Capturing the Autumn :: Knitting ::

Happy Thursday everyone! Thank you so much for the support and messages you have sent me since Tuesday morning. I read every single one of them, and they all touched me. We are all trying to cope in different ways. We are very lucky that Baby MiH has carried on with nursery and has great friends there, so he is happy to go without too many questions. I scheduled my blog posts, so actually October is sorted, so I have some sort of focus. It is all trivial, and at the same time it has become of the utmost importance to find a new routine. I always believed in the healing powers of crafting - I need them to operate just a tiny bit of magic, like now. 

Mindless knitting is great - especially in the round. This hat is exactly that, and I don't often make 3 hats off the same (free) pattern (blogged here and here), so I highly recommend that you have it in our Ravelry library (have you added it yet?). 

I do not often knit with variegated yarn. When I was looking for a project for this skein of Silk Blend Manos del Uruguay, I always went back to stockinette, because it shows off the colours best - and equally I found myself really boring for not trying to knit fancy patterns. I am glad I went for stockinette, because this truly shows the depth of the colours of the yarn - it is like having Autumn in a skein. 

As you can see, comparing my first version and this version, I seemed to have modified the pattern, but this was not done on purpose. I probably mixed the inches and centimetres. I prefer the first version that stuck to the instructions. But this last version let me knit more of this skein. 

Pattern: Mock Rib Watch Cap (free pattern on Ravelry)

Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend in Gracia (I reviewed the ethics of the yarn here)

Modification: Added a pompom. using a pompom maker (reviewed here)

And now for the giveaway winner - it number 31, a new blog follower - Lindsey! Lindsey I tried to contact you, just email me your address! 

Red and Grey :: Knitting ::

This month's le challenge theme was passion - so easy to interpret and then so hard when you have to get down and make something. I had something else in mind for this month - but could not work out the pattern in the end. So I knitted this little hat last night - Little Baby MiH was desperately needing a new hat (that fits his massive head), and therefore it is a win-win. A new hat and an entry for le challenge! 

I have had this red like passion yarn (oh yeah, weak interpretation but I was desperate!) in my stash. It is a Wendy merino chunky yarn. The grey yarn is leftover from my Nord. 

I am happy to post the pattern if anyone is interested. It was knitted in 6.5 mm - which might explained why it took me no time to knit it. And it is a baby hat, and that is so rewarding! I really need more of these cute easy projects in my life! 

What is your entry? Have you been inspired by passion? Here are all the other entries. Next month's theme will be posted tomorrow on Le Challenge, so stay tuned. 

Pompom Beanie no 2 {Knitting}

I had a plan, a good plan. I would use one of my favourite beanie hat patterns and make it for one of my friends. I got a yarn that seemed like the Cascade Eco-Cloud in a burgundy colour and I was off. Except that what seemed to be, was not. And the colour was lovely, the yarn was in fact like 'a thick or thin', and I thought it was going to snap throughout the whole knit - not the best knitting experience. 

Pattern: Mock Rib Watch Cap (free pattern on Ravelry).

I made this version in Cascade Eco-Cloud

Yarn: Schachenmayr Aventica Supreme in colour 00035

Needles: Circular and DPNs 5.5mm

Modification: Added a pompom as the first time (tutorial here), and made it bigger as my friend as frizzy hair.

Result: It is amazing how much the yarn changes the look of a beanie. It is not making the most of the wide brim pattern but it does add interest to the body, 

so not as bad as I thought, just different.

 

I made a fancy pompom using some nearly-neon yarn I have in my stash. I was clearly bold - as it was not for me...

In the end I think it works, but I really did not like knitting this yarn. I do love the colour though, and this is still my favourite pattern. So easy to knit, and such a great fit!