Hats off to me

Baby ear flap hat: Check!
Pattern: Loosely based on the beanie in Simple Knits for Cherished Babies.
Yarn: Karabella Aurora 8 from School Products.
Modifications: Cast on more stitches due to different gauge. Tubular cast-on for brim. Added ear flaps inspired by "Kim's Hats" in Last Minute Knitted Gifts, also with some modifications (I did four rows decreasing at either end and then did decreases at each end of each row which created the cupped look). I also stitched his initial on the back, so he's easily identifiable in a crowd.

Baby B is going to try it on tomorrow so let's hope it works!

Fishtrap aran hat: Check !!!
Pattern: Elizabeth Zimmerman's Fishtrap Aran Swatchcap from Knitter's Almanac.
Yarn: Brooks' Farm Four Play, purchased at Rhinebeck.
Modifications: That would suggest there was an actual pattern to follow...

Yes, that's right - I finished the twisted stitch beast. I sat down and knit furiously right through Pride and Prejudice and now it's all over but the blocking (which is in progress). As I've complained, this was not my favorite thing to knit. There were so many stitches to move on every cabling row (i.e., every other row) that it made my hands hurt. Plus, I'm a girl who likes order and instruction in her knitting. I did not particularly enjoy winging the crown shaping, although it came out nicely enough. In the end, I am pleased with the hat and it looks great on my head, if I do say so myself (modeling pictures tomorrow when it's dry). Added bonus: I have at least half the ball of yarn left. It will not become another Fishtrap hat, sorry folks.

Also blocking: The Boy's Bubble Scarf
Pattern: Bubble Scarf from Scarf Style
Yarn: Silky Tweed by Elsebeth Lavold
Modifications: None!

I finished this scarf over a year ago. The Boy wore it almost every day, and it was in desperate need of a bath and a block. So here are some shots of it reblocking. I loved working on this - great pattern, great yarn and great finished product.

Baby needs a new hat

New yarn it is! I was in the neighborhood and had a store credit, so I made a stop into School Products on Saturday and picked up some Karabella Aurora 8. I thought this would be the ideal yarn for a warm winter baby hat because it's merino and soft, yet also washable.

Baby hat - straightforward, yes? Of course I have to make things difficult. First off, I thought I would continue on my tour through tubular cast-ons and use one for this hat. Second, Mama has requested ear flaps. So the initial plan was to do a tubular cast-on using waste yarn and keep the ear flap stitches on the provisional yarn rather than picking them up. Math was done, gauge was guessed, and I was off.

After a few missteps with the cast-on resulting from attempts to watch tv and pick up stitches in dim light at the same time, things were moving along nicely. Per the usual I was a little concerned with the inflexibility of the edge but it seemed serviceable. However, after a few inches I just felt like it was going to be way, way too big. While I was shocked to learn the actual girth of the baby head (did you know they are close to 17" at 5 months?! I have an adult friend with an 18" head! And before you get snarky, she is very smart), this was just too big.

Out it came.



I decided to attempt again with fewer stitches and the Vogue Knitting tubular cast-on "A". Success! The cast-on is less tidy than Amelia's but more flexible and frankly, baby won't mind. I'm loosely basing the rest of the hat on the beanie from Simple Knits for Cherished Babies, one of my favorite baby books. I then plan to pick up stitches inside the brim and knit down for some snuggly ear flaps. Stay tuned...

Not quite a Zimmermaniac

I have been working on this hat in the spirit of Zimmermania - the Fishtrap Aran hat from Knitter's Almanac. The yarn was purchased at Rhinebeck from Brooks Farm. It is Fourplay, a wool-silk blend. Yummy to knit, but I must say I am not digging the pattern (I know, I know, it is knitworld blasphemy to harsh on an EZ project). It is just a lot of stitch moving on every row and it makes my hands hurt. The good news? It's just a hat so if I got my arse in gear I could theoretically finish it in short order. Sadly, though, it's spent a lot of time languishing on the abandoned project shelf.