Whenever I find I hat pattern that I really like, I seem to always make a bunch of them.  I guess there is something oddly satisfying about a meditative project that knits up quickly.  After making a hat once, I always feel like the second time would be much faster and easier, and then the third time is even better than that!

The first hat I really loved was the Star Crossed Slouchy Beret.  After making one for myself, I ended up making one for both of my sisters, my mother, my boss, my best friend, some random guys from work, etc. etc.  I couldn’t seem to stop making them!  One day, I was half-way through another for myself and I decided I was DONE.  No more hats.  Time to move on.

That was 2 years ago, but this year, I seem to be a hat factory all over again.  In September I started making the Boardwalk hat and made 10+ total, including the gifts for my family and others.  Sometimes I would make the hat with the recommended worsted weight, but more often than not, I chose a delicate sock yarn that left the hat lacey and beautiful.

I was enjoying sock weight yarn so much, that when I began selfish knitting I chose to knit the Hermione hearts Ron hat.  Before I knew it, I was finished and already casting on another!  This hat knits up so beautifully and fits my head perfectly.  I wonder if I will eventually make 10+ of these as well?…

Do you ever find patterns that you love to knit again and again?  Why is it that a knitting pattern that is easily memorized is so zen?  Am I just crazy for being a “hat factory” or do you find yourself in the same position?  Please share, I’m dying to hear what you have to say on the subject!

Until next time, dear readers!

This new year has already brought so many changes to my life, it is amazing!  I can finally say, that I am no longer under-employed!  Having graduated from college 2.5 years ago into this frightening economy, I was quite certain I would never get a “real” job, but I was wrong!  I am happy to say that I will be starting my dream job on January 21!

With this good news, my boyfriend Paul and I decided we should get sweet new hair cuts.  I decided it was time for bangs, and he got an awesome mohawk (which may soon be dyed blue).    The picture at the top was taken before our style change, and this picture below is after.

Don’t we look great?!

Anyway, with all this great news and excitement, it has been hard to find time to blog, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been knitting!  I have come so far on the hat and shawl.  Check it OUT!

This hat it almost done.  I can’t wait to wear it.  I know that many people have had problems with the Hermione Hearts Ron hat fitting, but I have a small head so I ‘m not worried…

This shawl is knitting up so QUICK!  I think this is my favorite project ever.  As I said before, I have knit this before, but am loving the Radiance Shawl, again.

How is your new year going?  Have you started any projects yet?  Or are you still getting into the groove of a new year?

I realize it’s after Christmas, but knitting can take a long time and since I am (or was) inexperienced at knitting hats, it took a a while to finish the gifts for my parents. Now here they are and I am proud!

They are actually not knit in the round. I’m not really a fan of wresting with double pointed needles or trying to find the right length circular needle. These hats are knit on size 15 straight needles. I started with 60 stitches in 2×2 rib stitch, knit 25 to 30 rows, then started decreases by knitting two together.

The pattern would go something like this:

Yarn: Bulky (I used LIon Brand Wool Ease)
Size 15 straight needle

Cast on 60 stitches (or less for a smaller hat. 60 creates a hat that will stretch to comfortably fit a 22 inch head)
K2 P2 for 23 rows for a hat that does not fold or 30 rows for a hat that does fold or however big you want the hat.
After row 30 make sure you are on the RS or the side that starts with the two knit stitches. If you are on the side that starts with 2 purl stitches, then knit/purl that row and start with the next row.
Now you need to shape the crown. To do this you k2tog P2 until the end of of the row.
Next row you will K2tog P1 until the end of row.
Next two rows K1 P1
Last row K2tog to end.
Now what you want to do is cut a 20 inch tail and pull it through the remaining stitches, cinching them up.
Sew up the seam with your tail and weave the ends in.

Voila! How easy is that? If you sew up you seam nice and neat you won’t even notice it!

The flower design on the gray hat is done with needle felting. I appliqued it using wool roving and a special barbed needle. The fibers in the yarn and the roving matte together causing it to stick to  the knitted fabric. This was the first time I appliqued to a knitted fabric and I’m thrilled about how it turned out.

Oh and Happy New Year! Wishing you a fantastic year.

With all of the Christmas gift knitting complete, it is time for SELFISH KNITTING! *squeal*

I decided to cast on two projects for myself.  First, the Hermione Hearts Ron hat with my leftover yarn from my mom’s hat and fingerless mitts.  I decided to start this hat because the cable and lace pattern will make it stretchy and soft, and at only 150ish yards, it will be a quick and satisfying knit.

Secondly, I cast on a project that will take a LONG TIME.  The Radiance Shawl is gorgeous, but at 900 yards, it takes a while.  There are only 205 rows, but the last few rows have 700+ stitches!  I have already made one before with a sock weight Patons Lace, but this time I will be using a real lace weight that I purchased from Kitty Rabbit Kreations.  It is a cold periwinkle/gray that he named “prejudice”.  I love this color!

I only have 800 yards of “prejudice” so I will be modifying the pattern: removing certain rows and hopefully making that 800 yard goal.  Wish me luck!

What “selfish knitting” are you starting now that the holidays are over?  Do you like to start multiple projects at once or stick to just one?  Please share, dear readers!

Deloris Bacino (left) helps Anna Mayer (right) finish one of 130 knitted hats that she hand “hooked” for infants and the less fortunate at Audubon Apartments, senior high rise in Audubon,NJ.

It may be a rut, but it sure is a cute rut.

And the kids are loving it.

Look how happy The Fraggle is.

Oh, and with that same ball, I also topped The Princess quite smartly.

She likes hers, too.

The patterns for both of these hats are easy – just start knitting and see where it leads. Knitting is so fun, isn’t it?

Yarn Rav page here. Fraggle Hat Rav page here. Princess Hat Rav page here. You know, just in case you’re interested. 

Fiber from the Cosymakes Falkland Fiber Club, the January 2012 colorway, spun on a drop spindle. 

This knit was a little eye opening for me and I learned something about spinning and about yarn in general. This yarn was my second attempt at spinning and it is horrid. Thick and thin, overspun here, underspun there, under plied all over, horrid. But, look at how beautiful it knitted up! Even badly spun yarn can make a lovely hat!

Three things about this knit -

1. The pattern was totally improv – I knit a cable band approximately the circumference of The Dancing Queen’s head, joined it into a ring, picked up a bunch of stitches, and knit straight for awhile. When it was time to decrease, I worked decreases at three points around on every row until I had only a few stitches left. A pom pom finished off the yarn (until I realized that I still have another skien hiding in the back of the yarn cabinet).

2. The Dancing Queen has been on a yellow kick for a few months now, and when she saw this fiber on my spindle, she claimed it as her own. She was very happy to see it become a hat and she can’t wait for it to get cold enough so that she can wear it.

3. Knitting hats is an excellent way to be creative and use up weird yarn. It is fun to just knit without a plan and then find that a really cute hat is at the end of the journey. Makes me want to spin some more, too!

This is an easy and quick knit hat with earflaps….

Pattern can be purchased at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jesses-baby-hat-with-earflaps-v1

I knit this hat on a small 4mm UK circular needles, starting off in rib and then working in knit in the round to produce stockinette. Decrease at the end and a simple finish by effectively tying the final stitches together. Pattern Peony by Vala, purchased in K1 yarns in Edinburgh.

So me and the Canadian now have matching hats, the crafty equivalent of wax jackets and Sunday walks with the dog.

I have one more to make, a request from my mum; she feels the cold and this lovely wool is super cosy:

I reckon each hat has taken me around 10 hours of knitting, this is because I’m quite slow with rib (hoping to pick up the pace with this final hat though).

Each ball of wool came in at just under £10 and I personally think it’s worth it for the quality of the hat in the end. That and it’s SO freaking soft!

- Charlie

The step-by-step procedure and the materials used are listed on that blog so I won’t bother with those details here. I do, however, wish to make a few notes for reference –

1. I bought spray paint, foam brushes and acrylic paint from Michaels. 

2. We need craft acrylics, not artists’ acrylics. Artists’ acrylic paints are expensive  and not necessary for this simple project. Craft acrylics are about 50-60 cents a bottle.

3. There were so many different kinds of spray paints available at Michaels – it was really confusing! I finally bought one at random. It turned out to be much darker than I thought. I was hoping for a mild off-white background but what I got was a stark cream color. Oh, well.

4. When spray-painting, do it outdoors rather than indoors (irrespective of what the note on the spray can says). You do not want those fumes and mist in your house.  

I used a brown Sharpie paint pen for the branches as described in the blog. Here’s the canvas with the background and branches painted, right before I started the actual “artsy” stuff –

I made myself a nice, warm cup of spiced chai (seen in pic), put on some music and  started “painting” using the coffee table in my living room as a desk. Since the sponge brushes I had were a combination of round and square brushes, it took me longer than expected. After about an hour and a half of mess-making, this was the final product:

I am not particularly thrilled with the result, but not entirely disappointed either.  I’m still deciding if this is worthy of wall-mounting. Reader advice is welcome! I still think the cream color background is not working and the rest of the colors have not come together very well. Some of  the circles are not perfect round shapes because of the square brushes I used.

In other news, I have still been knitting on and off. While looking for more beginner’s level projects, I found this Skating Hat on Ravelry. I made two of these, one following the pattern exactly and the other with a different stitch but the same increasing and decreasing pattern.

Here’s one of them, in stockinette stitch:

And that’s me, fooling around at a neighborhood cafe with a friend, on a cold February weekend :-) Here’s the other one, this time following the Ravelry pattern:

I didn’t follow the exact yarn and gauge  – I just used whatever I had. That explains why my hat doesn’t look like theirs. Mine was 100% Icelandic wool that I bought at the Super Bowl sale at a local yarn store. Another purchase at the sale was a variegated silk-blend handspun wool yarn from Uruguay. It was so pretty, I couldn’t pass. I’m still a beginner though and I didn’t want to waste the beautiful and expensive yarn on unsuccessful projects. So I chose a simple variation of an equally simple feather and fan scarf. I am almost half way through this project  as of now –

Since this is a major project, I may simultaneously start on other smaller projects soon. Other things on my mind include cotton dishcloths with various hard-to-follow patterns and bi-color/multicolor patterns, knitted presents for a friends baby that was born yesterday and another baby in my extended family that is due end-of-summer this year. I just acquired a pair of circular needles so a knitting-in-the-round baby hat may be a good start. I also want to try my hand at some simple embroidery on some baby blankets or bibs.

Another idea is to make wall art for the nursery using felt — it looks baby-ish and cute, is cheap and can be thrown away in a few months when baby is ready for new decor :-) Let’s see how it pans out. I will be back next month, reporting progress on the scarf and hopefully at least one other new project.

Last but not the least, here are some more beaded earrings. I am bored of this pattern of earring-making now. I need to look for some new findings for jewelry making. There are plenty of bead stores nearby – I just haven’t had the time to explore. I don’t wear much jewelry but I must admit I have really enjoyed jewelry making — there’s so much room for creativity, infinite possibilities and it’s fairly easy even for a craft-challenged person like me. Also, they make cute presents for girl friends, who can never have too many earrings. Although I am not much of a jewelry person (who am I kidding — I am not much of a crafts person either!), I have been wearing more earrings since I started making them and I’m liking it!

When I last checked in with all of you, both Darling Cuz and Stitches West were coming to my part of the world. It was so much fun, and met with so much excitement, that when they finally first opened the doors of the hallowed Market (Bug and I always go to the opening night of the Market as one of our special girlie activities…I head straight for Blue Moon Fiber, she goes for all the roving), a wild cheer went up through the crowd. If only I’d have been taking a video that evening. What a rush!

This is a very cool, wool-wrapped statue at the Lion Brand Yarn Booth!

Of course Cuz and I had a mahvelous time oogling wool, knitting, gabbing, and eating! I wish it’d never ended. But then we’ll always have our summer trek out to the Fold in Marengo, one of the most wonderful places to buy yarn, as well as the fact that we get a few hours of uninterrupted gabbing in on the way. Heaven! Miss you, Cuz!

OMG! This bag was a-dorable! But I couldn't justify the $260 price when I know I could find the materials and make something like it for $50 or so. Watch for details of that...

Then just the other day, I thought it’s be a blast to “surprise” my nephew who’s away at school with a little box of goodies, and what would be better in a box of goodies besides some yummy food treats, but a yummy Malabrigo Hat treat. So I popped over to one of my fab LYSs, Uncommon Threads, because they’re one of the local shops that carries Mmmmalabrigo.

I decided to make “A Hat Fit For a Boyfriend” using some Rios in Azul Profundo. CR said, “Hmm, that’s nice,” so I grabbed another skein of the exact same yarn, while the Bug became entranced by a skein in the “Candobe” colorway for what she wanted: a slouchy hat. Okay, who am I to argue? You want me to knit you guys hats with some Malabrigo? I guess I’ll have to forcemyself… After perusing all the wonderful slouchy hats on Rav, she picked the loads of fun “Knit Night Hat.”

A super fun pattern!

Not a great picture, but you get the idea...

At any rate, three hats flew off my needles in the past few weeks, along with a great squishy cowl made from (what else?) more Malabrigo: this time Rasta in Garden Gate and I used the LTYC Super Bulky Cowl.

So much fun, and only took one day…and was just the thing she needed for a class ski trip to Tahoe with CR.

!he LTYC Super Bulky Cowl. Super Freaky!

I love covering my loved ones in knitted love. Like Franklin Habit says (okay, I’m paraphrasing), it’s like saying I love you, 12,000 times. Crazytown.

Oh, the colors are magnificent!

And I’ve been trudging along on my beloved “Dreamcoat of Many Colors,” swirl coat by Sandra McIver. Fabulous idea, brain-bending instructions, gobs of purling. Gobs and gobs. But I invested in this project 100%, and intend on finishing it. I’ve finished the outer oval shaping that forms the collar and the lower body, but have spent a few hours stuck at “Welt 14″ where (I think) you begin to build the back of the body and the upper sides of the coat, so I’m a little behind where I thought I’d be by now. There are 2, chock full of information, schematics in the book, but honestly, if you don’t understand what the knitting should look like, you’re a little lost. In fact, if the instructions for Welt 14 started with the phrase, “You will now begin to knit flat as you form the back and upper sides of the body,” I honestly believe that it would be a little easier to understand. Luckily, after pouring over all the Ravelry projects for the coat, I found one (in German) that had some great photos that helped make the light go on! Hoorah!

Nonetheless, I will keep going with this project and with any luck, finish it while it’s still cool enough to wear it! Even if I don’t, it’ll be a major accomplishment I’ll be thrilled to wear. The colors of the yarn are amazing.

Well, plenty of other stuff going on, so I’d better get a move on over here. Hope to have a good bit of progress made on the sweater over the next few days.

As always, please feel free to add a comment or two! I love to know what’s happening out there with all of you! 

A luscious skein of Malabrigo Rasta that I ordered back in December just to feel it’s squooshy goodness with my own two hands.

It had languished for awhile in the stash as my love affair with lace heated up. It patiently waited for me while I discovered my inner sock knitter. And it was there for me when I hit a serious new-baby-fatigue-induced knitting block. A quick colorful knit was just what I needed.

So, the hunt for the perfect pattern began. It took me awhile, but I finally landed on a lovely free hat pattern that seemed ideal and cast on. Two hours later I had this:

Shroom

The gauge was a bit tight with this yarn, but I like it anyways.

I liked the pattern so much that I pulled out my Dream In Color Groovy (Torchwood) and made another:

I had the opposite problem with gauge on this one and had to go down a needle size.

Then, because I was really enjoying the instant gratification that was all up in this place, I pulled out a skein of Berocco Peruvia Quick and my copy of 101 Designer One Skein Wonders and cast on the Lavender Lace Beanie:

This was so cute, I know that I will make another.

This was the yarn my sister got for me last Christmas because she loves me so much. Three balls of this stuff…. I see more hats in my future.

Quick knits. It’s about all this Mama can do these days.

Broke girl DIY: Hooked on knitted hats

I used to be a fairly crafty person back in the day, before college, internships and adulthood creeped up on me. My experiences with knitting, however, haven’t been brag worthy.

While I was escaping the St. Louis heatwave in Colorado, my step-grandmother picked up a “Knifty Knitter” loom for us to try out. I’ve been hooked ever since.

I made the gray hat in less than two days. The plum-colored hat was finished during the car ride home and took less than three hours.

The takeaway: Easy enough for novices & fast enough for the busiest of girls.

Our east-facing patio which opens directly off our living room is one of the greatest joys that Joe and I have ever experienced in a home.  We are sequestered in a courtyard, sheltered on three sides, and our neighborhood has been mosquito proofed.  Last summer I think I saw three mosquitoes—and so far this year, none.  The daytime and early evening quiet is punctuated by the sounds of trains and happy voices from the nearby park.  In the night we hear trains and wind, all of which we love.* 

The above-pictured fountain is a new feature on our patio.  The water runs constantly, powered by a small pump which is hidden beneath the top pile of surrogate rocks—actually fiber glass.  Knowing that Joe and I currently live in challenged bodies, people have asked me how we set up the fountain.  For me, it was the proverbial piece of cake.  I transported the box of parts from van to patio on my 4-wheeler walker, and assembled the whole bit as instructed by the clerk at the store.  An outdoor electrical outlet is conveniently situated in the brick facing, behind the bench next to the little girl and her ducks.  Voila!  Cascading water!

So enamored am I with this fountain that I get up at least once each night and slide the patio door open, so I can listen and make sure the water is still falling down those fiber glass rocks.

Along with watching and listening to the waterfall, what else do we do on our patio?  All the things that make one’s summer sing.  We drink iced tea, slurp rapidly-melting ice cream sundaes, gaze at our patio garden, read, snooze, watch the clouds, visit with family members and friends, and snooze some more.  Sometimes I bring a spinning wheel outdoors, and spin a yarn. 

And I knit.  A die-hard knitter never breaks due to weather, regardless of 90 degree heat.  Winters are long and often severe, and we knitters realize that warm garments constitute the bulk of our wardrobes.  What better time than summer, for “knitting up” the next winter?  I’m knitting hats—one for each of our great-grandchildren who presently number fifteen.  The hats will be Christmas gifts.  (Maybe the children are wondering why this Great Grammy is always staring at their heads!)  

Below you can see my progress thus far—thirteen completed hats, number fourteen on the needles, and number fifteen about to begin.  The boys’ hats have a plain ribbed edge, while the girls’ hats are embellished with a crocheted ruffle on the ribbing.  Hats are easy and constitute a wonderful summer agenda, in addition to watching the waterfall and all those other summer patio delights! 

Margaret L. Been, ©2011

*We’ve added coyotes to our list of thrilling local sounds.  Last week, deep in the night, I heard a pack of yelping youngsters—just like we frequently heard in our northern home.  Coyotes abound in our county, and the wildlife sanctuary on the far side of our park affords good habitat.  Our Dylan slept through the night chorus.  When it’s his sleepy time, he couldn’t care less what his wild cousins are doing.

Akhirnya topi yang saya kait lebih kurang seminggu telahpun siap.. ini adalah percubaan mengait tanpa pattern dengan cable pattern. Setelah menggunakan circular needles, saya menukarkan jarum ke jarum double pointed needle untuk memudahkan mengait decrease stitches. Ini kerana jarum circular saiz 40cm panjang susah untuk membuat magic loop. Terpaksa tukar jarum..

Decreasing stitches menggunakan 5 batang jarum double pointed.  Setelah itu, saya meninggalkan beberapa stitches, lebih kurang 6-7 stitches sebelum menutup kaitan dengan menggunakan jarum embroidery.

Maka inilah hasilnya nampak pelik cable patternnya.. ketika sudah membuat sedikit silap, saya tidak mahu membuka kaitan dan membuat semula sebab penat o.o dan saya teruskan juga mengait dan mengubah corak cable. hehe nampak macam nombor 11 roman :p

Nampak corak patternnya mcm nombor 11 roman :”) yang ini adik bongsu saya.. minta dia tolong jadi model lagi haha thanks sis!

Nilah dia model saya untuk hari ini topi dah siap dan boleh dipakai

Ini adalah baki benang yang tinggal. Saya akan cuba habiskan benang ini, rasanya buat pensil case?! heh,

InsyaAllah, projek seterusnya masih lagi projek mengait topi. (oh, apa khabar projek cardigan? huh.. suprise! nanti bila dah siap, insyaAllah, saya akan share kat sini )

Projek hat kali ini ialah:  Flower Hat by Sally Pointer@Knitpicks.Com

Pattern ni saya perolehi dari Knitpicks.Com. Saya sangat suka pada pattern-pattern yang ada di sana. Semuanya cantik-cantik dan saya sangat menghargai designer-designer ini. Mudah-mudahan akan ada kesempatan untuk mencipta design sendiri hehehe.. berangan sahajalah

Diharap saya berjaya mengait topi ini! InsyaAllah,

Assalamualaikum, thanks for hopping by!

Bahan-bahan yang diperlukan untuk resepi mengait topi:

1. Magic Yarn Kardoku Brown Shades (Yarn ini boleh didapati di YarnsOnlineShop.Com kami )

2. Double pointed needles 4.00mm

3. Circular needles 4.00mm x 40cm

4. Stitch Marker

From upper view.. I am using 4 markers to make sure I wont lose stitches when making decreasing.

This is the front view InsyaAllah..  I will finish it as soon as possible. Can’t wait to see the outcome.

And because of this break, I have a few projects I need to update this blog on. One is not 100% done, so I shall wait until it’s completed to discuss it. But I do have this project to talk about, the first thing I’ve completed for me:

I have come to the conclusion that hats are my favorite things to knit and if hats are the only things I make from now on, I will be a rather happy lady.

This particular hat I’ve had on my Ravelry queue for a while. I was thrilled when I finally had the correct needles to make it but saddened that the yarn I had originally wanted to use was just not enough. Luckily, I had this gorgeous olive yarn that had no destination that ended up working out just fine.

I am in no way shape or form a “hat person” so I had no clue how this hat would look on me. And while I still feel somewhat awkward while wearing it, the point is…I am wearing it. And I’m proud to wear it. Wearing something you’ve personally made adds a bit of confidence and I could use any bit of confidence I can muster.

This was a very simple hat and a rather quick knit. And even though it was simple, I was incredibly confused. I had never heard of a “turning row”, for example, and my first investigations of the term led me astray. Once I realized all it meant was to turn and sew, I was ready to get started. Then, I forgot to change the needles, then stitches went AWOL. But I was determined to finish it, and thrilled that it is done.

During the week following its completion, you could find me in the hat. I haven’t really worn it since then (have you been outside?!?) but I cannot wait to wear it (and others) in the upcoming cooler months.

Pattern: Slouchy Hat With Picot Edge

As I mentioned here I really want to try to make this adorable beehive bonnet, but that would require some circular knitting needles and I haven’t got any.  I’m sure they aren’t very expensive, but the only mercantile in town that sells them has been closed for the past two weeks for renovation! The frustration!

In the mean time, I was able to find a super-duper easy pattern in my beginner’s book I showed you here that comes together really quickly and just needs to be grafted/sewn together. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

So far I’ve only made these two : a tiny one I just sort of improvised hoping to make a small-enough one for my toddler niece, and a smaller but not too small version for a skull cap for Guppy.  I know I’ve been pretty lucky, because futzing with a pattern when you have no idea what you’re doing is probably not the greatest idea.  I’m still hoping to snag me a pair of circular needles, but this is fun for now.

And guess what I learned to do today? I’m purling! The excitement! The joy!

Do you have any new W.I.P.s in the works? We would love to see what you’re up to! Snap a shot of your  “in progress” masterpiece and add it to the  W.I.P. Wednesday Flickr Pool. Whatever your works-in-progress, have a crafty week, and don’t forget to see what the other Wipsters are working on.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39651231

As the weather cooled last autumn, I learned to knit on a round loom. I bought yarn at my second hand store and made use of the round knitting looms my aunt gave me several years ago to create hats and gauntlet gloves for Christmas. All were a big hit.

I also figured out how to make knitted draw string purses like the one you see here. I have several versions of this at the etsy.com site below the picture. These remind me of the reticule purses Jane Austen characters carried.

I hope I can make some extra cash by using my creativity. There’s something about making something and then having someone purchase it and love it that makes my heart sing.

Do you do anything creative to sell? Do you like Etsy.com?

The yellow fuzzy one still needs some ears I think.  I’ve been using up odds and ends I’ve found in my rubbermaid tub, the fuzzy yarn was purchased years ago to make some fuzzy stuffed animals that were adorable, and long ago gifted to babies.  With two more weeks until the sale on June 5th, I  hope to crank out another 4-5 hats.  I sure hope people buy them now.  My Mum was also busy making some extremely useful shopping bags of cotton:

She has made more that are currently on the way as well!!  If anyone in Calgary is interested in attending the sale on June 6th (the saturday!!  Why do I keep putting in 5th?),  leave a comment and I’ll let you know my address, I’m in the NW.  Or if anyone has anything that we may be able to sell, leave a comment (my neighbourhood is full of kids, I think that stuff will sell well).  Anything we don’t sell we may try and sell at my brothers house on Signal Hill at a later date, or we will take to Goodwill, nothing will be wasted.  Absolutely everythingwe make will go to the MSRide fund. 

If anyone is feeling extremely generous on this sunny Friday, donations can also be made at:

https://msofs.mssociety.ca/2009Bike/Sponsor.aspx?&PID=1131068&L=2

Have a great weekend everyone, and for those of you in the Land of the Free, hope it doesn’t snow and have freezing rain on your holiday Monday like it did on ours!!!!

Obviously Maili needed an earflap hat with mohawk, posthaste.

I used the earflap hat pattern found here, by Julie, altered the stitch count a little bit, divided it into equal sections with a strip running up the front and the back that wouldn’t be decreased at all so that I could kitchner them together at the top and then latch-hook in the mohawk top.  For reference I looked at the mohawk hats from “Punk Knitting” and some other similar hat before coming up with my own solutions.

She thinks her hat is hardcore baby punk awesome.

I think this is the proudest I have been of an object in a while because this was something new for me.  It took a pretty good amount of effort, some planning, some color matching and 6 hours of cutting and putting in the yellow mohawk part, one stitch at a time.  All in all maybe 10 hours or more of work, but the decreases worked out the first time I did them and I didn’t have to pull it all out and start again..and again.  Next time I will use wool and felt it, which is what was done in some of the book patterns (which I found out only after readng about people’s projects on ravelry).