of the way. I'm meeting a friend for lunch today, which should be a nice way to end the week. It hasn't been an awful week, but it's been one of those weeks where I've just felt off the whole time, so I'm glad it will be ending on a good note.

Enjoy your weekend, and I hope wherever you are, you can stay safe if you are faced with bad weather.

FO Monday : Alpine Bloom Red

Hello and I hope your weekend was a good one! Mine was fine - nothing especially good, nothing especially bad. It was pretty rainy and cold, which was nice for staying inside, knitting, reading, and drinking tea. Plus, yesterday was one year since Miss Esme joined the family, so we had a little celebration for her - little, because although she has made huge progress, she's still not sure we're not trying to kill her ... it was also Hamlet's birthday, so we drank a special toast to him last night. We miss our Hammy so much!

Anyway, I'm starting this week with an FO which was a long time in the making. Partly because it was colorwork, which I am not well versed in, and partly because it was charted, which I have not really done too much. But it all worked out in the end.

Project: Alpine Bloom Red

Pattern: Alpine Bloom Hat, by Caitlin Hunter

Needles: US size 3/3.25 mm and US size 5/3.75 mm

Yarn: Barrett Wool Co. Wisconsin Woolen Spun Sport Weight; colorways Chestnut and Apple

Modifications: Are you kidding me?

Notes: This was part of a kit I purchased from Barrett Wool Co. at the beginning of 2024. I had decided that I wanted to give colorwork knitting a try, and thought a hat would be a good start.

I have not really knitted much from a chart, so that was also a challenge to me. Fortunately, the pattern was very well-written and very understandable. Though it required a lot of concentration on my part, and went quite slowly. I had to make sure that I was home by myself with no distractions whenever I worked on it! I started at the beginning of February, and finished around the middle of April, so it was a longer project (though of course it was interspersed with working on other things during the same time.)

This was also the first time I knit a pattern by Caitlin Hunter, and I have to say that it was really enjoyable. I can see why her patterns are so popular, if they are as well done as this one. (Who knows, maybe I'll try another one ...) 

The kit was good for me, because there were limited choices as far as colors go - otherwise I might still be deciding what colors I wanted to use. I like the yarn - it is cozy feeling and soft but still rustic. I think this will be a great hat to wear. The kit included a pompom option, and I like the hat both ways to be honest. Since the pompom is one of the removable kinds, I don't have to make a single decision about it, at least not right now.

Best of all, it fits my big head! I knit the Adult Small/Medium, because I figured that the Adult Large might be really large (which now I know it must be), and figured if it didn't fit me, I could always gift it to someone in my family. But too bad, everyone else, this one I'm keeping for myself! 😊

I only used about half of each of the colors of yarn, so I think this would be an excellent scrappy project. Down the road, I may look through my leftovers and make another, you never know.

*****

I hope your week goes well. I have two Dr appts on different days, but otherwise am hoping to work on some of my personal projects, in and out of the house. And I am one sock toe away from having completely empty needles - time to decide what projects are next!

FO Friday: A Musselburgh for Forte

Hello there! Sorry to disappear, this week got way ahead of me and I realized that this is the only time I will have posted. But I'm fine, as I said, just a little bit too busy with mostly annoying things.

Anyway, I have a finished object to share with you:

I'm pretty sure you all know what this pattern is, since I've already made a couple - along with sooo many other people on Ravelry, and I'm sure plenty more who don't use Ravelry!

Project: A Musselburgh for Forte

Pattern: Musselburgh, by Ysolda Teague

Yarns: Lorna's Laces Solemate, in the colorway Charcoal; and, Onyx Fiber Arts Merino Fingering, in the colorway Sybil

Needles: US size 3

Modifications: None

Notes: Though this pattern is fiddly and annoying to start, once you get past the beginning, it's a good knit. I've already made two of these for other nieces' husbands, and this year was another partner's turn. I do think if I knit this in only one yarn, it would be incredibly boring, but I've always used two different yarns, which keeps it interesting, and provides the possibility of four different hats!

I know that the others have been big hits as gifts, so why re-invent the wheel, you know? At this rate, there will be one left to be made next year, and then everyone in that group of the family will have a spouse/partner who received a Musselburgh. 😊

(The other day, I asked The Tim to let me know if he ever decided he wanted one. He said I already made him one. I haven't. But who am I to argue?)

The yarns used this time around were both from my stash, so I'm especially happy about that. Granted, I only used about half of the amount in each skein, but that means I'll get something out of the remainders, or they can be used to swap or give away. Win-win!

Anyway, this is the third out of four knitted gifts for this particular family. I have a pair of fingerless mitts to make for a fourteen-year-old boy, and then my holiday knitting (other than for The Tim) will be completed! Unless of course I decide to make something for someone else, which could happen, but if it does I still have plenty of time to get it done.

*****

Not much else is going on. This week was a series of dr appts,  errands that I'd delayed too long, and things like that, so my days off were pretty well taken up with those. Thankfully, today I have nothing going on, except putting some towels in the washing machine and then the dryer and putting them away. Dinner will be leftovers, so no big project there. It's a gloomy, rainy day here, so perfect for being able to just stay in the house and do whatever I feel like doing. YAY!

And that's all the news from here. I hope you have a lovely weekend, and get the chance to relax and take a breath. October starts on Sunday, and you know what that means:

Here we go!

FO Post: Parisian Apples

Sorry to have disappeared there for a few days - things got a bit crazy at the end of last week, and then I worked on Monday, filling in for someone, and this is the first chance I've had to sit down and properly write a post.

You may remember that I had started a hat a few weeks ago:

It zoomed along pretty quickly, when I had time to work on it, and pretty soon I had a nice amount done.

And very shortly after that, it was crown decrease time!

And now - voila!

Project: Parisian Apples 

Pattern: Chelsea in Paris, by Christina Lundborg (free on Ravelry)

Yarn: Loop Sprig held with Loop Posy, both in the colorway Apple

Needles: US size 4 and 5

Modifications: None

Notes: Shortly after I started working at the yarn store a young woman came in and bought a skein of these two yarns in this colorway and said she was going to knit a beret. I remembered that I had this pattern in my Ravelry library, and I just think the Apple colorway is so perfectly red, that I went ahead and bought some myself. 

I got caught up in knitting other stuff, and then decided that this would be one of the projects I would make once I finished my cardigan. I knew that I would be making it and then putting it away to wear next winter, bur that was fine.

The yarn is really nice to work with, and the two together make a lovely hat. This was my first time using mohair in a project, and though I'm happy with the result, I don't see myself knitting with mohair regularly. It was easy enough to frog a few stitches with it, but it would drive me crazy if I had to take out rows in a sweater or shawl or some larger project. Having said that, I have enough of both yarns remaining to knit either another beret as a gift, or something else so I'll knit with mohair at least one more time ... 😉

I have mixed feelings about the pattern. Overall, it was good. But when you are doing increases after the brim, the pattern says, "increase by x stitches in the next round." Which is fine, but I prefer it when it says either "increase every x stitches," or "K4, kbl," or another specific instruction. I was just annoyed that every time for a few rounds, I had to stop and count and do the calculations. And granted, sometimes the counts would mean that you increased every 4.5 stitches (meaning you had to decide when for yourself), but it was just annoying. Especially when the decreases were very specifically written out. 

But then again, it is a free pattern ... so you get what you pay for, right?

I found it amusing that after blocking, when it turned it to the inside to finish drying, it kind of looked like some weird mollusk:

I like wearing berets, because they fit closely around my head and ears, but have room on the top rather than being tight. Of course I know you are supposed to wear them like this:

But really, I wear hats for warmth, and how warm would that be? Nope, I wear berets down over my ears, but maybe that's just me.

Or maybe it's because I am not French. C'est la vie, right?

Monday FO Post: Last One For 2022

I hope all of you have had a good weekend, and for anyone in the U.S. who is enjoying a Monday holiday for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I hope you have a wonderful day today.

Today I'm sharing the very last FO of 2022. You may recall the only other photo I showed was when I started the ribbing, back in November:

I've been hoping to get a modeled shot, and maybe someday I will, but in the meantime, I wanted to show you my last FO of the year.

Project: Toque for Tim

Pattern: Antler Toque by Tin Can Knits

Yarn: Plucky Knitter Trusty Worsted, colorway Be Steel My Heart

Needles: US size 6 and 8

Modifications: None

Notes: This was a wonderful, fun pattern to knit - and it's also a free one! I had a couple of questions at the start, and contacted Tin Can Knits, and they responded immediately, which only raises them higher in my estimation.

I decided I wanted to knit a cabled hat for The Tim as a Christmas gift, and when I was searching around for patterns, I remembered that I'd always wanted to try this one. Even better - I felt 99.99999% certain that I had enough yarn left over from my Steel Doodles sweater that I wouldn't even need to buy any yarn! (As it turned out, I had enough plus some still left, which really made me happy.) 

The pattern is extremely clear with what to do, and has both written instructions and a chart. I love knitting cables, and after about two repeats, I had the pattern in my brain, so I could knit without constantly referring back to it. And of course, the yarn is yummy and super soft, so the whole experience was enjoyable.

Plus, I got to learn something new - I'd never done cable decreases and they were necessary for the top of the hat. Again, the instructions in the pattern were so clear, it wasn't hard at all, and please look again at the photo above to see how nice the top of the hat looks. 😊

Best of all, The Tim loves his new hat, and says it's not just cushy and soft, but really cozy and warm. He's worn it nearly every day since he opened it, except for the stupidly warm days we've had. And that makes my heart very happy.

Overall, it was a good gifting season for me; I finished everything on time, I enjoyed knitting each thing, and all of them were very enthusiastically received. As a knitter, you really can't ask for much more than that.

(Not Really) Famous and Learning Something New

Happy September 21st!

Each week, the yarn store where I work part-time sends out a newsletter highlighting a specific project, upcoming event, knitalong, etc. I've realized that the newsletter has a large audience, all over the place. Whenever a new yarn and/or project is highlighted, the online orders start to pour in, as well as local people coming in to take an in-person look.  

Well, this week, the highlighted project and yarn included my first project completed for the shop! Yep, I opened up my e-mail and there was the hat I knit being featured and modeled by a co-worker. It was so fun to see, and then also see how many orders we filled for it and how many customers wanted to make the same thing. I forwarded the e-mail to The Tim, telling him that I was famous ... he was not as impressed as he should have been, but it could be because I showed him a terrible photo I'd taken myself of the finished project, so he's already seen it. So now all of you get to see it as well:

I do really like it, and am seriously considering making one for myself. I know that a few of you have mentioned that you are on the newsletter list, so you likely said to yourself, "Well, the gray and white one is especially nice, I wonder what amazing knitter made that?" Right? RIGHT??? 😀

I'll let you know when the "story" goes on the main website, so that you can see a much better photo, and get an idea of how it fits on the head.

*****

Early in 2021, I made a list of things related to knitting that I would like to accomplish over that year. It was a mixed bag, and I had mixed success, which was not a surprise. One of the things on the list was "Trying a brioche pattern." Of course, in order to try a brioche pattern, you need to learn to knit brioche, right? I never went anywhere with that, but still hoped to learn sometime. Well, I got my chance, though it was a bit stressful, to be honest.

Customers can request a special hour of help/a lesson on weekdays during shop hours (for a fee, needless to say). Last week, someone requested a session to learn 2-color brioche. We have a workshop that teaches that, but she wanted a one-on-one session. The person I work with on Tuesdays already knew how to knit 2-color brioche, though she hadn't done it for a while, so needed a refresher. And our supervisor told her to have me learn it as well, so I could sit in on the lesson and help out.

GULP.

Well, the one thing that made me feel better about it was that my co-worker hadn't done it for a few years, so she was more or less starting over too. She said she was glad to have learned it, but decided she really didn't like it that much, so she "immediately forgot all about it." So the two of us worked on figuring it out, with the help of a pattern we were given, some YouTube videos, and on my part, a few websites that explained it literally step-by-step.

After MANY stops and starts, I'm happy to say that I managed to "get" it enough to end up with this:

One side

 

 

Another side

My brain had a hard time with this one, I have to tell you. I could understand what I needed to do, but my brain and my hands were not cooperating with each other. It was a struggle, and though I'm glad I managed to finally "get" it, I'm not at all confident about it, and please don't ever ask me to help you fix mistakes, 'cause I have no idea. 😕

A few years back, I did find a free pattern on Ravelry for a beginner level pattern for 2-color brioche in the round. It was a 2-color cowl, and it was really nice looking. I put the pattern into my pattern library, and maybe sometime next year I'll give it a try. I'm sure there is an additional learning curve knitting brioche in the round, but at least if I do it for myself, I won't feel any pressure, and I have at least become familiar with the terminology.

Anyway, yesterday was the customer's lesson, and my co-worker got her started an on her way. I sat in though I was impressed with how well my co-worker could explain it, and how well the person picked it up (compared to my struggle in particular!), I think that it's one of those things that most people would benefit learning in a group class or workshop. Mostly because you would have more time to work on it, but also because anyone who would teach a class like that would be really well-versed in what it entailed, and would like not be flummoxxed by questions the students asked. But I also realize that everyone learns differently, so as they say, your mileage may vary.

But I'm proud of myself for getting the few rows I did knit to look the way they should. But after spending most of last week using ALL of my knitting time to figure it out, I'm looking forward to working on my own projects at home this week. It will be nice to work on things I actually understand ...

Last of the Christmas 2021 Gift FOs

I told you that the next few posts would be about FOs, and so far they have been.  Today's is the last - no my last FO ever (God forbid!), but the last one that is a gift for a family member for Christmas.  This one is for my niece Liz's (she of yesterday's post) husband Greg. Probably one of the best people on the planet, hands down.  He is a social worker for the State of Maryland, and part of his job is removing children from dangerous family situations.  He is so dedicated to his work and his family, and so knitworthy, that once I decided to knit something for Liz, there was no way I wasn't going to make something for him!

Project: Greg's Musselburgh Hat

Pattern: Musselburgh (link to desigjner's website, but also on Ravelry)

Yarn: Emma's Yarn Practically Perfect Sock, in the colorway Take a Hike (green); and, KnitCircus Spectacular, in The Orange and the Green Speckle (variegated)

Needles:  US size 3

Modifications:  None (though I did something that worked for me for the cast on - see below)

Comments:  I know that everyone and their brother has made this hat, and raved about the pattern.  And I get it - a double-thick hat that is mostly just stockinette, going around and around?  Who objects to that?

I had two problems, both dealing with the start of the pattern: 1) the pinhole cast on, and 2) figuring out size/gauge using the chart in the pattern.  I know I've told you previously about my problems getting things cast on to my satisfaction.  I did finally get it, though my "helpful" (? - because it may not be at all for anyone else) tip is that once you get the initial stitches cast on, instead of distributing them on the needles and then knitting the first round, knit the first round and distribute them as you are doing that.  This, at least for me, meant that the stitches were nice and snug on the needles, and that it was easier to make sure you had things ready to join in the round.  

As for figuring out the size/gauge using the chart in the pattern, I think that might just be a "me" thing.  But it took me a ridiculous amount of time to get it figured out to the point where I felt confident continuing.  Once that was done, the rest truly was smooth sailing!  

The green yarn was truly lovely to work with - it was soft, but not too soft, and the color is much brighter than these photos show - more like a bright forest green, not as subdued.  The variegated yarn was awful - really splitty, and extremely slippery, regardless of what needles were used.  I had originally cast on with that yarn, and nearly gave up the whole idea.  But then I decided to give it a try starting with the green yarn, and well, you can see the results. 😀

I'm going to try and wrap it up for Greg in its form in the first photo, because my other niece Amanda has agreed to take a video of him trying to figure out WTF it is when he opens it.  He's one of those guys who likes to figure things out, but has a running commentary as he's doing it, so we can't wait to see him figure out just what this gift might be ...

So I am ending the month of November by showing you the things I'm sending off as gifts this year.  It feels good to have been able to decide and get things done well in advance, and have them ready to send.  My plan is to get the gifts wrapped this weekend, so that The Tim can mail them next week.  Theoretically, they will arrive in time, but once they leave our hands, that's out of our control, so we'll just hope for the best.

On to Christmastime!

Here's Another FO for Monday!

We had a nice weekend.  I got my hair cut on Saturday morning, so that was the highlight for me, because not only did it feel good to get my hair under control, but I had someone to go, legitimately!  Other than that, we did the usual - meaning we stayed close to home - but the weather was nice, and we were not on anyone else's schedule.

You may remember that last week I mentioned being behind on a couple of FO posts - the first was the Yukon Cornelius socks, which you saw here, and now here's the second one.

Project:  Amir's Scrappy Hat

Pattern:  St Mungo's Simple Hat

Yarn:  The only scraps of yarns that still had bands on them were Ancient Arts Fibre Sock in the Orange Tabby colorway, and Nomadic Yarns Trusty Sock in the Slutty Pumpkin colorway.  All of the rest are either additional leftovers, or minis from an Advent calendar a couple of years ago.

Needles:  US size 6

Modifications:  None.

Notes:  This is the last of the hats I was knitting for Christmas gifts this year.  Amir is the son of one of my nieces' partners, and though I'm not sure he will care for either the hat nor the colors, it's a gift and up to him to do what he wants with or about it.

I love the way it turned out, and again was pleased that I was able to finish off so much leftover yarn.  This is the second time I've knit this pattern, and it is definitely a keeper.  It knits up quickly, and you can make the yarn(s) do the talking, or just make it plain and conservative if you prefer.

Plus, the crown of the hat is just so cool!

So now all of the gifts I need to mail are finished, and it's just a matter of getting them ready for that once things get closer.  But even more exciting to me, is that I've used up SO MUCH leftover yarn!  I still have plenty of odds and ends left, but these projects for gifts definitely took care of more than half of what existed previously.

And because I've really liked all of the scrappy projects I've made, I have an idea in my head for one I'd like to make for myself.  I don't know why I never knit any scrappy projects before, and now I'm kind of hooked on them.  😉

FO Post: Look I Made a Hat!

 [With apologies to Stephen Sondheim, but I like to think he would appreciate it.]

We had a lovely weekend at our house - perfect weather, and it was one of those weekends where the days were a combination of getting things accomplished and just enjoying the day.  Topped off with a win by the Eagles last night - finally!  

One thing that pleased me was finally being able to get some decent pictures of a finished project - the hat I made for a Christmas gift for my great-nephew Zach.

Project:  Zach's Scrappy Hat

Pattern:  St Mungo's Simple Hat, by Stephanie Offer (a free pattern)

Needles:  US size 6

Yarn:  All leftovers from my stash - two strands of fingering to create a DK weight yarn.  The brim is a combination of leftover Hedgehog Fibre Sock in the Construct colorway, and an unknown yarn, followed by Construct held with leftover Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Mixed Berries colorway.

The bulk of the hat is Cedar Hill Farm Company Mission Sock in the Sweet Strawberry colorway, and Fiberstory Fave Sock in the Tranquil colorway.

Modifications:  None

Notes:  This was a really simple, well-written pattern.  The brim took the longest to knit, simply because it is really long so it can be folded up.  My metric-challenged brain needed help with the measurements and needle size, but that was easily enough resolved, so don't let that keep you from knitting it if you are in the U.S.

I plan to make one more hat for a Christmas gift, and then unless something strikes me for The Tim or even for the critters, I'll be finished with my holiday gifts for this year!

This pleases me greatly.

Let's hope this week will be more pleasing to all of us - I know better than to get much more carried away than "more pleasing" ... 😉

Friday FO: When Four Quarters Make One Gift

I am feeling quite pleased with myself at the moment, because I have completed a project for Christmas gifts that means one entire family is already marked off my list!

Project:  KJPO Hats (Ravelry link)

Pattern:  Olmsted Hat, by Jaclyn Salem (also a Rav link)

Needles:  Size 4US

Yarn:  See each individual project. Everything was leftovers from previous projects.  Except when I used yarn that remained from my Crazytown Cowl (which was DK yarn to being with), I used two strands together to make the DK weight needed for the pattern.

Notes/details/modifications:

K Hat - leftover sock yarn, held together to make DK weight. The whole thing uses some Hedgehog Sock yarn in the colorway Construct; the other two yarns used are Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the colorway Spats (around the brim), and Ancient Arts Fibres in the Grey Tabby colorway.   

Knit exactly as pattern indicates.  Started: August 17 ... Finished: August 24.

J Hat - leftover yarn from my Shift Cowl by Andrea Mowry; a small amount of Good Ole Pip in Plucky Sock; Orange Tabby from Ancient Arts Fibre Sock; Slutty Pumpkin from Nomadic Yarns; two random amounts from minis.  Followed pattern as written, but started the decreases at 6 inches instead of at 6.5 inches.  Started:  August 30 ... Finished: September 4.

P Hat - leftover yarn from my Shift Cowl (aka Crazytown Cowl) by Andrea Mowry.  Adapted for a kid's head. Cast on 96 stitches, and knit for 5.5 inches before starting decreases.  Started: August 25 ... Finished: August 29

O Hat - used Ancient Art Fibres sock in Grey Tabby, along with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Peppermint Mocha; Nomadic Yarns Twisty Sock in the McGonigle and the Dumbledore colorways.  Cast on 92 stitches, and knit for 5 inches before starting decreases.  Started:  September 1 ... Finished:  September 12.

I love how each hat turned out - different but with some similarities.  After making a hat for The Tim last year using this pattern, I thought that it would be very adaptable to size, since it is a pretty versatile pattern that starts out stretchy when you follow the pattern exactly.  I adjusted sizes mainly so that none of the hats would be too slouchy, because when I tried on the one I made for The Tim, it fit me just fine, but there was a lot of extra material to be either slouchy or for a large folded over brim.  In any case, I highly recommend this pattern.  It is very clearly written, very straightforward, and knits up quickly, since the only point where you have to pay close attention is when you get to the decreases.  

So now I have some Christmas knitting completed - early enough to give me some time to decide what else I should attempt for others. 😊

******

I've been able to do a lot of knitting during the pandemic, and I have to say that not only has it given me something to keep my mind and hands busy, but it has also helped me maintain a certain degree of normalcy.  True, there have been plenty of times when the world has been too crazy and too upsetting to even consider doing anything at all that required any brain power or concentration.  But when I was able to rein in the panic, being able to read or knit or stitch meant that I wasn't constantly in a state of major anxiety.  

Unfortunately, it's not looking like things will settle down anytime soon here, at least not in the U.S., so I hope I can continue to manage my feelings with things that are only only enjoyable, but that take my thoughts in another direction and allow an escape, no matter how brief.

I have never been more grateful to have a decent sized stash, let me tell you!

******

I hope all of you have a good weekend.  It's the last weekend of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, and in Philadelphia, there has definitely been some hints of autumn in the air.  Whereas some people find that depressing, since it takes us into the seasons of colder weather, and fewer hours of daylight, I look forward to the cozy.  

I'm especially grateful my biggest concern right now is locating some warmer things to wear; I don't have to deal with flooding from hurricanes or evacuating due to wildfires, or face the daunting fact of starting over with nothing.  

Take care, everyone.

I Have a QO to Show You!

Happy last Friday in August - though I realize it's not the same as most Augusts are.  But still time goes right along, and it seems only right to mark it.  Because I have a Zoom meeting at 1:00 today that I know will only make me angry, I thought I'd use this time to write a happy post.  That way, I can be in a good frame of mind before it starts, and spend the afternoon knitting away my anger and aggravation.  

And so, I wanted to share my QO with you.  You may think, "What in the ever-loving universe is a QO???"  My response to you is, that *this* is a QO:

Then you will say, "But Bridget, that looks like a hat, and like it's an FO."  Which means that yes, you are quite observant, but then again, not quite.  Because although this particular piece may be a Finished Object in and of itself, it is only 1/4 - a Quarter - of an overall planned project.  Hence, the term QO = Quarter Object.

This is a hat for Keith, who is married to my niece Julie.  I decided a couple of weeks ago that I am making the same hat for everyone in the family for Christmas, which then became the KJPO Hat Project.  Above you see the K hat.  I am using the Olmsted Hat pattern by Jaclyn Salem.  I have already used that pattern to make a hat for The Tim, which he really likes and wears a lot in the cold weather.  It uses DK weight yarn, so for me, it was a perfect chance to use some stash!  This one used two strands of sock yarn knit together.  I used some leftover Hedgehog Sock in the Construct colorway for all of it; the brim which looks gold and blue is leftover (and now completely used up - YAY - Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Spats colorway; and, the bulk of the rest is Ancient Arts Fibre Crafts sock yarn in the Grey Tabby colorway.  I like how the brim turned out, though I must admit it was as much dumb luck as anything else, because I didn't really do a lot of planning - just grabbed and started knitting.  I followed the pattern exactly as written, and again have to say, it's a great pattern and makes a nice, squishy hat.

This took me about a week to knit, though in fits and spurts.  I'd get a lot done one day, and then not knit at all the next.  So this is all definitely doable.

And now?  I'm working on the next one in the group, which is the P hat.  I've adapted the stitch count for a kid's size, based on other kid-sized hat patterns I've seen.  As you know, baby and child knits go so quickly, I'm just moving right along on that one!  I want to try and get all four of them done before I move on to any other gifts for anyone else.  That way, at least one group will have handknit gifts this year. 😉

*****

I'm feeling pleased with myself this morning because I have been able to get a few things accomplished - got a flu shot and the first part of my shingles vaccine, took a LOT of old but still in good shape towels and dropped them off at the vet's office where they were much appreciated, and I'm almost finished with the laundry.  Always a good feeling to check things off the list for the day.  We have no particular plans this weekend.  Tomorrow it is supposed to rain the entire day, pretty steadily, so it will be a day of inside projects.  Sunday promises to be lovely, and so The Tim is thinking maybe we can take Hamlet to one of the large parks nearby where we can all walk around and not have to worry about crowds.  I hope we can do that, it would be a real treat.  

And that's all of the excitement from my life.  I hope all of you have a nice weekend and get in some time to do the things you really enjoy.  See you next week!

In Which I Realize It Might Be Good to Be Prepared

The other day, I was sitting around thinking - just thinking, not thinking while doing anything else - and it occurred to me that August leads to September, which leads to October, and on and on.  Which also means that December will be arriving (OK it would have arrived even if I hadn't thought about it), and that if things continue as they are, two things will be true: 1) finances will be tighter than ever, and 2) even if they are/were not, it's unlikely that I would be going out to shop for gifts.

And then it occurred to me that I just might want to consider doing something now to avoid worrying about it as the holiday season came closer.  So I poked around to see what I might want to knit for gifts this year, and decided that I will try this pattern and see what I think; if I like the results, it might be something that I will make variations of to give.

(pattern photo from Ravelry)

If I decide that I like it and enjoy knitting it, that would be great since I have soooooo many amounts of scrap yarn to use.  I've already put many of them into my Cozy Squares of Memory Blanket, but there's still some left over even after that.  I attempted to get one started the other day, and I found the right size circular needle, but oh man, was it hard to use!  It was one that I've had since I learned to knit, and I don't exactly remember the specifics, but the needle part has some kind of gray - almost rubbery feeling - coating on it, and the yarn was not willing to move along.  I realized after trying to continue nonetheless, that if I was even going to be willing to make one single hat to see how I liked the pattern, it was going to be unpleasant.  So I powered up the ol' computer machine and went to Loop's website and ordered one of these.  I justified it by telling myself that I would use them over and over, and that I would donate the pair I already had the next time I donated yarn and books to a local shelter.  So today I picked them up and will see if this is going to work out.

Though I fear I may have become a needle snob.  But those coated needles were making me stabby, and I knew there was no way I was going to continue.  If they were the only needles I would/could ever have, I'm not even sure I would have used them.  I'm guessing that when I first learned to knit, I just thought needles were needles and it didn't matter.  Now it does ... at least to me.

I just started this book yesterday:

It was on the opening screen when I went to return something on Overdrive, and I thought I'd give it a try.  So far, I like it, and I find the early days of detective investigations really interesting, so I'm hoping it will be worth borrowing.

Be sure to visit Kat's blog, to see what she and others are reading and knitting this week for Unraveled Wednesdays.

Return to Crazytown - an FO!

I am happy to report to you that I finished the hat I'd started for The Tim.  I wove in the last of the ends right around noon yesterday.  I cannot show you a blocked/blocking photo, because there is nowhere in our house where a damp or wet hat blocking on the exercise ball would not be seen (OK,there are places, but then it would likely never get dry ...) , and since this is a gift, I want it to remain a surprise.  Hopefully once it is gifted later this month, I can get a better photo of it for you.

Project:  Tim's Crazytown Hat

Pattern:  based on the Olmsted Hat, by Jaclyn Salem

Yarn:  Stonehedge Fiber Mill Crazy leftovers from this project,  no colorways listed

Needle:  US size 4

Modifcations:  Unintentional.  I had to cast on and start the first two rows about six times.  I think when I finally got it to work, I just started in without taking a look at the pattern again.  As a result, I didn't notice until I was getting ready to work on the crown that I had just kept ribbing along, which was not really what I should have been doing.  But I liked how it looked, and wasn't about to rip out everything and start over.  So I left it alone, and followed the pattern exactly only for the crown stitches.

Comments:  This was such a fun, quick knit, even with using three different balls of yarn!  I tried it on when it was finished, because it looked a bit small.  However, it fit my large head just fine, so I know it will be OK.  Plus, it's nice to have it finished well ahead of his birthday.  Here's a photo I took attempting to show the crown, but unfortunately, you can't really see the detail:

But no worries, I think it all looks fine, and hopefully The Tim will think it's a nice warm cozy hat.  :-)