Almost Unique

Sunday Snowshoe

The big winter storm just missed mid-Michigan, but we still received a respectable 6 inches of snow.  Today was my first opportunity to get out and enjoy it - with Zeby, of course!  I strapped on my snowshoes and away we went.

We saw ducks congregating in a small pool of open water.  And Zeby wanted to figure out how to get closer to them.

My favorite trail in the area is part of a flood plain for the Red Cedar River. This section obviously flooded and froze recently - the highwater marks were left as frozen ledges around tree trunks hovering over the ground.

Nothing better than wool for a cold snowshoe.

Pattern: Brioche Hood Hat by Valdis Vrang, a free pattern on Ravelry

Yarn: Happy Fuzzy Yarn BFL worsted in the color Shadow. Purchased at the 2011 Ann Arbor Fiber Expo.

Needles: US 8

Mods: I lengthened my ties to about 14 inches. I worked out a system to make sure I did my short rows correctly. I inserted a stitch marker at the point where the short row wedges would end, and inserted a locking stitch marker where the short row wedges began.  Every time I worked one short row I would move my locking stitch marker one pair of stitches closer to the other stitch marker. When they met, I knew I had finished my wedge. This will make more sense to you if you are actually knitting the thing.

This is my Use it Or Lose it Project 02 - working from my stash!

Zeby hunted voles on our way back. 

 I relish these quiet moments in the woods. I love winter, especially if there is snow.

The cobbler's children...

... or in this case, my husband, rarely gets handknit gifts. I did make him a lovely Botanic Hat, but it is too itchy for him, and so he wears it off his forehead - not a great way to keep a guy warm.  So, I was determined to make him a warm hat with something much softer. Much MUCH softer.

Last year (2011) at NY Sheep & Wool I purchased a ball of Briar Rose 100% cashmere - a dk weight and about 200 yards. Dyed in dark greens, browns, and a little bit of dark mustard, I thought it would be perfect for my dark-eyed, dark-haired husband.

I started the hat in September? October? And knit the brim on size 7s, until it was abandoned in a panic over getting class samples knit.  Upon reflection I realized I really should go down a needle. And what if I made it too short? My husband has a large head.  Time passed, and the little project remained in its bag until Christmas Eve. When I had an epiphany.  I took it out of the bag, ripped it out, cast-on again, and away I went.

So, yes. I did give P a hat that was still on the needles. Being a knitter's husband, he took it all in stride, and handed it back to me so I could continue to work on it.

I love buying a luxury skein now-and-again, especially if the project intended will use up almost every precious inch of yarn, and so I designed the hat as I went.  It is knit top-down, in 1x1 ribbing, a little tedious, yes, but quite attractive, very stretchy, and it looks tidy. Plus, it works beautifully with my favorite finishing technique - the tubular bind-off.

I put the hat on him around lunch time, and he hasn't taken it off yet.  No complaints of itchiness one bit. Problem solved!

And my leftovers?

Approximately 19 inches of yarn. That is a good use of luxury yarn!  

Now I hope to write it up into a pattern, and because it is knit top-down, it can be knit with just about any gauge - one continues to increase until the proper number of stitches are obtained and then knit for length.

I am so happy I managed to crank this out for him.  He is a worthy knitting recipient.

Finished Hat: Caller Herrin'

This beautiful hat was my Christmas travel project. Small enough to fit in my lap, interesting enough to keep me knitting through Ohio.  And each of the four colors came from stash. Sometimes it really is an advantage to having a big yarn collection!

Pattern: Caller Herrin' by Kate Davies
Yarn: Brown - Elemental Affects in Moorit. Blue - Jamieson & Smith 2-ply. Natural - Rowan Scottish Tweed 2-ply (discontinued). Purple - Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 2-ply (discontinued).
Needles: US 2.5 and US 3, but I think I could have gone down to a US 2 and a US 2.5 to get better gauge.
Mods: I reduced the colors from six to four because I had four good colors that would work together in my stash - trying to get six just wasn't going to happen. I left off the i-cord edging because my hat is a little big, but come to think of it, I could probably bind-in the brim a bit if I skipped a stitch here and there along that edging....hmmm. Ah well. I love colorwork, I love Kate Davies' patterns, and I was happy to have this project with me throughout my Christmas travels. Another reason to love it - I can wear it with a ponytail.

 

It has been snowing for the last two days, and I am so happy.  The winter so far has been strangely warm and dry, with too much mud on the trails to use them regularly.  I decided that the photoshoot for my new hat would be fun to do on our trail walk in the snow.  Watching Zeby enjoying the snow was certainly a highlight - he races around, sticks his whole face into drifts, and chases after scents perfectly preserved in the cold.

He usually ends up with a bit of a snowy beard though, and sometimes snowballs form in his armpits and in the fur between his pads.

Now to make some tea, curl up with some lovely wool, and watch the birds come to the feeder outside our window.

Botanic Hat

Some time ago P lost the hat I knit for him. We have looked for it everywhere, and it has not reappeared.  And so it needed to be replaced.  Last year he started law school (while still working part-time as a medical doctor) and so he rides his bike to school a few times a week throughout the fall, winter, and spring.  He needed something warm, especially for his ears. Michigan's cold weather is not kind to ears.

Pattern: Botanic Hat, by Stephen West. Version with large brim.

Yarn: 1 ball Ella Rae Classic Solids, brown. 1 ball Stonesthrow Farm Vintage VI (from Rhinebeck 2010) in an autumn variegated.

Needles: US 6 & 7

Mods: none.

I really should have used a softer yarn for the band.  Ella Rae is a great hard wearing yarn for outwear, and it felts like a dream (hello, spit-splicing!), but it is perhaps a bit too scratchy for skin-contact.  And I may have built up my immunity against scratchy yarn. Ah, well, it was a stash buster.  I will try soaking the hat in some Eucalan, and maybe some hair conditioner and see what happens. I wouldn't mind knitting this hat again if I can get through the 6 inch brim.

Occupied

This year I am dividing my charity hat knitting into two camps: Occupy Wall Street, and a local outreach program.  Woven Art (my LYS and place of employment) is now collecting hats for Occupy Wall Street protestors. In fact, I boxed up our first shipment to their Fulton Street address - 28 hats went out just in time for the winter snow.

My three hats will go out in the next shipment, which may go to our local Occupy Lansing protest at the Capital Building if they are needed or may head out to NYC.  Either way, I hope my hats will help keep someone warm.

Occupy Hat #1

Occupy Hat #1 was started in my tips & techniques class to show how to do the Channel Island Cast-on.    This used up a good portion of my no-name Chinese lopi-esque yarn (I used a lot of it last year, but not all!)  It is an retina-searing blend of bright red and hot pink, and has been in my stash since....2004? Certainly before 2006.  This was a totally made-up on-the-spot pattern, and was finished in the car on the way to Rhinebeck.

Occupy Hat #3

Occupy Hat #3 used up the last of the lopi (huzzah!) and used the last of my leftovers of Mission Falls 1824 wool in grey, and a bit of some Dalegarn Free Style. This hat was knit when I was recovering from  my first winter cold, which may have been Strep.  Using up the last of my MF 1824 was painful. I loved that yarn.

Occupy #2

Occupy Hat #2 was an actual pattern! (And, on a side note: I was so excited to find my alma mater sweatshirt in my winter storage drawer - I wasn't sure it survived last year's clothing cull. This ragged baby is over 15 years old, but still nice and comfy on a cold Saturday at home.)

Pattern: Belugah Slouch Hat

Yarn: Khroma in Aegean. 50% Merino, 50% alpaca by The Fibre Company (now discontinued)

Needles: US 4, 9, 10.

Mods: I worked the pattern as written, then after working with the US10s for a while, I decided I wanted to make the hat a bit warmer, so I went down to a size 9. It was a simple and fun pattern, and I also finished this hat in the car on the way to Rhinebeck.

My next few hats will be for a local charity.  I would really like to donate them to the Greater Lansing Food Bank, but I am not sure they want knit hats.  Guess it couldn't hurt to ask!

Two Millend Hats

In Northern Michigan you can find Stonehedge Fiber Mill, a wonderful mill that produces three types of commercial yarn: Shepherd's Wool, Shepherd's Wool DK, and Shepherd's Wool fingering. They also process for ranchers and spinners.  When Deb doesn't have enough yarn on one cone to complete a skein for a dyelot she makes millends skeins. Like snowflakes, no two are alike.  These crazy and unique skeins are a lot of fun to work with.

For the Mid-Mitten Shop Hop this year I designed two millend hats that use two simple color techniques; striping and slip-stitches.  For added interest I cast-on with the Channel Island Cast-on. If you know how to do a long-tail cast-on you should have no trouble picking up the Channel Island.  The technique gives you a picot edge that is great to use with knit 1, purl 1 ribbing.

L: Multi Stripe Hat R: Dashes Hat

For each hat you will need a skein of Classic Elite Lush and a single Stonehedge Fiber Mill millend. The millend will make several hats, but you will need a new skein of Lush for each hat you do, unless like me you make a bunch of them, in which case you will eventually be able to put all your Lush scraps together into another hat. (!!!)

The pattern is $5 and includes written instructions, a chart for the Dashes Hat, and the instructions for the Channel Island Cast-on.

Charity Challenge Complete

Saturday was the last day to drop off knitted charity goods at Woven Art.  I finished a few more hats that are headed to the Black Child and Family Institute just in time for the cold weather.  Each hat was made out of yarn that was in my stash for well over four years.

A Very Warm Hat by EZ - outside

A Very Warm Hat - inside

Orange Hurricane hat

Grey Hurricane

Raspberry Hatto

Embossed Chevron Hat

I am so glad I could knit so many hats to keep kids warm this winter.  I am hoping that I can knit one hat a month for a full year.  This will let me knit other projects, knit for charity, and decrease my stash - an ongoing project in itself.

Last year at this time I made a commitment to knit from my stash for the entire year, adding yarn only under the most special of circumstances.  Next week is Rhinebeck and I am not holding back. I won't be out of control, but I fully intend to enjoy myself. And maybe THIS year I can get a pot pie!

Little Acorn Hat

Autumn is my favorite time of year. Where I live in mid-Michigan acorn nuts start falling from the trees in late August, often coming down still green and then ripen into dark red brown nuts.  Our back yard is full of squirrels trying to store away their winter supplies, and the dog is beside himself trying to chase every last squirrel out of our yard.  Last Monday I got a bee in my bonnet to knit an acorn hat.  So I bought the yarn, cast on, did some calculations and ta-DA!

Great Oaks from Little Acorns Grow

This adorable little acorn hat is available in preemie, newborn, baby, and toddler sizes.

It takes two balls of Mission Falls 1824 wool in different colors.

The leaf embellisment is not included in the pattern, but can be found in Lesley Stanfield's book, 100 Flowers to Knit & Crochet, St. Martin's Press, p. 56

Pattern: Little Acorn Hat, a meg croft design

Yarn: 2 balls Mission Falls 1824 wool. 1 ball color 008, Earth (cap color) and 1 ball 014, Dijon (nut color). 

Needles: US 6 DPNS

Gauge: 5 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch

Available for purchase now on Ravelry.


I made my acorn with a greenish nut, but you can also choose a reddish brown - Mission Falls 1824 wool in Russett, color 010 would be perfect.

Friday Night Hat

Friday Night Hat

What happens when you have three complimentary partial balls of yarn leftover from other projects and a Friday night free because your husband has law school homework?

A stash-busting bonanza!  For those of you knitters not in the know, the Stash n' Burn group on Ravelry has another thread devoted to those knitters who want to knit down their stash yardage.  Coldsheeping takes dedication and almost constant vigilance.  Distraction comes from all corners - online sales, LYSs offering fantastic sales, souvenir skeins.  But the guidelines are pretty basic - give yourself a window of time to NOT buy new yarn, and to only knit from your stash.  My first go around I went 6 months without buying a single skein.  I bought patterns, books, notions and accessories, but no yarn.  I have strayed recently - there was a reward yarn purchase (from working the Woven Art booth at Stitches Midwest, and there was the purchase of a sweater's worth of yarn from Miss Babs at Stitches Midwest. But overall I have been very good.  I think my next goal is to avoid buying yarn until I have knit up three sweaters.  And I have all three picked out already. Let's see if they stick!

Pattern: Friday Night Hat just something I put together last minute

Yarn: Purples: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. Beige: Debbie Bliss Merino Aran

Needles: US 8

Formula: Cast on 96 stitches, rib 2x2 for 1 inch, then knit for 5.5 inches.  Begin decreasing, and pull end through when you have less than 10 stitches left.

Slightly slouchy.

Fall Swing

My knitting mojo has really kicked in recently, at least for making hats.  I am averaging a hat every two days, and almost all of those will be going to charity.  Little pockets of space are opening up in my stash bins, and I can rummage through them now without creating overflow.  Ideally?  I would empty out one complete bin (the one that is cracked and missing a corner) and not get a bin to replace it.

Charity Spiral Snuggler

Pattern: Spiral Snuggler by Kalamazoo Knits
Yarn: no name chinese lopi-esque wool
Needles: US 8
Mods: none

I am loving the fall weather that has arrived in Michigan.  I am preparing the household for winter - knitting, roasting, freezing, stockpiling vegetables and fruits.  I sure do wish I could smell the lovely scent of roasting chili from my days in Albuquerque.  But a cobbled together tortilla soup recipe may help with that nostalgia.


I am hoping that I might be able to go apple picking next weekend.  Homemade applesauce, cobblers, and pies are in my near future.  And gosh, I want to bake Dilly bread. There is not enough time in the day!  And perhaps more importantly, not enough room in my freezer.

Snail Hat

I loved all the offers of baked goods - so much so that I baked a lemon blueberry bundt cake to celebrate my move from blog-city to blogger.  The bundt cake is mostly gone now, but will be replaced shortly with a carrot cake.  This spring I joined the local CSA at Michigan State University, and I can honestly say that I have received carrots every single week.  That is a lot of carrots!  Hence an alarming frequency of carrot cakes.  Not that P is complaining.  Anybody have any good recipes for carrots?  Because I am getting desperate!

Knitting from my stash continues, and I have another finished hat.

Snail Hat by Elizabeth Zimmermann

Pattern: Snail Hat from Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmermann
Yarn: Schulana Capo-Nord, a new bulky weight yarn, 100g, 98 yards in grey.
Needles: US 10.5
Mods: None!  Multiple versions of this hat have been published by EZ, this version is a five spiral hat.

The truly amazing thing about this hat and yarn combination?

The Remainder

I had less than 12 inches left of the yarn by the time I bound off - and that includes the remainder of the long tail cast-on. Whew!  That was close.

This is a new bulky yarn by Schulana, and it has a wonderful twist and bounce.  The stitch definition is fantastic - if I had more than one ball of this I would have made a cabled hat.  The yarn came into my stash a few weeks ago as a gift, and now it goes out again as a charity knit.... although a part of me wants to keep this hat.

Dang.  Nope. It is getting donated, and I won't look back.

And, seriously? Send carrot-related recipes!

Welcome to the Yarn Lab

Relocations are never easy, and after six years of blogging at Blog-City under the name Nepenthe's Misadventures I have had to move due to the closing of Blog-City.  I have no idea how long my archives will last there.  Ideally, I will have my entire history transfered here.  Ideally, I would also have the time to do this.

In an effort (ongoing I should say) to clean out my yarn stash I am participating in Single Skein September 2010.  Loosely organized by Stash n' Burn podcast listeners on the groups' Ravelry board, the challenge is to knit up your single skeins during the month of September.  There is no way I will get through all my single skeins, so I am concentrating on skeins that are more than four years old.  Coincidentally, my LYS has a charity knitting challenge for six weeks from September through October, so most of my single skein projects will be hats headed for donation.

My first hat is done!

Raining Down Hat

Pattern: Rain Down Hat by Robyn Devine
Needles: US 6 & 7 done magic loop.
Size: medium - youth
Yarn: Sunny Mountain chinese lopi-esque yarn in red/pink from deep in my stash, and leftover bits of Stonehedge Fiber Mill's Shepherd's Wool in granite.
Mods: none.  Although, there is no suggested gauge for this pattern, so I may have been way off.  Next time I will do a large, as the medium really is a youth size in this yarn.

Gosh, that red/pink really doesn't photograph well, does it? Yikes!  It looks more eye-searing in the photograph than it does in person.

If you have come over from my old blog please leave a comment to say hi. And if you are new, please say hi too!  I am hoping that with this new blog I may actually be able to respond to comments, something that was nearly impossible for me to do at Blog-city.