Modified Coronet for Mom!

My mom bought me some lovely cascade 220 in a forest green colorway so tha ti could make her a hat. The first try was a total flop. The hat looked ok on me, but not so great on her. Turns out my head is quite a bit smaller than my mom's.

This time the hat worked out GREAT! I did a modified version of coronet from Knitty.com. I chose a wider cable around the brim, which meant the cable was as wide as the ears and puffier so it trapped more heat. The way teh band when around the hat really helped it stay down over the ears too.

Steve says he wants one like it but with out all those "girly" cables. I think it might work with a 2x2 rib in place of the cables.

I might sneak one like this in for me first though....

Hats Hats Hats

I finished the hat I was making for my cousin Kyle. I think it turned out pretty well, but there are a few things I would change.

1. wrap the short rows

2. kitchner the hat closed at the end

3. try to get better guage so that I have 5 slices instead of 4 ( I think this would make a smoother, less pointy top)

4. use a bulky yarn to begin with , four balls of worsted weight got a little tangly at times


I am however very happy with how this turned out. I would definitely make this again. It was a wonderfully fast knit. Broken up into all the sections I always felt like I accomplished a lot , even if I only knit for 10 minutes.

I finished a very warm hat for myself. It is double layered in worsted weight yarn, and I checked it out this morning. It is very warm. It was also fairly unnecessary, but I wore it anyway. It matches the scarf I made a while ago out of the same yarn.

Tychus Hat

Started a Tychus hat for my cousin. He wanted green and blue, so after going to multiple yarn stores that seemed to be sold out of boy appropriate blue and green I chose these yarns from my stash. Knitpicks wool of the andes in blue bonnet and green something from my grandmother's stash.

I love the way it looks, but if I ever make this pattern again I will definitely wrap the stitches to avoid the holes made by the short rows. On the plus side this is a super fast knit with the yarn held doubled on size nine needles.

A Very Warm Hat

I recently started a very warm hat from Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Around. You basically knit two hats that are attached to each other so you have a reversible double layer hat. I'm making this in the same yarn I used for my bias rib scarf, so I'll have a matching set.



The yarn is dramatically pooling and making spiral stripes on the first hat, I've decided I like it. I'll experiment with the other hat though, taking yarn from both ends of the ball to try and prevent pooling.

Finished Shawl

I finally finished the first project I ever started in lace weight yarn. It's also the first shawl I ever started. Because of this I wanted it to be an easy project. The only problem is I made it too easy. Here's the pattern:

Size 3 needles
increase one stitch by k1fb at the start of each row

It was so boring that I decided to stop knitting after two balls of yarn instead of the three I had originally planned. This actually worked out pretty well though, because the shawl was already 60 inches wide when off the needles.

My favorite part of the project was the garter stitch cast off. I love the way the bound off edge is still stretchy. I love the way it looks and I even loved knitting it. I found the K2 K2tog, K3 rhythm very soothing.



Another bonus to stopping after two balls is I now have enough yarn left over to make a scarf!
The yarn is super yummy and soft alpaca and silk from knitpicks.

Art's Blanket

I started a blanket to keep my brother warm in Kazakhstan. My goal is to finish it before he leaves!

The two day hat

My good friend Asa called me the other day and let me know he was leaving on a trip around the world in two days. I've always wanted to knit something for Asa and decided that this would be the perfect time. So I went to the knitting store and bought the bulkiest architecture man friendly yarn, Katie nordic in black, white and grey. It was absolutely wonderful to work with. Like knitting with a cloud, if it was warm and made of wool. I can already tell that this hat will pill like CRAZY, but it will still be warm and I'm happy to say it was finished in time. Have an awesome trip Asa! I'll miss you but look forward to hearing all your amazing stories.

Ball Band

My first ever ball band dish rag and I LOVE it! I can't really describe it, but I'm fascinated by the pattern. It's so cute. Like little fluffy cottony bricks. Steve says it would make a nice pillow case, he might have something there...

Teddy Bear Blanket

I began this blanket about two years ago. It was one of my first ever knitting projects. It started out great, but then I started to learn about knitting and discovered such things as stitch definition and wool. Somehow amidst all the wonderful new things to learn and try the 50 x 50 inch blanket got shoved in the back of the closet. I recently promised to make my brother a blanket and decided that before I even cast on for my brother's blanket (tough stuff since I already have the yarn) I would finish this two year old blanket. Amazingly, that is just what I did.



Now I fully admit that this blanket already looks like it is 20 years old and has not had an easy life, but I still love it. It is soft, cuddly, squoshy, warm, and best of all an amazing cat magnet.


Two years in the making and worth the wait! As an added bonus I don't even blink when the cats knead the blanket cuz it already looks like it's been attacked by a cat!

The Greatest Socks Ever!

I got my sockapalooza sock exchange socks and they're fantastic. They arrived on the first day of school this semester. This was a day when I really needed a pick-me-up so it was perfect. The socks fit wonderfully, which is something I have rarely experienced with size 5.5 feet. They're also a wonderful mix of blues and purples, my favorites! Plus the pattern is mesmerizing, I love the little scales. Whenever I see these socks on my feet or in my drawer (I can't wear them everyday) I get a big smile on my face. Thanks so much sockpal!

Finished Projects

Yay! I actually finished some projects.

First off, I finished my mother-in-law's Christmas present in time for Christmas. I really enjoyed knitting this wrap. It was wonderful to knit something that I knew would be really appreciated and I also really enjoyed the pattern from Vogue knitting on the go: shawls. It was a wonderfully fluid pattern that was rhythmic and relaxing. Plus the yarn was soft and shiny, which made it fun to work with. I'm really happy with how this turned out and hope Lou enjoys using it as much as I enjoyed making it.


Unoriginal Hat
I made this hat for fun and for charity. It's just a little too small for me, which means it should be good for a child somewhere. This hat was started because I really wanted to just finish something. I ended up liking it a lot more than I thought. The fabric is really dense, which I think will make it nice and warm, and I really like the way the colors turned out. I'm also pleasantly surprised at how well the cables showed up. If I had more yarn I would make one for me!

I made this hat for my mom to match her awesome down jacket. Unfortunately it makes her head look a little too much like an egg. Fortunately, I have more of the yarn and the hat makes a wonderful swatch. I really like the way the yarn pooled in a big spiral up the seed stitch brim. The hat fits me quite nicely, but since I already have quite a few hats and plans to knit more, this will also become a child's charity hat (yes I have a very small head). If there is enough yarn left after my mom's hat I'm going to line the seed stitch brim to make the hat extra warm. My plan is to knit a couple more charity hats with leftover yarn and then send them all in at the same time.




Also, I can now be found on Ravelry! So I'll be putting more information on the projects up there.

Steve and I are also starting a non-knitting blog, so if you're interested in hearing about our cross country ski adventure and our prospective move to Michigan give us a visit at http://www.steveandaimee.blogspot.com!