Sunday, December 16, 2007

Handspun Wristy

Step 1: Get some roving.


Step 2: Spin some yarn.
(Ok, step two is a lot longer than that. First, spin a really really skinny single. Then spin a slightly less skinny single. Then figure how out to ply them together. Yikes)


Step 3: Cast on 12 sts and knit until the yarn is gone.


Step 4: Join into a circle and place on wrist.


I am trying to get better at spinning, can you tell? This was my very first attempt at plying. I am going to have to spin the yarn with a lot more twist if I want the plying to go better. I also have to figure out a better way to keep the singles under control so they don't lose all their twist before I can ply them. Maybe a mug would work, with the end strung through the handle. I'm thinking I need a lazy kate.

I've a ridiculously large amount of this roving. I really want a spinning wheel because it is kind of annoying to have to keep winding the yarn onto the drop spindle. It may take me years to spin it all! What do you think the people in my life would say if I asked for a lazy kate and a spinning wheel for Christmas???

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Sweetie

Lookit what Seany brought me back from his business trip! (Yes, I get that it's backwards. Photobooth is like that. It's weird.)

What a sweetie for thinking of me and for carrying a gingerbread house kit all the way back on an airplane!

Thursday, December 6, 2007

A Hat Full of Spiders!

Aka, butterfly hat, aka Fleece MEGA hat.

So...I invented the warmest hat I've ever worn. Normal hats don't keep my ears warm- they either don't cover my ears or they do cover my eyes, both of which are not that great. Ear flap hats are good if you can find them I guess, but I couldn't find any patterns I really liked. So I made this hat. Then I made it again and then I made it again.

I like it so much because of two things.
1) The shape of it is exactly like the shape of the part of my head that I want to keep warm. That is, it covers my ears and is a bit longer in the back than in the front so it's toasty everywhere.
2) It's lined with polar fleece (or Minkee. So soft!), so it's pretty much impervious to the cold. (If you see my previous post about my glove mittens, you will realize I am a big fan of layered winter gear!

I call this one a Hat Full of Spiders because I think the butterfly stitch looks more like spiders. Plus spiders are way cooler to have on a hat. I saw the butterfly stitch on Knitty Gritty and decided it would make a good hat. Here is a link to a hat that has this stitch. It is a very awesome pattern, and it would have been even awesomer if I had found it before I actually made the hat! I lined it with lavender fleece because that's what I had around and it was snowing so I didn't feel like running to the fabric store!


This pink one was the first hat I made with this pattern, from about a year ago. It's from my first attempt at handspun/ hand-dyed yarn, and it looks kind of goofy. I am very proud of it though. I posted it on craftster a long time ago along with the pattern, but I sucked at posting then and I think it sort of got lost.


Finally, this is another one from last winter. I discovered Paton's SWS, (which I heart immensely) and decided it needed to be a hat. And I decided to add ribbing to see what it would look like. I lined it with Minkee fabric, which is so so so soft, but it doesn't stretch in the direction that I sewed it in, and it's way too tight and I already cut off the extra sean allowance and so I can't rip it out and resew it. So I like it but it hurts to wear for too long!


Here they are all together, a toasty trio.


Anyway, here is the pattern for the basic hat! Don't sell it.

Amazing Hat with Earflaps
By Emily Thomas

Needle: size 7, 16” circular needle. Size 7 dpns.
Yarn: Any worsted weight yarn
Gauge: 18 st x 24 rows = 4”

Earflaps

Work 2 at the same time, with 2 different balls (or two ends).
CO 2
R1: kf&b twice (4 st)
R2: kf&b 4 times (8 st)
R3: kf&b, k6, kf&b (10 st)
R4: kf&b, kf&b, p6, kf&b, kf&b (14 st)
R5: k14
R6: p14
R7: kf&b, k12, kf&b (16 st)
R8: Flap 1: p15, kf&b, CO3 (20 st)
R8: Flap 2: CO3 st to end of previous row, turn, p3, kf&b, p12 (20 st)

From now on, both flaps will be worked together. Break the unused yarn.
R9: kf&b, k19, CO8, continue across and join the flaps, k19 (2nd flap), kf&b (50 st total)
R10: p50 (50 st)
R11: kf&b, k48, kf&b (52 st)
R12: p52
R13: kf&b, k50, kf&b (54 st)
R14: kf&b, p52, kf&b (56 st)
R15: kf&b, k1, kf&b, k50, kf&b, k1, kf&b (60 st)
R16: CO3 at end of previous row, turn, p63, CO3 (66 st)
R17: k across, CO 14, join to knit in the round

Main Hat

Knit around for 4.5” more inches.

Decrease for Top
Switch to dpns when it gets too tight for circulars.

R1: k8, k2tog around
R2: k
R3: k7, k2tog around
R4: k
R5: k6, k2tog around
R6: k
R7: k5, k2tog around
R8: k
R9: k4, k2tog around
R10: k
R11: k3, k2tog around
R12: k
R13: k2, k2tog around
R14: k
R15: k1, k2tog around
R16: k2tog around until 6 st remain.

Break off about 12” of yarn. Thread it through remaining stitches and pull to close. Weave in all ends.

Blocking will help keep the edges from rolling up.

Lining

Cut an 18” x 12” piece of polar fleece.
Fold in half (the hamburger way) so it is now 9” x 12”.
Sew with a ½” seam allowance to make a tube.
With chalk (ok, I used a blue highlighter) draw this pattern along the top of the tube:


Pin the adjacent edges of the arcs together and sew, so that all the points come together at the top.

Try the hat on with the seam in the back. (You’ll probably want to trim it a bit so you can breathe.) Put the knit hat on over the fleece hat. Draw the outline of the knit hat onto the fleece, leaving enough room to turn the edge under.

Cut along the line. Pin the fleece lining into the knit hat, turning the edge under. Sew along the bottom edge.

Edging

To even out the edges, I crocheted along the edge. Single crochet or crab stitch would work well for this.

Tassels (make 2)

Cut three to five 25” lengths of yarn and twist together until they twist back on themselves. Tie a knot at the end. Attach to the ear flaps (a crochet hook is helpful here).

There you go! A new hat!