Hat for Michelle's Baby

Jennie's best friend from junior high and high school is due to have her first baby this month. It's a girl. Who knows? She may even be born on the same day as one of Jen's two children. Reyes' birthday is Mar. 15 and Lala is Mar. 16.

I've knit a hat for the baby. It's from pink baby yarn that was in my stash. The label is long gone, but I'm sure it is a machine washable acrylic. I don't buy anything else for babies.

I started the hat on a road trip between hither and yon. It was going to be booties, but the gauge was off. Not having a pattern and feeling the need to knit, I cast on 100 stitches, joined them in a circle and let the yarn tell me what it wanted to be.

It wanted to be a soft cable knit stocking hat. I made it large because winter is nearly over in Texas. It should fit next winter when the baby is a toddler and be with her for several seasons.

Next Project Is About To Be Started

I know what I will make next. I have always wanted to make a sweater coat. Lion Brand has a pattern called Homespun Flattering Jacket. It comes in both a knitted and a crocheted version.

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/chs-flatteringJacket.html
http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/khs-flatteringJacket.html

I tried making the crocheted version when I was in Texas and got bogged down on the directions for the second side panel. I could not get my mind around what they were telling me. I intend to knit the pattern this time. I will do both side panels at the same time on a large circular needle. That way everything should come out even. (Well, the concept almost worked with Pat's vest...)

I'm still stash-busting with this project. Sort 0f. The Homespun I purchased for the first effort turned into an basketweave afghan I gave my grandson. (He still keeps it on his bed). However, I purchased some llama/wool blend from Ann O'Neill at the Emporia Fiber Fest. It's a lovely blue -- a little more blue than teal. It is also wonderful to touch and so far Furball hasn't noticed that it isn't my usual yarn. (Furby wants to live in the alpaca yarn I bought. I have to hide it from her.)

You ask how can I be stash-busting if I bought this yarn a few weeks ago? Well, I'm busting Ann O'Neill's stash!

Now -- to get those last seams finished on Pat's vest so I can get started on this!

What, No Dish Cloths?

How did this happen? Making dish cloths is one of my favorite "no brainer" projects. The other day, I went to the dish cloth/tea towel drawer in the kitchen and there wasn't a dish cloth to be found! Have Brownies been here? I found a few in the clothes dryer (affectionately dubbed "the other bureau"). Still -- I used to have so many dish cloths they attacked when you opened the drawer. Looks like it's time to take the socks out of my purse and insert cotton yarn. I'm on a mission to restock! And it lets me stash-bust a few balls of cotton yarn, too. Pat and I drove to Stark, KS today to find an upholsterer who could fix the bucket seat of his pickup. I rode along because he had never been to Stark, and I had been there thanks to library functions in the next town over, Savonburg. (You see, Savonburg is too small to have any eateries, so we would go to Murphy's Merchantile in Stark for sandwiches after visiting the Savonburg library. Ah, the hidden benefits of being a regional library consultant!) We took the long way (via Burlington) so it was about an 80 mile drive out and a 65 mile drive back. I nearly made an entire dish cloth while we traveled. Since we seem to run around a lot (and no place is closer than 45-60 min. away), and since Pat rarely lets me drive, I should get restocked on dish cloths in no time. By the way, if you are trying to get to the dishcloth pattern, click on the highlighted link "Grandma's Dishcloth" in the tag cloud.

Fortunately-Unfortunately Hat

It's done! Above is a picture of the Fortunately-Unfortunately, as well as the At Last They Are All Mine Socks that match it. Right after this photo was snapped, I had the Bright Idea to wash the hat and put it back on the mannequin. Perhaps the hat would stretch while it was being blocked.

The technique seems to be working. The hat is dry now, but I haven't taken it off the wig stand yet to try it on my head. I'm afraid it will still be too small for me. I'll try it -- tomorrow -- at Tara. Fortunately/Unfortunately Hat.

Fortunately there was nearly a skein of sock yarn left over to make a hat.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to finish the hat.
Fortunately, I visited Whimsical Wool and Elizabeth found me a white merino to use with the blue-green hand-dyed yarn.
Unfortunately, I had 2/3 of the hat finished and the snowflake design I imagined wasn't working into the crown of the cap as I wanted.
Fortunately, I don't mind frogging.
Unfortunately, I can't count. -- The new snowflake border didn't work, either.
Fortunately, I have graph paper. Several sheets of paper later, I have the border and the big snowflake for the crown graphed so it comes out even. I knit merrily away over the weekend. The hat goes everywhere with me.
Unfortunately, we were traveling when I finished the green section and I didn't have any scissors to cut the yarn to finish with white.
Fortunately, Pat has his handy-dandy Coffey County Library pocket knife that includes a pair of scissors.
Unfortunately, I'm not finished, so I can't tell you how this saga ends, but I'm doing the decreases on the crown and it's looking good. [I finished it at 4:00 AM Thurs. morning. What else do you do when you wake up to go to the Juan and can't get back to sleep?]

AND Fortunately there is enough green left to put a tassle on the top! [The tassle looked wimpy. I removed it.]

Unfortunately -- I'm afraid the hat is knit too tightly to fit any person in the family. Oh, well. Maybe there will be more grandkids -- someday. I can save it for them. [Blocking was the key! I washed the hat and left it on the wig head to dry. When I took it off, it fit! Now my hat will match my socks.]