There is a very nice sense of accomplishment that comes when you can reach into the yarn stash, find a skein that has taken up residence for sometime, and a few days later, you have a fun finished knit…

The Ravelry Stanley Cup Stashbusting knitalong is just the right excuse for me to do this and to make some quick little knits that can be used right away.

A springy pastel headband that is just perfect for yoga asana practice – I am calling it my Baddha Band.  Baddha is Sanskrit for “bound”, so it seemed like an appropriate name for something to hold my hair back when I am doing  inverted yoga poses!   I used the Calorimetry pattern and a yarn that has been in the stash so long that it is now discontinued:  Noro Sakura.  It is a nylon blend with little thread/ribbon pieces at various spots.  If I remember properly, I picked this yarn up at a swap, but it may have been a clearance bin find too… I have another skein in a deep orange with some purple highlights… maybe for a different Project Spectrum month!  The yarn itself looks very much like the friendship bracelets that I used to make in elementary school to trade with my friends and sisters.  I added the pink synthetic flower for fun and in celebration of the beautiful spring weather.  Someone noted that the yarn colors reminded them of a blooming cherry blossom tree – and the good folks at Noro must have thought the same thing because “Sakura”, the name of the yarn, means cherry blossom in Japanese!

It’s quite girly with the bright colors, but I think it will be a nice little headband to make me smile during yoga practice!

When Larissa made this little shawl back in January (Rav link), it caught my eye.  I do not knit a lot of lace, and this was just my speed – yos and dropped stitches – and I could barely believe it when I saw the low yardage needed to make it…perfect for a lone skein of cashmere/silk blend that has lived in the stash for a few years waiting for a special project:

It is the Storm Cloud Shawlette pattern from Hanna at ever green knits.  Such a beautifully simple and meditative pattern to knit.  Especially with a special yarn.  I used a hank of Alchemy Monarch in “Teal Tide” colorway, it was a gift from Cathi awhile back… just one of those lovely skeins that sits and waits for a special project.  Only 156 yards and now I have this great little neck piece!  I used size 11 needles for it, but I could have gone even bigger for more drape and size.  I do lovely looking at the project pages on Ravelry and seeing how people have made this pattern in different yarns and gauges.  Love the creativity.

Both projects fit into the theme for the NORTH direction of Project Spectrum, specifically with the green focus.  With only a few days remaining in this phase (before we focus on the EAST direction!) my mind is already thinking about new projects, but I could easily have green all year… it is such an amazing color!

This is a special time of year around the W household… one where Kris and I are basically glued to the television watching the NHL playoffs.  With games on virtually every night, it is fair to say that it offers a lot of knitting time.  Last year, I started the Stanley Cup Stashbusting knitalong (Ravelry link), and we are back again for a second year of cheering on the hockey teams and busting through the stash!

…Funny how it works out.  I was not an athlete growing up, and generally not a fan of sports at all.  It was not until I moved to Maryland and started dating Kris that I even knew the first thing about hockey.  We started dating in May 1998 – and that was during the Stanley Cup playoffs.  I remember that we first held hands while watching a hockey game… but I can’t really remember which one it was   …Kris played hockey too, and I started going to some of his games and learning more and more about the sport and genuinely enjoying it.  I adopted his favorite team – the Pittsburgh Penguins – and also follow the local team, the Washington Capitals.

Over the next few years, while we were in college, we would listen to the games broadcast on the internet radio, watch any games we could on TV, and buy tickets to any games we could afford.  Now, eleven years later, I am a bonafide fan of the game.  I have been to many arenas, watch hockey several times a week and even read hockey blogs and news feeds.  Sometimes I even get the scoop on a big trade or a controversial play before Kris does!

Sometimes I wonder why hockey has not taken off in the United States the way some other sports have.  It is such a fast-paced sport with lots of skill involved.   Canadians definitely love their hockey:  Kris and I were just amazed by the great fans in Nova Scotia during our trip last spring.  But for every time I think about how I wish more people were fans, I also think that it is a “best-kept secret” of sorts – people just don’t know what they are missing!

Oh, the art of being a female hockey fan… sure, there are some hotties to gush over, but female fans are a booming industry in this League as well as several others.  I guess we know a good thing when we see it.  Luckily, I have an amazing group of fellow fans to cheer along with over on the Ravelry group Puck This!.  Nearly every team has a fan represented on the boards, so it is a fun way to get together and talk hockey, set up playoff pools, and plan for knitalongs

I got these photos (and many others) last month when Kris and I went to DC to see the Penguins play the Capitals.  We were so lucky to get there early enough to go down to the ice level and get photos of the players during the pre-game skate practice.  I can’t tell you how excited I was.  I actually had this notion in my head that I could just leave it all behind and become a photographer for the NHL.   Maybe in my next life…

…stay tuned for some of new knits from the old stash!  and feel free to join the stashbusting over on Ravelry!

Hey hey – look over here!

(and don’t think about how I still haven’t fixed Kris’s pullover…)

While I should have been fixing one knit, I decided to work on others… for the obligations of my knitalong the January Hat Trick on Puck This!, the Ravelry hockey forum.  I guess I can say that the hat knitting has proven to be quite fun AND addictive.  I still have tons of hats planned for January… even though I completed my first Hat Trick! (Three hats, like three hockey goals, constitutes a “hat trick”!)

GOAL #2

This was a quickie goal scored in the first period – the first third of the month! – on a great feed from one of my favorite players, Mr. Max Talbot (see him behind me?)  I completed this hat during the Penguins win over Atlanta earlier this week.

*Aspen Hat*
Pattern: “Aspen” from Classic Elite book #9092 (Autumn, Book 1)
Yarn: Lana Grossa Cool Wool Big, navy colorway, held double throughout
Needles: Size US 13 dpns
[More photos here]

I chose to go with a lighter weight yarn and went down one needle size (from 15s to 13s) in order to reduce some of the flop.  It is an extremely stretchy hat due to the lace patterning.  I think it would be a completely different look had I used the larger bulky yarn and big needles.  However, I like the hat, and while it isn’t really a winter weather warmth hat because of the holes, it is still cute and will get some wear in the transition seasons.

GOAL #3

This goal was a slapshot from the blue line!  Hat trick complete!  but, since I am now addicted to making hats, I think I will definitely be casting on for some more this month! Actually, this hat is for Kris – but since it was my third goal of the month (and Kris wasn’t home) here I am wearing it – I finished it up during the Penguins sad loss to Colorado (but, it was a good game).  Maybe next time the power of the hat can propel them to a win?

Penguins Patch Hat
Pattern: Ski Beanie from Son of Stitch ‘n Bitch: 45 Projects to Knit and Crochet for Men
Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca, black and yellow
Needles: Size US 5 circs – 16″

[More Photos Here]

I had thought about getting a patch for a hat for awhile, but when I met Amanda and her DH back in November and saw the football patch hat that she made for him, I decided to go for it.  The patch adds a classy vintage look and the hat is way better than the acrylic machine knit hats you often see at fan and sporting goods shops.  I found the patch online – there are many on Ebay as well as on different fan sites for just about any team and sport you can think of – in fact, I picked up two because I am definitely gonna need one now too   The pattern was easy and fun – a garter rib pattern that adds a slightly different look than the traditional ribbing.  It fits really well – snug but not tight and covers the ears well.  I would probably make this one again given the opportunity (I can already see myself making this one for my football-loving brother-in-laws) The pattern in the book is knit flat and seamed up, but I modified to knit it in the round, simply changing the 2nd row of the repeat to *knit* rather than *purl* since it was in the round.  I avoid seaming when I can!  First time working with Berroco Ultra Alpaca, and I can see why this yarn is so popular – it is beautiful.  I am hoping that it holds the shape and doesn’t fuzz, because I am sure this hat is going to get a ton of wear!  In fact, of all of the things I have knit for Kris – socks & sweaters – I believe that this one may be his favorite of all!

…okay, and now I can work on the pullover fixes… or cast on for another hat… I still have plenty of January left for another set of goals

I was having a conversation with one of my fellow hockey-loving pals over on Ravelry, and we dreamed up this fun idea of starting an informal knitalong for our group in January… we would focus on making some hats – perfect for the cold weather in the northern hemisphere – and we could knit while watching our favorite teams.

The January Hat Trick knitalong was born… Each participant is going to try to knit three hats in the month of January – effectively scoring a “hat trick” (three goals in hockey) as they complete three knit (or crochet) hats. At the end of the month, the participants that have completed hats can enter their hats into a contest and the other participants will vote on the *Three Stars* of the knitalong (the hats that get the most votes will be the stars of the knitalong).  Just a little fun – if you are so inclined, you can check out the original post on Ravelry!

…and today, on the very first day of the year, and the first day of the knitalong, while watching my beleagured Pittsburgh Penguins lose (again) 3-2, I completed my first goal… er, hat   I like to think that it was a perfect wrist shot, going over the goaltender’s shoulder – didn’t even see it coming!

Purly MarioBeret
Pattern: MarioBeret (Ravelry free pattern link)
Designer: Jatta Saukko at Jatta Soheltaa (blog is in Finnish / pattern in English)
Yarn: Folktale Fibers Patchwork Handspun – Earthen colorway (wool/cotton/silk/bamboo blend)
Needles: Size US 8/5.00 mm 16″ circular

*(More Photos of the MarioBeret here)

A simple and sweet pattern – with so many ways to embellish and dress it up.  I love Jatta’s original idea of adding the crochet detail to the side.  Since I chose to work with such a textural and colorful yarn, I didn’t think that my hat needed any more dressing up, but if I make the pattern again, I will definitely consider this option.  And can I just give a *huge* shout out to Abby at Folktale Fibers?  I fell in love with this yarn when I saw it at the Crafty Bastards show in June and was reminded of it beauty when I saw Knitting School Dropout and Owl and Acorn using it), and when I decided to use it for a hat pattern, I wanted something simple.  Jatta’s pattern fit the bill perfectly.  And within a matter of hours on New Year’s Day, I had a new hat! I liked the way the yarn looked with the reverse stockinette side out, and I took care to finish it nice and neat, so it is pretty much reversible, I can change it to reflect however I feel on the given day!

…now to knit at least two more this month so that my hat trick can be complete!

Francis Revisited
Pattern: Francis Revisted by Beth Silverstein (free pattern link to Ravelry)
Yarn: Wool/Alpaca/Silk blend cone
Source: School Products, NYC
Needles: Size US 7 and US 9
[All photos of Francis here]

I started this sweater on November 2nd for the NaKniSweMo knitalong, and I bound off only eleven days later. Such a quick and simple knit! the thing that took the longest? washing and blocking her. I soaked the sweater to soften up the wool and laid her out on the blocking board. I left to go to Atlanta for a few days, and when I got back last night, she was *still* wet. Luckily, by the end of the fourth day, she was dry enough for a little photoshoot! Voila!

The yarn was from a large cone that I bought in New York City last April. There was a sign on the table that designated the cones as a wool/alpaca/silk blend, but I think it was pretty heavy on the wool, and maybe even absent of silk. The washing and blocking brought out a little fuzzy halo, which made me wonder if it had a little mohair in it too.  The cone itself was not labeled with fibers or yardage, and since it was sold in bulk I guess there is no way to really know!  Either way, it was a nice yarn, and I still have about 500 yards – maybe more - for a colorwork project.  No shortage of patterns to chose from on that front!

The pattern was such an enjoyable knit that I am already thinking of all sorts of variations and options for future Francises. After I finish up a few presents and my current WIP (I decided on the Bloom vest and I am already a few inches in!) I may very well start another version of this, slightly altering the gauge to suit some nice blue alpaca blend I have in the stash.  There were a few minor things that I changed in the pattern.  I chose to do a kfb increase rather than the m1 increase that the pattern called for… the m1 left a small hole.  I could have gone and tidied it up afterward, but I preferred the look of the other.  If you decide to knit this, you can decide which look you want.  When I got to the cowl collar, I contemplated making a regular turtleneck instead of the oversized neck.  In the end I chose the cowl, and I like it on this particular piece, but this is definitely a sweater that can be modified in the neckline – easy to “turtleneck-ify” as well as “funnel-ify” or even “crew-ify”.  You could play around with textures (seed, ribbing, etc.) to create the look you want.  I chose to make my sleeves 3/4-length, but it would also look great with full sleeves.  I did not do as many increases as the pattern specified as I didn’t want too much of a bell sleeve. (Bell sleeves have gotten me in to trouble more than once… especially in the kitchen)  Changing from the stockinette to seed on the cuff, I did one single increase for an ever-so-slight bell effect.

I totally recommend this pattern; it is perfect for beginners as well as more experienced knitters who want a basic form to elaborate and embellish.  And it is SO quick!  Great for stashbusting as it uses a relatively small amount of yarn for a sweater because it is knit on larger gauge needles. 

Plus, it comes just in time for the chilly winter temperatures! The deep cowl is cozy and warm, and the texture of the stockinette and seed stitch really works well together.

I have some pretty photos to show you of my Atlanta excursion… we managed to have a lovely time even though it rained and the skies were gray.  Stay tuned!

…do I look older than when you last saw me? I celebrated my birthday last Saturday