Month: May 2008

Clarabelle is holding a raffle to benefit the UK Multiple Sclerosis Society in memory of her father. The prize? Your choice of hand-knit shawls. That’s right: she’s got three patterns posted, along with yarn choices. If you win, you tell her which one you’d like her to knit for you (I’d like Laminaria in the Laughing Rat Studio hand-dyed merino, thank you!). And Clarabelle is a lace knitter extraordinaire. If, like me, you’ve been ogling her beautiful shawls, here’s your chance. If you’re not familiar with her work, what are you waiting for? Visit her blog and check it out!

Quite a while ago, I promised a pattern for a hat-and-scarf set that can be knit from a single skein of Dream in Color’s Classy. This delicious, hand-dyed wool comes with a generous 250 yards to a skein. I treated myself to a single skein and then set myself the task of using up every last inch of it. Here’s the result.

My skein was in the Chinatown Apple colorway (Dream in Color’s web site shows this as a peachy shade, but the hank I got was much more green and gold), so I wanted a pattern that would echo the leafiness of the yarn’s color. I chose a lace from one of Barbara Walker’s stitch dictionaries, then rewrote it to add moss ribs between the lace panels to create a textured, woodsy feel.

If you decide to knit these as a pair, make the hat first. Then you can devote the remaining yarn to making the scarf as long as possible.

Getting Started
Yarn: one skein of Dream in Color Classy (4 oz./250 yards per skein) or equivalent
Needles: 16″ circular, straights, and double-points in U.S. size 8
Notions: 4 stitch markers, yarn needle for weaving in ends, scrap yarn and crochet hook for provisional cast-on (if desired)
Gauge: 4.5 stitches = 1″ in moss

Frondly: The Hat

Note: the band for this hat is knit lengthwise, then joined into a circle. The stitches for the sides and crown of the hat are then picked up along one edge of this band. Use your preferred technique for joining the band. I began with a provisional cast-on, then put these stitches onto a needle after knitting the band and joined the ends using a three-needle bind-off. You could also join the two ends with Kitchener stitch. Or, just used a traditional cat on and bind off, then seam then two ends together, using a yarn needle.

Six-Row Hat Band Stitch Pattern:
Rows 1, 3 and 5 (WS): K 4, P 5, K1, P1
Row 2 (RS): K1, P1, K1, YO, Sl 2 tog K-wise, K1, PSSO, YO, K1, P1, K3
Row 4: K1, P1, K2, YO, SSK, K1, P1, K3
Row 6: K1, P1, K5, P1, K3

Moss Stitch:
Round 1: K1, P1 around
Round 2: P1, K1 around

With the straight needles, cast on 11 stitches using method of your choice.
Work the six-row band stitch, until your knit piece fits comfortably around your head, ending with row 5. (I worked 19 repeats on the sample.)
Join band into a circle using method of your choice.

Using circular needles, pick up stitches between the single K and P rows along one side of the hat band (the other, ribbed edge will serve as the brim of the hat). Pick up approximately 4 stitches for every 5 rows of knitting, being careful to end with a number of stitches divisible by 8. (I picked up 88 stitches.) Place a marker between the first and last picked-up stitches.

Work in the round in moss stitch, until the piece measures 4.5″ from edge of band, ending with a P1, K1 round. On this last round, place a marker 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 of the way around the hat (in my case, that was every 22 stitches). You will now have four evenly spaced markers placed around your work.

Work decreases as follows, changing to double-points when necessary.
Round 1: K1, P1
Round 2: [P1, K1 until three stitches remain before marker, sl 2 tog K-wise, K1, PSSO] repeat a total of 4 times per round
Repeat these two rounds until 8 stitches remain, then clip the working yarn leaving an 8″ end. Run this counter-clockwise through the live stitches, then pull tight to close the top of the hat. Run this yarn to the inside of the hat. Weave in all ends.

Frondly: The Scarf

Six-Row Scarf Stitch Pattern:
Row 1, 3, and 5 (WS): K3, P5, K3, P5, K3, P5, K3
Row 2 (RS): K1, [K1, P1, K1, YO, Sl 2 tog K-wise, K1, PSSO, YO, K1, P1] 3 times, K2
Row 4: K1, [K1, P1, K2, YO, SSK, K1, P1] 3 times, K2
Row 6: K1, [K1, P1, K5, P1] 3 times, K2

Cast on 27 stitches. Work in six-row scarf stitch pattern, until just enough yarn remains to bind off, ending with row 5. Bind off and weave in ends.

Enjoy!

[Courtesy of Melissa, who found this item in a $1 bargain bin.]

Me-arrrgh! Here be pirates!

Archy declined to participate in the festivities.

Please note, no cats were harmed in the photo shoot, except for maybe their dignity.

And in case you are wondering, it is a one-size-fits-most foam hat. Kind of an upside-down and reversed tennis visor, if that makes any sense. Or a rally hat.

Please join me in a stroll through the Napa County Iris Garden, courtesy of Melissa. (She would like to point out that the resolution is better on the original, but that this was all that was possible on You Tube.) As the sign explains, this has been a low-blossom year because of frosts lasting further than usual into the spring. We didn’t get to see the broad sweeps of color of thousands of flowers in bloom, but the individual blossoms were as lovely as ever.

If you visit the web site, be sure to check out the Photo Catalogue. If you have time to spare, you can have loads of fun playing the pick-one-favorite-on-each-page game.

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In knitting news, thanks to two ball games (plus extra waiting in line time to be sure of getting our swag) I am on the sleeves on the Peplum Cardigan and the yoke of Waffles for Brunch. I had difficulty getting myself to work this morning, as I suddenly realized that I could extrapolate a grid from Waffles at Brunch that would allow me to design my own child’s pull-over with multiple—and more complicated—stitch patterns. I’m looking forward to playing with this possibility soon.

I am absolutely delighted with my Grand-Plan Top-Down Capelet from Wrap Style. It fits; it’s soft; the colors glow like a spring sunrise; it even gave me the opportunity to do some fruitful digging through my button jar.

(Melissa loves me so much, she photo-shopped out my neck wrinkles—can we all say “awwwwwww!”?)

Yesterday, we went on an early Mother’s Day outing with my parents to the Napa County Iris Garden, so lots of spectacular flower photos will be coming up soon.

This weekend will be all baseball, baseball, baseball, as the A’s are having good give-aways, and we can’t resist swag.

Tonight we get the 1968-style hat.

Tomorrow, it’s the 60s-era sleeveless jersey in honor of Campy Campanaris.

I’m having one of those weekends that’s so lovely it could almost lead me to adopt the inanity of those “It’s all good” bumper stickers. (Don’t even get me started on those….)