Normally, on the first Tuesday of the month, I bring out a pattern.  But things aren't normal. Things are awful.  And I just can't bring myself to talk to you about pretty knitting patterns as though things were ok. So instead, I'm going to ask my US readers to check and make sure you're registered to vote (assuming you're able to).  I want you to check, even if you're pretty sure you're registered, because states purge their voter rolls from time to time (to get rid of folks who have moved or died) and literally tens of thousands of active, [...]

The things functional members of a society are expected to know change over time. You're expected to know how to use a credit card & a cell phone & an elevator, but not how to use an oil lamp or a or a sundial or a slide rule. Keeping up with expectations of what you should know is part of how you remain a member of society. And you do it all the time! This was written on and for instagram, a platform that didn't exist 10 years ago (and now I've shared it on a blog, a concept that [...]

Remember the swatch parade from the other day? Remember the pink and green swatch that almost but not quite clicked?  Turns out all it needed was a little tweak. I swapped the pink out for a Very Similar Pink on a slightly different base, and presto.  Now it works beautifully. And I'll show it off properly down the road, but it's even pretty on the back side.  This looks rather promising!  Well no. This looks crumpled and weird.  But crumpled and weird in a way that gives me confidence that it will be lovely in a bit.    

The hat clearly needed some mitts to go with it. These are Incorrigible, they're every bit as fun as the hat, and they're up on ravelry today. All the things I said about the hat? About how it breaks all the supposed rules of colorwork but still comes out just fine in the end?  Yeah, well those all still apply here. Plus you get to satisfy that little voice in your head that says knit accessories are more fun in sets (please tell me that's not just in my head, I'll feel weird if I'm the only one hearing it). [...]

Of course, the only downside to mitts is that you pretty much do have to knit two. Though when the yarn is this pretty, it's not too much of a hardship. Now I just have to see if spring stays chilly enough to get any wear out of them, or if I'll need to wait till fall. As always, pattern coming shortly, you know the drill!

Now clearly what the hat needs is some mitts to go with it. I'm a firm believer that accessories are better in sets.  For me, that's almost always going to mean a hat and some mitts to go with it. Cowls are nice and all (and I've knit quite a few).  But I tend to think a cowl has to go with whatever shirt I'm wearing, whereas a hat and mitts just need to go with each other. And while I fully admit that these are my own weird rules and should hold no sway for anyone else, they do [...]

There's something to be said for knowing what the rules are.  Not necessarily so that you can  follow them.  More so that you can know exactly when and how you're breaking them and plan accordingly.  This is Obstreperous, and it's not terribly interested in following the rules. There are kind of a lot of unspoken rules when it comes to colorwork.  Use one yarn at a time. Use yarns of the same weight. Carry each color all the way around the whole piece. Keep your floats short.  I'm not doing any of that here. Here you'll pair your very favorite [...]

The swatch parade continues, but I think we're getting closer. This little bit of frippery looks like nothing so much as a baby manta ray.  Which is actually quite delightful...but not what I'm going for at the moment. I'll likely play more with that stitch in the future, but not just right now. Right now, I think this is the way to go.  I mean once again, I find myself loving the teeny tiny skinny yarn, which will mean once again knitting a hat on size two needles.  But at least it will be a fetching hat with excellent drape.  [...]

And there we are, done, blocked, ends woven in.  All finished as though it were the project of a proper grownup with an attention span longer than that of the average goldfish. Now of course I have to take it out in the world to have its proper photo shoot (the giant rock in my office window is fine for blog pictures but not for pattern photos), and the pattern will be ready to come out. Look for it next week if the world doesn't present me with any exciting catastrophes between now and then.  And if you want me [...]