Why hello there and good morning. Isn't my friendly new bamboo so jaunty in his picture there? I carried him around last night while doing various duties. Started out in the kitchen, then moved to my desk while I transfered pictures, and now he's next to my bathroom sink. He's my pet and I love him. He was worth every penny of $14.99.
So, on to some FO pics. That's right. It's basically a bunch of hats. For Christmas presents. Cause they're fast and cheap. And I'm all about fast and cheap.
A) Charcoal Ribbed Hat
And for a bit more detail...
Pattern : Chunky Ribbed Hat (And is it ever!)
Yarn: Lionbrand Thick N Quick in Charcoal (about 3/4 of a 5oz skein)
Needles: size 10 bamboo circs
Modifications: I think the yarn I used is quite a bit thicker than the yarn called for in the pattern. The pattern says to cast on 84, but when I did that, I ended up with a length almost twice the circumference of my head! So I did a little measuring and figured that there were 2 stitches per inch (!), my head is 22" around, so I cast on 46 instead (I'm assuming my dad's head is a bit bigger than mine).
Start to Finish: Not sure on dates. But I'm estimating that it took me 6-8 hours to knit up over about 1.5 weeks.
For: My pops.
This hat was super easy, super quick and I love it in this yarn. It's SO thick and chunky, which is perfect for my dad cause he's out shoveling/snowblowing the driveway and sidewalks all winter. It should keep him pretty toasty. The one problem I had, which I know Christen had, too, was that the length is a bit weird. It's too long not to fold up but too short to really fold it up effectively. So, either needs to be longer or shorter. You decide. I am doing one more of these for a friend and I think I'll do it shorter.
B) Martha Stewart 'Learning to Knit' Hat
Pattern : Learning to Knit
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare in Natural and Panache in Moss
Needles: Size 15 aluminum
Modifications: None!
Start to Finish: Two hours while watching TV earlier this week. Only two hours!
For: My SIL Toni.
I actually made two hats from this pattern before with some wool that I kool-aid dyed. But I don't have any good pictures yet. (Maybe that'll be the topic for tomorrow's blog - Kool-Aid Dying and More Hats.) The panache turned out nicer than the wool, but they're all cute anyway! And Christen made an absolutely adorable one in red and brown that I adore.
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And now for a WIP: The Debbie Bliss Garter Stitch Blanket from Baby Knits for Beginners. The pattern calls for Cashmerino Aran but my LYS doesn't carry it. So I'm substituting Classic Yarns Cashsoft DK. And let me tell you - it's absolute heaven.
I made up two squares last night in about an hour and I was having the time of my life. This yarn on my spanking new short bamboo 8's was like eating gelato. Smooth and creamy and smile inducing. So, the project is going to be one that I work on intermittently between other projects, when I need a little treat break. Knitting up the cute little squares is fun...but the seaming of all of those little rascals at the end is going to test my sanity. I need seaming practice though so...whatev.
Okay, so this blog thing takes a lot of time. And I'm at work. Not doing work. I'd better sign off for now but before I do...
It's December 1st!!!
