Resistance Hats......

 There are multiple patterns for the red hats that are a sign of the protest that needs to be happening now.   

I asked Fritz if he wanted one....and he did...with a challenging tweak.   I looked at all the patterns and chose the Melt the Ice Toque as I thought the crown shaping was the neatest of all of the patterns.

My tweak for the pattern was changing the ribbing.   One of the many YouTube videos I watched recommended a way to force the fold to stay tidy.  I liked the idea.  My execution...needs work so I will do that differently if I do it again.  I chose to insert three rows...purl row, knit row, purl row....to make the fold.  If I do this again I believe that doing a knit row, followed by a purl row, followed by a knit row will look better.   I may try that on on a Christmas ornament before I do it on a hat.   Yes..it worked...but I wanted it to work better.

Fritz gave me an Old Norse word written in runes for the front of the hat...to be done in white.  On the back of the hat the word "resist" was going to be done in blue.   The chart was pretty easy to set up.

My first try was using ladderback jacquard all through the charts.  Not great.  I took it out.  My second try was ladderback jacquard to carry both the white and blue through the red sections and doing regular stranded knitting through the charted parts.  That worked...well enough.  Steam blocking is our friend.

My yarn of choice was Knitpicks Palette. Not only is this yarn a pleasure to knit but it is also cost effective and available in a wide range of colors.   The white yarn was....a no brainer.   I chose Pimento for the red.  I auditioned three blues - Abyss Heather, Delta, and one other - can't remember which - for the blue. Fritz chose the Delta...which is the brightest of the three.

The hat turned out well...Fritz likes it which is the most important thing.

I really liked the way the crown shaping worked...it was neat.  It doesn't really show in these pictures.  

The pattern was clearly written...and with the colorwork...a great challenge.

Rabea Scarf

 Watching YouTube.....what a great way to find exciting things!

Rabea appeared on one of the knitting podcasts I like to watch.  My friend Simran ....I knew immediately she would love this.   The bonus is that, once I read the pattern, I realized it would be a fun challenge...in an actual fun but not forced march to the death way.

My ideas for color covered a pretty narrow spectrum.  There was no match in the massive stash which was not a huge surprise.   Referring to the pattern, I looked up the yarn combinations that were suggested.

My favorite, and most cost effective, choice was available at Wool and Company.   The color I had in mind was available in both of the yarns I needed.    The cashmere strand is Pascuali Cashmere 6/28 in Ruby.   The silk mohair is Ito Sensai Enji in a red that is a wonderful match for the cashmere.

I got a nice fabric, close to gauge but not right on gauge, using a US Size 3.   The swatch did not stretch a lot when I washed it but did soften up beautifully.

Taking the time to read project notes from other knitters Ravelry postings, I noted that one person had added an extra section in the middle...and kept that in mind as I worked through this.  I did do that and am happy with the additional length.

Steam blocking was essential for this project to turn out the way that I wanted it to look.

This project did remind me how much I do not enjoy counting rows in garter stitch...but that is so minor.

This is a lovely gift knit that comes together quickly.