A hat pattern, not a picture post

Though it does have pictures in it.

(You probably thought I’d forgotten how to write a post that wasn’t Project 365-based, didn’t you?)

Hat, on my hand

Looking at the top. Yay decreases!

This hat as written will fit small newborns, and the seedstitch stripe pops out a bit from the stockinette body, which is where the Baby Halo title comes from. (I am highly original.) I invented this hat for wee Elena (in a day!), and I’m pleased to say that her parents (and grandpa) loved it! Hooray! I’m putting the pattern (such as it is) up here for free. Print as many copies as you like for your own (or a friend’s) use, but please don’t sell it or sell the hats you make using this pattern, or I’ll be forced to put a Swedish curse on you.

This hat is Elena-approved!

Baby Halo Hat
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpaca Dyed Cotton (worsted weight) – small bit of Yellow (608) and a little more of Blue (sorry, that skein did not come with a color number!). I don’t have exact weights/yardages, but both required so little yarn, the yarncakes are almost intact.
Needles: 4.0mm / US 6 double pointed needles & 5.0mm / US 8 double pointed needles
Size: To fit a small newborn head. Elena was just under 7 pounds when she was born, and this hat is just a bit smaller than other hats I’ve seen in worsted weight for newborn head sizes.
Make it:
Using 4.0mm/US 6 dpn and Blue, CO 66 sts using the knitted cast on method. Join, being careful not to twist.
Work k2 p2 ribbing for about 1 inch.
Change to 5.0mm/US 8 dpn and work 3 rounds in stockinette stitch.
Change to Yellow [without cutting the Blue yarn — you will carry it up the work by twisting it with the yellow yarn at the beginning of the rounds] and work 1 round in stockinette stitch*. On next round, work k1 p1 (seed stitch) around. Continue working seed stitch around for approximately 2 inches.
Change to Blue and work 3 rounds in stockinette stitch.
Begin decreases:
Decrease Round 1: *Knit 10, k2tog* repeat from * to* around
DecRnd 2: Knit even
DecRnd 3: *K 9, k2tog* repeat from * to * around
DecRnd 4: Knit even
DecRnd 5: *K 8, k2tog* repeat from * to * around
DecRnd 6: Knit even
DecRnd 7: *K 7, k2tog* repeat from * to * around
DecRnd 8: *K 6, k2tog* repeat from * to * around
DecRnd 9: *K 5, k2tog* repeat from * to * around
DecRnd 10: *K 4, k2tog* repeat from * to * around
DecRnd 11: *K 3, k2tog* repeat from * to * around
DecRnd 12: *K 2, k2tog* repeat from * to * around
DecRnd 13: *K 1, k2tog* repeat from * to * around
DecRnd 14: *k2tog* repeat from * to * around
Cut yarn and weave through remaining stitches. Weave in ends and present the hat to happy parents.

A look at the innards

Carrying the blue yarn up while working with the yellow yarn was kind of challenging. Apparently I figured something out by the end of the yellow stage, but I don’t know exactly what I did. I am so very helpful.

* On the hat in the pictures, I didn’t work the first Yellow round in st st, and I think it would have looked a little cleaner if I had.

If you have any questions or problems with this hat, let me know!

Edit: The part of this blog that has said “My Patterns” for like 2 years now, without any actual patterns? It has patterns now, including this one. I plan to keep putting my little patterns/hacks in there!

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These had a longer wait than the July pictures

Which is why they’re going up ahead of my next batch of daily photos.

My Chosen-by-Blog Socks are done! D-U-N done!

I started these on April 22, 2008 and finished August 23, 2009. Yes, these socks have been in the works for 16 months. I am appropriately shamed.

This sock (above) was finished first, last year sometime. Then I stalled on the second one, because I wasn’t knitting them at the same time, as is my wont. Apparently I only have 2 sets of 2.25mm / US 1 double points, and one set was tied up in another sock that ultimately died a froggy death because it was too tight. I have learned my lesson and will never knit single socks alone again.

This sock (above, again) was the second one that got neglected. And by the time I got around to knitting on it again, I had grabbed the wrong pattern like an idiot. (At one point I had downloaded and printed off a bunch of Wendy’s toe-up sock patterns, and for some reason thought I was working on the Toe-Up Gusset Heel, when in reality I had been working from Toe-Up Slipstich Heel) When I realized my mistake I bemoaned my stupidity, cursed my eyes, and threw the socks into the bottom of the workbag.

I didn’t pick this up until two weeks ago, when Femiknitter was visiting. I had finished most of the baby knitting I was working on (except for the baby blanket, which I’ll talk about later), wanted a simple stockinette project (the better for talking while knitting), and pulled this out. Femiknitter must have some project mojo because every time I have a stalled project around her, I pick it back up and finish it within a few weeks. I pulled back the yarn to where I could start the correct heel and forged ahead like I owned the place.

The pattern is Wendy’s Toe-Up with Slipstitch Heel, and I added three columns of twisted knit stitches along the sides, and topped the socks with 1×1 twisted rib. Delicious.

I wore them yesterday, because it was a little cool for August, and they fit perfectly. Hooray!

Ravelry project page

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In between massive home projects, I knit

Not all of my time has been eaten by the house.

Hurricane Hat, modeled by our lovely and enormous aloe plant, named Chuck Norris. That’s right. Chuck Norris.

I did have time to knit a tiny baby hat for Henry, who will join his parents (our good friends) in the air-breathing world sometime in September.

Want more details? My Ravelry project page, the pattern.

It went superfast and only took about 23 grams of fingering weight yarn. Amazing.

The hat in progress. It’s so tiny!

I think I prefer knitting to massive home projects, overall.

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Recap

It’s been a busy few days here at House of HookOn, purchasing and riding bikes, attending a wedding reception and bonfire, almost attending another bonfire, and cleaning out the garage/organizing the basement.

Three-day weekends rule.

Now I have such a drive to get going on more things, like knitting for my three friends who are due in September (and who are all expecting boys, which is going to be way fun), and putting up art in the living room and in my office. Energy is so much fun to have.

Before I get to all that I thought I’d recap the Violet Stripe Cardigan experience, although I don’t really want to think about the first attempt at the button band and my epic failure, so it’s just this:

Pattern: SuperNatural Stripes by F.Pea / Ravelry link / My project page

Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Wisteria, Banana, Peridot & Prosperous Plum

Man, screw those bamboo dpns. Not nearly pointy enough.

Needles: 4.0mm / US 6 and 3.5mm / US4

Modifications: Many. I used smaller yarn and needles so had a finer gauge than called for in the pattern, so I made the 2-3 year old size, with the assumption that it will fit the baby at 12-18 months. I did not try it on a baby to see, having no baby immediately to hand. The stripe sequence at the yoke was shorter, only one repeat of colors, but I added a stripe sequence at the bottom of the cardi, mostly because I was getting incredibly bored with knitting stockinette stitch in the Wisteria color. I also changed the way the stripes were added; in the pattern the color change is made on the wrong side, giving a really rustic look. I wanted something a little more tailored, but still interesting, so I chose my very favorite stitch pattern: seed stitch.

How Long? Amazingly, this project took me 11 days. Eleven. Apparently I can be awesome and get things done on time if I really want to.

What did I learn? I learned how to pick up stitches for a button band, how to knit a top-down raglan sweater (this is my first completed sweater of that type), and how to attach a button loop (self-taught, it may come apart in the first washing of course). This was a really good pattern, very clear, and I plan to knit it again, maybe like the original. It’s really versatile and open to a lot of experimentation.

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In Bloom

I’ve started up a new project for a baby-to-be.

This replaces the blanket I started a few weeks ago — that one just wasn’t working out for me and was threatening to take too long.

So my solution? Rip out the blanket and cast on for a baby cardigan. But instead of making it baby-sized, I cast on for the largest size possible, 2-3 years.

Yeah. Big time saver there, right? Whatever, I’m in it now and there’s no way I’m ripping back, so I’ll continue deluding myself that because I’m using smaller yarn and needles, and because the yarn will shrink when machine washed, and because I want to give something that the baby will wear for longer than 30 seconds, that this will all be okay.

Besides, the baby shower is in 8 days and I don’t have time to think about the consequences of my actions. I only have time to knit. A lot.

On the upside, some inspiration hit me this morning as I worked on this cardigan before work. After this is done and presented at the baby shower, I’ll knit a baby blanket using the same yarn & stripe pattern. And that will be used when the baby is still tiny. And then I’ll feel better about myself.

Pattern: SuperNatural Stripes by Fawn Pea / Ravelry link / my project page
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Wisteria, Peridot, Banana, and Prosperous Plum
Needles: 4.0mm/US 6
Days Remaining: 7, 8-ish if I count tonight and next Saturday morning
To Help with the Miles of Stockinette: listening to the Harry Potter books (on #3) and re-watching Scrubs

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Project 365: 103-123: I came galumphing back

Source, if the word is confusing.

My brain and my time is my own again, huzzah, huzzah! I never want to go so long between picture posts again. Nor, for that matter, between talking about knitting. Because it turns out that when I sit down to knit, I actually have things worth posting about.

Here are 21 days (more or less, or actually less, for reasons which will be explained) worth of photos from me to you. They are smaller this time because there are 21 of them, which is crazytalk and would be far too annoying if there were as big as usual. There you go.

April 13, 2009

The Tuscany shawl in its final throes. The final countdown, in fact.

April 14, 2009

Miyagi disapproves of my slackoff blogging. “Photograph my awesome face! Now post it on the internet! Go!”

April 15, 2009

Moss is sprouting in our front yard, or at least it was on April 15th. The front yard is kind of shady (sneaky bastard, that) and moss loves it, and I love the moss.

April 16, 2009

Twig with about-to-burst leaves. Spring! Captured on my walk (?) or on my way to work (?). One of the two.

April 17, 2009

Me and Beth, at Sara’s bachelorette party. You don’t get to see the rest of the pictures from that night, because I would like to maintain a good relationship with my parents and my in-laws.

April 18, 2009
No photo available

Yeah, I was a wreck on Saturday. There were no pictures taken that day. Blerg.

April 19, 2009

I ordered scrub tops with my business name on them. Hooray!

April 20, 2009

I cast off the Tuscany shawl that evening, and here are all the stitch markers I used. Piles and piles of shiny goodness.

April 21, 2009

Occasionally Miyagi shoots fireworks out her ears.

April 22, 2009

Tuscany shawl all pinned out!

April 23, 2009

I saw this sign outside a funky resale shop in town, with a shelf of pretty shells. I took one of the pointy spiral ones.

April 24, 2009

The card we gave Sara and Brian. I did photoshop this one. Learning!

April 25, 2009

The dance floor at Sara & Brian’s wedding. It was jumping, for the most part.

April 26, 2009

Lights at the knit night hangout. Yes, it’s a pretty boring picture. It’s the best I could do, the others were worse.

April 27, 2009

Vines on the library wall. Dried vine, shriveled grape, and fresh leaves.

April 28, 2009

Tulip at the corner of Pine and Third.

April 29, 2009

Collating the grant, the giant project for work that ate my brain. This was the scene at about 4pm on Wednesday. I was scheduled to leave at 5pm, and had to staple and box up 16 copies before I left for vacation. Needless to say, I went home and drank the whiskey when I was done.

April 30, 2009

On Femiknitter’s couch with Tuscany across my lap and my newest project (not yet put up on Ravelry), the two-row Noro striped scarf. Kureyon 40 and 209. Size 6 / 4.0mm needles. Vacations rule.

May 1, 2009

Bob and Pearl of the Toilet Paper Tube Army greeted me on Friday morning. Sneaky Femiknitter left them to taunt me.

May 2, 2009

Femiknitter and me at Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. In enormous sunglasses. Absurd, even. It was an awesome time, I bought great yarn and stuck to my budget (!!) and took fun livestock pictures (more on that later).

May 3, 2009

Tree blooms with the beginnings of leaves. After NinjaHusband picked me up from the airport we went to Whole Foods in Naperville for lunch, then came home and I unpacked, then we played frisbee golf (or disc golf or frolf), then we walked around our neighborhood. And the neighborhood is where I snapped this happy picture. I took another picture that afternoon, one that was much less happy (broken bird egg on our driveway). This is the clear winner.

…

And there you have it. Now I’m all caught up. Pictures of sheep & co. later this week, along with my yarn haul. And yes, I bought more sock yarn even though I have more than enough oh my god.

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Green is my color

I didn’t get last week’s pictures up last night because I was busy finishing this:

Excuse me while I go block it.

…

SQUEE OF JOY!!

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Sunday Top Ten

I’m stealing this meme from every other blogger. Want to play along? Set your ipod to shuffle all (or play all, whatever) and list the first ten songs that come up.

1. “Dream Lover” by Bobby Darin
2. “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins
3. “Take a Chance on Me” by ABBA
4. “One More Robot / Sympathy 3000-21” by The Flaming Lips
5. “Miseria Cantare (The Beginning)” by AFI
6. “Bad Education” by Tilly and the Wall
7. “Wise Up” by Aimee Man
8. “Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole” by Martha Wainwright
9. “All the Umbrellas in London” by The Magnetic Fields
10. “Red Tide” by Neko Case

Huh. That’s kind of a weird list.

In other news, I’m two repeats away from finishing the shawl, and I’ve reached the Slogging Bit. I had hoped to get it done this weekend, but got busy with all the doing nothing that I did instead.

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I had all these plans

My plans for this week included:

1. Filing our tax return
2. Buy a plane ticket to Philadelphia for May
3. Start playing with paint colors for the kitchen
4. Finishing several knitting projects
5. Cleaning the kitchen
6. Doing several loads of laundry
7. Uploading pictures
8. Updating my other blog
9. Being awesome
10. Knit on my shawl

My plans for the weekend did not include:

1. Getting sicker and possibly developing laryngitis which is making me too tired to do any of those things on the list.

And yet.

However, I have been knitting on the shawl.

So I’ve got that going for me.

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Note to self

If you’re going to knit one sock over the course of 10 months, then dither about casting on for the second sock, it would help matters immensely if you were to not misplace the original pattern, causing you to use the wrong pattern for the second sock because the wrong pattern kind of resembles the original pattern a little.

I mean really.

The green sock? The one I’m holding up for my cat to regard in my last picture of my last post? Yeah. I am using an entirely different pattern for this one than I did for the original sock. Which I cast on in April of 2008. This new sock may or may not be two stitches short of the original (yes, please insert joke here in which I myself am a few stitches short of a sock. THE IRONY IS NOT LOST ON ME.), and I can’t find the original pattern in my pattern binder, or in my project bags. I’m going to reprint it today and hopefully be able to salvage my sock.

If I can’t, you will find me under the bed muttering curses to the world and chewing on sock yarn.

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