yet another hat.

Apparently hats are my specialty this winter. But this is the first one I’ve successfully made for myself. It’s funny how that works.

I knit a bunch of gifts for Christmas and various birthdays this past year. And yet, the things I’ve attempted to make myself have not worked out exactly perfect.

The train tam
I love the color and the style, but it does not fit quite right.

The lovely cowl
I have worn this a lot, but it’s a bit shorter than I wanted.

My white hat
The yarn is not right and the top of it is really not working for me.

Which brings us to the hat I completed last night – I call her stripey. I pulled it from the Pints and Purls. (which I bought because I believe it will help inspire me to begin the knitting in bars one day.) That book is all sorts of awesome. But, this hat is perfect. I adore it. I did not want to take it off last night when I finished it.

I’m fairly certain there will be a comment or two from the peanut gallery I work with about the colors. But I love it. I want to make another with just the limey green and turquoise color. I think that would be super fun.

New hat….

I can’t decide how I feel about it. I like it. But it feels wrong. The yarn doesn’t seem right. And I’m not digging the square head. I might try washing it and sticking it in the dryer to see if that does anything. I think this yarn will not work in a hat or I’ll need to use smaller needles. Is that how it works?

I really want a white hat however. I need to replace this grey North Face hat I’ve hat forever that is pilling beyond attractiveness but I will not stop wearing it. And I know feel like I need to make my own hat. Because what’s the use of learning to knit if you can’t make stuff for yourself.

The month of dangerous knitting

Here it goes again. I was so certain that this year I would not wait until the last minute to knit all of my Christmas gifts. Yet… here we are. I have five nieces and one nephew, a godson, a couple brothers and sisters-in-laws, three co-workers, and the friends. OH! and my dad. And for a good number of them I’d like to knit something.

In case you are bad at math, Christmas is 15 days away. Yes, boys and girls FIFTEEN DAYS. Fortunately, my family and I are going to celebrate Christmas in 2010 because one brother is flying to California to spend Christmas with his in-laws. That buys me at least a week to finish gifts for my nieces.

A couple months back I asked one of my nine year old nieces to search through a book (101 Designer One-Skein Wonders) and pick something out. There are hats and cute little stuffed animals and scarves. What does she pick? A necklace. The Scallop Edge Beaded Necklace, in fact. I was being asked to knit a necklace. With beads.

Oh…

I’m what’s called an indulgent aunt. I lay down the law when needed, but usually I give in to requests. And that means, I learned how to knit with beads. And committed to making one for her almost six year old sister. And by doing so I realized I needed to make one for their age counterparts in the other family. Beads and I are going to become close friends this month. For the math impaired, that makes FOUR necklaces.

Here is the prototype.

It worked out. I could do it.

This is what the finished product looks like.

and

I have a couple more to go. I am going to attempt something similar using hemp twine. We’ll see what happens.

In between the beads, I’ve been making some hats. This should be easy, right? Well, guess what happened twice. I was working on a hat for my oldest niece. She turns 13 in a month. Actually exactly one month from today. I went to see her perform in the First String Orchestra at the Wadsworth Atheneum’s Festival of Trees yesterday. She’s all growns up…

Anyway, her hat. I kept making it too short. Here was attempt one (which was exactly being initially made for my nephew until he said it was too girly.)

Take 2. (I love the colors in this hat.)

And third time is a charm.

It fits me quite well which makes me think it will fit her.

The other two will go to the almost seven year olds (in addition to their necklaces). It’s getting there. I’m going to start a hat for my nephew. Hopefully it won’t be too short.

new cowl

This is a cowl I made using Berrocco Sundae yarn and one of their patterns. It’s known as the “Danielle Cowl.”

Mine looks a bit different from the pattern. The three skeins of yarn recommended did not prove enough to reach the length they suggested and there should be some buttons. The button holes are made. But I think I might try to focus on finding a great pin instead. Maybe a scarf pin.

And with this, I go to bed…

hats and hats

So, before I talk about my new hats I need to fall on my sword.  This blog fell by the wayside.  I don’t know why.  It just did.  Also, I need to get back to my list of patterns and remember what I decided to make and add all the new ones I’ve fallen in love with recently.

I’m currently working on a cowl I fell for at Stitches East.  It’s knit in Berroco Sundae yarn.  Which is luxuriously soft and the color is an eggplant purple.  I love it deeply.

And now hats:

This is the train tam. Mine seems to be a little bit more beret like, which is great. Except it does feel a touch big. I think I’m going to soak it in hot water and block it a bit. It was going to be my new fall hat, but I haven’t really fallen for it yet. Maybe once I block it.

This is cowabunga. This was my first exercise in knitting two colors in a pattern. I think it’s like low level intarsia. I’m not entirely loving it yet. The wave pattern is a little too tense, but my niece Allie loves it. I think I might try to make it again since it did not take very long once I figured it out.

Next up is figuring out Christmas presents. But right now is a cup of tea, my couch, West Side Story, and lovely lovely new cowl.

Clearly I do not post enough…

But I will get better.  I finished a hat this weekend.  Picture to be posted later.  I do want to write about a new yarn store  I visited while on vacation. 

I went away to Maine for a week with some friends for away time, relaxation, hiking and just basic good fun.  While there we played in Acadia, went kayaking, ate lobster, and watched Charmed. 

On our last day we made a side trip to Lilac Lily.  Here’s the site – http://thelilaclily.com/  I bought some size 7 scary sticks (dpns) and grey yarn to make a hat for my nephew this Christmas. 

I loved this store.  It was adorable and I would feel comfortable playing there for hours.  I haven’t found that sort of community in a store around here yet.  I always feel like I’m intruding on a secret club. 

Hopefully the time away will re-invigorate me to knit more regularly and work on more creative projects.  It’s an outlet I need these days.

The Runway

I love having the Runway back in my life once a week.  I love this show.  Project Runway is absolutely one of the most fun things to watch on television.  I am not a fan of the reality tv show programming.  But the Runway is different.  I admire the creativity of the designers.  I get caught up in the challenges.  I love fashion.  I love sewing.  I love clothes.  Ask anyone.  My closet is ridiculous. 

If I were to dig out for you my bag of old Barbies and their clothes, you would find many items I made as a kid.  At the time I used a Cabbage Patch Kids sewing machine.  I don’t know if I ever had any aspirations of being a designer, but I’ve always liked making clothes.  I love looking for unique fabrics to make skirts.  I eventually became such a hobbyist that I convinced my dad to buy me a sewing machine when I was in high school. 

This is one of those hand me down talents my mom gave me.  I have such vivid memories of her sitting by the Necchi sewing machine.  A machine I will never discard.  One day, I’d like to refurbish it and set it up in a living room of my house.  But especially now, sewing is a skill I am so proud and happy to have.  It’s one of those things I have in common with her.  I have not done any sewing since she passed away. 

Wait, that’s not true.  My neices and I made aprons a few weeks ago.  They’re quite adorable.  And the girls all contributed to using the pedal and pulling the fabric straight.  A few of them I think may take to the habit. 

Because that’s what it is.  A habit.  I know that I can fix my clothes.  Or alter them so that I like them more.  Or make it entirely from scratch if the need arises.  I’ve done.  I have yet to do it entirely alone.  I worry about the hems.  That was always my weakness.  I hate hems.  I’d always hand over the project to my mom so she could hem by hand.  It looked better that way. 

I honestly can’t remember if my mom and I ever watched The Runway together.  I think we must have watched an episode or two together.  And if my memory is somewhat accurate, she could care less about the personalities.  But did enjoy the clothes. 

I’m not sure if she had a Tim Gunn opinion.  I don’t think her english was ever strong enough to understand what he was saying or the comments.  I, on the other hand, adore Tim Gunn.  Like everyone else in this world.  In the above link, Tim Gunn is described as  an “exquisitely articulate and debonair superhero.”  I agree.  The past few weeks I’ve been quietly screaming about wanting a mentor.  I’m sure there are people I work with who do view themselves in that role.  But they are not the mentors I’ve been trying to find.  Tim Gunn is exactly the sort of mentor I need.  Someone who is smarter than me.  Who has a lot to teach me.  And who will rub my back when it feels like I’m going to lose my mind. 

And all of this sums up why I love the Runway so. 

And yes, this is a knitting blog.  But sewing and knitting go hand in hand.  Don’t they?  Sewing was my first love.  I only just recently learned to knit. 

And the shawl is coming along, thanks for asking.

Tuscan Lattice Shawl

This pattern is from 101 One Skein Wonders. 

I started it a few months ago and have not been entirely motivated to finish it.  I’m using Smooshy by Dream in Color and the color is Spring Tickle.  How adorably happy are those names.  And the scarf was supposed to be for Spring.  And well, now I’m hoping for Fall.  I foresee me using this shawl while wearing my tan belted trench coat or a nice cozy sweater on those wonderful fall days that just smell wonderful.

I will probably sit down to continue working on it as soon as I finish writing.  Hopefully I can fire off one round of the pattern while watching Skins (Season 2 is just as awesome as Season 1 – scandalous British teenagers make good tv) and finish the evening’s vodka tonic.  It was one of those Mondays that didn’t suck, but just seemed to draw out of me any desire to do more.  I’ve been looking forward to my vodka tonic for a while, but I made myself get a few other things done first.

A new endeavor

Knitting. I’ve been doing it off and on for a few years. I’ve made some awesome things. The curly scarves for my neices last Christmas. The bag for my older neice. A great baby blanket.

 I’ve made some less awesome things. The dozens and dozens of garter stitches that have come together to make multiple scarves that sit in an old Westlaw tote bag I got in law school.

And I’m currently finding myself with the desire to knit more complicated items. Socks and I tried to start a relationship and I gave up when it got too complicated. I’d like to give it another go. I’d also like to learn mittens.

In addition to this lingering desire, I’ve been reading Julie and Julia. You know, that book that became the apparently awesome book starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams and Jane Lynch. Three ladies I will pretty much watch in anything and everything. Remember that episode of Buffy that Amy Adams was in. She played Tara’s sister. Or was it cousin? I liked that one. Or when she played Jim’s girlfriend in The Office. She is great. And Jane Lynch is, well, Jane Lynch. Which means she’s awesome.

But I digress.

While reading this book I feel like I’m not that different from Julie Powell right now in my life. I find myself in a job I’m not entirely passionate about. And living a life that’s not entirely what I imagined. And wouldn’t it be fun to have something to get excited about. (And I’m aware that things aren’t particualrly rosy for Julie Powell during The Project.) Something that made me jump to get out of bed in the morning. (Like when I played hooky the other day to drive down to New Haven and watch the US lose to Mexico in a World Cup qualifier. That morning I woke up with permagrin.) I’d like to have that everyday. Or at least most days. Pretty much I’d rather not wake up in the morning wishing it was Friday. And realizing it’s only Monday. Yeah, I’m pretty much sick of that.

And thus combining the need for that something extra to give my day a bit more meaning and a desired ooomph and the desire to attempt to use up all the yarn currently stored in a black trunk in my “green” room, I am coming up with a list of 100-150 patterns from all the various books I’ve collected over the past few years and I’m determined to make my way through it.

Imagine me slamming my fist down on the table.

Excuse me while I swear loudly for hitting it down too hard.

And, that’s why I started this blog. And came up with a disgustingly cutesy name.

I have no aspirations of being Julie Powell. I just needed a little something to get me through my days right now. And hopefully give me some insight to what I want to be when I grow up.