"But, really, why does anyone create? You feel a... a restlessness inside, a need to make something new, something no one has ever seen before. You want to add to the beauty and the richness of the world with a gift, an offering that is uniquely yours. It's an act of selfishness and generosity, all rolled into one."

-- Bruce Coville,
The Last Hunt

Friday, December 21, 2012

Carrying on with Caps

I finally finished the green hat last night, just in time to get it in the mail. It won't get there before Christmas now, but that's OK, the recipient is not really particular about celebrating Christmas actually on the 25th.


Isn't it sweet of Squijum to guard it for me?

This is my first textured knit, so I'm quite proud of how it turned out. It uses bamboo stitch, which is actually pretty easy to do, and also kind of fun. It also makes the hat a little thicker and more cushy. The pattern is here. The yarn is called "Calmer" by Rowan Yarns, but I couldn't find a color number on the label.

At the last minute, I decided to make one more hat.


This one will be in plain stockinette, and the yarn is a bulky weight, so it should go pretty quickly. I've already finished the ribbing and started on the main body of the hat. Thanks to Kathy for warning me I would need to cast on extra loosely for ribbing! I'm not even using a pattern for this hat. I just knitted a small swatch to find the gauge and multiplied the stitches per inch by my desired circumference to determine how many stitches to cast on, rounded off to a number that will be easy to decrease evenly when the time comes. I've been reading the online knitting instructions, you see.

And since this is still a tatting blog, I will let you know that I am planning to make as many snowflakes as I have time to do for Sandy Hook. Thanks to LadyTats for letting us know that they want snowflakes!

Finally, and I'm very sorry to have had to do this, I have turned word verification back on for my comments. I hate Blogger's new style of showing the words just as much as you do; they are often so blurry that I can't read them and have to try several times before I get it right, and I assume others have just as much trouble. But since I turned it off my spam comments have reached an intolerable level. I want comments, but only from real people who are actually reading my blog!

6 comments:

  1. The hat looks great! Excellent knitting! You're advancing very quickly, which is no surprise! And to me, the 'holidays' aren't over until Jan 2, so plenty of time for gift delivery! I haven't even sent my cards yet, but I ignore the Dec. 25th date! I think people like receiving them AFTER Dec. 25!

    And, of course, you're already figuring out how to 'design' your own hat! There is a way to 'delay' the ribbing by doing a 'provisional cast-on' for the main section. The stitches remain 'live' for later pick-up for knitting the ribbing 'down' (allowing time to decide on a color change if you wish). Then you can do a 'loose' bind-off (easier than casting on). I always use a crochet hook to bind off all my knitting, for more control. Believe it or not, I knit socks starting at the ankle, then knit the heel and foot. Later, I do the ribbing 'upwards', which again allows for a loose bind-off and control of how 'high' I want the socks to go!

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    1. Thanks, Kathy! That sounds a bit complicated for now, but I might look into that technique later on.

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  2. Very pretty hats. I like the look of the stitches in the green one.
    I haven't been getting any spam. Don't know what the difference is.
    Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

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  3. Squijum,
    Just a little hint: if you get your claws hooked around the little stitches in HER hat, you can pull out long bits of string that you can chew!

    It will make HER hat a lot more interesting and a lot more fun for you. After all, don’t you notice how she ignores all your talent when she is using those sticks? Especially when there are more than two of them.

    Give it a whirl - see if it isn’t a real blast!
    Your friend,
    Gian

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    1. You bet, Gian! And I can also get her out of bed just by grabbing one of her balls of yarn! I went to great lengths to disprove the name of that one yarn, "Calmer". Hah!

      Squijum

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  4. Hehehe *snort* hah! Maybe SHE will try “Renew” next. Or, even better, “Revive!” Hehehe, you go Squijum, there is lots of fun for you ahead!

    If she starts to block stuff on the floor, dig in while SHE is sleeping to surprise her with your best efforts in the morning! I am envious!
    Your Friend,
    Gian

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