Another view of The Hat

I really like it! What a surprise to find how much I enjoy having a hat that fits, in a color I picked. Most of my hats have been things I "settled for" because most hats are too small for me.

Hat!

The cellphone photo doesn't do justice to the overall soft lime green color of this yarn. The hat used almost all of 1 skein.

Not quite a pattern, but here's what I did:
1. Measured my head
2. Knit a swatch (using handspun bamboo, hemp, and sparkle yarn from Folktale Fibers) in k2p2 rib to check gauge
3. Based on results, cast on 64 stitches (the closest multiple of 4 that would equal the size of my head, based on the gauge), using a larger needle so as not to cast on too tightly)
4. Joined and worked k2p2 ribbing in round for 2.5 inches
5. Knit 1 round for fold line
6. Worked p2k2 ribbing for 5 inches. This change means that the ribs on the turned up brim match the ribs on the crown of the hat.
7. Maintaining pattern, decreased 4 sts evenly spaced every row until 8 sts remained. I placed the decs so as to feed them into 4 ribs.
8. Cut yarn and drew tail through remaining stitches.
9. Worked ends of yarn into inside of hat
10. Turned up the brim on the fold line, put on the hat, and smiled.

That mood board thing

Inspired by caterpillars and squash, here's what I did for my summer "mood board" project:


I've been disappointed so far in the low level of participation, both on Ravelry and on the Inspired to Knit blog. I was looking forward to seeing what other people came up with.

Ta-da!

Finished vest, and it even fits:




Detail:

Ribbed Vest: almost done!

I've knitted some parts more often than I can count, and I'm sure the ribbing still isn't perfect, but it's all over but the seaming (and blocking, and weaving in of ends...).

Wool gallery

My remaining souvenirs of my wool-knitting days:

 

 

Last wool vest

 

 

Hand-dyed wool and mohair raglan worked in the round using Elizabeth Zimmerman's percentage method. the ribbing was worked in wool and the body and sleeves used wool and mohair in alternate rounds.

 

 

 

Wool vest with zigzag eyelet pattern.

 

 

 

Ribbed wool vest.

 

 

 

Striped wool vest combining variegated and black yarns.

 

 

Mitten in Spruce pattern from Robin Hansen's Fox & Geese & Fences

Approaching the finish line

My excuse for not blogging: I've been knitting along with the Olympics, to the extent that the broadcast schedule has been compatible with my need to sleep, eat, and go to work. The vest ran into difficulties (surely the knitter wasn't to blame...) and had to have its front and back re-knit from the start of the neckline up. At the same time, my Olympics viewing has been a repeated nightly round of beach volley ball and swimming, reinforcing the feeling of being stuck in one place. But this time both the back and front are truly finished. I am ready to bind off, join the shoulders, pick up and knit the neck and armhole ribbing, sew 2 seams, and be done. Oh, except, of course, for the weaving in of ends and light blocking.