Autunno Hat

It's about that time of winter where it's not fun anymore. It's cold. As a knitter I was a bit ashamed this weekend when I went searching for a hat and really didn't have many to wear. So this week may be a bit hat heavy. Overcompensation at it's best. Well, maybe not it's best. Men have the edge on this.

Project: Autunno Hat

Based off this hat, Ravelry project page is in English

Yarn: di.Ve Autunno in 33051 Coral (One skein plus just enough of a second to annoy me)

Needle Size: US10 (See below)

Ravelry Project Page

I did some slight modifications from the notes I used, but wish I would have done more. She did a knit one through back loop to result in a twisted ribbing, I'm not a huge fan of this, especially after the inches and inches of it in Dad's Cambridge Watchcap. So, I did a knit two purl two ribbing. I worked it for an extra .25 inch, bringing it to three inches. I cast on with US10's, planning to switch up to US10.5's after the ribbing (which would have brought me to gauge on the project), however, even with the smaller needle size I still had a pretty loose gauge, so I stuck with this needle size for the whole hat. If I could time warp I would have went with US9's to cast on and uped to the 10s for the top half. I knit to nine inches before decreasing, but probably should have done at least nine and a half.

However, I am very happy with this hat. This was a great destash project. I’m bummed I need that .1 of the second skein, as I have three more skeins of the di.Ve Autunno hat that have been haunting my stash for a few years and this hat is pretty divine in this yarn. And I'm confident enough to wear it around church even if people did look at me funny.

So, while the above pictures would totally suffice, here is some evidence of the difficulty of trying to get good project pics by yourself with a point and click camera. Very serious business by the look on my face in these pics.

And...first finished project of 2011!!!

Saturday Morning

I love Saturdays mornings. And I'm fairly notorious being a bit greedy about this time. There are lots of times during the week I feel lonely and want company, but this is rarely a Saturday morning. My singleness makes me happy in times like these when I don't have to pay attention to anyone else. My universe revolves around my recliner, my cup of coffee, and the freedom to be selfish and do what I want. This morning started off with a hat. It's cold here in Iowa this weekend. But as I knit I started to think about a quilt I'd like to maybe make. So out came the quilt sketch book and my crayons.

Now the big decisions of my day include:

1) Continue knitting my hat?
2) If I finish it make another hat? Or maybe cast on some Urban Necessity glove/mittens in a scrappy style I've been thinking about?
3) Move to the sewing room and start a new quilt? Wait to go to the fabric store and get some different reds for it or behave and pull from my stash?
4) To go to the store and get supplies for a lasagna tonight or stay in my flannel and just eat frozen pizza?
5) To nap or not to nap.

It's a tough agenda. This I know. But it's the upside of singleness that balances out those times there is no shoulder to cry on or someone waiting at home to celebrate my successes with.

May your weekend hold whatever brings you joy!

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Damson

So, I have a project finished. And a non-ranting and overshare post. Just a shawl. Nothing that should make you squirm too much. Although there is a tiny personal back story to this shawl.

September 7th, 2010 was a rough day for me. It was the day I got the call from my lawyer my divorce was finalized. After three years of tears and the bottom falling out when you don't think it has any further to fall; two years of separation; two and half of wanting to kill each other, making up, and repeating that cycle a few dozen times; almost a year of papers going back and forth between lawyers, the ex, and the courts; and a refusal at one point from the courts to accept our papers; you don't think it will hit you as hard as it does. But it does. It knocks the wind out of you. It dazes you. It spins your world in whole other dimensions you didn't know where still left to turn. And it makes you feel very alone. It makes the smallest acts of kindness the biggest things someone could ever do. Like a friend sending you patterns you've queued to let you know they are thinking about you. Even though you've never met them in real life. Something about someone else telling you they know you hurt makes the pain feel a little less. This shawl was part of the gift package on a day where I will always remember right where I was and what I was doing when my phone rang.

Project: Damson by Ysolda Teague 

Yarn: Aslan Trends Santa Fe (3 skeins)

Colorway: 1334, Tango Reds

Needle Size: US6

Ravelry Project Page

I'm a more of a small project girl. All about the instant gratification, so I think this may be the largest/most yardage project I've finished in my knitting career. I worked on this during some trainings, which seemed like a great idea at the time and a pretty ingenious way to score a extra hours of being paid to knit, but resulted in me getting some of my yarnovers off a stitch or two and not realizing it for awhile! (At this point you are thinking, "Why the hell do I read this blog of a crafter who seems to mess  things up constantly, life included?" No worries, I'm with ya.) I like the pattern, but I'm unsure if the pretty blue skein of Smooshy I bought to make a second will go with this pattern or not.

I'm not sure how I feel about the squared off shape of this. It makes it kind of akward to wear as a front facing scarf, which is how I prefer to wear my shawls. I may feel this one out for awhile longer. And I somehow went through 100 yards more of yarn than the pattern called for. In the whole midst of knitting during training I did do a few ridges extra, so I'm thinking that ate up more yarn than I thought it would with the lace section. Simple math if I would have stopped to think about it. Which I didn't. Still satisfied though. With the project that turned out not quite like I planned that is, the life thing is still a ways from being termed "satisfied".

P.S. This is not my first finished project of 2011. Close, finished late New Year's Eve. (I was sick, really, there was a reason I spent New Year's on the couch with the cat, tissues, knitting, and maybe a little wine even with the sick. A good reason. Don't judge me.) So it's the last finished project of 2010 I guess. The first finished project of 2011 is yet to appear!

Wisdom Stripe Scarf

What do first day back to work after a week and a half off (most of which you were sick), trying to fall asleep with your annoying new neighbors playing video games on the other side of the thin walls until 2:00am and blaring "Wild Thing", having your ex-husband text you at 2:02am right when you fall asleep to tell you something innane and stupid meant you're pretty sure to piss you off, a meowing cat all night, waking up early and getting ready for a doctor's appointment only to realize en route it is tomorrow morning, and then changing into no-one-is-going-to-see-me-today clothes only to get to work to discover you have an afternoon meeting that didn't show up on the crappy mobile planner mean? A VERY crabby April. And that is the short list of what is making me crabby. So let's look at a finished project instead. A finished project that took 10 months to finish since it was pretty much only worked on during conference calls.

Pattern: Noro Striped Scarf by Brooklyn Tweed

Yarn: Wisdom Yarns Poems & Patons Classic Wool Merino

Ravelry Project Page

And I think it's just best for all of us if I end this post right here. Because anything that ensues could not be pretty.

I bid you farewell for now.

The Start of Vacation

So the first day of a week of vacation should be one where you sleep until noon and lay on the couch watching TV all day, right? Not in simple eclectic land. I woke this morning dreaming of my flannel stash. That's a perfectly normal sentence. And when I woke up to the cat meowing at me at 645 I was determined I must make flannel pants out f my hot pink peanut butter and jelly sandwhich flannel. Right then. So off I went down the hall to my sewing room. But of course that was the one flannel I hadn't prewashed. While I waited I did get to make some progress on my Olatz shawl. My reward for surviving Christmas crafting.

And the best thing I did while waiting for my flannel to dry in my painfully slow dryer? Using the rockstar Kitchenaid Artisan Stand Mixer I got for Christmas from my parents to start a loaf of bread to go with my turkey leftovers for lunch. It was an existential experience. All my talk of being unsure if I wanted a Kitchenaid because I enjoy the experience of hand kneading? Rubbish.

But now the flannel is dry and the hot pink pbj pants of my dreams shall soon be a reality. To vacation time!

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Christmas Wrap-up

I post a lot about the stuff I make, but I'd like to wrap up Christmas this year with sharing some of those I hand made in love for. (This is a very picture heavy post. Bear with me.)



Layne and his Tucker Teddy

Grandma and her Summer Flies Shawl





Brooke sporting her French Press Slippers





Callie and her Sunset Beret

Brandon and his Hawkeye Pillows



Renee all toasty in her Aspen Mittens

Grandma with her quilt

Dad all perky in his Cambridge Watchcap

Grandpa and his new little buddy, Bramble Owl



Mom definitely not square in her Squared Set

And now, at long last, I get to make something from me.

Merry Christmas to You and Yours

As for me and mine...


We had a day that started with handmade flannel pants under the tree from Santa...

...mimosas...

 

...homemade cinnamon rolls...

...and snuggles (you're never too old for snuggles)...

I know Christmas is about many things. I am thankful for the love of God in sending His son to live and die for us.

But I'm also thankful our celebration includes a day out filled with love of those around as well.