Recharging my knitting batteries

I took another box full of items to Woodstock on Sunday, and now I'm going to recharge my knitting batteries for awhile. Check back after Thanksgiving to see what's new.

In the studio

Hat, crochet, wool and nylon, single crochet throughout, crochet tassle, size f hook


This perky hat is made from a red wool that's like Lopi (I'll have to find the label again to give you the details) and a very nubby, curly, bouncy boucle wool that has a teensy bit of nylon to keep it somewhat organized into a thick and thin strand. I'm liking the way the multi color yarn is bumpy and makes nice texture variation somewhat like popcorn stitch in the single crochet. It's a very thick hat due to the bulkiness of the yarn, and also not soft but stiff due to the smaller crochet hook used.

I'm also working on a series of capelets. One is made with Southwest Trading Company "Melody" and one is out of a generic wool and hemp blend that I got in Saratoga Springs. Queer Joe (see a link to his blog in the sidebar) tipped me off about this yarn and I went up and snaffled a few cones of it. These two capelets are off the needles and awaiting finishing touches. I think I may do crochet edgings tonight.

I've also started a capelet with forest green lace weight mohair - very floaty. I'm using a size 5 needle for the base stitch and a size 15 to make very loose rows and to get a lace effect without having to count a stitch pattern. Photos to come soon!

I'm doing a grand finishing effort over the next few days and then taking everything I have to the gallery in Woodstock.

Scarf encore

Scarf, wool and silk blend, twisted stockinette stitch, crochet fringe border approximately 5 in x 80 in

I got the knitting done on this scarf and felt that it was blah, although I like the stitch pattern. It needed something. I took up the crochet hook and voila! The fringe along the long edge gave it just the body and pizzazz it needs.

Finished hat

Hat, mixed fibers, reverse stockinette, size 10.5 cable needle

See the theme here? More of each yarn remains and I'm pausing to figure out what I want to do. I like going through series and taking ideas through alterations and all the tweaking. Each hat does have a unique combination of yarns, although also several common yarns. I like the way each does have a different effect. I'm itching to do another crochet version because it's so much faster than knitting for me.

Finished hat

Hat, mixed fibers, crochet, single crochet stitch throughout, reversible, H hook


The inspirational yarn for this series is made in Italy for a Swiss company called Lang. It's called Nora
I have found it to be very comfy. It's a strip of woven fabric wrapped with a light fuzzy strand. If you click on the thumbnail of it on the Lang site, you'll see the details. I've not seen anything quite like it. The colors are earthy, so with a few more yarns added in, these hats are very symbolic of the autumn, and they feel all cozy and warm to the touch because of the fuzziness.

For me it's easy to hide the knots and weave in the ends while doing crochet and a pain while knitting. So I made everything completely tidy on both sides in order to make it possible to roll up the bottom or even turn it inside out.

Finished hat

Hat, mixed fibers, stockinette stitch, size 10.5 needle

The process with this series of hats can go either way: I sit with scads of yarns and cut lengths abitrarily, tie them together and wind them into balls then knit, or I sit with scads of yarns and start knitting, then cut and tie the lengths of yarn as I go. Both involve sitting amid piles and piles of yarns and a good deal of time selecting what goes with what. When I make up the balls before I begin knitting there's a sense of anticipation about how it will turn out that I like. I don't know what will happen. I change yarns if it looks like it will be yukky, and otherwise make adjustments as I go along to intelligently distribute textures and weights.

This colorway is the result of finding oodles of yarn on sale at one of my favorite little yarn shops, Saratoga Needle Arts, in Saratoga Springs, New York. They have great sales and have an ongoing 50% off area that I scrounge on a regular basis.

Finished hat

Hat, mixed fibers, reverse stockinette, size 10.5 needles

I got a 16 in. Skacel Addi Turbo cable needle and it's perfect for hats. I've been smoking with it - four hats in three days.