Slouching into the New Year.

I started a new pattern on Saturday night. It really was just something to fill the time while watching a Middle School Boy's basketball game. If you have ever watched Middle School Basketball, you won't blame me for needing something interesting to do. But sometimes a last minute, lark turns out to be a great decision. Slouchy('s no Slouch) is a free hat pattern that I found on Ravelry by Lea Kobayashi. (Free is good -- Remember?!) I have been looking at the pattern for the last few weeks and I even saved a PDF of the pattern on my computer. So, of course it was a natural when I needed to make a quick choice.

I have been working the pattern over the last couple of days worth of commuting and have made good progress. At this point I am almost through the 1st of two skeins of the Knit Picks' Wool of the Andes that I had left over from my Avocado Carnaby. As I said then, the stitch definition of this wool is excellent.

The hardest part about the hat so far was knitting the cables -- not actually knitting the cables, it was getting under the seat on the train to pick up the cable needle when I lost control of it going over a bump. The cables were a ton-o-fun to do. I have not done any in a long time -- and these were small and easy. Forming ribbing, they are both lovely and useful. I also like the detailing formed by the SSK and the yarn over. The combo creates an interesting spiral to the ridge of the hat. The hat is topped off with a quick i-cord and a decorative bead.

I am nearly to the point of decreasing for the crown of the hat. The knitting has been so easy that I have yet to grow tired of it. This may end up being a "go-to" favorite for gift making.

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!