Trish Knits.com

Tag: hat

  • FO Report: Yet Another Hat

    Yet Another Hat completed
    Yet Another Hat completed

    Project Name: Yet Another Hat
    Source: Lifestyle Top Down Hats, No Swatch Needed
    Yarn Used: Noro Kureyon
    Needle Size: 4 (!)
    Date Started: September 20, 2008
    Date Completed: October 12, 2008

    Notes: I don’t have much to add here, except that I like this one best so far of the three that I have tried to do. Still I feel that I am on a quest for the perfect hat for me. Haven’t quite gotten there yet, though. But I know who this hat will be perfect for. Shhhh…. I’m not telling.

    New Project

    Recently I started knitting the Hypoteneuse Wrap:

    Hypoteneuse wrap just begun
    Hypoteneuse wrap just begun

    As you can see there’s not much to see yet. I’m hoping it’ll be done for Christmas.

    For some reason, I still feel pretty crappy. I’ve been fighting a bit of an infection for a couple of weeks and this one I think is taking the wind out of my sails. Sorry I’ve been so scarce lately. It has been hard to blog when I can barely keep my eyes open. Hopefully soon it’ll be back to normal around here.

  • The Yet-Another-Hat Update

    front view of almost finished hat
    front view of almost finished hat
    side view of almost finished hat
    side view of almost finished hat

    For some reason the daughter insisted tonight that I give you a hat update, so here it is! Hedda Hat-Rack is modeling for you my almost completed purple and olive Noro Kureyon hat. I think her head is a bit smaller than mine; the hat doesn’t come down nearly as far on my own head so I do have a bit left to do. I’m down to just feet of yarn left on the first ball, and will be attaching the second ball probably tomorrow. This is my third hat this month and I think I’m finally getting it right! This one is going to be cute. I’ll have to get a couple more balls of this colorway because I feel an acute need for matching mittens coming on!

    It’s Here! It’s Here!

    I got home from work today and saw the box from Amazon on my porch that contained the long-awaited new book from Stephanie Pearl McPhee: Free Range Knitter: The Yarn Harlot Writes Again. I’ve been hearing folks complain that the book is on backorder and they’re still waiting. I can’t imagine that the folks at Amazon weren’t communicating with the publisher on the amount of pre-orders, which if I know my knitting community, was probably pretty high. On the other hand I was also hearing that some who were told by Amazon that shipping would be delayed received it anyway, so I guess we’ll see how it all pans out.

    I’ve been in end of fiscal year hell at work, so I doubt I will have chunks of time to sit and read over the next couple of weeks. And I still haven’t perfected a technique for reading and knitting at the same time. I can’t walk and chew gum at the same time, either. (Oh wait… I can’t walk. I forgot.) So, I’m looking forward to a good snow day or a long weekend or something where I can switch back and forth between the knitting and the reading. Can’t wait. Really.

  • Family Hat-along

    Oh I am so excited I could jump up and down! (If I could jump up and down, that is!) Today I would be pleased and oh so proud to share with you, THIS:

    daughter knitting top down hat with magic loop
    daughter knitting top down hat with magic loop

    My DD, age 12, saw me knitting with Noro Kureyon a couple of weeks ago and all of a sudden just had, had, HAD to have a ball I had leftover with blues and purples in it. I was saving my leftovers for a blanket project I have planned, but the DD learning some new knitting skills was well worth the sacrifice! She has been watching me make hats over the last several weeks and was determined that that was what she wanted to do.

    Now, this is a kid who can do basic garter stitch, a little bit of stockinette, and anything rectangular. Blankets, iPod covers and amulet bags are her specialty. But this time, she really wanted to learn to knit a hat. A HAT! Yes, she’s my kid! So we had to conquer increasing, knitting in the round and magic loop all at once! And you know what? She got it. Totally got it. And she’s doing a really great job.

    Speaking of hats, here’s the update on my latest:

    olive and purple hat in progress
    olive and purple hat in progress

    I can’t think of a funny name for this one! That’s because, I think, it’s going to be lovely. I can hardly wait to be done so I can wear it!

    Homework Tip #1: Write What You Know

    first grader finishes spelling homework
    first grader finishes spelling homework

    See Steven. See Steven spell. See Steven write. Sentences. In the first month of first grade.

    Problem is, Steven can think of at least forty-eleventy things he’d rather do besides homework. We’ve had some colossal battles over the last few weeks, some lasting hours. Steven reads and writes above grade level so when he was coming home with words like “hat,” “rat,” and “on,” to make sentences with, he rebelled. Big time. Huge tantrums. I didn’t think we’d survive one or two of them, but somehow we did.

    Steven is a bit of a clown and often likes to express his humor at times when frankly, we wish he wouldn’t. But, why not be expressive with his spelling words? We drew the line the other night when he wanted to put the word “butt” into just about every sentence. But then there was tonight’s writing creation, and we just had to let it go. The teacher will just have to deal.

    Word: Sock.

    Steven’s sentence? “I have a smelly sock. P-U.”

    Seriously. It was a keeper.

  • On a Hat Kick

    Olive and purple hat in progress
    Olive and purple hat in progress

    Well, as you can see, I’ve started another hat! It’s late here so I just wanted to give a quick peek. I’m still on a quest to create a semi flat top hat with the perfect rolled brim. I’m using another colorway of Noro Kureyon (I think color number 188). It’s my favorite so far, even though in general I’m not a fan of greens.

    I’m having massive startitis right now and I actually cast on something else that I can’t talk about yet. I’m excited nonetheless. Stay tuned!

    I also decided to try something different with the style of my photos. I guess I’m experimenting a bit! Let me know what you think, if the new photo style looks good in your browser, etc. More later! Tomorrow’s another Monday. Yuck.

  • I’ve Finally Found My Head!

    cantaloupe hat completed and displayed on mannequin head
    cantaloupe hat completed and displayed on mannequin head

    Project Name: Cantaloupe Hat
    Source: Lifestyle Top Down Hats, No Swatch Needed, by Charisa Martin-Cairn
    Yarn Used: Noro Kureyon
    Needle Size: 4!
    Date Started: September 5, 2008
    Date Completed: September 17, 2008

    Notes: This experiment with Charisa’s pattern yielded something on the continuum between Rastafarian and circus clown. Guess which end of the spectrum I think it’s closest to? Heh. Definitely the hat I’m wearing when my primary aim in life is to embarrass my children. Yes, this will do the job nicely, thankyouverymuch. That and I also like to wear weird hats on very stressful days in the office. At least they allow people to question my sanity for a bit instead of their own. But, I kinda like it! Guess I’m weird, too.

    Hat Model Naming Help Needed!

    Meet my new hat model, Hattie. For lack of a better name, let’s call her that for now. I think she’s a cousin of the models on Charisa’s site, because I broke down finally and asked her which ones she bought. She kindly pointed me to a seller on eBay who had just the thing. She’s actual plastic, rather than styrofoam, which is a good thing since I have cats.

    But ok, she needs a real name! Help me think of something befitting of her usual role, modeling hats of all sorts from the elegant felted ones I make to the totally weird ones I somehow come out with but love them just as much. Oh wow. I just thought of a doozie. But I’ll keep quiet and see if one of you comes up with it, too. Leave me your thoughts in the comments, k?

    Ciao for now,

    The Crazy Hat Lady

  • Hat Progress and Still More New Stuff

    cantaloupe hat almost done except brim
    cantaloupe hat almost done except brim

    It’s been a few days so I thought I’d update you on the hat I’m making. I think it’s almost done! It’s wider at the top than the bottom, and I’m making it slightly longer than I normally would so that it can have room to be a bit billowy. I’ve been trying on as I go and I’m just about ready to knit the brim. I’m sure I’ll get some weird comments about this hat when it’s done, with all the bright colors and stuff. It’s ok, the weirder the better. One of my co-workers once commented that she never knew what I’d show up to work with on my head. This one will probably get her attention too!

    My usual lunch buddy is on vacation for the next two weeks and I was actually feeling a bit anxious about this, but then I happened to discover a knitting group that meets at lunch time every day. I am looking forward to having a group of knitters to eat with. I’ll bring my hat along and do a couple rounds after finishing my sandwich. Should be fun!


    Book Review: Domino Knitting

    I just got the book, Domino Knitting, by Vivian Hoxbro, and I have one thing to say: where, oh WHERE has this book been all my life? I’ve read other mitered square tutorials, and what has stopped me cold from just diving into the mayhem is all the finishing. Why did I avoid buying the book all this time, when in fact the answer has been there, for the entire time I’ve been a knitter and even longer than that? I’m having a super-huge “duh” moment here! The concept is that you make blankets (or lots of other things) out of mitered squares that are knit on as you go. No seaming! Wow.

    But even more than that, I’ve been clamoring for a long time for techniques for a no-sew afghan that is knit in strips where you can knit on the strips as you go. I’ve always wanted to do a blanket showing different panels of cables and other stuff, but I didn’t want to mess it up at the end with sloppy seaming. (I’m REALLY bad at seaming!) Well, several of the designs in the book are for pot holders knit in strips as you go. Voila! Again, the answer was there all along, Dorothy… you had the way to get home all along… just click your heels three times and say, “there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home…”

    Ok, I’m losing it. Goodnight.