Blanket weather...

With cooler temperatures this past week, and me being able to tolerate a large yarny project across my lap, I pulled out a nearly completed Dahlia Blanket and finally crocheted a border for it.  It was some time this past spring when I crocheted the last row of this blanket, and had to put it away because it was just too warm to continue working on it.

Crocheted with worsted weight yarn, this has quite a bit of heft to it.  I like sleeping with a window open on cold evenings; Greg likes pulling a crocheted blanket on top of the covers to keep him warm on those nights.  In fact, he was using this one until I squirreled it away.  He asked where it had gone to, and I told him we couldn't use it until it had a border.  In reality, it was perfectly useable, and an argument could have been made that it didn't need a border to sleep under.  But he didn't argue.  And now finally, I'm happy to have the whole thing finished, and I think Hub is looking forward to once again snuggling under the warmth of this one.

It wasn't my intention, but this blanket turned out huge, covering the top of our queen size bed.  It probably hangs over the edges now that it has a border.  Hub may be sleeping with this doubled up over him as I won't be able to tolerate the heat generated sleeping under it.  

I departed from the pattern at the end and made the final round of the border in a crab stitch.  I've come to love the simple, but pretty "rolled" edge this stitch creates on a blanket.

I may or may not jump into making another blanket from this pattern.  The thing that pulls me toward it is that I have some fun bright flowery colors I pulled aside last spring to make a second one.  

I also pulled aside some neutral colored yarns to make a completely different blanket with - so I have options.  I'm not sure what I'll do next, but at the moment, I'm kind of feeling up for another colorful one.  But first, I need to take stock of how much yarn I used on this one, updating my personal yarn database on Ravelry.  This record-keeping is a hobby unto itself.  Then I want to put the leftover yarn away from this and hat making, and neaten up the room and closet where I store my crafty stuff.  

Meanwhile, I'm watching videos of "slow stitching", making needle books, and collage books - combining all those things into one, even.  And then there are new cross stitch patterns calling, "Pick me! Pick me!"  All the while, unfinished stitching projects wait patiently for my attention.  Like a "kid in a candy store with eyes bigger than my stomach" I want to do it all.  But I need to consider realistically what has staying power for me.  And probably finish something I've already begun.  I'm sure this is a common problem for crafters.  I'm curious how you focus in and discipline yourself to do just one thing when a bunch of things vie for your attention.  Or...  maybe you've got a system of working on different things in some sort of rotation.  

All I know is I get to this stage where I've finished a thing and my hands are itching to do something new and everything looks equally appealing.  The overwhelm of that state leaves me unproductive for a bit until I just finally dive into something.

Watch this space to see what crafty project catches my attention next!

Hats are finished...

As of yesterday, at least temporarily, I have turned out the lights and closed the door of my hat making studio.  Finished hats are handed over, and, as happy as I was to make them for a hat giveaway in a few weeks, I'm feeling exceedingly happy to let myself move on to other projects.

It's funny how when I commit myself to one project for a period of time, all the other things start looking intensely interesting. Nevermind that before my one-project commitment, I wasn't really doing any of those other things.

Such is my life. Maybe you relate?  I am seriously looking forward to working on a different project this week, but I'm not going to say what it is.  The interest I feel for it at the moment will fly right out the window the moment I say aloud what it is. Does anyone at all relate to that?!?  

But before I move on to new things, here's my final update.  I knit three more hats this past week following the Benefaction Knit Hat pattern, using a helix knitting pattern on two, and substituting a 1x1 ribbing for the suggested 2x2 ribbing.  And, finally, I added yarny poms to three especially girly hats.

Here's the most recent lineup:

Since hand made pom poms may not fare well in the laundry, I decided to fasten the poms on the above hats using buttons to tie them on with.  Like so:

I threaded the yarn through two diagonally opposite large holes of the button, then wrapped the two ends of the yarn two different directions under the button and tied the ends into a tight bow.

In retrospect, not being sure that someone will actually notice the button inside the crowns of these hats, I'm now thinking it might have been a good idea to add a tag to these hats, explaining that the pom is removable, and mention fiber content, and that these are machine washable.

Thinking that other handmade hats will likely not have care tags on them, and knowing these are all machine wash and dryable, I'm not feeling too badly about it, but it's a thought for the future.

Things I've learned:

1)  I decided it's best to get started on this kind of multi-project project earlier.  Spread the work throughout the year when there is plenty of time to experiment with different patterns.  And when I'm not in the mood to learn a new pattern, or just want an easy knit, a simple hat pattern can be made more special and fun just knitting colorful stripes or blocks of different colors.

2) I learned how to make jogless joins when changing colors, working wide stripes in the round, and making skinny stripes using helical knitting.

3)  I rediscovered how fun helical knitting is.

4) I learned how to knit a double brim.  It's a nice finish, though it tends to increase the time it takes to knit a hat by about a third.  That's significant when working under a time constraint.

5)  It doesn't take much yarn to knit a hat.  As an occasional knitter, who is an avid crocheter, I was shocked to rediscover this.  My realization:  I could make a hundred hats, and it would hardly make a dent in my huge yarn stash.  Fortunately, my favorite thing to make with yarn is blankets.  And have recently learned how nice a shawl is around my shoulders and arms - and so much easier to put on and whip off than a sweater is. I'm now happily anticipating cooler weather soon and once again enjoying crocheting these cozy things.

Hats and Hurricanes...

It's starting to come down to the wire, and, mentally, I'm ready to wrap this hat making project up.  In reality, I have the rest of this week to make hats if I choose to do so. If you detect a small note of negativity with that last statement, you would be correct.  

So far, I feel like I'm failing to make an appropriately sized hat.  I was told the hats were to be "child size", and nothing more.  Not having a child handy, I feel like I'm guessing as to what size that must be.  I can see size charts online, but that's not like having a real head to try one on.  My hats so far seem to be possibly baby-sized, and one is adult sized (it  fits me and I think I probably have an average sized adult head).  

I'll probably have time to try two more times over the next few days.  I would be thrilled to finish at least one that appears to be solidly "child sized".

While knitting on DPNs (Double Pointed Needles, for non knitters) is a bit tricker than knitting on a corded needle, I get a little excited when I transfer from circular needles to these little sticks.  From this point, it's pretty quick work to finish a hat. 

Because I'm running into some minor issues decreasing the crowns while I'm doing helical knitting, I think I'm just going to make any more hats I knit a solid color at the top.  My hat crowns look perfectly fine, but as I'm knitting the crowns, I keep second-guessing the situation when the color change doesn't seem to work together with the decreasing stitches.  Somehow it works out, but I'm getting weary of worrying about it until the hat is finished.  So, from here on out, my hats will either be completely solid in color, or they will have wide stripes or blocks of color (so I can work the decreases in one colorway only).  It probably doesn't need to be noted, but I am making the simplest of hats here.  I think they're decent hats, but they are simple.

Here are last week's finishes:

While I'm turning hats over on Saturday to be taken to the donation site, I'm thinking I want to wrap this up mid-week.  Especially, if I end up feeling like I want to make pom poms.  Truth is, I don't want to make pom poms, but I think there are one or two hats that would benefit from one.

Because hat knitting feels almost trivial in light of the tragedy that has struck so many in parts of the Southeastern U.S., I also want to address the topic.  

I'm sure just as it is with you if you were spared the wrath of Helene, I am heartbroken daily as I watch and read about the devastation so many people are suffering from. I have greatly appreciated youtubers who are able to report what's been going on, and I am humbled and touched beyond words seeing and hearing of the selflessness of so many who are coming to the aid of those who are/were trapped, and who are found wandering out of the forests.  It is mind boggling to see what the human spirit can endure.  And frightening to also see how fragile we are as human beings. The work ahead is mind numbing to think about.  I cannot imagine how exhausting it is to experience it.

ETA: Because a regular reader, Linda G, made mention of an organization in North Carolina that is working to provide assistance to mothers and babies suffering in the wake of Hurricane Helene, I found the Facebook page where interested readers can see updates about this organization's efforts:

https://www.facebook.com/theboobtiquelkn

More information can be found in Linda G's message below.

And, as hard as it is to believe, now less than two weeks later, I join those also praying for all in the path of Milton. 

~~~~~ 

ER trip and helical knitting - again...

This week I only knit on one item (a hat, of course) and couldn't manage to finish it.  

Actually, my plan was to finish it last night, but about 6 1/2 hours ended up being spent in the ER - from around 6pm - 12:30 am.  I realize (unfortunately, from experience) that that is not all that long of a stay in the ER, so I was thankful it wasn't longer.

All is well, but it turns out Hub had a kidney stone, that may or may not still be in there.  Sitting in the waiting room, within a minute or so of asking for prayer from our small group at church, and getting text responses, the nausea and pain dissipated for him, and he's felt fine since.  I believe in both the power of prayer, and the power of endorphins.  And the human body doing the things it was created to do.  Since no medical person had gotten their hands on him up to that point, our Creator gets credit for all of it.  Fortunately, even though Hub was feeling much better by the time they got him into a room, him telling them he felt better didn't keep the ER doctor from ordering images.  

Interestingly, while the CT scan showed the small offending kidney stone on the side that was hurting, it also showed a large stone in the kidney on the other side.  He was told this large stone had probably been there for years, and this isn't exactly uncommon.  Evidently nothing is done about something like that unless it creates trouble at some point.  I guess time will tell on that.  Meanwhile, he's armed with pain meds should the smaller kidney stone still be in there and cause him pain as it makes its way out.  I did pack my knitting, but the chair I had to sit in was so uncomfortable, and I got so cold, I wasn't in the mood.  It was pretty wonderful when the nurse brought me a heated blanket, though.  

We were so glad we stopped at the hospital that is five minutes from our house, rather than drive 25 minutes north where we historically have gone.  Not having to worry about "being in network" is a great aspect of Traditional Medicare.  The ER got busier the longer we were there, and the time passed slowly, but the staff was great.  Hub's nurse was a very friendly retired E-7 Army Sergeant who had been in some dangerous places in her twenty-year career.  He seemed to make her evening when he thanked her for her service, asked her about her experience, and from there on called her Sergeant Kim.

So, that was last night.  I'll, no doubt, finish my hat later today.  I started this one with a double brim again, and decided I wanted striping of some sort above the brim, and to my delight I rediscovered my love for helical knitting.

Yarns are Lion Brand Basic Stitch in Taupe Heather and 

Premier Everyday yarn in Chinchilla

If you're not familiar with helical knitting, you are missing something that is super simple and super satisfying.  It's more fun with multiple colors, but even with just two colors as I am working with here, helical knitting provides just enough interest in the knitting process, and a pretty narrow stripe pattern without continuous joins or jogs. 

If you're new to helical knitting, there are lots of short videos online showing how to make the color changes, but here is a video that is fairly indepth for anyone wanting to understand how knitting this way works:

You can skip to 6:00 minutes in for a demonstration of how to actually start (and continue) helical knitting.

And that's all for today!  Another week and a half of hat knitting and I'll be happy to put this endeavor to rest.

Hats...

This is the second in a series of posts over the next few weeks where I'm sharing hats (and hat patterns) that I hope to contribute to an upcoming toy/hat/blanket giveaway.  I figured I'd just answer the question that will inevitably be asked - "What will you do with all those hats?"  😉

Feeling less than thrilled with my hat knitting last week, I went back to something that felt more natural for my fingers - crochet.  I searched through patterns I'd made before, and I quickly settled on this Stepping Texture hat:

Crocheted in Vanna's Choice, worsted weight in the colorway Silver Blue 

Video Tutorials for this hat can be found at the following links:

Yarnspirations (I like this for showing the slip stitch ribbing)

DIY Danni (While it's harder to see her work because of the dark yarn being used, this video shows making a single crochet ribbing - which is an easier stitch).

~~~~~

After having success with making a familiar crocheted hat, I went back to the Benefaction Hat pattern, and ditching the idea of doing stranded colorwork, I worked up a small simple beanie.  It will probably only fit a baby, but it's a successfully knitted hat, and that was my goal:

Knit in Lion Brand Heartland yarn in the colorway, Glacier Bay 

Not being excited about the 2x2 ribbing above, and thinking I might try a provisional cast-on to get a smoother edge on the ribbing, I went searching on YouTube for the perfect tutorial.  I did find some good ones, but before I actually committed to trying the provisional cast on, I came across the concept of knitting a "double-thick brim" using only knit stitches.  

What?  No purl stitches?!?  No special cast-on?  And I can get a smooth edge on the bottom of the hat?

These two tutorials convinced me to give this a try, and I  LOVED it:

Wolly Bear Knits

yokieB Crochet and Knit

Using yokieB's tutorial and scrap yarn, I knit up this small child's hat:

Knit with different brands of pink worsted acrylic.

The hat above is more of a slouchy style, but the double brim is so soft, it can be folded up to make a fitted  beanie.  This hat also turned out pretty small - likely to only fit a baby or toddler.

Having success knitting a double brimmed hat (albeit a small one), I couldn't wait to get started on a larger beanie with more subdued colors:

The plan at the moment, is to start this as a double-brimmed hat, but finish with the decreasing rounds found in the Benefaction Hat, instead of the gathered top of my pink double-brimmed hat.  I plan to put pom poms on any hats made with gathered tops before sending them on their way.  Pom poms assembly-line-style will be the last step in my hat making.

~~~~~

So now, on my growing list of things to try (when I'm not working with a goal of production over learning new skills)...

Provisional Cast-on to create a single layer brimmed beanie

Stranded colorwork 

Interesting patterned decreasing rounds for beanie crowns

That said, I'm already itching to get back to crochet.  Isn't that always the way it is...   

Or am I the only one who's so easily distracted?