Finished size: about 22″ round, I think
Yarn: Paton’s Classic Merino Wool in a darker grey, and a frogged thrift shop sweater (recycled silk blend)
Needles: Size 10 (Knit Picks)
Pattern: Shepherd Bulky Rainbow Hat from One-Skein Wonders

Started: 6 May 2007 …
Finished: 8 June 2007
made for: Dulaan Project

I started out thinking the silk-blend would look good held together with red. after about an inch, I realized that was a terrible combination and dug through the wool stash for something more suitable. I think the grey worked better.

The hat is worked three ways. first the cable band is knit flat, then you pick up stitches and knit to the top. seam it up, then knit a few rows of a rolled brim cuff at the other end of the cable band. definitely a good hat for practicing those picking up and seaming skills!

I’m also learning that I hate ‘top-down’ type hats. my bind off came out too tight again, even using a size 11 for the bind off. it’s not brain-squeezing tight, but if I were to wear it, I’d want it to be just a smidge looser. actually, I’d want it a smidge shorter too. I need to learn how to use a tape measure consistently, especially if I plan to make a sweater!

So I started a hat from the hand-dyed the other day. and it started out in a cool little 3-4 row spiral of color. very cool, I was looking forward to that. well, that didn’t last long. it’s still spiraling nicely, but it’s not fun little narrow stripes of color. after a few days of bus knitting, I’m nearly ready to start the decreases. and I have quite a bit of yarn leftover. which was not the goal.

so, do I reknit it into a beret and hope it uses more yarn (and that there’s enough yarn), or do I do like my coworker suggested and throw a big fluffy pom on top. decisions decisions.

so, now the next decision is: do I finish the hat on the busride home, or do I work on the long-neglected Tasha bag some more (my resurrected UFO for the month)

I’m done with the CTH Glitz socks, except I still need to kitchener a toe and weave in the ends on both socks. modeled photos coming once I get those pesky ends taken care of.

I’m also nearly done with a 4th hat. Just need to add a few more rounds and it’ll be done. It’s on pages 9-10 of One Skein Wonders, I forget it’s exact name.

and I’ve started a 5th hat - just a basic roll-brim using the hand-dyed.

and, happy dance - I got an invite to Ravelry the other night. now, to figure out how it works…

yarn cake. (no, I did not bother reskeining. I just wanted to get to the knitting.)

sniff sniff sniff

did someone say yarn cake?

smells a bit like vinegar…

but I’ll take it anyway

(there’s video of her rubbing and loving on the yarn cake after that, but it came out a bit too dark. someday I’ll torture you all with video clips)

yup, I did. I split the remaining 170g of Lion Fisherman’s Wool from the hat I made after the Harlot event. I wasn’t in the mood to make another white hat. ;)

So Saturday, I prepared the dyes. I used Rit dyes in Kelly Green, Country Blue, and Golden Yellow. I put each color in a canning jar (mixed following the directions in Dyeing to Knit), then put the jars in water in the dye pot with water to heat them up. folded the skein in thirds and stuck a bit into each jar of color. cooked awhile, let it cool, then prepared it for steaming to set the color.

I still had a good bit of dye left, so I took the remaining yarn (which was still in whatever you call the oblong balls that that yarn comes in) and shoved half of it into the jar of blue and let it sit for a good while. then went and carefully pulled it out and flipped it over into the green dye and let it sit for another good while. then I steamed it and propped it up to dry, which wasn’t going so well with it still being in the ‘ball’. so Sunday I wound it off on the swift and it dried much quicker after that. and it’s quite pretty.

this is the second one, post steaming (or presteaming)

both skeins after drying

and again