Our weekend trip to the mountains was the perfect time to knit up some quickie projects.

 

Twiggy Bobble Hat

Pattern: From Making Things blog
Yarn: Kraemer Alpaca Co. Classic Alpaca in brown
Needles: Size US 5 circular (16″)

The hat pattern caught my eye last year when I saw Sandra’s version. I had several lone skeins of alpaca in my stash, all I had to do was choose a color to work with. This particular alpaca yarn was a gift from my sister, Mimi, two Christmases ago, and it’s chocolatey color seemed just right when I was looking through my yarns. I cast on, and quickly had a hat for the weekend. I loved the bobbles, having already cut my teeth on bobbles with my Street Smart Hoodie. I also loved the purling action - reverse stockinette really appeals to me, and for some reason, it is actually faster for me to purl than to knit, so the hat was easy peasy

Some of the bobbles get “inverted”, so the dimpling effect is still there, so I don’t mind too much. Plus, the alpaca yarn is nice and warm - and quite soft. I am particularly intrigued by the yarn; it is produced and spun by an alpaca cooperative in north-central Pennsylvania. Although the label does not state it, I assume it is undyed, using the natural brown color of the alpaca fleece.

… and with the leftover yarn, I started another little quick knit…

I was originally going for a cowl/neckwarmer, but I ran out of yarn. So, the leftover yarn turned into a simple earwarmer. It will be good for the slightly chilly days of early spring - but I need extra protection against the chills during these sub-zero temperatures!

I wanted to have a completely clean slate for knits in 2008, but I didn’t quite make it… although I got close. The only true lingering knit after I finished Kris’s pullover was the Komb Afghan. This is a big project knit, so I am not hard-pressed to finish it tomorrow. However, it does feel nice to see progress on it. I really enjoy the process of making these hexagons. I have professed to love Norah Gaughan’s patterns for years, but this is the first actual pattern I have made by her… and I am loving it. I love the whole “Gestalt”-ness of it: all the parts making up a whole.

I just finished the ninth hexagon of sixty.

I love how each hexagon is unique with the variegations of yarn.

…and because I believe it is good for the psyche of the knitter, I am also working on a few quickie projects…

The Twiggy Bobble Hat, knit in Alpaca Co. DK-weight. It is a beautiful yarn that was a gift from my sister and brother-in-law. The pattern is cute, and includes two things I really like: purl stitches and bobbles. The little stitch marker is a rosebud, and was a very sweet gift last year from Kimberly.

Baby Garter pulli for a co-worker’s baby that is due in March. I liked the little stripes and thought it would be cute for a baby boy. I am making the 3-month size, so it should fit just in time for the summer months. The pattern is from Vogue’s KnitSimple magazine, the Spring/Summer 2007 issue. I am using Sugar and Cream cotton in cornflower and yellow. Thank goodness for Flickr friends giving me advice on baby knits - I am planning to modify the pattern to add buttons on the shoulder to accomodate for big baby heads

The Calorimetries for my nieces were a last minute addition to the Christmas gift pool. Perhaps it was a quickie stashbusting solution or perhaps it was Auntie Lolly’s subversive way of countering all of the rampant consumerism and making a simple hand knit piece… or a little of both. Either way, the little headbands were a success!

M and K’s Calorimetry Headbands

Pattern: Calorimetry, Knitty Winter 2006
Yarn: K’s is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky (ivory) held together with a leftover Opal self-striping sock yarn scrap /M’s is Dale of Norway Free Style (eggplant) held together with a mohair glitter novelty thread leftover
Needles: Size US 6 needles

I modified the headbands to fit their smaller heads by following the notes from NuttyIrishmanKnits. I cast on only 80 stitches instead of the 120 called for, and only completed half of the short row repeats - I think I only did 7. I sewed small mother-of-pearl buttons on the back, and they fit both girls very comfortably. M even wore hers all day! (K is sometimes a little too rambunctious… can you tell by that silly smile?) K’s front tooth was barely hanging on… we thought we may be able to get her to sing “All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth”, but it held on throughout the day.

It was a wonderful holiday with both of our families ~ with my family, it was the first time for all of us to celebrate together in many years - with the addition of my brother-in-law who is recently back from his year-long military deployment. It was the first Christmas to spend with him, and it was so special because of it.

~I do hope that your holiday was meaningful as well~

PS - Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband/life partner/best friend/photographer/”sounding board”, Kristopher~

The tweed made me do it. I had some yarn left over from my Cherie pullover, and when I re-discovered it in my stash this past summer, I knew it had to be a hat. Not a matchy-matchy hat to wear with my Cherie pullover, but a stand-alone hat. A hat that would look great and be functional.  I loved Kat Coyle’s pattern in Greetings from Knit Cafe (especially after seeing Nonnah’s sassy version) so I decided to try my hand at it. I cast on for this hat in July, during Project Spectrum’s red, black, and metallics month. I had a few rows left on the needles, and I finally decided to finish it up.

…maybe it is because I knew that I could actually wear the hat now - now that the temperature has begun to correspond with the calendar month…

Kat Beret
Pattern: Beret from Greetings from Knit Cafe
Yarn: Dale of Norway Sisik (leftover from Cherie)
Needles: Size US4/3.5mm circular and DPNs

It’s a little bigger than I intended, and you can see the evidence of that in the above photograph. However, I think going down a needle size would have made it too tight, and I wanted to keep it as a beret. I love the little “dimple” details about 2 inches up where the increases switch to decreases. It adds an little more depth to the pattern.

The hat is flattering, cute, and simple. I will probably make another one at some point… most likely after my sisters see it and ask for one! I considered giving this one as a holiday gift actually, but once I put it on, I thought that I may need to keep it… does that make me selfish? It just seems that the beret’s shape is better suited for short hair styles!

With a mere two days left in this color triad of Project Spectrum, I decided to cast on for a simple stashbusting project in a glorious RED. I must admit that my mind seems to have shifted ahead to the next color triad; you may have noticed with the potpourri of new projects…

My newest projects are engaging and fun, but nearly all of them require some attention to charts. I was hoping for a simple stockinette project, and I found in the form of this beret from Greetings from Knit Café (a great book - my Canyon Hiking Socks are from the same book!) designed by the kind and talented Kat Coyle.

After finishing the Cherie pullover last fall, I held onto the leftover 2.25 skeins of Dale of Norway Sisik. It is one of my favorite yarns, and since it is no longer manufactured, I had to keep it close. I thought a hat would work, although I had no pattern in mind at the time. It is a nice match for the beret, and is working up beautifully on the size 3.5mm needles.

Project Spectrum was so shiny and new last year, and the concept attracted many people. This year, Project Spectrum changed formats and worked over a longer span of time with more color choices. With this change, it seems (at least to me) that PS has “lost some steam”, and does not engender the same creative spark and ingenuity that it did in its first round. What do you think? Please feel free to prove me wrong! I am gathering ideas and your thoughts on PS now, as I am starting to think about a third round. I have an idea that I am still working through, but I am not ready to commit to it. In the Project Spectrum Ravelry group, I have heard some feedback. Now, you can tell me more…

Please feel free to elaborate and tell me more in the comments or in email. I would love to hear from you.

~thanks~