skein

Two more hats

Here are the two hats which were finished and drying last week.

First up is a Tin Can Knits pattern, Hipster.  As usual, very easy and can be knmitted in DK or Aran. from Pacific Knits.  Noro Silk Garden from stash.

The second hat is Graham, a free pattern on ravelry. Again, super easy.  I chose Rowan Pure Wool Worsted from stash. The pattern is a 1x1 ribbed brim, with alternating 1x1 ribbing and plain rounds for the rest of hte hat. Very easy to adjust if you want to, and makes a change form a plain stocking stitch hat.

These are hats two and three for Hatathon. I have a fourth hat drying, Stashbuster Helix hat, another free pattern on ravelry.

 

The final hat is on the needles. I need to finihs this by tomorrow!

In panic mode (because I didn't do much knitting over the weekend) I cast on another Helix hat last night and knitted a few inches. I just couldn't resist turning those smaller oddballs into knitting. However, this moring I cast on another hat. Not sure which to knit on, will decide tonight!  This second hat is in the same Silk Garden as Hipster above.  Decision!

I'm not doing too great with the Mad Dash. I think I'm up to 770 yards in 2.5 weeks, which is about 1/3 of the way through. i neet ot knit faster!

One thing I forgot to mention last week - Effortless cardigan is knitted!  I've washed 9can't call it blocking, just laid it flat on a dryer) and needs ends darned in.

I'm pleased to say that I'm still knitting from stash. Second month!   I could never do Cold Sheep. Never. But I'm pretty relaxedc about how this is going. If the stash comes out regularly, I'm (so far) happy.  Knitting from pattern stash is going well too. I downloaded my first pattern this year yesterday - a free hat pattern. i'm tempted by a few collections which have popped up on my radar. Hannah Fettig, TinCanKnits and Joji Locatelli and Veera Valimaki,  I just know that one of these collections will end up in my ravelry library!

 

Christopher and One-night hats - and other knitting progress

First the bad news

*Starflower cowl - frogged. I just couldn't live with the mistakes I'd made.  Such a shawme, as the yarn was just perfect for this, even down to the sparkle.

*Milo was ripped back to the garter stitch section.  I didn't like the cable pattern I'd chosen.

And the good news

*Milo is back in action. Stitches picked up  and first cable crossed.

*I've washed hats 2 and 3 and drying

*Hat 4 is on the needles - it's the Stashbuster Helix pattern.  Great of leftovers.  You need three colours, knit round and round and when you come to the next colour you drop the previous one and pick up the new one where it was left on the previous round. I had to grit my teeth and not be fussy about the colour combination. The idea is to use leftovers (at least for me) so I'm not going to brek into that new ball of yarn just because it' a great colour!

Here's Christopher's hat, knitted for MrC in January.

It#s double thickness and even quadruple thickness around the brim. I used anonymous stash and it's super soft and comfortable.

• One-night hat, the first hat for Hatathon is done, One skein of Noro Kureyon from old stash.
• 
• My cold is not an FO, It has morphed into blocked ears and a cough. I'm very grumpy!
  
   

Still knitting

Long work/commute means very little knitting time. I'm trying to do some knitting at lunchtime (ha!) and in the morning whilst I drink my tea.  

This has helped me knit a few hats for Hat-a-thon.  I've tow to blog, two to wash and blog and two more to knit for Hat-a-thon.  I may need to take a long hat break after this! I've already decided on the hats - Accidental Hipster and Helix, which is a free stashbuster hat. Just use oddments - I have many oddments!  

Milo is coming along.  The straps have been knitted and I've just started the body. The photo was taken at work, indoors and shows the red as quite dark, whereas it's much brighter in real life. 

I still haven't learny my lesson about Debbie Bliss' flat round balls of yarn. This one maanged to collapse and morph into a huge knot. I've had to cut the yarn and try to win it up. Grrr.

This weekend I'll be working on Milo, a new hat, Starshower cowl and the collar of Effortless.  Did I mention that I have a heavy cold and it's made me grumpy, deaf and tired. So this will be a huge amount of knitting for me!  Mr C has been warned to stay out of my way!  This is from him. I've read too many Jane Austen novels and seriously, thought he'd caught a chill from staying at the boat in cold weather. Turns out it's viral...

Weekend knitting

I thought that I'd get in from work on Friday and start knitting ofr Mad Dash 2017. Then spend the weekend knitting (when not doing the minimum cleaning adn cooking, of course)

Well, it didn't quite work out as planned.   I didn't get home till late, and by the time we'd eaten it was too late to cash on anything.

saturday was spent doing my least favourite thing - untangling yarn. I've had soem purple sparkly yarn in stash for years, I knew the skein was a mess, but cheerfully thought it would be easy peasy to wind. NOT SO.  I've not even wound the entire skein.  I was losing the will to live by evening.  I'm hoping the shawl/cowl will only take as much yarn as I've wound!

Sunday was cast on day.

MILO VEST in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK.  I had to restart this. It seems that I can't join into a round without twisting AND then not notice it until I'm ready to cast off for the straps!  Back on the needles, going well.  Bright red for an 18 month old. I jsut hope she's not hit the pink phase yet.

COLLAR ON EFFORTLESS,  Not rally a cast on, but it's a pick up. All picked up and a few long rows knitted. This will be week day evening knitting, no concentration required.

GRAHAM HAT. A very simple ribbed hat, free pattern on ravelry. I'm using Rowan's Pure Wool Worsted  This will be lunchtime knittng, if I get a break.

STARSHOWER COWL (which I keep calling Starflower).  This is the sparkly yarn project. I've had to start it four times. FOUR!  Frist few times was down to needles. I'm happier with brich needles, with a bit of grip.  I keep messing up the start stitch pattern.  Not one row is correct.   On the knit return rows I'm just fudging. Getting the sttich counts right!  No way will this be a shawl I hold up to the light!  It's for me, I'm going to not mind the mistakes. Next section I'll take more care! 

Not much knitting done, but I've set up my knitting for the enxt week.  I feel like I may actually do a bit of knitting!

 

Mad Dash is upon us!

Today Mad Dash starts. This is a KAL on the Stash Knit Down ravelry group, where participants count yardage from now unti lthe end of March, see if we can beat last year's totals.  Many of the knitters have prepared. Chosen patterns, wound yarn, even swatched. Me, not so.  I've been knitting.

I've knitted a second hat  for Hat-a-thon, and woeked on those Effortless sleeves.

And they're done!  Unfortunately the scrappy photo I took failed to upload to ravelry. Just as well, A floor photo does not do justice to the fronts.

This means that I go into Stash Knit Down with just one WIP on the needles, and that's the collar of the Effortless Cardigan.  I must remember to weigh the yarn before I stat knitting!

I haven't thought ahead to the end of March, but I;ll be incorporating my February goals into this Mad Dash, so immediate plans are

• knit the collar on Effortless
• Starshower cowl.  This is a shawl/cowl hybrid. I have teh yarn selected, a sparkly purply merino
• baby vest, probably Milo as I love this pattern
• three hats for hat-a-thon

I may take a break from Effortless and cast on a few new things over the weekend...

On sleeve island

My weekend plans involved knitting on my Effortless cardgian. I have two sleeves and that big collar.  

Instead I cast on a hat for February's Hatathon challenge.   I've planned for five hats, all out of stash and all from patterns I alrady own.  This hat used up some old Kureyon.  I spent a lot of time on ravelry, as you do, looking up projects and yarns for the hat patterns in my library. I dread to think how long it would take me to decide if I wasn't limiting myself to patterns in my library!

So the cardigan wasn't picked up again until sunday evening.  In fact, the sleeve does quickly. I've finished the decreases and have about two more inches of stocking stitch, and then the three inches of ribbing.  I'll try to knit both sleeves this week.  No distractions!

Mad Dash starts in the Stash Knit Down group this weekend.  The idea is to knit as uch yardage as possible up to the end of March. Totals are totted up and we see if we can beat lat year's total.  I'm aiming for 2750 yards.  Not a lot, but I work long hours and have to accommodaate ravelry browsing into my time - I'm not really a  forward planner.  Some knitters take it very seriously and do multi stranded projects to increase yardage.  So far I'm (very) loosely thinking of three more hats, a cowl, felted clogs and the collar of Effortless.  Maybe a pair of socks.  \,MrC has been culling his socks and has thrown out a few pairs of socks which have gone baggy on him.  He checked his facebook knitting folder and these ones are about seven years old.  He still has older socks, but his favourites are pretty much worn every few weeks.  Not bad!

January knitting and February knitting goals

I didn't set any goals for January. 

I finished a hat (but still haven't taken a photo)

I've continued knitting on my Effortless cardigasn

These two projects used stash yarn, even if the cardigan yarn is only a few weeks old!

I've not bought any yarn, although two club yarns arrived this monht. 

For February I'm again going to be concentrating on stash busting. 

The ravelry group Stash Knit Down has a few challenges in Feburary.  Starting on the 1st is their monthly challenge. This month it's a Hatathon!  26 hats for a full Hatathon, 13 for a half Hatathon.  Solo or in a team. I'm aiming for a team effort, no 26 hats for me, especially as I'lm still knitting my cardigan.

The second big challenge is the annual Mad Dash, which starts on 10th and ends at teh end of March. Again, I'll be going for a team effort.  Some peiole really get into it and knit miles of yarn up in this short time.  I'll be lucky to knit a mile. 

BLOG

1 Christopher's hat

FINISH

2 Effortless cardigan. Sleeves and collar to go

START AND FINISH

3  Hatathon hat #1

4 hatathon hat #2

5 hatahton hat #3

6 hatathon hat #4

7 hatathon hat #5

I have hat patterns lined up!

8 toddler vest for an ex colleague who had a baby boy this month.  This vest will be for her toddler daugher

START

9 shawl/cowl hybrid.  I've picked out hte yarn, just have to knit it.

All of these can be or are being knitted from stash. I'm looking forward to the cahllenge but that's quite a bit of knitting for such a short month!!