Tiny Hat Takeover

My needles have been really busy lately. It's almost a compulsion and it's scaring the family a little bit. I really have no explanation but my best guess is that at a time when there is so much craziness and so many things that are totally beyond my control, this is something that I can control. Completing projects and bringing oder to things feels really good so my needles stay busy. I'm sure that I'll burn out sooner or later and return to my normal sluglike pace.


One thing that freaked the family out recently was the explosion of little hats that started to cover the windowsill near my knitting spot. They were for the Big Knit sponsored by innocent drinks. One day I just started making little hats and I couldn't stop. They were a great stash buster and I used up many of the scraps I'd been saving. You know the ones that were too big to throw away but not big enough to use on a real project. I had tons of them an I dragged them out and plowed through them.


It wasn't just the stashbusting that kept me knitting - these little hats were the perfect palette for me to explore my new fascination with embroidery a little bit. You may remember that I added a flower and a few vines to the back of Stinkerbelle's shrug about a month ago. It was so much fun and looking through Nicky Epstein's book I felt inspired. There have got to be tons of applications for embroidery on knitwear and little hats are just the start.


With the little hats, I got more embroidery books from the library and sat with them, a needle and scraps of leftover yarn and I went to town. I tried bullions, chains, feather stitch, herringbone and more. Some were more successful than others. Some of my favorites are the bullion flower on the brown hat, the stars on the red hat and the flowers on the grey one.

In all I made 12 little hats and no two were alike. I had so much fun and I hope that they help keep some of the elderly in the UK warm this winter.

Itty Bitty Hats

DQ saw this little collection this morning and commented in her most exasperated tone "Now you're making tiny hats?" She couldn't imagine what I'd do with these and thought I'd gone nuts.

After I explained the purpose of these hats she changed her tune a bit. These are for the Big Knit. Innocent drinks will put the hats on bottles of smoothies and for every behatted bottle sold they'll donate money to Age Concern. I saw it on Mason Dixon (scroll down) earlier this month and it sounded like a fun way to help a good cause - keeping the elderly warm in winter. Besides, all of those scraps that are bagged up and taking up space have a purpose now.

How cute are these? The red one was made from scraps of Cotlin left over from the red baby sweater. The natural one is alpaca (I think) and it's one of the first yarns I bought to make a cabled scarf. The blue one is leftover scraps of Andean Silk from a scarf I made for a swap. I still have lots of scraps left and these are super easy to make so I'll see how many more I can crank out before I send these off to Kay.

Just in case you're wondering about the sudden burst of new projects - I earned it when I finished another pair of socks on Monday. I'll share them just as soon as I can get good pictures.

A Giving Day

I got the teachers gifts finished in plenty of time and today my girls delivered them to their teachers. I'm not sure that they look like much here but trust me - they were pretty cute.

Just in case you missed the earlier post, these are washcloths from Mason-Dixon Knitting that I made with Sugar and Cream yarn and filled with bars of handmade soap from Daisycakes. I got a few different scents and the girls chose a bar of soap, a washcloth and a ribbon for each or their teachers and made thank you notes that we attached.

I really love this idea for teacher gifts and I'm happy with the way it came out but it was not one of my favorite knits. Those cotton yarns are really hard on your hands! I kept having to stop and massage my aching muscles. Maybe this is why Stinkerbelle's blankie is stalled.

I also sent off a little package for Dulaan today. I made most of these things last fall and put them away in a cabinet to see what else I could put together. Sadly I never really had time to do much more Dulaan knitting so I wasn't able to add anything more than a hat. As I pulled it out on the cabinet I noted that it almost looks like 2 somewhat coordinated sets. I didn't plan it but I think it's kind of cool. Really I'm just very proud that I got it in the mail on time. I guess that it's time for me to start knitting for Dulaan 2008.

Cars and Un-Candy Canes

Thanks for the compliments on my pictures. I knew I loved that picture of the green hills but I really wasn't sure anyone else would. With a picture from a vacation sometimes it's hard to separate your feelings about the day from your feelings about the picture itself.

Have you ever been to the auto show? It's so much fun if you're a car person - and I am. It was here in DC this past week and hubbo got free tickets so we went. DQ brought a friend along and the girls had a blast "testing" the cars. The took turns behind the wheel and saw some really cool stuff. There were hybrids and other environmentally conscious vehicles all over. Then there were the concept cars. Some of them were really out there! I just love to see the stuff they come up with even if it never makes it to production.

The highlight of the show for all of us was Camp Jeep. They had a course set up where you would ride in a Jeep over obstacles. DQ and her buddy were sure we'd tip over at one point and they squealed as we went up a crazy incline. It was very cool and well worth the hour spent on line.

Did you know that te Camaro is coming back? It is, and that car brings back such memories. It was the first car I ever drove. My friend Dawn had a red one with sheepskin seats and she let me get behind the wheel the day I got my permit. I'm sure there are many people who can remember the first time they hit the brake hard but mine involved chocolate ice cream that flew everwhere and ruined those fancy seat covers. Thankfully she was a really good friend and didn't hold it against me.

I didn't knit at the auto show but I did find other times to work on stuff and I found that some of the UFO's in my basket are much closer to completion than I thought. So much so that I may actually finish off one of them later this week.

Meanwhile, I spent more time than I'd like weaving in the ends on this scarf which I've dubbed the Un-Candy Cane. The pattern is the Irish Hiking Scarf. I like the feel of it, I like the look of it but I'll never knit another one. It's not a bad pattern at all but I found it so tedious. There's just not enough action for me. I also found the contract of working with the Wool Ease and the KP Swish to be interesting. Swish is much nicer. It feels more substantial and solid somehow. I would definitely use it again.

I'll leave you with another shot of the Un-Candy Cane.

The Un-Candy Cane

I'm glad that you enjoyed my list yesterday. It was just something that I needed to get off my chest. Please let me be clear though, most of the people I knit for are truly deserving. They call and tell me how warm the socks are, how cuddly the toys are, how they love their gloves, or how they hope the sweaters will fit one day (oops). As with many things, unfortunately, it's often the negative that has the greatest impact. I wish it weren't so.

This is the sky I saw recently on my way to work one morning. Obviously I enjoyed it enough to want to share it but, compared to the one I saw last night, it's nothing. Sadly, the light shows put on by nature each day are fleeting and, by the time I got to a point where I could pull over, the show was over and we were just left with a sadly fading, grey sky.

Last year at this time I was feverishly working on my contribution to the Red Scarf Project. I blamed my tardiness to the fact that I found out about the project rather late in the game. This year I have no such excuse.

Here is this years edition of the red scarf. The pattern is different, the yarn is different but the song remains the same - Under Pressure. Over the next 2 days I'll spend about 5 hours on a train between her and New Jersey so that ought to help my progress a lot. There is a situation in our library up there that requires my attention in person. Who knew that libraries had so many emergencies?

So, what do you think about the scarf so far? I'm working it in random stripes of odd repeats. 3 white, 1 red, 7 white , 5 red etc... I'm hoping that it won't resemble a candy cane too much.

Red Scarf 2007

The end of last year was filled with projects I wanted to do but just didn't find the time for. I realize that I had good reason to be a little preoccupied but still... I left a lot unfinished. I'm back on track now and here, as proof, I offer the start of my 2007 contribution to the Red Scarf Project. I just love knitting for this cause.

Not only do I love it, my kids think it's cool too. They knew as soon as they saw the red scarf that it was for the Red Scarf Project. I just love that.

I bought this yarn a few months ago specifically for this project. It's KP Swish and I wouldn't be me if I didn't under-purchase. As I finished the first of 3 balls I measured the scarf and it's just over 1 foot. I knew there was no way that I'd be able to make a long enough scarf from this yarn by itself.

I know that it wouldn't really be an infraction of my stash diet to buy a few more balls of Swish but it's a slippery slope. If I put in the order then I'd be tempted to add a few other things "just because". Once the diet is broken once it's doomed. What to do? I dove ito the stash of course and found a lone ball of Lion Brand Wool Ease. It's not exactly the same but it's really close and also washable. My plan now is to alternate at random intervals. I just love random patterns. Simple but random really floats my boat.

I'm sure that everyone will recognize the pattern. I am probably the last person on earth to knit the Irish Hiking Scarf.

It should be no surprise that this is not the only project currently on the needles. In fact, I may even have another finished object tomorrow.

ECF - Warm Hands Edition

Happy Eye Candy Friday! I was feeling a little down yesterday but today I feel ready to battle on.

Here’s a little Eye Candy duo with a warm hands theme. First up is a pair of beaded Mittens that I saw at the NMAI last Saturday. They are amazing. I love the design! One can only imagine how warm they must be.

I originally planned the picture above for ECF but it's even more perfect than expected because I finished another pair of Elegant Eskimo Mittens for Dulaan last night! These are very pink. I used Elann Highland Wool again but this time I know exactly how much I used – 2 full balls plus a tiny bit of the third just to finish the last thumb. The fur is a little different too. It’s Sirdar Funky Fur Magic.

The Drama Queen loves these so much that she asked for her own pair. Now she says that “of course” she’d wear mittens as long as I make her fingerless gloves too. That’s my girl!

November Fog

I can not believe that it is the end of November. That’s just one of the many things that seem to have snuck up on me. This weekend is the Drama Queen’s birthday and I’m really not ready – the house is a wreck and I have only a vague idea of how it all will work. I’m also not ready to bake the bajillion cupcakes I need to send to school with her tomorrow. Speaking of baking – I have no “plan” for her birthday cake other than the fact that it will be chocolate. I always try to create something marvelous, or at least really cool, for my girls’ birthdays. This year my mind is a blank. Maybe I’m spent. Maybe the baking mojo is gone or on hiatus.

I’m afraid that the knitting may have something to do with it. In past years I was able to multi-task to a much higher degree. These days I just want to knit. It’s not even any one project that I’m dedicated to. Yesterday I worked on the mittens on my commute in and during lunch but I switched to a sock for the ride home. After dinner I worked the mittens until they were nearly done before starting one of the gift scarves I’m making. All the while, I was pondering the colors of beads I’ll use to make the votive sleeves that will coordinate with the red candles in the picture yesterday. See? It’s all good as long as I’m in knitland.

I took a little time out to speak to a few friends about upcoming plans and my brain froze. I’m pretty sure I was completely incoherent. What must they think of me? Better yet, why do they put up with me? Perhaps I’ll be able to get my shit together better after…

Cupcakes and cakes are made;
Holiday shopping is finished…
And wrapped…
And mailed;
Holiday knitting is finished;
Birthday gifts are purchased…
And mailed;
We are packed up for our trip;
Once all the stuff I can’t speak about is behind us.

Fuzzy Mitts

I mentioned yesterday that I did a little Black Friday shopping. I really don't know why I do that to myself. It's so frustrating and it leaves me drained for the rest of the day. At least it was productive because, in addition to gifts for my girls, I got a little something that I have been hunting since June - a new camera! It's a Canon Elph SD-600 and I think I'm in love. It's super small so i can carry it around easily and it's got a million neat settings. Did you notice the nifty shot in yesterday's montage with the red berries against the black and white shot of the NMAI building? No... what about this then?

I promise that I will not play with this setting too often on the blog. I'll try to show a little restraint.

So, on friday morning, in addition to the electronics stores, I hit a certain bookstore where I picked up a book that the Drama Queen really, really wants. (a certain DQ will celebrate her birthday 12/3) I bought the book and headed over the Old Navy for a little clothes shopping. It turned into a lot of clothes shopping. I loaded all of the stuff into the car and, as I was driving down my street I suddenly realized that I left the book in the cart at Old Navy. I got home and just before I passed out on the couch I told hubbo to please call them, see if it was still there, and go retrieve the book. He did and a few hours later called from the store to tell me that he had successfully retrieved the book. Sighs of relief all around!

But wait, the story continues because when I went looking for the book to wrap it it was nowhere to be found. We checked all the bags, the car... everywhere! Hubbo was too embarrassed to call Old Navy again so my brother did the honors. The called on Sunday to say that, yes, the book was still there. Hubbo went back again, under strict orders not to return without the book, and picked it up. It may be a while before we can show our faces there again.

Maybe it's the influence of all the shopping I did but I’m really feeling the Knit Unto Others vibe. This past weekend was really productive. I cast on for these mittens on Saturday afternoon and felted them Sunday night. I adore them!


The pattern is the Elegant Eskimo Mittens that I found on Knitting Pattern Central. That is just one of my favorite resources. I can almost always find something cool to work on there - and it's all free! The yarn is random stuff from my stash. The fur is Moda Dea Jai Alai and the turquoise is Patons Classic Wool Merino – beyond that I can’t say. I'm not really into novelty yarns but, in this application, I really love the fur. It feels so nice when you slip your hands in these gloves.

The pattern is quick and easy and I will definitely be making more. Then I’ll have to decide which “others” these will go to. I was going to send them to Dulaan but the stuff that I see for Dulaan always seems so hardy and these are a little more whimsical. What do you think?