Socks on my head? Sure!

There were a couple of desires that led me to this pattern -- first, I was about to go on a trip overseas and wanted a project that was simple and easy to carry around. Second, there is some really cool sock yarn out there and I wanted to use some!

I saw my knitting teacher, Alex, knitting this hat and learned that it was something like his 6th one (so he must kind of love it). And you just can't argue with a name like Sockhead Hat.

This hat is really super easy. I knit the 4” of ribbing that the pattern calls for but then only knit about 4.5” in stockinette, instead of the 9” in the pattern. My hat is still slouchy, especially without the brim folded.

On the next one I make, I think I’ll throw in a knit row in the middle of the ribs so that I can fold it in the middle with a crisp edge. I'm glad to have a fun project that will use that aforementioned really cool sock yarn and also show off its colors and variegation well.

Yarn:
Berroco Sox (75% superwash wool, 25% nylon)
100g/440 yd skein
1x Venachar (1431)

Needles:
US4 (3.5mm) 16" circular needle

March Birthdays, Part 1: Spiral Beanie & Cabled Gloves

Has March always had this many birthdays? I think it gets more and more packed with them every year. At least they're birthdays of some of my favorite people! I just wish that I had the time to knit something for all of the people on that list. We all know that even though they're calling it Spring now, it's really still hats and gloves and scarves time around Seattle.First, the Spiral Rib Hat for the wonderful and talented Vince Martinez with a birthday on March 11. This is a hat for which I had admired a sample in class and watched a couple classmates making. The hat is simple and quick and is totally unisex. Just pick the right yarn for the right person.

I haven't found a free pattern anywhere, but purchased one for $3.50 from Lauren. I very rarely pay for patterns (I mean, really... there are so many free ones out there!) but this one was totally worth it. It's set up with information to make four different sizes (child, kid, small adult, large adult) and with eight different gauges. Sweet! I can use it over and over and over and over...

This hat really was fun to knit. And did I mention quick? I think I made it in something like three hours. This is pretty great when you decide to make someone a birthday present four days before said birthday.

Yarn:
Cascade Yarns 128 Superwash (100% Superwash Merino Wool)
3.5oz/128 yd skein
1x Bitter Chocolate (872)

Needles:
US10.5 (6.5mm) 16" circular needle & double pointed needles

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Then, the Dashing fingerless gloves for the wonderful and talented Lilianna Koledin with a birthday on March 27. Again, there were samples of these gloves in the store and I always liked them a lot. Lauren dubbed them her "favorite dog walking gloves" and I thought, "hey, Lili has a dog that walks!"

I was always kind of scared of the thumbs on gloves... and I'm still too scared of that kind of thing to ever try real gloves with all five fingers. This pattern has a really neat set up for that thumb though. Basically, you knit in some waste yarn for a few stitches in the right spot and keep going like normal. When you're done with the main tube, you just take out the waste yarn, stick those loops back on the needles, and knit a smaller loop. Genius.

I learned with this pattern that cabling back is somehow much harder than cabling front. It seems like it would be no big deal... the stitches held on the cable needle just go in back instead of in front. But no. Somehow, it's both more cumbersome to hold and turns out with bigger holes and other funkiness. That all got patched up though and I'd imagine that next time I try it will look cleaner.

I was careful to count all of my rows so that the two gloves would match. Of course, it didn't work out that way and one was a bit longer. We can just say that I did it on purpose... a reminder that they're hand made?

I want some for myself now, hehe.

Yarn:
Plymouth Select Worsted Merino Superwash (100% Superwash Fine Merino Wool)
100g/218 yd skein
1x Moss (12)

Needles:
US7 (4.5mm) double pointed needles

Grace Lace Beret: My Proudest Knitting Moment so Far

What? A hat that turned out well? Yes! Probably because sizing isn't so much an issue with this one...

Not too long ago I finally set up an account and started poking around on Ravelry. I want to have so much more time to spend there! This had been on my to-do list for a while and the final push was wanting to learn more about the Grace Lace Beret, which a classmate of mine had started up.

This hat is so cute! And so in-style right now, which is an added bonus for sure. It was also going to teach me a bunch of new things, namely how to knit lace!

This beret starts with a cast on method that I had never even heard of and that Lauren wasn't even super familiar with. To start, we crocheted 65 stitches with waste yarn. Then we picked up 60 stitches from the back of the chain using the main yarn and knitting needles. Basically, we knit into the humps on the back of the chain. When we pulled out the waste yarn after knitting the band, it left a very cool looking and stretchy edge.

For the lace I mastered slipping stitches and I learned the double decrease (slip two stitches together as if to K2tog, knit one, then pass the two slipped stitches over).

This was also the first time I've knit from a chart. See? So many new things. Here it is:

I'm proud of this hat and it's been a lot of fun to wear. My only complaint is that the band has stretched out and now it's a bit hard to keep on my head. I just bought some black elastic thread though to sew into the inside to tighten it up. I'll post an update about how that works after I've given it a try... fingers crossed!

Yarn:
Louisa Harding Grace (50% Merino, 50% Silk)
506/110 yds skein DK
2x Burnt Orange (12) -- though I really think this is more of a dark pink than an orange

Materials:
US4/3.5mm double pointed needles (for band)
US9/5.5mm 16" circular needle (for hat body)
Crochet hook
Stitch markers
Darning needle

Hats: 2, Carmen: 0

I've been wanting (and trying) to make my dad a hat for quite some time now. The first one I tried out back in the day ended up HUGE and silly.. gauge is really not my thing, especially then.

So, once the tea cozy was done I figured that should be my next project to bring to class. Since I wanted to learn something new beyond just choosing the right needles and yarn, I chose the Snappy Hat pattern from Picnic Knits for its cables and multi-gender potential.

Cables! I'd looked longingly at cabled pieces and at the knitters making them for some time, always assuming they were at a skill level way beyond me. Luckily I had Lauren to convince me otherwise and show me how simple cables really can be.

I chose an acrylic yarn in a nice rich brown since my dad is sensitive to wool and, of course, I wanted him to be able to actually wear it, some u-shaped cable needles, and got to it. It looked nice when it was done!

Unfortunately, the hat won again...


Yarn:
Berroco Comfort Chunky (50% Super Fine Nylon, 50% Super Fine Acrylic)
100g/150 yds skeins
1x Bitter Sweet (5741)

Needles:
US10.5 (6.5mm) 16"circular needle
U-shape cable stitch holder

I was bummed to have another hat that was just too big but I quite enjoyed knitting this and wanted to do some more cabling before I moved on to something else. So, I dug around in my stash and pulled out a really great skein that I brought up from San Fransisco. (It was bought for me as a birthday present while I was living there, but if I remember right it was from a great shop called ImagiKnit.)

This yarn was a bit more feminine and the skein a bit smaller, so I figured I'd try for a hat either for me or a girl friend. Here's how that turned out:

I'm happy with how it turned out! Besides one thing... it's way short. Like... barely will cover my ears. The hat wins again!

Hats: 2, Carmen: 0.

If only I knew a child that I could give it to...

Yarn:
Malabrigo Chunky (Kettle Dyed Pure Merino Wool)
3.5oz/104 yds skein
1x Stonechat (173)

Needles:
US10.5 (6.5mm) 16"circular needle
U-shape cable stitch holder