random threads

Here are the last of the hats I knit for donation at the Baskets of Yarn retreat (starts in 3 days, woot!).

First I knit  the Knit Hat with Flaps featured on Knit & Crochet Today! tv show on PBS using the recommended yarn, Moda Dea Tweedle Dee in shades of gray called “Thunder”:

Next, I knit the same pattern using Di.ve’ Autunno yarn, which is a bulky instead of the chunky/super-bulky like the Tweedle Dee. I also knit in the round with magic loop, which meant I had to reduced the pattern by the two seam stitches. I aslo added more rows of garter stitch around the cuff/brim of the hat. And I thought a slightly more delicate i-cord was in order, so switched from 4 stitches to 3 on the i-cord.

I have 2 more complete balls of this yarn, plus about 3/4’s of a ball, so I can make something more. The color variations worked out well on the hat.

As part of my February hat-athon, I also finished the following hats:

From the class on Stranded Knitting I took with Amy Detjen last June at Knitters Connection 2008, here’s the ’sample’ we knit in class that I modified into a beanie hat.  I did get the hang of knitting with both hands, one picking and one throwing, with fairly even tension.  I used the charts Amy provided in class but added more patterning in the decrease section at the top of the hat.  The yarn I used is Jamison’ Shetland Spindrift in Sand and Burnt Umber that came out of my stash. I think this one I’m keeping vs donating to charity.

This beret was knit using Crazy Aunt Purl’s (Laurie Perry’s) free pattern Super-Simple fast and easy chunky hand-knit beret. The yarn is Reynolds Smile.  I had to short-cut the pattern a bit as I was running out of my single ball of yarn too quickly, so the overall effect is less slouchy than the designer intended.  I think it still works tho’.  This one will go to the BoY donation for the workers at the ASU Broyhill Center as a thank you for making our time at the Winter Retreat so great.

This ribbed watch cap is from Charlene Schurch’s book, Hats On!, and is called the Lace Rib Watch Cap. The yarn is Red Heart Soft Yarn in “leaf” colorway. The yarn, true to its name, was soft to the touch (not icky-to-the-touch-acrylic-feeling) and being machine washable, is good for a college-student recipient. This one is being donated also.

Here’s the last sets of photos for the Honeycomb beret pattern I designed, which I finished yesterday.  I knit this one in Rowan Colourscapes Chunky in the color called ‘Cherry’ which is really red, rust, and purple/violet.



To recap, the pattern is available for free download from my patterns page or from within Ravelry as the Honeycomb Beret.

I’ve been quiet lately, haven’t I? Well, the knitting has continued during February, and still hats. I’ve been knitting hats to donated to the students at Appalachian State University who work at the conference center. This is a charity effort organized by my LYS, Baskets of Yarn, as a way of saying thank you to the students who work so hard to make sure we have a great time at our annual retreat. Which is only ten days away now! Any leftover hats will be donated to a chemo-cap charity.

I’ll be posting some pictures over the next few days  from the various hats  I have been knitting, but I thought I’d start with the Honeycomb Beret. This is a pattern I designed using a stitch pattern from Volume 2 of the (old) Harmony Guides:   450 Knitting Stitches: Volume 2 (The Harmony Guides) called “Honeycomb Cable.” I’ve knit it in three different bulky/chunky yarns to refine the design:

Nashua Handknits Vignette, in color ‘Distant Mountains’:

Patons Shetland Tweed Chunky in a dark green:

Rowan Colourscape Chunky in a pink/purple/red called ‘Cherry’:
Photo to come soon…just finished this one yesterday.

The pattern is available for download (FREE!) from my patterns page or from within Ravelry as the Honeycomb Beret.