Project 18 - Baby Hat(s)

I realize that I have made lots and lots of hats, but this project is giving me fits!  One of my absolute best friends is about to have a baby and asked me to knit a hat for the little lima bean.  I was happy to comply.  She wants a newborn hat for pictures in the style of those old sleep hats.  Think a 'Twas The Night Before Christmas stocking cap, but in miniature.  Seems easy, all I have to do is decrease, right?

(Just nod along if you are not a knitter.  Thanks.)

I tore out most of the first iteration (think of it as v1.0) after it got a strange, uneven seam.  No pictures of that, it was gone too quickly.

v1.2 is more like a standard baby hat with a tail.

That one is pretty cute.  Kind of an elf hat.  But I still wasn't satisfied, and since I have 6 skeins of yarn, I cast on v2.0.

Again, this has a very defined seam, but at least it is straight.  In fact, I think tiny little babies could ski down it, if they so desired.  However, it folds over nicely and may look great.  Hard to tell.  I don't have an infant to test it on.

I was talking to a friend today, and she may be able to get the pattern I need.  So there is a possibility that v3.0 will be coming down the line quickly.  Perhaps a newborn lima bean needs 3 hats.

Now you may be wondering at the strange pictures with the post, but I don't want to give it all away.  I haven't sent these off yet!  Completed pictures to follow once the hats finally arrive at their new home, in Illinois.

Project 12 - Egg Cozy

I forgot to post the latest project!  We lost internet for half the weekend and then I was ill, so those are my excuses and we will all just have to live with the consequences.

Ok, enough drama.  Project 12 comes directly from The Knitter's Year (page 29), though with a slight pattern change so that I could knit it in the round.  It is a silly little project that gave me a disproportionately large headache.  In honor of the Easter Bunny's imminent return, I give you the Egg Cozy.

Cute, isn't he?  

My husband said I should knit a second on so that each kid gets one.  I said (to myself) he should learn to knit if he has such great suggestions.  I was cranky.

I am a little concerned, though.  There is just something sinister in his look. 

Like he is organizing his minions.

I may knit another one, but this one actually hurt my hands a bit.  It is made from cotton yarn and knit on needles a size smaller than normal.  The combination means a lot of tension on the yarn and a lot of force to make it do its job.  Worth it, though, since he holds his shape so nicely.

Unless he is consipiring against me.  In which case,

you are on your own, dude.

Week Seven - Knit Hairband

Is it only the 7th week of the year?  That is not that far in, and yet I am already chafing a bit with this resolution.  This may explain why I still haven't done my planned project for which I have materials and a pattern.  Instead, I knit a quicky project because it reminded me of spring.  And finished it with 2 hours left in Week 7.  Phew.

A hairband!

The yarn is sport-weight, hand-died wool from my stash.  My husband bought it for me a few years ago and I have skeins of the stuff.  I like the striping!

I am not totally pleased with the results, but I have some ideas to make the headband pattern better.  I don't like how it rolls in on itself, but that is easily fixed.  And it is actually the right length for my head (I measured), so that is good.  I did learn a new technique.  I can now make rows larger (M1), not just smaller.  It is such a basic skill, and yet I never formally learned how.

I also learned not to have my husband take my picture at 10:30 at night.  Hello, no make-up.  Yuck.

Farewell, week 7.  In Week 8, I am definitely tackling the project I have been avoiding.

Week Five - TARDIS

This week's project clearly shows two things about me.  One, that my awesomeness cannot be matched.  And two, that I am clearly a geek.

For week five of this Year of Projects, I decided to knit a TARDIS.  Yes, folks, I knit a time machine!  How awesome is that?  (I am not listening to your answers.  I am just wallowing in my own awesomeness.  Google it, if you don't know what I am talking about.  Or just follow the link.  Your choice.)

I found a pattern for a TARDIS online, but decided that I really can't do knitting patterns.  Maybe that will be a project for later in the year.  In this case, the pattern called for me to knit 4 panels, a bottom and a top, which makes sense for a cube rectangular prism.  But I wanted to try to knit a cube rectangular prism in the round.  Yup, it made my brain hurt, too.

Now I know that my TARDIS does have some inaccuracies (wrong color blue, to start).  But since I am not a purist, and I knit the gosh-darned thing in the round, I am forgiving myself.

But I did it!  And it rocks!  And I rock.  And now I have a time machine; one that is not bigger on the inside, unfortunately.  And it definitely doesn't contain David Tennant. Sigh.

Hey, but at least I knit a cube rectangular prism.

Week Three - Mug Hugger

Week Three Project - Mug Hugger

I ran into an interesting problem in this the 3rd week of my 52 Projects.  I have too many projects to choose from and no distinct order to get them accomplished.  Because of this strange problem, I found myself dithering.  Until suddenly I realized that if I didn't choose, I would fall behind!  And it is way too early to fall behind.

So I chose a quick project at random and ended up with a Mug Hugger.  This silly little project was inspired by one in A Knitter's Year, but I did it my way.  (More on that in a moment.)  It is purportedly to insulate a mug in order to keep your drink warmer longer, but I think mine would work better turning an ugly mug into a fancy pen holder.

Essentially, I knit a short scarf and then bound the edges of the short ends together, leaving a hole for the mug handle.  My mug hugger turned out too wide for most of our mugs, so that it would be difficult to drink from it.  At the same time, I think it was slightly too short, so it is a tight squeeze to get the thing fitted over the handles.

However, I made it out of cotton, which I haven't worked with before, so that was a nice change.  Not only is the cotton all natural, but it is machine washable.  It seemed important since I am notoriously clumsy and the hugger would definitely get dirty.

Book Review: A Knitter's Year

 As I mentioned when I first listed my New Years Resolutions, I had planned to use A Knitter's Year as a guide for my 52 Projects in 52 Weeks.  The book, of course, is designed with just that idea in mind.  It contains 52 fairly simplistic projects categorized by season.    However, I am now certain that I will not be using this book for all of my projects, and not just because I want to sew.

The Pros:

A Knitter's Year has a lot going for it.  Not only is it an inspiring idea (clearly), but the projects are not too daunting.  The pictures are wonderful and give a clear idea of what the project should look like, although some allowance must be made for scale.  (Hello, Egg Cups , you look as big as hats.)

Debbie Bliss is a big name among some knitters, though admittedly not this one.   So I know just having a book by her is a thrill for some.  I assume that since she is so well known, she can be forgiven for exclusively using her own brand of yarn, too.  That's just good marketing, baby.

A lot of the projects are quirky, fun little ideas that may inspire a knitter to pick up her sticks.

The Cons:

Unfortunately, this book has some serious drawbacks, if you are a knitter.  For one, while there are a multitude of varied projects in the book, more than once I found myself thinking, really, another hat, scarf, or baby bootie?  No joke, there are two different patterns for baby hats, and four for booties.

And speaking of hats.  I seriously question why every round project (hats, socks, booties, tea cozy, gloves, etc.) is knit on two needles.  I knit a lot of hats and socks (a lot!) and I so much prefer knitting on double-points.  You get a better sense for the end product, and no seams.  Clearly this is the author's preference, but I know I will have to adjust these patterns before I devote the time.

Scale is another issue.  If one only knits one project a week, then why are all these projects on such a small scale?  Fully half of the projects in the book are for children or babies.  The scale of the projects makes me wonder if they are just afterthoughts for your week.  Some projects could be completed in a day (like today's Mug Hugger.)

Finally, for all that this is supposedly a good book for beginners, this is not a teaching book.  I, for one, need to learn to make cables before I can tackle half of the patterns.  And that is frustrating.

All in all, I am glad I have the book, but I am also glad I did not commit to faithfully following its every pattern.  I will be amending them as I see fit, and looking elsewhere for patterns that fit my whims.

Week One - Wrist Warmers

Week one in my 52 Weeks of Projects is here and I am right on schedule!  (Hooray!)

Since the book I was going to use as a guide has not arrived yet, I designed and knitted something I have been wanting for a while:

Wrist warmers!

I am always cold.  ALWAYS.  And since I cannot afford to run the heat until it brings the house up to 75', and since our heat pump couldn't handle that anyway, I need to warm myself without making my family crazy.

So I made wrist warmers.  This project was great because I finally learned how to make a thumb hole (and did a dandy job first time out of the box - yay me!), so now I can make more of these, and also transition right into mittens.  

This project also allowed me to use some yarn I had been saving for years, waiting for the right project.  I love how the wool transitions from gray to purple to green.  Very Jen.  My only complaint is that the patterns on the two wrist warmers did not match up.  I thought I was doing great when both the cuffs were gray, but then the manufacturers did a switcharoo and tied a green string to a purple and completely messed me up.  I could have pulled it out, but I didn't want to waste yarn.  Well, live and learn.

So now I can have warm, stylish hands, but usable fingers.

(This picture and the first one were taken by the almost-5-year-old.  He's pretty good!)