Companion
So...there's a fair bit of yarn left over after the hat. Not just the orange, which I knew I'd have miles of. But the gray too. I feel like the hat needs a friend, don't you? I thought you might. Now as always, it's a good idea to weigh your yarn. If you're going to do something that comes in pairs, it's much more fun to know how much you can use for each one ahead of time. Go ahead...ask me how I know. Just guess how many times that bit me in the hindquarters before I stopped being a [...]
Steam buns
So do you like your pompoms steamed? I've started doing this to my pompoms, and it makes way more of a difference than you might think. The one in the back is unsteamed, the one in the front got to spend some quality time with the nozzle attachment on my steam mop (do be careful not to burn your fingers). They're both made with the same yarn. The steam seems to fluff out the ends of the strands and make them a bit fuzzier and fuller. The result is a sphere that looks more filled in (and a bit lighter [...]
Pompom time
The gray hat with the orange stripe clearly clearly needs a pompom. It's meant for a pompom. So let's do this. This is the first go on my newly discovered goldilocks pompom maker (as always, amazon links are affiliate links). Not too big, not too small, just right, and so far I'm smitten. As always, pompom happiness (at least for me...I suppose opinions could vary) comes from making sure your pompom is very very very densely wrapped. I also like to use a scale to be sure I'm getting the same amount of yarn on each side of the pompom. And really...I [...]
Zipping along
That? Well that's just about done! And you know what that means. That means it's just about time to do the pompom party. Because I'm pretty sure I have pompoms all figured out, and I need some sort of public reassurance that I'm not the only one amused by this. [pextestim pex_attr_set="looking-for-this-pattern" pex_attr_autoplay="false"][/pextestim]
Happy Mail
One of the many fringe benefits of my job is getting yarn in the mail. The latest is this lovely bit of goodness from Louet. Once it was here, I marched it over to one of my local purveyors of nifty things, Long Winter Farm (they have visiting kittens in the shop, it's a dangerously cute place) and found some pretty soap to go with it. As you might guess, that means those facecloths from last year are coming back, this time with a pattern. Yup, it surprises me too, but I absolutely adore mine and use them all the [...]
Ephemeris (plus giveaway)
The pretty gray hat you've been asking about (yes, I know, that doesn't narrow it down much...I may have a gray hat issue) is out. It's called Ehpemeris, and you can grab it now (and get 10% off with the code STARSTRUCK). I truly cannot get enough of that stitch. It makes the most perfectly textured fabric. It should be a hot mess...there are vertical lines and diagonal lines and holes and it should just be a little too busy. But somehow the result is deeply, deeply satisfying. I can't quite explain why. But I can say that I had [...]
Not even close
From time to time, I'll post a picture on instagram or on the blog, and someone will say some variation of 'oh my goodness, your knitting is so perfect, mine never looks like that.' And this is very very sweet...but absolutely not true. My knitting is somewhere around middling to fair. Now, I am pretty good at blocking, and blocking is a huge part of making your finished knitting look great (that's why I've done so many posts about how to block stuff...I really really really want you to be blocking your projects). And I do have a slightly fancy camera, [...]
Speckles (a primer and a giveaway)
If you've been here for a while, you know I tend to gravitate toward rather...um...let's say mellow yarns. Solids or semi solids, often in grays or purples or the occasional pond-scummy greeny yellow. They're what I like to knit with, they're what I like to wear, and they're almost universally well behaved. But a few years ago, I started seeing speckled yarns everywhere. And I would have expected to just sort of admire them on the shelf and move on. But, much to my surprise, they started following me home. But then...then I had to figure out what the heck [...]
No, I do not have a gray hat problem
I mean perhaps I have a propensity for them...but I wouldn't call that a problem. I mean how can something that lovely be a problem. A fascination maybe, but not a problem. Though the inside bit is unreasonably distracting...especially once you realize you can just slip the orange stitches off the needle and tug and they'll unravel separately. I mean don't do that, they're a bear to put back. That would be a problem. But it's the knitting equivalent of a Do Not Enter sign. You just really really really want to do it because you're not supposed to. Or maybe [...]
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