Hats and jags

Most knitters understand knitting jags. Despite my plans to finish my gray Breezy Cardigan, I've been indulging in a hat knitting jag. And it's all because of a good deed - I cleaned out my stash.

During the big stash closet organization earlier this year, I ran across some bags of my hand spun from years ago. In 2005, I bought the Shepherd's Choice competition bag of various fleeces at that year's Shepherd's Harvest Lamb and Wool Show. Then I had to come up with something made out of them for the 2006 show. Well, I put it off and put it off and ended up only having time to make a scarf.

According to my notes, the edge stripe of purple is Jacob wool dyed violet, the yellow is Southdown dyed with lemon jello and knitted with Kidsilk Haze, the green is Border Leicester, the golden rose is Lincoln, the turquoise knitted with Kidsilk Haze is Suffolk, the gold is Polypay, the red-purple is a mix of Ramboullet/Border Leicester/Corridown and the final pink stripe is Ramboullet.

The leftovers have been kicking around from box to box in my closet and I decided to use it all up with some hats. It seemed perfect for the Quarters Cap pattern by Kristin Nicholas. She recommended using all one color to make your first hat and that's just what I did

The first hat - the practice hat - I did in all one color of hand spun gray for Mr. Daisy. It turned out a little wide as I was misreading the pattern. Still, it's not bad.

What is that thing on your head?

After I had a good look at the pattern again, I tried again with all the colorful leftovers.

Hey!

He's a big fan of purple so this one is striped purple, turquoise and yellow. Yowza! 

Now, time to return to that gray . . . 

If at first you don't succeed . . .

I decided to throw together a hat out of my old homespun yarn to match the Mad River Mittens. Here is a look at Hat #1. After trying the hat on, my daughter decided she didn't want the folded brim. I didn't like the solid feel of this pattern, either. So, tonight, after a trip to OUR BIG MALL (what my Youngest Child calls the Mall of America) to restock after the winter sales, I rip it back to the ribbing. I think I am going to break up the patterns into segments separated with bands of cream. That way, I can incorporate decreases within the hat body without interfering with the patterns. A very traditional style of "make your own" hat. It's knitting up at about 4-5 stitches per inch - a little chunky because it was some of my very first hand spun yarn. My late mother-in-law gave me a whole fleece when I first started spinning but she never told me what breed of sheep it came from. Nothing too fine but quite usable.

And, while Middle Daughter claims she likes the larger Mad River Mittens (she can wear her Sponge Bob stretchy liners underneath), I think I am going to throw them into pillowcases for one last trip through the washer.



My, Grandmother, what great hands you have!

So, here's the drill . . .

While I may shop at the MOA (it's right by my children's school), I never thought about going to knit there (mostly as there is no yarn shop) - however, this might be changing as . . . (According to the Knit Out press release I received)

"The biggest, FREE knit and crochet extravaganza is traveling to the biggest and most exciting retail venue in the U.S., Mall of America!

The date: President's Weekend, February 17 and 18, 2007.
After sponsoring Knit-Out & Crochet events since 1998 on the East and West Coasts, the Craft Yarn Council of America (CYCA) is taking its FREE consumer event to the Midwest for the first time and to one of the most exciting retail venues in the world. Here's what's in store at Mall of America:

FREE beginner one-on-one knitting and crochet lessons in a relaxed, informal setting -- Take home instructions, yarn, needles or a hook.

LIVE Fashion Shows - See knitted and crocheted fashions you'd love to wear and CAN make
Woof Wear -- "Doggone" cute sweaters to knit and crochet for your favorite pooch.

TECHNIQUE Workshops - Tips, techniques and project ideas for the advanced, as well as the beginner.

YARN "Doctors" - Questions about a current project? Get answers from the experts.

AUTHOR! Author! - Meet today's best-selling knit and crochet authors, plus chat with the leading editors and catch the hot, new trends.

KIDS Crafts - Hands-on fun yarn projects for the younger set.

DISPLAYS - See the newest yarns, patterns, accessories, and the coolest new tools


PLUS, meet: Vickie Howell, author and host of DIY Network's Knitty Gritty.

NOW, I tried to get the aproximate times and exact dates for these events from the CYCA website but I just got spun off into a vortex of EXCITING, ALL CAPS press releases. I am sure that, a little closer to the event, the MOA will have some information on their site.

AS for Ms. Howell, I am sure she will be a big draw. Drink lots of coffee before you go to meet her so that you, too, will be PERKY. Some people love lover her, some don't. I think I am in the middle. I used to TiVo "Knitty Gritty" but, now, I think I am beyond most of her project. I really love seeing famous knitters on the show, however. My favorite was all about felting with Beverly Galeskas. I took a felting class from her at Stitches Midwest two years ago and learned a lot.

Just a reminder - "Vickie’s on a personal quest to assist in breaking the negative social stigma that knitting and crafting have attached to them by bringing more recognition to the hip, creative and edgy sides of these forms of expression." I'm not sure what that means but I think it means she's not knittin' mittens.


As for me, I am behind the knitting ball, working on a cream colored hat made out of my old handspun and knit with turquoise/yellow/pink accents to go with my daughter's now-blue felted Mad River mittens. The birthday countdown has begun . . .