Coronet Two, or The Hat So Nice She Made It Twice

At the request of my mom, I made another coronet hat. Again, I used the fattened up cable, just adding a stitch to every component of the original cable pattern. The yarn she had was a lovely wool variegated from turquoise to brown to green to khaki or something like that. It really is lovely and sturdy and will be very warm no doubt, especially the doubled up brim and cables which create air pockets of warmth around the ears.

This time, the grafting worked out much more neatly and nicely. I found it helpful to repeat to myself, "knit slip offf, purl leave on, purl slip off, knit leave on." This kept me focused enough that I didn't make mistakes, like I did with my own hat where I ended up with too many stitches on one needle at the end of the grafting. This time it worked out perfectly, and the result is an almost invisible join - it really is quite magical, whoever thought it up was a genius.... For great instructions on how to do the kitchener stitch go to this article in Knitty.

The Photos don't really do the hat justice - they make the colour variations seem hash and obvious. In the real world the are much more subtle and muted. Still I don't know about using such a colourful variegated yarn with a cable - the cable kind of gets lost in the colour, if you know what I mean. I think cables are best in solid colours, although a very very subtle variegated yarn might be ok, especially if it was in the same colour family. Anyway, a finished hat and well done without too many mistakes. I am getting a ton of knitting done what with all the hospital room sitting and waiting with Pierre in recovery from his hip replacement surgery. I did mom's hat, I ripped out my hat and re-did it (it was too short, so the brim didn't cover my ears enough), did about an inch and half on Pierre's sweater, including some very tricky correction of mistakes by purposefully dropping stitches and picking them up with a crochet hook - thereby eliminating the need to frog about 4 entire rounds - not inconsiderable when you are talking about 700 stitches, (I had accidentaly knit when I should have purled, having been distracted by the patient liason nurse's update on Pierre's condition), and untangllng the snarly mess of my unfinished Noro Silk Garden Multidirectional triangle scarf from last winter.

I had fun on the bus this morning, staring at everyone's knitted garments, assessing which were homemade, and analyzing how they were made. This is what I love about learning new crafts, it opens up a whole new, richer, more information packed world to you. Before knitting I would probably go "There is a girl wearing a hat" - Now I look at the same girl and I see "there is a girl wearing a hat - I think that is a cable with a small number of rows in the repeat, braided. I like the ribbing that does not fold over to make a brim, just acts as an edging of knit 4 purl 4. Looks like it is made of a chunky weight natural wool yarn. " And so on... I swear some people give me funny looks, thinking I am staring at them too much, when really I am staring at their garment too much...Crazy Knitting Girl strikes again.

I do notice a reluctance of people to sit with me when I am knitting on the bus. I am not sure why. I don't take up much space and I don't have big pokey needles made of wood or bamboo that look like they could double as vampire stakes (or at least I don't since my lovely sister bought me my lovley Denise needle kit!), and certainly might poke a seatmate in the ribs.... Maybe it is because I look like I'm busy? Or maybe they think I am some kind of crazy knitting freak lady. Which, of course, I am...

Hopeful Knittyheads Webring Applicant

That's right, I'm attempting to join the knittyheads webring again with my new blog. Here's hoping it goes ok this time!

We Have A Winner!

Finally! My long running baby sweater contest comes to a close, as I recieved the news last night that my dear friend Lynda will be having another baby! This contest was started on my original blog, which was on modblog, but experienced too many technical difficulties. If you wish to find out more you can check it out here. But, in brief, this was the contest:
I will give this sweater to whoever presents me first with a baby that needs to be sweatered. I know, I know, its hard work, but chin up, and remember - in the end you will have a really nice sweater. and a baby. The sweater goes to the first couple to present me with a baby suitable for sweatering.... And Remember, I will accept entrants of other species.

And may I say about time folks. I was getting quite discouraged at my contestants lackluster response, but the Earle-Blackadar household has come through in the end!

Here is the prize....
If I get enough interest, the contest could easily be re-opened. Baby sweaters (or other gear) are great as they are fast and fun and cute. So, PROSPECTIVE CONTESTANTS... Leave a comment if you would still like to be considered "in" and I'll see what I can do about a new prize!

Coronet - Finished Knitting For Me!

I finished Coronet, using the Naturally possum fur wool I got for Christmas. It was alot of fun, and quite simple, I'm even thinking of making another for a gift.

Here are some pictures.

The first, fuzzy one gives you a better idea of the true colour of the yarn, which is sort of in between the blurry and the clear photo colours, and the last ones show an actual non-blurry picture.

This is after I washed in with a bit of shampoo. The possum fur yarn fluffed up quite nicely!

I changed the pattern a tiny bit to widen the cable - I just addded one stitch to each element of the cable (edginng and braids) and I like the way it turned out.

Knitting for Me

I've finally been able to start a little knitting for me now that christmas is over. I am using the purple possum fur yarn my parents gave me to make Coronet by Alexandra Virgiel,from a back issue of Knitty. It is a hat pattern that consists of a cabled band around the ears, like a head band, then you pick up stitches and just knit it like a stocking cap. This means you have a double layer over your ears for extra warmth, since the brim folds up.

(picture model/photo: A. Virgiel, from the Knitty issue linked above)

I wanted the cable, and hence the brim to be a bit wider, therefore I added one extra stitch to everything - so my cable looks fatter and wider, which I like. Knitting cables is alot of fun. I've been trying to do it without refering to the pattern too much, trying to make cables become more intuitive for me. Some progress made, definitely. Here is a scan of the cable-in-proogress. I am enjoying the yarn, it has a curiously solid , spaghetti like texture - you don't feel or notice strands or plys - it is one consistent tube, much like the width of a spaghetti noodle.

I'm wondering if I should wash and block the cable headband part before picking up stitches around the edge, so things are even, and hence the stitches are picked up evenly. Any input or suggestions would be appreciated!

And finally, as a special treat to my family, these pictures of Pat's kitten, named, uhm.. Kitten - Just because she looks exactly like my childhood kitty Travis. Now really, how cute is this... Damn the Paparazzi! I know I am beautiful, but why must they torment me?

Why the Library Rules

Pierre and I were at the Library last night and I was kind of shocked and thrilled to see a large number of teen and barely-teens gathered excitedly in the library. Now, this is the kind of behaviour I would have exhibited as a teen (being excited at a library) but not what you see there every day. Turns out they were having an open mic night, and anyone who signed up could perform a song, a skit, a reading, any kind of performance... we overheard things varying from some pop-style karoke to some rap in the short time we were there. What a great way to get kids expressing themselves - and they were all so psyched to be there having a chance to perform for each other! Imagine how much more excited I was when I saw a sign at the checkout saying this:

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YAK Club (Young Adults Knitting)
Ages 10-18 Sackville
Wednesdays, January 25 & February 8, 22/7- 8:30 pm
Need a creative outlet? The YAK Club is in opportunity to hang out with friends, meet new people and create really cool things.
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If you need more info here is the link to the page on the Halifax Public Library site. I've emailed the library offering to help out if they need any help, but it is probably too late to get in on this session for me(as a volunteer). Still, if I actually have any readers, and (even further from likely) any of them are teens in Sackville, you should call and sign up! And, remember knitting is not just for girls!

I also am going to make a point of asking about an adult knitting group at the Sackville branch, and would encourage any locals to do the same. One of the librarians mentioned there was interest amongst the staff, but they need to see interest from the patrons to get a group going! I know not everyone lives in Sackville, but if you do, the library is right there on the ubiquitous 80 bus route! It would be a great thing to get going don't you think? Any Knitty readers of Loop Cafe habitues interested?

This reminded me of a great book I had (from the library of course) about teen knitting... "Teen Knitting Club : Chill Out and Knit Some Cool Stuff" by Jennifer Wenger, Carol Abrams, and Maureen Lasher. It was well written and had some fun beginner projects. I'd recommend it to kids, teens, or adults - especially if you are trying to get a teen into knitting! The book is nicely photographed and spiral bound, and it emphasises the fact that knitting is for everyone, not just girls! I often find that more care is taken to have clear well-written and illustrated intruction books on the same subject when they are written for younger readers. Sometimes the quality far exceeds the "adult version"!

Right now, I'm busy trying to sort through my first attempt at a course in Pre-Chaucerian english lit. This is the text I'm studying - "The Auchinleck Manuscript", and it has a great website done by the National Library of Scotland. It is going to be a bit of a leap for me but I'm determined to do well. Once your eye gets used to the differences in spelling and so on it doesn't seem so puzzling - but it really does sound different. I was playing a clip of a reading and Pierre's comment was "I thought you were studying english, not gaelic!" I always find it so fascinating to find the same stories and themes retold, no matter how old the manuscript... for example this week we are studying a poem where a guy (my bad paraphrase) "...laid by a maid and swore to love her all his life, but told her little of his wife.." Some things never change do they?

In other reading, I got a bit desperate as I was stuck at home with the flu, so I broke down and started reading the book I got for Pierre for Christmas, "Cryptonomicon" by Neal Stephenson. Not that I didn't want to read it but it seems rude to read a gift before the recipient gets a chance to. I have been a fan of this author since reading "The Diamond Age" and "Snowcrash". Cryptonomicon shows how he's evoloving into ever more fascinating and complexly entertwined plots, and is still great at exposing the reader to the world of technology, history, and other cultures, no matter what level of knowledge you go in with. You learn stuff while never noticing it, as you are so gripped by the plot twists. If you are into War thrillers, techno-thrillers, or just great, can't put it down reading, grab it. Don't be scared by the size, you won't notice it flying by!