This is mostly a knitting blog. Sometimes pictures of things I've made, sometimes not. I'm a guy who knits, I usually attend a men's stitch 'n' bitch on Monday nights, and I prefer natural fibres to artificial ones. I have a love-hate relationship with bamboo yarns: I love what they can do and how they look, I hate how they are made. I've been knitting since about 2003, though I really didn't get into it until 2005, while convelescing with a broken leg. I must have discovered something good, 'cause I'm still knitting years later.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Hats and Hats!

OK, so it's been ten days since I have had time to post. The Catholic guilt is sometimes overwhelming. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!

So here is the fantabulous Dawn in her Unspeakable Cthulhu hat.
I made this for Dawn's birthday, and she was really happy with it. This is she modeling it for me. I think it looks terrific, if I do say so myself.

I finished a hat for a friend this very morning. It is in Noro Silk Garden, which, I must confess, as I have countless times before, not my most favourite yarn.
I am not much one for earth tones, but even I have to say this came out rather well. I originally had four inches of ribbing, but realised there would not be enough yarn to complete the hat (there are only 100 metres!), so I frogged back to an inch and a half of ribbing, and did only three-and-a-half inches of stockinette. I just had enough yarn to finish, and if I make another Silk Garden hat (which only has 100 metres of yarn!), I'll use only an inch of ribbing. However, it still came out rather well, if I do say so myself.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

I'm Knitting as Fast as I Can!

I am hard at work on my holiday knitting. Yes I am. Don't look at me like that. OK, I'm typing my blog right now, but really, I've had my big Italian nose pressed to the grindstone trying to get this stuff done. There's a small glitch, though. The diamond pane scarf I'm working in merino/alpaca is working my last nerve. It's a twelve row pattern and it is looking mighty fine, but I'm so horribly bored with it. And I could put it aside, but it is a holiday present that has to be finished. I reckon I've got eleven more repeats of the pattern to complete before it's done (11 x 12 = 132 rows). If I weren't sitting at the computer typing this blog entry, I'd be knitting it right now. Really. No, really.

In the fourth version of the Noro Striped Scarf, I've finally attached the second Skein A and Skein C. So that means I'm just past half way done on this scarf. I hope to have this one done by the new year. Because it isn't a holiday present, and other stuff takes precedence over it.

I need to go through my stash and find the purple Rios Malabrigo I have (I know there are at least two skeins of it), so I can make this scarf:
Of course mine will be mostly purple, and n ot all varied like this one (and no, I did not take this picture, it's from the pattern on Ravelry). The pattern can be found here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ameeta-scarf

I think this will be really pretty in the Rios, and I hope the recipient (a nine-year-old girl) likes it.

If I hadn't moved this summer I'd have all this knitting done by now, and could be working on some of the sweaters I have on the needles for me. Dammit.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Cthulhu's Unspeakable Hat

I finished the Cthulhu's hat for Dawn's birthday this morning. In Berroco Ultra Alpaca, the pattern can be found here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cthulhus-unspeakable-hat .

OK, I have to admit. I didn't use the yarn recommended. I didn't use the size needles recommended. I didn't exactly follow the pattern as written, except for the Cthulhu part. But it's based on Finlay Logan's pattern. I just, um, adapted it.

I used Berroco Ultra Alpaca for this hat. The ribbing is done with a US 6 circular. The solid colour parts are done on a US 7. And the Fair Isle bits are done with a US 8. My Fair Isle technique is not terrific, but it worked out OK. Hell, it's a hand-made hat, it's supposed to be a bit imperfect.

The Cthulhu hat as it is.

A blurry detail photo of Cthluhu.

I will be giving Dawn her hat today, for her birthday. One of the ones that ends in a zero. If she lets me, I'll put up a photo of her wearing it.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Stash Sunday: What's Happening to Me????

Historically, I've been drawn to shades of blue, grey and sometimes black when buying yarn. I have more blue yarn than any knitter should have in his stash. But recently my eye (and hand) has been drawn to undyed, natural colour yarn. Shades of white, cream, grey, beige, brown and chocolate brown yarns sit on the shelves and call my name. What is happening to me? I used to be into colours (well, shades of blue, anyway). I used to eschew browns and beiges as boring and tiresome. But now I can't get enough of them. I will admit, I'm more attracted to the darker shades, rather than the lighter, but still, the undyed yarns want me to want them.

This is the newest addition to my stash. I passed up all sorts of beautiful colours to buy these skeins. These are Plymouth Yarns Homestead, pure wool. I've never seen it before, but I am really happy with it. I am thinking a couple of hats, Fair Isle style.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Blogging Ideas

One of the (many) things I beat myself up about is that I don't post very often. I try for once a week, and am lucky if I get two posts up in a single week. Partly it's because I don't currently have internet access at home, and partly I feel that if I don't post with a picture (or two or three or more) then this isn't worth reading.

Last night at the knit night at Stitch House, I was speaking with a woman who suggested WIP Wednesdays and FO Fridays and other themed days. I've done something like this in my LiveJournal blog, having a themes on certain days, such as Thursday Randomocity. I'm not sure I can have a finished object each Friday. I am not a speed knitter, and have so many projects on the needles at any given time that sometimes I sit in my room, surrounded by various works in progress and try to figure out which one I want to work on at a given time. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed that the best I can do is get some ice cream and look through my stash.

But it's worth a shot. If I give myself some regular themes, I might get more posts up. Oh, and how about Stash Saturdays (or Sundays) when I feature some yarn from my stash and talk about what I want to do with it? Of course, a small part of my brain is telling me that blogging is the ultimate exercise in egoism, but I still enjoy it.

OK, enough egoising. Since it's Saturday, logically it should be Stash day, but since I'm house-sitting for friends, my stash is nowhere near where I am. So some finished objects.
The fourth version of the Noro Striped Scarf, this made of Noro Kureyon instead of Silk Garden.

A detail of the Noro scarf. I really love the red and purples mixed with the various shades of grey in this stretch of the scarf.


A Tychus Hat. I always want to type "tuchus"; go fig. This is made of chunky Malabrigo. It's really H U G E, and think it might be too large for the guy who is getting it. He's well over six feet tall, so it might fit him, but I have my doubts.

A hat in Cascade Alpaca, which is more greennish than bluish, but here it looks blue. Go fig. It came out really well, and I'm looking forward to giving it to HM (no, not the Queen).

And finally, a work in progress. This is in Berroco Ultra Alpaca, and will be a Cthulhu hat for a friend of mine. Since I don't have a printer, I'm following the chart to knit the Elder God from my computer, which means it's less portable than any hat has a right to be. I'll post it again when it's done.