Kittyville hat (without kitty ears)

Once upon a time, I knit a couple of Kittyville hats, one in black and one in pink, for others. I tried one on and thought it looked pretty good. Now that "bonnets" are in, I thought I'd knit myself one. Meh - not a good look on me, but maybe on someone else.

Pattern: Kittyville (listed as Adults-Only Devil Hat on Ravelry), by Kitty Schmidt (published in Stitch n Bitch)
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash, in black
Needles: US7
Modifications: Left off the kitty ears

I would still like a hat with earflaps. Maybe I can modify a pattern that suits me better, although I don't look good in hats in general.

Listening and fiber

Do you listen to audio books while knitting or spinning or whatever? Sometimes I do, as long as I'm not at a tricky part of the project that involves thinking (counting is usually okay). Lately I've been marching though the George Smiley series of novels by John Le Carre. I've tried reading this author before (without success), but listening is another matter. Thank goodness for Hoopla (check your local library apps).

Knitting: I started a Window Cat, in what I think is acrylic; I'll have to give it the "burn test".

Spinning: The yarn I skeined last week was the Tasman comeback, and yes, some was three-plied, some chain-plied. This week I started chain-plying the maroon merino top.

You may be wondering what the "burn test" is. Light a small piece of mystery yarn on fire (CAREFULLY!) If it burns slowly and smells like burnt hair, it is wool; if it melts and smells like burnt plastic, it is acrylic.

At our last weaving guild meeting (which was by Zoom), I showed off my ice dyed yarn that is becoming socks. A member asked how to prevent laddering when knitting with double-pointed needles. What I learned from Stitch n Bitch is this: Knit the first stitch on a needle, insert the needle to knit the second stitch but before completing it, give the yarn a little tug; this tightens up the first stitch and helps prevent laddering.

TUG!

And that's all I have for today.

Double crochet cowl

While looking for an easy project for my granddaughter to crochet, I happened upon this pattern. I tested it, then paused while I finished the log cabin scarf, as both used the same yarn and I wanted to make sure I had enough for the scarf. Consequently, the cowl is not as long as specified in the pattern, but long enough for me.

Pattern: Long Double Crochet Cowl, by Stephanie Jessica Lau
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted, naturally dyed with henna
Hook: H (5.0 mm)
Modifications: The pattern calls for super chunky yarn and a hook size of N/P, but I ignored all that.

This cowl is worked in turned rows. I chose to seam the two ends together using a slip stitch, which worked well but is obvious.

Knit cowls are usually worked in the round, and I found myself wondering about how one would do that with crochet. Well, while I used the free version of this pattern, the $5 version includes instructions for crocheting one in the round.

Lamb's Pride is a very warm wool, thanks to the mohair in it, but I'm not sure this cowl would provide much protections from the cold due to the open fabric. A polar vortex is on its way, so maybe I'll give it a try.

Bigfoot socks

Believe it or not, I am still wrapping up posts about xmas knitting projects. I have only one photo of the pair of socks I knit for my son because I forgot to take any beforehand. He kindly sent this one post-holiday:

Pattern: Short row toe and heel basic socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit, colorway 4720, and Opal Uni Solid, colorway 3081 (natural) for the toes, heels, and cuffs
Needles: US1
Modifications: I knit these from the top down, so the toe is a 'wedge' toe, not the short row

I used an alternating 2x2 longtail cast on, casting on 80 stitches. The 20 rows of 2x2 ribbing felt a bit much, but ended up matching the toe length well. The foot is about 80 rounds and the leg is about 80 rounds. They fit my son's size 13 feet well.

While I love my son and love knitting him socks, the 80-stitch rounds get to be a bit much. For the next pair, I may use a DK weight sock yarn, just to give myself a break.

I pledged

My first spinning wheel was an Ashford Kiwi 2.0. I chose it primarily because of the double treadle (and I didn't know enough to make a more refined decision). It has two ratios (3.0 has been upgraded to three) and I added a super flyer to it for bulky or "art" yarns. It doesn't get used very much.

That version of the Kiwi was not portable, so I purchased an Ashford Joy 2.0. It has the double treadle, plus four ratios ( I rarely deviate from whatever I am currently using), and is portable... or luggable. Schlepping it around is a bit awkward despite the carrying bag.

This past week, Knitty.com sent out an email about a new e-spinner that is relying on Kickstarter for funding. This one is called the EEW Fold. Not only does the e-spinner fold for easy transport, the bobbins fold as well. And it weighs about two pounds.

Photo borrowed from Kickstarter

After watching the video, I debated with myself over whether a needed a THIRD spinning wheel. Several of my fiber friends have e-spinners and *love* them. An advantage of a motor-driven wheel (with an rpm display) is consistency, plus there are unlimited speeds. Since I would not need to treadle, I would not have to quarter-twist my back when plying, either.

So I pledged. And then I worried that I would need a traveling table to set it on, but the inventor is publishing (for free!) files for 3-D printing a platform that can be attached to a tripod (which I already have).

The Kickstarter goal was $20k and already over $300k has been pledged, so the product looks like a GO. The deadline for pledging is February 5, 2025, if you are interested. They expect to be shipping in May. With over 1300 backers, it may be a while before I get mine.

Crochet: For my UFO-to-FO project this month, I wrapped up the double crochet cowl; separate post to follow.
Knitting: I started and finished a Kittyville hat; separate post to follow. Now besides the ice dyed socks, I'm knitting a "window cat".
Spinning: I emptied two bobbins of some tan yarn; I think one bobbin was three-plied, the other chain-plied (I'll have to comb my blog to figure out exactly what is what).

The other day I saw a woman in the grocery store who was wearing thigh-high leg warmers over her leggings. Is that a new style? Many years ago, I knit leg warmers, but got rid of them because they would not stay up. Over leggings, however....

Thanks to the weather, our recent spinners guild meeting was held virtually, which worked out okay except it was difficult to see the show-and-tell projects. The "theme" was using leftovers, so now I am collecting links to the patterns so they can be shared with everyone, including those who declined to attend (Luddites).

Fisherman's balaclava

I keep getting balaclava and baklava mixed up. The words, that is, not the objects. When it is cold and windy out, the former may be more useful than the latter.

Pattern: A combination of Hunter's Orange by Kaeleigh Geddes and Copy Cat C.C. Beanie by Emily Ingrid
Yarn: Lion's Brand Fisherman's Wool, in natural
Needles: US7 and US8
Modifications: Quite a few - see below

Starting with the Hunter's Orange pattern, I increased the needle sizes, as my head is big. Then I cast on 88 stitches using the alternating long-tail cast on. I followed the instructions until the cast on for the top of the face opening, where I used the slip knot cast on (which as very tricky to get tight enough). Then I continued with the instructions until I reached the "Head" section, where I switched to the Copy Cat C.C. Beanie instructions, starting above the ribbing. After two pattern repeats (using 2x2 ribbing instead of 1x1), I followed the instructions to finish off the crown (for which 88 stitches worked better than the 86 stitches in the C.C. pattern).

I was a little nervous about how it would turn out, but one of the great things about knitting is anything knit can be unknit. But I like it, despite the fact it reminds me of one of several one-eyed cartoon characters.

Bring on the windy cold weather!

Mended

That damaged gray sock I displayed a week or so ago is all fixed. It helps that I not only had notes in Ravelry about these socks, but also a blog post. While not exactly a twin to its sibling, certainly functional.

One issue was this pair of socks was knit from the toe up, using a Turkish cast on. The repaired toe had to be done in the opposite direction. I supposed I could have worked harder to make the toe rounder, but after some use, I'm sure my SO won't be able to feel the difference.

While I was able to duplicate the colors on the toe, I didn't make the effort on the cuff, as it would have meant breaking up the remaining yarn to get at the correct shade of gray. Anyway, challenge met!

Knitting: Besides fixing the above socks, I finished the balaclava; separate post to follow. The ice dyed socks continue to be my portable project.

When I arrived at last week's spin-in, I asked how many handknits one could wear at one time. I had on a sweater, a scarf, a hat, mittens, and socks, all made by me. I guess I won.

More

After last week's post, I thought of yet another sweater I want to knit: a cuff-to-cuff one (pattern in Ashford's Wheel publication) using handspun. Then this colorful one showed up in my FB feed and looks like one that would use up a lot of this and that.

I don't want to buy this sweater, I want to knit it!

Suddenly granny squares are in, so now I am also looking at crocheted sweaters. A fiber friend created the following (she called it a "hexagon" sweater):

Photo courtesy Lorinda Browning

When I shared the above photo with another fiber friend, she responded with this one:

Borrowed from FB

As if that is not enough, Knitty featured a cuff-to-cuff crocheted sweater recently. There are a LOT of possibilies out there for handknit sweaters!

Knitting: It's cold outside, so I started knitting a balaclava to protect my (facial) cheeks. Still working on the ice dyed socks.

My SO presented me with a handknit sock that had become damaged.

Challenge accepted!

Gisella hat

I noticed that my son's girl friend had a hat that allowed her to pull her pony tail through the top. Then I recalled that one of my fiber friends had made such a hat. It turns out the pattern is from another of my fiber friends. So I knit one.

Pattern: Gisella, by Lorinda Browning
Yarn: Jamieson & Smith Aran Worsted, in 'Flugga White', 'Light Grey', and 'Shetland Black'
Needles: US8
Modifications: Old Norwegian caston, Icelandic bindoff, down one needle size, mimicked colors in photo instead of instructions

The result is something that can be worn as a cowl or a hat or an earband. I'm not very adept at stranded colorwork, so the non-stranded bits are snugger (almost too snug) than the stranded middle (hence the shape). Were I to knit this pattern again, I would try to rectify that.

I offered up the hat at xmas, but no takers. Today was rather windy, so I wore it - the brim kept slipping down until it rested on my glasses, which was actually a good thing. Coupled with a stand-up cowl, I almost felt like I was wearing a balaclava. Almost. My cheeks still stung from the cold.

The pattern calls for "chunky" yarn, although its summary page on Ravelry says "aran", which is what I used. The three colors in the pattern photo don't match the two-color instructions. "Cast on loosely" and "bind off loosely" are two phrases I have come to dislike in knitting patterns, since there are so many better alternatives. I'm not sure how I feel about rolled brims, either. It is very warm, though.

Three-color log cabin scarf

I wove a log cabin scarf for my SO in 2018, using Cascade 220 Superwash (because he had put a previous knit scarf through the washing machine and ruined it). The selvages wore out, though. He received a lot of compliments on that log cabin scarf, so I decided to repeat the effort, but with three colors (because a recent program at the spinning guild was about log cabin and its modifications).

Pattern: none
Weave structure: Log cabin
Loom: Ashford SampleIt
Warp: Brown Sheep Lambs Pride Worted, naturally dyed with walnut, henna, turmeric, and onion skins
Weft: Same as warp
EPI/PPI: 7.5/7.5
Ends: 54
Finished size: 58"L (without fringe), 7"W (with crocheted border)
Finishing: twisted fringe, single crocheted selvages

Because of the frayed selvages on the previous log cabin scarf, I chose to finish the selvages on this one with single crochet. Also, the edging covered the not-too-bad-but-not-perfect selvages. I debated about the fringe, because some men don't like fringe, but went ahead with it. I told my SO I could change that, but he thinks it adds something special.

Wrangling three colors took some concentration, so I did all the weft in one day, cheat sheet and sticky note by my side. I was also careful to not stretch out the warp as I have done on other scarves. I wasn't sure how the pattern would look, but it turned out rather decent (IMHO).

Time of reckoning

A review of my fiber resolutions for 2024 was a bit disappointing. I achieved NONE of my fiber goals, although one I tacked on at a later date did get done: having my hand-pieced quilt top quilted by a professional. "Buy no fiber" failed from the get go; no work was done on the Accidental Poncho; and I lost interest in dyeing roving, as it is very easy for the dyeing process to felt the fiber.

Where does that leave me for 2025? Well, I would still like to buy no fiber, but I realize that is not a very achievable goal. The challenge for the spinning guild is going to be to finish unfinished objects (UFOs); according to Ravelry, I have about a dozen of those, so perhaps the goal of finishing at least one per month would be doable.

When the owner of a semi-local yarn store (LYS) retired, she said she was going to tackle her "bucket list" of fiber projects. I have a couple of those that are sweater-specific: knit an adult-size Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ), using some acid dyed Cascade 220, and knit a sweater based on one I saw on the cover of the fall edition of the Fun Times (published by the local parks and rec department).

And I think that is good enough. New projects will come along, I'm sure, especially portable ones like socks (see below). There is plenty of fiber activity to keep me busy throughout the coming year.

Knitting: I started a new pair of socks, using some "ice dyed" sock yarn.

My laptop is acting up - it may be a failing video card - so if I am offline for a while, blame technology. Happy New Year!

Three Graham hats

My daughter really likes this style of slouchy hat. She already has several (including a 'Blaze Orange' one in case she is walking in the woods during hunting season), but that doesn't stop her from requesting more. This season, neutrals are "in" so cream, gray, and black were the colors of choice.

Pattern: Graham, by Jennifer Adams
Yarn: Jamieson & Smith Shetland Aran Worsted, in 'Flugga White' (107g)
Needles: US5 and US7
Modifications: None.

The white one came out kind of large with little drape, so I made some modifications going forward.

Yarn: Jamieson & Smith Shetland Aran Worsted, in 'Light Grey' (91g)
Needles: US6 and US8
Modifications: Decreased the circumference by one pattern repeat (16 stitches) while using the length for the "large" size

The gray one came out better. One more version.

Yarn: Jamieson & Smith Shetland Aran Worsted, in 'Shetland Black' (87g)
Needles: US6 and US8
Modifications: Also decreased the circumfrence by one pattern repeat, but increased the length a bit.

I asked my daughter to let me know if she likes one version more than the other, but I'm guessing she won't be able to tell much difference. I'm the one who is being picky.

My 14-year-old granddaughter will probably borrow these, as she is becoming more and more fashion conscious these days. In fact, one of her requests for xmas was a subscription to Vogue (and not Teen Vogue). At her age, I was reading Tiger Beat.

Hats off!

All the Graham slouchy hats are done, and the Gisella hat/cowl/earband is drying. That is all the hats I am knitting for the holiday season. Well, except one for moi, which I will start sometime before the end of the year.

The only handmade item left is a scarf for my SO. It's warped on a rigid heddle loom. I just have to buckle down and do the actual weaving. Then I will probably edge it in single crochet.

This is all I am going to write for now, as xmas is at my house AGAIN. I thought I might get out of it this year, but no. I have a few things to attend to in the next several days. Happy holidays!

Program list

Over the past few years, the gestalt of the local spinning guild has changed. As many of the "old guard" aged, a leadership vacuum developed which has been filled by newer, younger members who don't know the history of the guild and who aren't attached to the old ways of doing things. Instead of socializing and show-and-tell, they want programs. Fine.

Those programs have been somewhat... I don't want to say lame, so let's say not all they could have been. I had a couple of ideas that I thought "they" should do, then decided maybe I should just take charge, at least for the coming year. Needless to say, the leadership was more than happy to hand that responsibility over to me.

After soliciting ideas and lining up presenters, here is what I came up with:

• January: Sometimes the weather causes this meeting to be cancelled, so a show-and-tell with the theme "Using leftovers", plus a yarn exchange (rehome your leftovers) seems flexible.
• February: Travelogue. One of our members spent some time in Austria this past summer and is eager to share her experiences.
• March: Knitting, specifically sock knitting. Another member and I will share our sock knitting wisdom; members will be encouraged to wear their handknit socks and we'll have a sock fashion show.
• April: Hands-on spinning lesson, in chain-plying, with "coaches" on hand to help out.
• May: Judging fiber, in preparation for encouraging members to enter their fiber projects in the county fair.
• June: Animals, specifically raising silk worms, which is a hobby of one of our members.
• July: Annual picnic, show-and-tell with the theme organizing fiber; sell, swap, and/or give away tools and fiber and FO's.
• August: Dyeing, specifically plant fibers; hands-on tie-dyeing of tee shirts
• September: Fiber prep, specifically blending; hands-on drum carding, blending boards, etc.; fiber exchange.
• October: Making money with fiber - festivals, retail, Etsy, etc.
• November: Hands-on holiday craft (TBD)
• December: Holiday party and gift exchange

I also want us to have a challenge for the year: finishing unfinished objects (UFOs). Maybe we can share those at the November meeting.

Knitting: Finished 'Graham' number three, and that's about all I can stand of that pattern. I started 'Giselle', a hat that can also serve as a cowl or an earband.

Spotted in the wild:

Now THAT is a useful bit of crochet!

Handy ma'am (sort of)

At some point, my 10-year smoke detector decided time was up. It must have been when I was not home for an extended period of time, because I had no idea there was a problem until it began to act strangely. At first, I thought it was okay, as it responded appropriately to a manual test. A week later, it was mute. (Note: one is supposed to periodically test one's smoke detector by pressing the button on it. I had never done this. Shame on me.)

So I purchased a new 10-year smoke detector, thinking I could take the old one down and use the same bracket to mount the new one. Alas, sometime in the past 10 years, the manufacturer changed the bracket design. I took down the old bracket and discovered holes in the wall where an even older smoke detector had once been, holes that did not line up with the holes in the new bracket. *sigh*

I left everything sitting on the breakfast bar for about a week before deciding if I didn't act soon, there was going to be yet another newspaper article about a house fire where everyone died because the smoke detector was non-functional. Today I got out the drill, installed the new bracket, attached the new smoke detector, TESTED THE SMOKE DETECTOR, and now we are all safe.

Now I need to get hold of some spackle, and patch and paint where the old smoke detector was.

I wasn't as successful installing a portable, motion-activated light in my clothes closet. Can't win them all.

Knitting: I finished another slouchy hat, and my pattern modifications worked pretty well. I started a THIRD slouchy hat, plan to repeat the modifications, but will make the ribbing a bit longer.

Yesterday's spin-in at the Little House of Spinning was fun, or more fun for me, as there were fewer people there. When there is a big crowd (and by big, I mean about a dozen people), multiple conversations are going at once. My little AD/HD brain gets overloaded and I go home exhausted. Seven (plus or minus two) are about the right number.

Another holiday down

My easy-peasy Thanksgiving day was a bit of a FAIL for the most part. While heading out to sweep the front porch, I noticed what looked like a leaf by the door that turned out to be POOP. I cleaned that up and inspected all my shoes, but ended up Crosswaving the entire house. The meat for the pot roast was so lean that it came out dry as a bone, and there was no fat for gravy. To top it all off, every one of the pets managed to puke somewhere. At least my SO's pie was delicious.

Knitting: Finished Bigfoot's socks. Finished one slouchy hat, but it came out kind of large with little drape. For the second one, I dropped a pattern repeat while moving up a needle size to see if that works better.

I have to laugh whenever I see the word "tablescape" on the Internet. The horizontal surfaces in my house are almost always cluttered, usually with fiber projects of one sort or another.

I did clear off most of this coffee table mess Thursday morning, and the dining room table as well so we had somewhere to eat. Since I will be focused on knitting xmas gifts for the foreseeable future, I hope both remain relatively clear until the holidays are over. (HA!)

All knit, all the time

The holidays are coming, so I am focusing on handknits as gifts. My son and his girl friend each get a pair of socks, my daughter and granddaughter will be receiving slouchy hats, and I hope to have my SO's replacement scarf finished by then. Meanwhile, everything else will sit on the back burner.

Crochet: The second Emotional Support Chicken is done except for the piecing. In search of an easy pattern my granddaughter could work on independently, I started a double crochet cowl as an experiment; it looks like a contender.

Knitting: Bigfoot's socks are done but for the weaving of the ends. Slouchy hat number one is underway.

Last week I forgot to mention some sock yarn I purchased at Three Moons Fiberworks in Chesterton. It's ice dyed, a process that separates the individual colors that make up acid dye. I'm hoping it looks nice knitted up, not like camo.

And at the owl expo, I bought this Japanese knot bag from a vendor. By placing yarn inside and slipping one handle into the other, a knitter can be mobile while knitting. This would be useful when I am knitting in public but don't want to put my tote bag on the floor. It's also handy for car knitting.


I'm taking it (relatively) easy on Thanksgiving: pot roast (with potatoes, carrots, onions) and crescent rolls. My SO is baking a pumpkin pie. It will be a quiet day. Hope you enjoy yours.

Out and about

This past weekend, we had a family gathering in Michigan City (where my son lives), as we do every year around this time of year. Usually, we bring bad weather with us, but this time it wasn't too bad. We hike a bit and sightsee a bit and eat a lot. We do this instead of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

My SO and I visited the Lubeznik Center for the Arts. One of the current exhibits is called "Healers and Dreamers". Savneet K. Talwar is (among other things) a fiber artist and art therapist. These two pieces (one a smaller study of the other) are about the partitioning of Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan in 1947 after the British left. The red line represents the Radcliff Line, an arbitrary border between the emerging states. The top piece was woven on a Jacquard loom.

One of the interactive elements of the exhibit was created by Rita Grendze. During the pandemic, she sifted through her recently deceased mother's yarn stash and unfinished objects. She created Collective Comfort from these materials.

When I hugged the piece below, I choked up, overcome with emotion. Whether they were internal feelings brought to the surface or the traumas absorbed by the piece itself, I don't know. I just found it a very moving experience.

We also visited the La Porte County Historical Society Museum. Like most local museums, there is a treasure trove of memorabilia, some of it nostalgic for my SO and me.

From farther into the past were uses for human hair.

It used to be nothing went to waste.

Crochet: While the knit version of the Emotional Support Chicken has yet to be assembled, I started on a crochet version.
Knitting: I was hoping to get some knitting done on our trip, but we were rather busy (and I drove). I'm on the toes of Big Foot's socks.

Every holiday season, my daughter requests more slouchy hats. I've noticed that the previous ones have pilled a lot, so I decided to knit some this year from Jamieson and Smith Shetland wool. Shetland wool has many qualities: it doesn't irritate because the fiber lacks guard hairs; it wears well; and it doesn't pill like so many other fibers (merino, I'm looking at you!) A good source for this wool is The Woolly Thistle. Requested colors were "neutral", so I purchased 'Flugga White', 'Shetland Light Grey', and 'Shetland Black'.

The program at last week's spinning guild meeting was about Tunisian crochet. It produces a lovely fabric. This book was the recommended one.

Per usual, I got a little excited about taking on yet another fiber craft. I've calmed down a bit now, but will probably check the book out from the local library to see just what it's all about.