The Honey Wine Beanie Has Been Blocked

The Honey Wine Beanie After Blocking

After this was blocked, the cables looked so much better.   DUH.   This was a challenging and fun project.    I used a knit-on cast on to control the amount of yarn left as a tail.   I added the four extra rows for a little extra length as suggested.   As I was finishing the knitting, it was one of those knit a row and check the remaining yarn thrillers...much more scary than a horror story.   The end was happy though as I had a foot and a half left as I secured the stitches remaining after shaping.

The designer of this hat is one of those shaping geniuses.   The Man Hat is another of my favorites for the same reason.   The decreases the form the crown are cleverly worked into the pattern so that they are disguised among the cables.  I really, really like that.   The minds that come up with the neat ways to shape hats that are elegant, simple, and enhance the pattern are truly clever ones and I bow to them.

Tiny Sock

Yesterday, Ana Rose was at work.   She is growing but still very small.   I had the urge to measure her

Ana Rose's Sock with a cell phone for size comparison.

feet and see what I could come up with for a sock as KatieRose has mentioned she could use more booties.    I have a little yarn....and wanted to see how an Ana Rose-sized sock would turn out.

Willow Yarn's Gosling is a merino, bamboo, and nylon blend.  The fingering weight does not come in a wide range of colors, but the colors available are all good choices.  There is a lovely free bootie pattern that I had this yarn on had to make.   The ball has good yardage so I will have plenty for that project also.

Ana Rose was very mellow about having her feet measured.   I did my swatch during Tuesday knitting and it was off to the races.   Before we left for the evening, I had the first sock done.   I am going to try to do the second at lunch today.    Jan put the cellphone the picture so that the scale of the sock would be easy to see.  I don't think second sock syndrome will be a problem.

I may write up the pattern so that I don't forget what I did.  If I do, I will post it here.

Wool Leaves, Version 1, Finished!

Wool Leaves (Jared Flood) knit for New Baby Rahman

Saturday, at my monthly Ample Knitter's group, I finished the blanket.   Much to my surprise, I did use only three skeins with just a bit left over.   Just as I should have.....didn't need the additional yarn.   Having the additional yarn made me calmer about finishing the blanket as I did not have a nail biting...will I or won't run out knit to the finish.  The excellent company got me to the end...and now the blanket is laundered and ready to pass off to the recipient.

After the knitting group, several of us went over to Linden Hills Yarn's new location.    Having not been to the old location, I do not have a basis for comparison.  I quite enjoyed this visit.   Too much.  Yarn followed me home.    It is a very nice place to see and has some lovely, lovely things.  Don't cross the threshold if you are feeling weak.

Yesterday, I hunted for a bit to find yarn and a pattern for a hat I want to make for a birthday gift for a friend.   I had gotten the two skeins of Gloss DK in Fedora from Knitpicks last winter, with a pattern I wanted to try, and put it away.    It only took a half an hour to find it...and I found other things I was looking for on the way.   I felt productive.   

I swatched.   The pattern is a complicated cable pattern.    We were watching American Horror Story:  Asylum.  That was perhaps not my best plan.   Tracking the cables and the carnage at the same time was a bit of a challenge.    The swatch was done.   I am taking it down two needle sized and casting on as this needs to be given away in a couple of weeks.   Pictures will follow as the hat grows on the needle.

Wool Leaves in Sweet Pea, Burrow Bulky

The baby blanket is coming along nicely.    This pattern is really very simple....once a few repeats are done.   It is challenging enough to be interesting but simple enough to do while watching television.

The yarn is Willow Yarn's Burrow Bulky.    The color arrived far more "peachy" than I wanted.   It is, however, cheerful and bright and good for a little girl.

I am hoping that with washing the blanket flattens out.  I may wash it in Soak in my wool washing tub and let it dry flat instead of running it through the washer.   That worked well for the little roses cardigan.    The reverse side of this is reall bumpy.

I really like the stitch detail.  Once this washes up and I like

Close up of the stitch detail.

the result, I am likely to use the same pattern, the same yarn in a "natural" color, to make a wedding present for my middle nephew.
I will size it up and make it, of course much longer.

Excellent Customer Service Experience!

The project I am currently working on at home is a version of Jared Flood's Wool Leaves blanket.   As I don't want the blanket to accidentally become a trivet, I am using Willow Burrow Bulky instead of Cascade Eco Wool.  The swatch was done....the yardage calculated....and I thought I would need three skeins.   As I am trying to curb my tendency to overbuy for projects, I bought only three.   

The pattern is a lot of fun to do.   As the first skein was finishing, I looked at the length.   Out came the measure tape.    The work was prodded, pushed, and pulled.  HMPH!    Off went the e-mail to Willow's customer service folks....with a plea for two more skeins of the color and dyelot.   (I really only NEED one....I think...but I really hate to run out.)    Working with the customer service people at Willow was pleasant and easy.  Yesterday two more skeins arrived.   

The new skeins are tucked in with the project and I am on a roll.    Keeping up with the hand/arm therapy exercises allows me to knit on this project and I am making progress in both areas.   Picture soon to come!