Tag Archive | slouchy beanies

Oscar Night Hat

Last night was the Oscars, and of course I was there from the red carpet to the bitter bitter end. No, I’m not commenting on the winners. I really had no preferences. It was just bitter because by then I was so tired but didn’t want to miss any Chris Rock. The upside to a show five hours long (if you count the pre-show) is plenty of knitting time. Our warmer weather made me want a Spring-y project, so I pulled out some Lion Brand Cotton-ease and cast on for a lacy hat. The pattern is Lace Ribbon Slouch Hat and I’m really enjoying it. I love the zig-zag. I did switch the brim from garter stitch to ribbing, because I figure hats always need that stretch, especially one made with cotton. You’d think with that much time it would be done, but I did have to pay a little bit of attention to the lace at times, and I kept getting distracted by the show. Some parts I just had to watch. So I’ve got just one more pattern row and then the decreases. It’ll easily get done today, but not right away. I’m babysitting my newest nephew today for the first time, the one who’s cute but often cranky, and I’m really hoping he treats me well!

I also got my manuscript back from my second reader over the weekend, and she said she really enjoyed reading it. I’m choosing to believe her! But she also gave me some good feedback, so yesterday I dove back in and did a bit more revising. I’m so close to being done with this silly thing! But now I’m wondering if the beginning is too boring. I mean, if someone only asks for five pages, are mine good enough to make them want more? So I’m pondering that, trying to figure out if I can jazz up the first chapter. Still, my goal is to get it submitted to at least one agent by the end of March! yikes scary exciting am I ready for rejection?

Here’s what I found when I got up this morning. Yes, that’s a knife on my couch. Grace is a knife thief. Usually it’s butter knives, because she’s obsessed with butter, but we’ve gotten pretty good at keeping our sharp knives out of her reach. Last night we must have gotten lazy (I was watching the Oscars. I couldn’t leave to wash dishes. Seriously.) so sometime this morning she was probably thrilled to reach the chicken knife. She’s fine. She didn’t have it very long, and I know that because the handle hasn’t been chewed on. She’s grown up a lot but I guess she’ll never lose her love for knives.

Happy Monday, friends. Here’s hoping you don’t find any hidden knives in your house.

What a Weekend!

Feb15

There was so much going on this weekend! I’m glad to finally have a quieter day. The kids have a long weekend, thanks to parent/teacher conferences and Washington’s birthday, so they had Friday off. I drove downtown to take the girl to a weekend-long honor band, and that was only a little stressful for my small-city-driver self. The fun bit was that we met a knitter from Vietnam! During our downtime, we hung out at the B&N cafe, and I was knitting a Yoda hat. An older woman came over and asked where she could get needles like mine (I was using my 12″ Addi Turbos). She lives in Vietnam and comes here to visit her son, who attends the local university, so she didn’t know the area well at all. She was really only familiar with Michaels stores, and didn’t seem to understand the concept of local yarn stores (so sad). We chatted a bit as best we could with the language barrier, and it was neat to share the love of knitting. It made me realize that’s really the only time people come up and talk to me, when I’m knitting. It must be a good ice-breaker! Either that or I suffer from RBF (Resting B*#@% Face) when I’m not knitting. We may never know.

Saturday morning was my craft show and it was a whirlwind five hours. I had some family visit me (and buy a couple of things) but I also had several real customers too! I focused on hats for this show, and I think I sold 6 or 7. The Yoda hats were a hit, of course, but so were the black hats. Note to self: make sure to have black hats at every show. My Knitting SIL was up there with me, and we had a grand time knitting and chatting between customers. Really, it went much better than I expected, and it makes me think that focusing on hats might be a good strategy. But…I LOVE cowls! Love making them, love wearing them. Why don’t people buy them? I just don’t know. Still, hats are good. I like hats.

Yesterday was the concert for the girl’s honor band, and though it was a struggle to get the boy awake (forget about happy) by 9 a.m., we managed. The concert was marvelous…and the lunch afterward was marvelous too… Look: the boy has a new hairdo! It was a bold move for him; we love it!And look: the girl has a new smile! She got her top braces off finally and is SO HAPPY!

Then we came home and I took a bunch of photos of my newer hats and updated my Etsy shop. It’s all current now, and I’m going to step back from Yoda hats and work on the rainbow cowl for my mom.

But now I have a question for you fellow sellers of knitted goods: I was invited to do a show in June. It’s a good show, well-advertised and popular, and the booth fee is very reasonable. BUT, that’s the middle of summer. It’s warm here then. How well do knitted things sell during the summer? In my experience, not that well. I can modify my inventory a bit, have more summer-weight hats, baby hats, cotton bags, etc, but I’m not sure I’d have enough for a show. Have any of you done well with summer shows? What advice do you have for me?

I will wait patiently for your replies, as patiently as Jack waits when it’s dinner time. (Sorry the photo is so bad; I had to take it quickly before he moved.) I just love how he sits!

The Snood, and a Hat

Feb2

The snood is complete and en route to my customer today, so I feel safe in sharing photos. I’m delighted with it! It was much simpler than I expected, and really fun to make. I’m definitely going to make one to add to my Etsy shop. This one is for a girl pup, so she got a cute little pompom on the tail. … Shoot. Nope, accidentally deleted the photos I took yesterday. Here’s all that’s left. Just imagine the pompom. And better lighting. And a puppy inside, while you’re imagining.

I made another hat yesterday. I ran errands all day long and when I finally was able to sit and relax, I picked up my crochet hook and a skein of white cotton. Here’s what happened. I never get tired of this pattern. It’s so fast, and I love the look of the crochet body with the elasticity of the knitted brim. It’s called the Combination Summer Hat.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a manuscript to proofread! Whee! So far I’ve gotten jobs through word of mouth, but I might be ready to set up a simple, basic website. I just need to find the time to sit down with my resident IT genius. That might be the hard part!

Purple Beanie

Jan28

I worked on a WIP yesterday. It was boring: all gray, all garter stitch. But I made some progress and I have hope that someday I will be able to switch to the third color (teal).I guess this is good TV knitting. I don’t have to think AT ALL. But that’s also why it’s boring. So mostly I worked on a hat, and today it’s done! This is the Purl Swirl Beanie, and I love it. You can make it as slouchy as you want, so I knit to about 7″ before starting the decreases. The pattern is extremely simple but gives the hat a really interesting look and texture. I used Dream in Color Classy, a superwash merino that might be one of my favorite yarns to knit with. It’s not soft in the same way as alpaca; it’s more…crisp. That makes it behave well on the needles and have great stitch definition. The funny thing is that when I went to update the project page on Ravelry, supposedly I had two skeins of the same yarn. This is what I found: They have the same label on them, same color code and everything. But that’s a HUGE difference! I guess this is why they say to make sure you get skeins from the same dye lot! Still, I’m delighted to discover I have more Dream in Color yarn than I realized. Before I can cast on with it, though, I have a new commission: a greyhound snood! It’s a fun pattern, one with a hood, and it’s for one of my daughter’s teachers. (The teacher’s dog, that is.) And of course I don’t have the right yarn, so a trip to Michaels is in store for me today. Might even hop over to Office Max while I’m out there. Yarn AND office supplies? That’s a great day!

New Hat Photos

Jan27

Yesterday I borrowed my daughter again, this time to model hats. I experimented with the backyard this time and discovered the late-day light is much better in the front. Still, I was pleased enough with the results. This is The Journey Hat. I love the look, but it came out really big. Part of it was me, accidentally knitting it longer than I was supposed to, but part of it was just…it came out big all around. How was my gauge, you ask? No idea. I don’t do that for hats, LOL! It’s still a good adult size, would be perfect for those with big heads or lots of hair, and it’s super slouchy. Plus, the yarn is divine. It’s KnitPicks Preciosa Tonal, two strands held together, and it’s so wonderfully soft and warm.

Here’s the gray newsboy cap, crochet this time!This pattern is called Newsie and it’s super fast. It was a little snug on my big-headed girl but fits me fine. I’ve also made this size for my niece (who’s 7) and it’s great for her too. If you’re interested in hers, find the Ravelry page here.

Another Slouchy Broken Rib Hat, Ravelry notes here.

And here are a couple of better photos of the hat I showed you yesterday. I’m calling it the Snowfall Hat. I’m quite pleased with this pattern, The Hipster Slouchy Hat. I love how it slouches in the back without being too poofy; I think it might be a better style for me to actually wear. I just need to find some appropriately purple bulky yarn.

I’m now down to seven WIPs and my goal is to finish at least one today. I’ve been out to lunch with friends the last two days, and while I had a wonderful time, I need a quiet day to rest and recharge. Knitting is the best way for me to do that. And it just so happens I can hang out in my pajamas and drink tea all day at the same time!

A Scarf, a book and an Etsy Sale!

Jan25

Today’s post will be quick and a bit scrambled, I think, much like my brain today. First, some happy news: I finished the scarf commission, hooray! It will ship out tomorrow and complete that order. Now I can move on to finishing my eight other WIPs without guilt. Here’s a terrible photo that doesn’t show any good details…because it’s so darn hard to photograph black yarn. But just to prove that I’m not a complete and utter photo slouch, here’s a better one that I took last night. I’m pleased with it; it’s soft and cozy.

Second, I’m taking my manuscript and handing it off to my first co-worker reader! It’s a little scary and a little exciting at the same time. I hope she likes it, but I also hope I get good feedback. We’re having lunch too, which is why I don’t have time for a long post today.

Finally, I decided to do a sale on my Etsy shop for Valentine’s Day! I try to keep my prices affordable all the time, so I very rarely do discounts, but I figured, what the heck. Let’s try it and see what happens. So I’ve done a Facebook boost to hit a bigger audience, and you can see that here. Fingers crossed!

Happy Monday, friends!

Emerging From My Cave

Dec27

I feel like an animal coming out of hibernation, cautiously poking my head out to see if it’s safe yet. Christmas wasn’t right for me this year, and I had to keep my head down and just keep going one day at a time to get through it. Nothing major happened, there were just smaller things that sucked the holiday spirit out of me. We still had lovely celebrations, and I did enjoy spending time with family and seeing the kids’ joy with their presents, but it wasn’t the same glee that I have most years. To be completely honest, I’m relieved it’s over and I’m crossing my fingers that it will be better by the time next Christmas rolls around.

Let’s talk about the knitting then, shall we? Of course I didn’t stop knitting. The day I stop knitting will be a dark day indeed. I have no idea when I made what, so I’ll just start throwing photos at you and see what comes up. This is a textured multi-colored cowl made with yarn I got at the Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe in Columbia, MO. It’s a silk-merino blend, soft and drapey with good stitch definition. The pattern came with the yarn so I can’t share it with you, sadly, but I’m quite pleased with it. I might have to keep this cowl. Or at least wear it once to try it out, right? And please notice: it’s blocking with the help of my new Knitter’s Pride Knit Blockers which I got for Christmas! They’re fantastic. These are brain slugs (from Futurama, I’m told) I made for my nephew. He saw my son’s and loved it, so of course he needed his own. I started with this pattern which made the baby one, and then modified it to make a bigger one. My son loved his Sherlock scarf (that’s his Benedict Cumberbatch face) so much that he wore it that day despite the 50 degree temperature! I made the girl a cowl but can’t find a good photo; it’s pretty cute. I’ll have to show you later. And I made myself a couple of things too. A fuzzy, furry white seed stitch cowl made from Lion Brand Angel Hair. I used one skein and it wraps twice nicely. But I wish I’d used the second skein to make it wider. Still, this has kept me warm the last couple of days now that the temps have dropped. This hat is for ME. I am going to become a hat person if for no other reason than I want to wear this hat. I used Cascade 220 Aran Splatter and I LOVE that yarn. Soft and thick and squishy, mmmm! I need more. This is another Slouchy Broken Rib Hat. Have you bought it yet? Seriously, it’s worth it.

Okay, down to the last project, and it’s a freshly finished one. I had one skein of Cascade Magnum Paints in purples, which I bought because the colors are so gorgeous. But every time I cast on for something, it didn’t feel right. I never liked it, and I frogged it every time. Finally this morning I gave in and decided to do the simple Marian cowl, which is a twisted seed stitch cowl. I had resisted because I’d made one before and wanted to try something new, but that pattern just works so well for the Magnum. I fought the yarn, and the yarn won! See, aren’t the colors pretty? But. I don’t like this yarn. I just don’t. It doesn’t feel good. It’s not soft at all; it’s stiff and fuzzy and itchy. But I’ve got it soaking in some Eucalan right now, and I’m hoping that will soften it up at least a little. It will probably go in my inventory because I don’t see it ever being soft enough for me. If you have any tried-and-true tricks for softening wool, let me know!

I have more to tell you; apparently I have been doing quite a bit while on my little blog hiatus. But this is enough for today, surely? I do hope I can get back into my blogging habit. I like it; almost as much as I like knitting. But first I have to get through New Year’s Eve. Sigh. Can I just go to bed early and call it a year?

A little bit of knitting progress

Nov11

I wish I had more exciting stuff to share. I mean, I’ve had a week now of extra knitting time while I rest my foot, and I’ve got almost nothing. I’m working on that mermaid blanket but it’s still just more of the same. And I’m working on my third candy cane scarf; it’s going pretty quickly.I should be able to finish that soon and beg my husband to mail it for me. I’m just really eager to be working on FUN stuff. Sure, all knitting is fun, but these two projects aren’t using my creative energies. I want to be playing with my pretty yarns, finding new and interesting projects. I want to make a Doodler. I want to make baby hats. I want to make cowls. And I will, soon. As soon as I finish these two commissioned pieces.

I did manage to take photos of the two completed Sarah beanies. Granted, they’re not great photos. In fact, they suck a little, but my mobility is limited so this is what you get for now. It’s a really fun pattern, and the hats are much cuter than my photos make them look. You can find the free pattern here. I would say that it comes out a little big as written. The purple-ish one I cast on the 100 stitches, and with worsted weight, it’s just a looser brim than I like. The turquoise one I went down to…80? stitches, I think. Either that or 88. And then I increased to 100(ish) stitches for the body.

I also learned the downfall to knitting while under the influence of pain meds. The other night I forgot and accidentally took an extra pill, and then I tried to knit a second Yoda ear. It didn’t end well. Those don’t match. In case you can’t tell, the one on the right is the result of the doped knitting. Sigh. Guess I’ll frog that one and try again!

That’s all the knitting to report. I’ve been reading After You by JoJo Moyes, which is great. I finished Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner, and while I enjoyed it, I don’t think it was her best. While knitting, I’ve started watching My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and it’s hysterical. Just quirky and strange and delightful. And of course cuddling with the puppies. I’m so glad I have the pups for company!

Down But Not Out

Nov8

Last week was full of bad. Like, really bad, and lots of it. First was this: Wednesday morning I was coming downstairs to say goodbye to my daughter before she left for school, and somehow I completely missed the last step. I landed hard on my foot, heard it crack, and knew it was bad. She got me an ice pack and I sent her on to school. Then I managed to hobble to the dining room, where my phone was, to call my husband to take me to the ER. X-rays confirmed that I’d broken the 5th metatarsal, which is the bone that runs along the outer side of the foot. I was given pain meds, a boot, crutches, and instructions to put no weight on it.Thankfully, I hadn’t messed up the ankle or anything else. But still, it’s my right foot, which means no driving. As a SAHM with two active kids, that makes life difficult. My poor husband is now having to take on a lot of chauffeur duties, as well as errands like returning library books and going to the grocery store. Ugh.

My first full day at home alone, I lost my balance on my crutches and fell. I protected my foot, which meant all my weight landed on the heel of my hand. My right hand. I *think* it just got badly bruised, but it made using the crutches even more painful, because that’s exactly where I bear the weight when I’m using them. The next morning I had my husband bring down the rolling office chair, and that’s made getting around downstairs much easier.

Thursday, my husband got a ticket for expired tags, which neither of us realized were expired and neither of us remember getting the reminder postcard in the mail.

Friday, my puppy Jack caught a nail on something, pulling it partway off. He needed to go to the vet but I couldn’t drive and Alex couldn’t leave work, not after being gone all day with me on Wednesday. Thankfully, my sister was able to come help us out, and we managed to get him to the vet where they removed the nail, bandaged his paw and gave me meds for him, all to the tune of $140. So yeah, it was a very, very long week. I am tired and sore and frustrated and poor. It’s a good thing I can’t drive to any yarn stores because we can’t afford it right now! Thankfully, I can still knit, and I now have LOTS of time to knit while I hang out on the couch. Sarah Beanie #1, which I worked on at the World Series celebration parade on Tuesday, before the foot fiasco.Sarah Beanie #2, begun the night of the foot fiasco when I needed something soothing and happy. It was happy until the next day. I’d dropped a stitch way back and hadn’t noticed. Fortunately, I was able to pick it up so I didn’t have to frog the whole thing.Butterfly Hat #2. This one I took with me on Saturday, when both kids were auditioning for the metro district band. I hadn’t planned on going, what with the foot and crutches and all, but my daughter was so disappointed that I decided to give it a whirl, hopping down the 10 or so steps outside our house to the car.I finished the hat before the auditions were done, sadly. Since I hadn’t planned on going, I didn’t have other projects ready to grab. Just another reminder to always have a travel project on hand! Still, I was glad I’d made the effort to go, even if I was exhausted by the time we made it home seven hours later. And hooray, the week ended on a high note: my son, a 7th grader auditioning for the first time, was selected as an alternate, and my daughter earned third chair in the district band! Now I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that I’m back in the driver’s seat by the time we need to go to All-State auditions! I go to the orthopedist on Tuesday to get more X-rays, check on the healing process, and see whether I need surgery to insert a pin. Hopefully I’ll have a better idea of how long I’ll be restricted after that appointment. And until then, I’ll just keep knitting.

A Day of Antiquing, and a Hat

Nov2

Yesterday was the husband’s birthday, and we started the day by going out for a BIG breakfast. Then he wanted to celebrate it by going antiquing. We managed to hit one huge antique mall, a tiny antique store, and a medium-sized antique mall in around four hours. No yarn, but that doesn’t mean I came home empty-handed. This coat tree is made with cheap “wood” and is a little short, but at $5 it’s a perfect display for my craft shows. It’ll be fantastic for scarves and bags. The top section even twirls!Vintage buttons!! Love them.These are my favorites. I also found a new Joseph Original figurine. (Sorry for the really bad phone photo.) They had four and I only bought one, but I’m really tempted to go back for the others. My first was the dark pink in the back, the one without arms. She was given to me by my mom’s mom, and somehow that started a wee collection. Now I look for them every time I’m in an antique store.

I did manage to get some knitting time in the car while we drove around. And during the game (WOOHOOOOO GO ROYALS!!!!), I finished it. I’m calling it the Pumpkin Slouch Hat and even though I don’t wear orange at all, I really like this hat. I especially like the reverse side!I modified my favorite Broken Rib Slouch Hat pattern for worsted weight, and though it came out a bit bigger than I wanted, I’m calling it a win. I’m a terrible mom, though: my daughter asked if I was selling it. I said yes, I need inventory for the craft show. She asked if she could buy it. I said no, she had more important things to spend her money on. BUT I did say if it didn’t sell at the show, it would be hers (for free, of course). I feel bad, but I’m just really low on hat inventory and I can’t make money without having a good selection of things to sell.

Today is sunny and warm so I’m going to take my yarn outside and enjoy the good weather while we have it. Happy November, and best of luck to all of you participating in NaKniSweMo!