I've Eaten Fewer Potato Chips In One Sitting.

As I have posted in the past, I think that I have a problem. And this hat is the most recent result of my OCCKD (that's Obsessive Compulsive Chullo Knitting Disorder). I knit this for a friend of mine who has been admiring my work quietly for some time. She was so heart broken for me when I lost my South Bound Chullo I, especially since I lost it after leaving her hair styling shop. 

I do think that this will be my last one for awhile -- not that I don't like making this pattern, I am just looking forward to making other things. Like most knitters, I have a large stash of yarn and a huge list of patterns to knit. Stay tuned for what is coming!

I better get on that stash! -- Happy knitting! 

 

Obsessive Compulsive Chullo Knitting

Introducing: Charlie's Chullo -- that would be Chullo number four. Alright, I know I have a problem. I just love making these things.

I used Noro Hitsuji again -- this time in a brown, black, orange and green colorway. However, Charlie wanted the colors to be more like the San Francisco Giant's uniform colors, so I removed the green and limited the grey. It is amazing how different two skeins of the same Noro yarn can look! Don't worry, there will not be any waste -- with the left over yarn, I will make myself a hat with more green in it!

When I completed the body of the hat, I attached the decorative spirals which Charlie said he would prefer over "fru-fru" pom-poms.I made four spirals, each in a different color cut out of a different part of the yarn. And each spiral is made a slightly different length.

Also known as "curlicues", spirals are really easy to do:

Leaving a long tail, start by crocheting a chain of any length --my shortest one is 14 chains. Make 3 Single Crochet stitches in each chain beginning with the 2nd chain from the hook. You will begin to see the spirals curl in just a couple of chains. When you reach the end of the chain, clip the yarn -- again leaving a long tail. Draw both long tails through the top of the last loop left on the hook.

Attaching them to the hat is just as easy:
Using a yarn needle, pull each one of the long tails on one of the spirals from the outside to the inside of the hat. Put one on each side of the circle left at the bind off of the hat's crest.







Continue to do this until all spiral tails are pulled through to the inside.

Next tie the pairs together in a knot.

Trim ends of yarn. You don't want to trim them really short, where the knot can work loose. If you use a square knot as opposed to a granny knot it will be less likely to slip.

How good looking is that!

Happy Knitting!

Preparing for Jury Duty

I remember the last time I was called for jury duty. It was several years ago when I still lived in Florida. I got a lot of knitting done on what turned out to be the ugliest sweaters I ever made. But several hours with nothing to do but knit sound wonderful! So, I am planning to take a three different projects with me. That way if I get tired of knitting on one project I can switch to something else.

 Project one is my Haruni, Grandmother's Wrap. As long as the lighting is good where potential jurors wait, I should get some lace work done. I worked on it for awhile on the train on Friday, but I will have to tink back to get rid of two extra yarn overs that I put in the wrong place. I would try to just slip them off, but they are 2 stitches apart and I know that they will leave the knitting in that area a little too loose. I know lace is supposed to have hole in it, but not big enough to drive a truck through! The blue headed pin marks where the extra yarn overs are.

Project two is Jacklyn's Ginkgo which I started just a couple of nights ago. I am still in the early part of the pattern which is basically just stocking stitch. This will be a great project to work on when my eyes tire or my patience wears thin on the intricate lace of the Haruni.

Project three is yet another Southern Lights Chullo this time for my husband. Charlie's Chullo is in a brown, black and orange color combination of Noro Hitsuji. The colorway also has a lime green in it, but I am cutting that out so that it will be closer to the Black and Orange of his favorite baseball team, the San Francisco Giants. Don't worry, the lime green won't go to waste -- I will have enough yarn left over to make me another hat with lots of green in it! My plans are to make similar modifications to the pattern as I did to my daughters: more coverage on the back of the neck as well as a swap of crochet spirals (on right) instead of pom poms.

A little light reading may be in order -- especially since Saturday saw the arrival of my latest used book: In Sheep's Clothing, A handspinner's Guide to Wool by Nola Fournier and Jane Fournier. This book looks at a hundred breeds of sheep and the characteristics of their wool. I am looking forward to digging into this classic.

I would like to take my spindle and some roving with me too. That will get me through a few more grams, but I am not sure what kind of room in us captive jurors will be kept. I guess I could take some with me anyway, maybe I will meet a fellow spinner and make a new friend!

Happy deliberating!

Berry Pretty Star Hat

I finished the hat using my over-dyed yarn.  This is the Norwegian Star Earflap Hat by Tiennie Knits. It is a really cute design. I like it, but not a lot; and that is not the fault of the design, I like the over-dyed yarn, but this was not the right project for it. The difference between the star and the background is not crisp enough.

I made some modifications to the pattern. I started with a 4 stitch i-cord and worked up into the ear flap same as the three previous Chullos (here, here and here). The pattern is bigger than I expected. I started out with a size 8 circular needle, ripped the hat back to the earflaps, restarted with a size 7 circular and ended up changing to a 6 right after doing the purl rows. I do however, like the length of the hat. It comes down the back of my neck better than the other Chullo. It is loose enough that it does not mat down my hair when wearing it for a long time. I also put a pom pom on the top of the hat. Even though I liked the way the decreases formed a star -- the hat called for a pom pom.

I think I may end up doing another one of these in a crisper color way. I suppose a self striping yarn with a long, slow color change for the star would work better if I did not want to use a solid. I just need to make sure that all the colors pop off the back ground.

Happy knitting!

I Couldn't Stop at One

Starry, Starry Night Chullo

I have to say that I love this pattern. Not only is the Southern Lights pattern one of the cutest hats I have ever seen; it is one of the easiest that I have ever knit. Add to that the wonderful colors of Noro Hitsuji and it is hard to knit just one.

My beautiful daughter, Jacklyn, who is home for a visit from college, took one look at my South Bound Chullo II and requested that I make her one, too! She picked the yarn on a quick trip to my LYS, Wool and Co. Of course, I told her to pick one of the available colors in Noro's Hitsuji variety. So here is my third version of this hat -- Starry, Starry Night Chullo.

Urban Hunter

I did a couple of modifications to the pattern at Jacklyn's request. She wanted it to come lower on the back of her neck. I could have knitted something more like the Urban Hunter -- also a cool looking hat -- but I did not what to loose the ear-flap look and she loved the "braids", so I knitted the ear flaps only to the point where each had 20 stitches. I then connected them with the pattern directed 8 backward loop cast on stitches and knitted for about an inch back and forth before finally connecting the front of the ear flaps and knitting in the round.

As for the braids she wanted them longer so I knitted the i-cord a total of 20 inches before starting the ear flaps. For what ever reason, she did not want the pom pom on the top of the hat either. But that really was good, as I had only a few inches of yarn left.

Fun with Chullos?

LESSON LEARNED: When completed, her hat does not come down quite as long as she would have liked. I think that when I make the next one, I will want to buy two skeins of yarn. My gauge was good on the stitches, but somewhat shorter on the rows, I didn't worry too much as I knitted up the required number of inches before starting the decreases. HOWEVER, the error in my calculations did not consider that my smaller gauge would make a smaller "circle" in the crown, thereby bringing the sides up higher to the tune of about an inch. What I should have done was to knit an extra inch or so to make up for that loss in the center. Like I said -- lesson learned.

South Bound Chullo II

By the way, South Bound Chullo was lost only two weeks after I finished it and I recreated it with South Bound Chullo II. All in all, this is a pattern I will do again and again -- especially if I keep loosing them!

Happy knitting!

Productive Knitting Week: Part 3 - South Bound Chullo

This was a really fun project! The pattern is a Chullo called the Southern Lights Hat which I have knit using Noro Hitsuji which is a bulky, 100 percent wool from Noro. The colors are really great -- the pictures just don't do them justice. I have three different views above so that you can see all the colors. The free Knitty pattern directs the knitter to knit the ear flaps one right after the other with the first one reserved to be attached to the hat as you start casting on the bridge across the forehead after the second ear flap is knit. This results in two totally different colored i-cords and ear flaps.

I went out and bought a Styrofoam head form just so that I could block this hat. I thought about using a balloon, but I saw that other people had used the Styrofoam forms to display their knitted hats, why would that not work for blocking them. I am sure that they use it to block their hats as well, but I just never thought about it. They are cheap and readily available -- I bought mine at my local Hobby Lobby.

There is still some work to be done on the hat. There is a pompom on the top of the hat and one on the end of each of the i cords. I have two more skeins of this yarn in this same color that will become matching mittens. I'll be styling this winter!

Happy Knitting!

P.S. for directions on how to knit i-cord -- click here. Again, Purl Bee to the rescue!

The Machine! 2

Machine Knit Ear Flap Hat (Chullo)

Is this cool or what. Not just because I made it, but I just think it is so cool that you CAN make it on a machine. In reading the pattern that I found on Marzipanknits, I had no idea how it was to be put together, I could not see how the ear flaps were formed, but I followed the directions and a hat appeared! The pattern was written with another machine in mind and I used a slightly heavier yarn, so although the pattern called for a gauge of 5 stitches and 7 rows to the inch, I ended up with 3 1/2 stitches and 5 rows per inch. Luckily, the pattern was for a small child and I ended up with an adult sized hat. If it had been an adult sized hat, the resulting hat may have been big enough for a gorilla!

The green yarn is waste yarn and does not become part
 of the ending design.

Sometimes, necessity truly is the mother of invention.  The patten calls for placing claw weights near the knitting as you knit. I have not yet bought claw weights, so I improvised. Two paper clasps holding up a kitchen grater, hanging from S hooks. I guess I should order a couple of claw weights. If ever I want to knit and the grater has just been used for coleslaw, I may have trouble!

My next move is to use my Knitting Nancy to make the tassels on the ear flap.