A Bright Hat

My goal for charity knitting for 2022 is to use as much yarn from stash as possible. I have yarn left over from previous charity knits and yarn that I was given. I also wanted to knit the Year of Hats each month. This has not always worked out as the priority was using stash.

The hat for June is a two coloured stripe, so easier to find yarns in my stash. I chose a variegated and a plain. The variegated is dull and the plain is bright. I thought the dull yarn would tone down the bright but it worked the other way as the bright red made the dull colours look brighter.

 

April’s Socks

At the end of March, I showed my first finished socks of 2022 and explained my own rules for which patterns I could knit. The main thing is not to force myself to knit socks if I can’t find a pattern I really like that fits the Sock Knitters Anonymous monthly challenge. This is why I’ve only knit two pairs so far this year. The latest socks were for April’s challenge and as it took more than a month to complete the first sock I did wonder if I’d finish the pair in the two months allotted. But once I’d finished the Tunisian crochet project, I was able to spend more time on these socks.

One of the challenges for April was underappreciated patterns. This means any pattern that was published before the end of 2021 that had fewer than 15 projects. A search of patterns I owned came up with a few options and I chose Crocus Socks from Interweave Knits, Accessories 2011. There were only 13 projects and the newest ones had been made in 2018, so I was pretty confident that I would not be beaten to 15 before I cast on but to make sure, I cast on just after midnight Eastern time on 1 April. Although this felt a bit like cheating as it was still 31 March in my time; but I reminded myself that the finish time is also in the Eastern time zone so I am not getting extra time.

The yarn I used is from Akara yarns and was a gift. I think it works perfectly with this pattern and I am always happy when I can use gifted yarn soon after I have received it. The pattern is toe-up with a short row heel – not my favourite – but I went ahead anyway. I worked the short rows as instructed and am not happy with my execution. But I am glad that I made them that way as it reminded me to use a different method on a cardigan I am working on.

 

Ladder Back Jaquard AKA Invisible Stranding

One of the problems with working colourwork designs in knitting is what to do with the colour not being used for that particular stitch. When working stripes each colour has to be moved up the side ready for its next turn. Patterns that are a few stitches of two or more colours, the yarn has to move behind the stitches to get to where they are next needed. When moving the yarn not in use, you do not want it too tight so that the fabric puckers and you do not want it too loose so that you have floppy stitches; and what to do when you have to go across many stitches? The yarn going across the back of the fabric is called a float and it is recommended that you do not carry the yarn across more than 5 stitches or about an inch. You have to incorporate a method to “catch” the float. The one problem is these yarn “catches” show through to the right side. Can anything be done about this?

Enter the Ladder Back Jacquard method. I have come across this so much from one particular knitter in the Sock Knitters Anonymous group that it has certainly been present in my mind and when people have asked about it she has directed them to a group on Ravelry and from there I found a hat pattern that was designed to teach the method. Finally, I decided to just go ahead and buy the pattern as that was going to be the quickest way to learn this new-to-me method.

Let’s talk about the pattern – It’s Not About the Hat. The pattern is for a colourwork hat, in five sizes. Each size is charted and written out and comes in beanie and slouchy options. And then, most importantly, instructions on how to work the technique with YouTube videos and instructions on how to apply this technique to other colourwork patterns using a different chart (a snowflake) that could be used on the hat pattern.

Why am I mentioning all this? “Because someone wrote on their project page:- “Super cool technique, it’s just a shame it isn’t free for all users to enjoy.” So this person, who is selling patterns of her own by the way, doesn’t believe that other designers should be compensated for their work. Incidentally there are tutorials available if that person had made a little effort, like put the words into their favourite search engine.

I decided to go ahead with this pattern rather than practice through tutorials as I make a hat each month for charity anyway. The yarn was part of the friend of a friend’s stash. It is Arranmore Light from The Fiber Co and is 80% merino, 10% nylon, 10% silk. It is amazing how just 10% of silk makes such a difference to the yarn. By following the pattern, I have learned a new technique and have a finished item. I didn’t bother with swatching and my hat came out a little smaller than hats I usually knit. But that is the joy of charity knitting – it will fit someone. I have no plans for colourwork projects in the near future but when one crops up I know have another way of dealing with floats.

 

 

Tunisian Crochet

In my last post I said that I had a finished knitted item. Although it is not really knitted as it is Tunisian Crochet. My two yarny friends and I have Make Alongs at various times, usually we make the same pattern, sometimes we have a theme – for example Advent. It’s been a while since we all made the same pattern and one of the others suggested Tunisian crochet. I requested hooks for Christmas and then with all the cast ons at the beginning of the year suggested a start date of 14 February.

I was having trouble choosing yarn as I didn’t want to buy any but I also wanted to join in. Then it came to me I had five skeins of yarn that I had purchased to go together and I could use them double to make DK weight yarn. I had originally purchased this yarn as it was massively on sale and it would go with a skein of yarn I already had but as things go that skein of yarn turned into a pair of socks.

Here are the original five skeins. 

The top skein is the first one purchased, the next three were the ones I purchased as they were on sale and the bottom one was purchased so I had five skeins to make a wrap. But then the top one became socks however at the same time I was able to get another skein on sale. So I still had five skeins with plans to make a Joji Locatelli pattern, except I never did.

It was really nice to finally use these and I could see myself making a garment out of tweed yarn. I especially thought so for the grey yarn that I used for the border. As I said I had five skeins of tweed yarn but this pattern only used four. The remaining skein could become socks or will be lovely as one of those cowl/shawls that I like.

These are the five skeins before use, the bottom one was the one that didn’t get used.

 

 

 

Here is my finished Tunisian crochet shawl. It is soft and squidgy and I look forward to wearing it in the colder weather. 

 

Oh, and as we have all finished our shawls, there was a discussion about our next make along. We couldn't come to an agreement so new cast ons for the time being, which actually is a relief as I do want to finish some more things.

I Sewed a Skirt

I’ve been rather quiet just lately despite finishing two sewn items and some knitted items. I have knitted two hats that I will not be showing until the end of the year as they are gifts. I made a dress but do not have a photo of it yet and I also made a skirt which I will be showing here.

I was given some fabric for Christmas and as soon as I saw it I knew I wanted it to be a skirt; I also decided I didn’t want to make my standard easy pattern of two pieces cut on the bias with an elastic waist. A while ago I had downloaded and printed the Simple Summer Pleated Skirt from So Sew Easy. I had enough fabric as long as I didn’t want pockets and I had some zips from when I purchased in bulk so I could start whenever I wanted.

There is a video to go along with the pattern but I still was not able to get the zipper and waistband to look the same. Obviously, I was doing something wrong but, despite watching the video a few times I could not get it plus this way of attaching a zip was not in any of my books. Having said that, the end result is acceptable. The other thing is to trust your measurements. The body of the skirt, front and backs, are rectangles and pleats are added at the waist to fit the waistband. I had to take in the waist, which was not hard as the waistband is seamed but would have been better if I’d trusted my measurements and cut the waistband to the correct length. I still would have made the skirt pieces the same width and made bigger pleats otherwise I suspect that it would be tight around the legs. Despite these two issues, I am really pleased with the finished item and not only will it be worn I can see myself making more.

 

 

Another Gift

There’s going to be a few gifts coming up as I know three pregnant ladies. I finished this at the last minute and has been given to the recipient so for once there is not a big time difference between finishing an item and posting about it.

I knew this person was expecting a boy and I thought I had bought yarn for just these moments when a gift was needed. But it seems that the yarn I purchased was mostly girls colours. Although hats are a quick baby knit this baby is going to be born in May in Southern California so I did not want to make a hat that would not be used for months. I had some yarn that was part of the stash I was given and chose an old pattern that I owned. I remember making this item before but cannot remember for which child.

I would have finished with a few days spare but I did not work the same number of rows of rib as on the fronts and there was no getting around it so I had to frog the back down to the rib. I finished this just a few hours before I was meeting the person and luckily I found four buttons in my button stash.

And best of all, the mother loved it. 

 

 

First Socks of 2022

You might have noticed that I have been making more socks lately. My sock yarn got added to quite a bit last year and, although, I could make multi-colour shawls I am quite happy with the thought of knitting more socks. My plans are mostly guided by the challenges in the Sock Knitters Anonymous group but I decided to put a small restriction on myself as often I spend the end of the month looking and looking and looking at patterns that fit any of the upcoming month’s challenges.

This year I am limiting myself to only looking at patterns that I already own, whether they be in books or downloaded (mostly for free). If I don’t find anything there I may look at my queue and favorites. This has helped me not cast on for the sake of casting on and is meant to cut down on the amount of time I spend looking at sock patterns. This meant I did not start a sock in January, which was no big deal considering all my other cast ons, but I did purchase a sock pattern in February. To be fair it was a pattern that I had had in my queue since 2011 so about time I made it. I used one of my sock yarn purchases from last year’s sale as the main colour and various leftovers for the flowers. This was an interesting pattern in that the flowers required more concentration but there was a lot of straight forward stocking stitch. I’m not sure how comfortable they will be to wear at the toes and heels but I can always wear them over a thin pair of socks. But they sure were fun to knit.

 

 

I Ran a 10K

Another event that was delayed.

After running the 5k in 2019, my friend and I had the crazy idea to run The Strip at Night in Las Vegas. We did not go completely crazy and opted for the 10K race, not anything longer and signed up for the October 2020 event. As we all know what the last two years has brought, you will not be surprised that the event did not take place. Even though there was never any indication when the event would be rescheduled, there were no refunds offered as the event had not been cancelled. This policy has been very unpopular with participants and (according to comments) had put them off the Ironman organization. This was not helped by the complete silence from the organization about the event. I also know this was a policy for concert promoters.

I decided to train as if I was going to run the race at the end of 2020 and finally ran for 10 kilometers on 31 December 2020. I had been putting off this long until I finally told myself I HAD to do it before year end. It was hard to know what to do next when I had two races of different length but no dates to aim for.

At last we were given dates for races and after running the 5K I started to train for the 10K. And it did take place. With all the changes in numbers of virus cases and variants I would not have been surprised by any cancellation.

Taking part in the race was amazing. The strip was completely closed down and there are spectators on both sides of the road and on the bridges. (The only part where there were not any spectators was after the start of the race as you are running away from the finish.) It really felt good having people cheer you on. The part that is not so fun is people walking and blocking the middle of the road so you have to run around them. I would have liked to complete this in an hour instead it was 1 hour and 3 minutes, which I know I shouldn’t complain about. When I finished the 5K in San Diego I was really hungry and wanted coffee. When I finished this race I wasn’t very hungry and was starting to feel cold so we just went back to the hotel and had a shower and small meal.

It was a great experience and I am glad that I did it unfortunately my friend did not join me in the end.

Here I am at the end of the race laden down with all the goodies you get for finishing.

 

 

Two Gifts

As I said in my last post, I have been slow in posting photos of finished items because I had made a couple of gifts that I wanted to make sure were received before I posted. The gifts are very different but I enjoyed making them equally.

First is a tea cosy I made for my sister. This was a fun knit and I kept on laughing at how much work was going into a tea cosy. I followed the pattern as written and she loves it.

 

The yarn is Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport, in Natural, Charcoal and Pepper. I don’t think that is true Starsky colours but close enough.

The other item I made was a coaster, or mug rug as people call them, for a friend who is going through a hard time. This is a knitter who I have met through a weekly Zoom call. Sending her yarn would have been nice but not exactly the thought I wanted to convey which was to send a hug. I was looking for heart patterns to make a coaster but didn’t like any I had found online. There was a heart on the monthly quilt I made. I adapted it slightly, omitting the wings and making the borders narrow. The quilting was simple straight line following the heart shape. I was pleased with the result which I called a mug rug hug.

 

February's and March’s Hats

I was going to write a post about my thought process and why it blog posts are in my head and not on the web. Suffice it to say I have air written a few on different subjects but here is one showing actual knitting.

I have been slow in showing finished items because in February I made a couple of gifts and I wanted them to be opened before showing pictures here. Then I just delayed on everything so I am starting off showing the hats I made over the last two months.

February Hat, worked as written except I started with a Turkish cast on so that the stitches were sitting on a cable ready for the pick up row. The yarn is Tosh Vintage (from the friend’s friend’s stash), the same as January’s hat. I may have enough for another hat.

 

March’s Hat. Worked using Tosh DK from the aforementioned stash. This is a thinner yarn than called for in the pattern, so I worked the larger size, this was not necessary and when I looked at the pattern the gauge was tighter than usual for worsted weight yarn. The hat turned out fine although I had to omit the last pattern repeat; (the yarn I was given was not a full skein), I was worried that it was not enough for a real slouch but too much for a nice looking hat. Apart from missing the last pattern repeat, I knit the pattern as written, including the tubular cast on.

 

On WIP news, getting buttons on the jacket is proving to be a slow process. I have buttons, I am trying to work out how I want to do the loops. I have finished one sock and started the other. I would like to finish them by the end of the month. I stopped working on the blanket as I needed more grey yarn and the Tunisian crochet project is coming along slowly.

Today is Pi Day and I have decided NOT to start a Pi Shawl. Although I like the fun of starting such a shawl on 3/14, I do not need another project. I will reconsider for 22/7.