Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Lined Thrummed Hat

My father has always maintained that he is never warm and will never be warm.  In an effort to help him be not as cold, I made a thrummed hat for him for Christmas.  The hat is lined so that the thrums do not agravate people or cause bad hair days with the static.



Lined Thrummed Hat  (pdf available on Ravelry)

Materials: 220 yards worsted weight yarn – I used almost 1 skein of Cascade 220 Superwash

1 ¼ to 1 ½ ounces roving – I used 2 ½ pigtails from Greenwood Fiberworks

Needles: DPN’s and 16” circular – US size 8 or size needed to obtain gauge. I recommend using 5 dpn’s – this will make increasing and decreasing easier.

Gauge: 4 ½ stitches and 6 rows = 1 inch



Instructions:

Using DPN’s cast on 8 stitches, join, being careful not to twist.

Increase rounds:

Round 1: Knit 1 front & back (kf&b) around ( 16 stitches)

Round 2 and all even rounds: knit around

Round 3: (k1, make 1 (m1), k1) x 8 (24 stitches)

Make 1 by inserting the left needle from front to back under the strand between the last stitch and the next stitch and place it on the left needle. Knit it through the back loop. 

Round 5: (k2, m1, k1) x 8 (32 stitches)

Round 7: (k3, m1, k1) x 8 (40 stitches)

Round 9: (k4, m1, k1) x 8 (48 stitches)

Round 11: (k5, m1, k1) x 8 (56 stitches)

Round 13: (k6, m1, k1) x 8 (64 stitches)

Round 15: (k7, m1, k1) x 8 (72 stitches)

Round 17: (k8, m1, k1) x 8 (80 stitches)

Round 19: (k19, m1, k1) x 4 (84 stitches)

Switch to the 16” circular, placing a marker at the beginning of the round.

Knit every row (plain stockinette) until piece measures 6 ½ inches from last increase.

Purl 1 round (this will be the turning round)

Knit 1 round plain.

Increase round: (k6, kf&b) x 12 (96 stitches)

Knit 1 round plain.

Begin Thrum pattern.

Round 1: (k3, place thrum) repeat to end of round

Rounds 2, 3, & 4: knit

Round 5: (k1, place thrum, k2) repeat to end of round

Rounds 6, 7, & 8: knit

Continue in thrum pattern until 9 thrummed rounds have been completed (you’ll end on round 1 of the pattern).

Knit 1 round plain.


Begin decrease rounds, switching to dpn’s when necessary:

Round 1: (knit 2 together through the back loop (k2togtbl), k10) x 8 (88 stitches)

Round 2 and all even rounds: knit plain

Round 3: (k2togtbl, k2, place thrum, k3, place thrum, k2) x 8 (80 stitches)

Round 5: (k2togtbl, k8) x 8) (72 stitches)

Round 7: (k2togtbl, k2, place thrum, k3, place thrum) x 8 (64 stitches)

Round 9: (k2togtbl, k6) x 8 (56 stitches)

Round 11: (k2togtbl, k2, place thrum, k2) x 8 (48 stitches)

Round 13: (k2togtbl, k4) x 8 (40 stitches)

Round 15: (k2togtbl, k2, place thrum) x 8 (32 stitches)

Round 17: (k2togtbl, k2) x 8 (24 stitches)

Round 19: (k2togtbl, place thrum) x 8 (16 stitches)

Round 21: k2togtbl x 8 (8 stitches)

Thread tail through remaining 8 stitches and pull tight, leaving tail on the outside. Check that your cast on tail is on the knit side of the hat.

Fold hat at purl round, putting lining up into hat and matching the cast on point with the bind off point.

Using a tapestry needle and bind off tail, sew the top of the hat to the top of the lining. Tie end of bind off tail to cast on tail, weave in ends.

If desired, tack the lining to the outside closer to the turning round.


Thrums:

Thrums are thin pieces of roving (unspun wool) about 2 -3 inches long and about the width of a pencil. They provide extra warmth and insulation.

To place thrums, fold a thrum in half and loop around needle in place of working yarn. In the next round, knit thrum, pulling ends down if needed.

© 2010 by rosegil

This pattern is for your personal use. Please do not use it for mass production. If you have any questions, please contact me via Ravelry.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

10 Things I Have Learned

While getting ready for Christmas this year.

  1. Anise Oil crystalizes at 59 Fahrenheit
  2. Rose Water has a very interesting flavor
  3. French vanilla pudding, while very tasty, is not the best choice for a peppermint pie
  4. A can of pie filling will work well to crush candy canes
  5. The Bookery is an excellent place to do Christmas shopping
  6. It is much better from a sanity point of view to pick things up throughout the year
  7. Things would be much less stressful when one sticks with the original gift idea
  8. I really do need to improve my aim with a dart gun
  9. December isn't the best time for holiday concerts
  10. There is knitting wrapping paper

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Es Schneit!

Really!

I went to get the mail at lunchtime yesturday (Saturday) and it was flurrying.  It didn't amount to anything and it didn't last long, but it was definately snow.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Oh crap

I think I'll be short on beads.

I'm finally at a point where it is more feasible to count the beads for the Chambered Nautilus (Ravelry).  I don't think I'm going to have enough to finish the shell.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Uh Oh

All pattern links are to Ravelry.

Somehow, 4 shawls got started in the last week. 

Percy Shawl, in sock yarn

2 Crow Prints Shawls, 1 lace, 1 fingering

Chambered Nautilus, lace weight yarn with size 8 beads.  There's 6 feet of beads that I prestrung.

This is in addition to:

Liquor Makes You Sicker tsocks 

2 plain vanilla pairs of socks, on 2nd sock for both

Rhinebeck Black Hole

Fylingdales


I think I have project ADD.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Mom is Mean

Mom is mean.  She put us in boxes and in the car. 

She took us into the building with the yucky smells where there are DOGS!

She let the even meaner lady stick the thing in ears.  The even meaner lady hurt our tummies by pressing HARD on them.  We told her to LET US GO, but she didn't listen.  She then stuck a sharp thing in us!

Mom says that we will get even less food b/c the meaner lady said Gil was too heavy.  Gil is not a big puddy, he is a little puddy.  Grandma said so.

Grandma gave us a treat when mom FINALLY took us home.

fiends close up
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Rhinebeck!

The third weekend in October is the New York Sheep & Wool festival, aka, Rhinebeck

Mortal and I went up again.  Mother abandoned us for a breast cancer walk.

The weather was nicer than last year. No snow :)


I did not finish the black hole in time. I am aproximately 11 inches up the body. I haven't even switched to the plain stockinette yet. This is not boding well. I did 4 rows in the car, but that was it.

Let the record show that I did volunteer to drive and I even asked Mortal at numerous times if she wanted me to drive. She said no. I wonder if this had anything to do with the minor incident that occured last year.... I needed to slow to a gradual stop, so I took my right foot off of the gas and went to put my left foot on the clutch and my right foot on the brake. Except, there was no clutch and both feet came down on the brake. This wouldn't be a problem if her car had the correct number of pedals.

Our first stop was to ooh and ahh at the judged items.  There was a beautiful beaded Evenstar there.  The grand champion item was this gorgeous shawl.  I also saw these really cute felted mice.

I had to remind Mortal that the hotel did not allow pets.

This is the fiber haul.  I also got a skein of laceweight, 2 skeins of sock yarn and three tsocks.


Right before we left, the fiber for the Monster Mash SAL came.  Meet Nessie, two coordinating batts.  They will be a shawl, eventually.

The day before Rhinebeck, this lovely laceweight came.  1400 yards of blue with a little bit of green here and there.  Colorway, Poseidon.  Destined to become the Chambered Nautilus shawl.


Now, does anyone know how to alter the space time continum so that I can get the two sweater WIP's done, Nessie spun, Absinthe tsocks finished, milk bag designed and finished, HAED finished, beads for Nautilus and Evenstar strung and the shawls knitted, the Embers and GwtW shawls done, and the poleworth for October Frost spun?

Monday, October 18, 2010

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Stacked Rib Socks


Gauge:  8 stitches to the inch in stockinette
Needles:  2.25 mm, US 1
Yarn:  50% superwash merino, 50% tencel, 380 yards of fingering weight.  Sample socks used aprox 320 yards.
Size:  Women's medium
Rib Pattern:  Rounds 1 thru 8 - (K2, P2), repeat to end of instep/round.
Rounds 9 thru 16 - (P2, K2), repeat to end of instep/round

Directions:  Using Turkish or Figure 8 cast on, cast on 32 stitches, 16 on each needle.  Knit 1 round plain.  Place marker indicating start of round.  The first 16 stitches are the instep stitches, the second 16 are the sole stitches.
Round 1:  (K1, Right leaning increase, knit 14, left leaning increase, K1), repeat for sole stitches.
Round 2:  Knit
Round 3:  Instep:  K1, Right leaning increase, knit to 1 stitch before end of instep, left leaning increase, K1.
                Sole:  K1, Right leaning increase, knit to 1 stitch before end of sole, left leaning increase, K1.
Directions for increasing can be found on Knitty, here.

Repeat rounds 2 and 3 until there are 60 stitches total, 30 instep and 30 sole.  To make socks larger, continue repeating rounds 2 & 3 until desired size is reached. 

Work 8 rounds plain.

Begin Rib Pattern on Instep stitches only. 

Continue in pattern until sock is approximately  1 1/2 inches short of desired length (a little past the ankle bone when tried on.)

If you wish to add extra ease stitches for the heel, add them to the sole stitches.

Work across instep stitches in pattern, then work short row heel on Sole stitches only. 
Row 1:  Knit 29 (or until 1 sole stitch remains), wrap the last stich and turn.  (Bring the yarn to the front between the stitch just worked and the next stitch, slip the next stitch from the left needle to the right needle, turn work around).
Row 2:  Slip first stitch as if to purl, purl 28 (or until 1 sole stitch remains unworked), wrap the last stitch and turn. (Move the yarn to the back betwen the stitch just worked and the next stitch, slip the next stitch from the left needle to the right needle, turn work around).
Row 3:  Slip first stitch, Knit to 1 stitch before wrapped stitch, wrap as in row 1 and turn.
Row 4:  Slip first stitch, Purl to 1 stitch before wrapped stitch, wrap as in row 2 and turn.
Repeat rows 3 & 4 until 10 stitches remain unwrapped. 

Next Row:  Slip first stitch, Knit to first wrapped stitch, knit that stitch, wrap next stitch as in row 1 and turn.
Next Row:  Slip first stitch, purl to first wrapped stitch, purl that stitch, wrap next stitch as in row 2 and turn.
Repeat these last two rows until only 1 double wrapped stitch stitch remains. 
Repeat Knit row only. 

I do not knit my wraps as I like the effect, so the directions do not include this step.
Resume knitting in the round
Work in pattern across 30 stitches.  Begin pattern on next 30 stitches on round 1 or 9 of rib pattern.
If extra ease stitches were added, decrease them away in the first 2 to 3 rounds.

Continue working in pattern until sock is desired length, ending with round 8 or 16. 

Work a Yarn Over bind off as follows:

Knit first stitch, (YO, K1, pass first stitch and YO over the last stitch worked), repeat until no stitches remain.
Weave in ends.

Copyright 2010 by rosegil.  Please use this pattern for your personal use and not for mass production.

Yarn used was handspun fiber from Fiber Optic in colorway "Honeysuckle Rose", 2 plies.



Sunday, September 5, 2010

Schrodinger's Cat

may or may not be dead.

Gil thinks that his cat should have been more sensible and just smooshed in the top of the box. 

The Quantom Paratsox are done!  However, my feet have insufficient length to put a box on the foot.  If I had, the end of the box would have been at the toe.  The boxes were illusion knit in the round, with a technique that the Tsarina call "festive illusion".  Festive illusion is a method that does not involve weaving floats the entire way around.  I did 4 boxes, 2 on each tsock, 1 question mark and 1 cat per tsock


The Tsocks

A box

And the question is...

With a cat -- alive or dead?

Is the cat alive or dead?  Depends on how you look at it! 
But, everyone knows that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Fiber to garment

I finally finished the Brattleboro Hat (ravelry) and the Maine Morning Mitts (ravelry).  The pink yarn is 2 plys of the pink, 1 ply of the white and 1 ply of glow in the dark sewing thread.  I also held a second strand of the sewing thread with the yarn as I knit.  The plain white fiber I had gotten at Mannings.  The yarn is Navajo plied.

The camera was being VERY uncooperative, and wouldn't take a picture in the dark when the yarn was glowing, but trust me, it glows.

The Hat
The Pink Fiber
The Pink Yarn
The Mitts

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

This is NOT good

Knit Picks now has spinning fiber.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Weird, or is it Wierd?

I can never remember. Whichever it is, that's what this past weekend was.

At 3:56pm on Friday, I got a call from someone whose calls normally involve major thought. This one didn't. He was just calling to say that he appreciates what we do.

On Friday and Saturday, there were tickets in the bin for people who had the same names as people I work with.

Saturday evening, a guest asked me if I was a Girl Scout Leader because she'd seen me at Indian Echo Caverns that day.

On Sunday, someone at church said (to me) that "you girls are just growing so much". OOOKKKAAAY. Someone's hamster isn't doing well.

And, finally, the girl at Panera's had my order in the computer before I was even to the counter. Either I go there to often, or I need to change what I get.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Nightmare!

I finished the Nightmare Socks!!

They are the May Tsocks. More info on the pattern is available here.
I did 4 rounds between the gold lines on the cuff. I was trying the socks on as I went, and when I had done two repeats of the clock pattern, I felt that a third repeat would make them too long. (This ended up being incorrect, but I'm not frogging.) Another consideration was the fact that I need to make very long heel flaps.

My heel flaps still ended up a little short, mainly because I completely forgot how knitting shrinks vertically when I put the socks on -- this also played into the length of the leg.

Anyhoo, the socks are done. The bicycles are done. The clocks are done. The clocks are not great nor are they symetrical, but they are done. These tsocks are even safe from Mother. She said she didn't want them and that my bicycles did not have enough of a frame.

I didn't do any french knots because french knots and I have NEVER EVER EVER gotten along.


Now it's on to the evil mobius tsocks. mwahahah. Mother wants them, in a different color.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

According to...

the online Sorting Hat, I am in....



Get Sorted By The Hogwarts Sorting Hat!

What about you?

Monday, July 26, 2010

Phat Fiber!

The computer cooperated this month and I managed to get a Phat Fiber fluff box.

Here's a pic of the whole box.

And here are close ups. I couldn't spread everything out, I had already had fiend issues when I was looking at the box when I first got it, so I didn't want them to stick their noses in.
I did take a close up (or try to) of the stitch markers and buttons. I love the little sea horse one! It looks like a good size for socks.


Now to figure out what weight to spin and what to make from the finished. I'm also trying to figure out a way to work some full size fluffiness into my budget.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

What have YOU been doing?

Me? I've been working on stringy things -- as usual!

I completed the mitts for S, using the Maine Morning Mitts pattern from The Knitter's Book of Yarn. I have some yarn left, so I'm going to make a hat also. I don't have enough of the pink, so I'll combine it with some white.


The May sock club shipment included a pattern that went from Baby Bootie to Adult. I did the booty size in some left over yarn. I think I'll be making a few more pairs....
I go some new fluffy stuff from Dragonfly Fibers on Etsy. It is 65% merino and 35% silk. I think it has a loverly sheen to it. I'm currently working on spinning it up. I divided it roughly in half and then divided each half into 16ths. Half of it has been spun into a fingering weight -- my first Navajo ply!

I went down to see Mortal on the 4th, she modeled the fishie socks for me. Then, she had the audacity to be annoyed that she couldn't keep them. She could have gotten them then, if she had bought me another skein of yarn from Holiday Yarns. She didn't want to, so they are a Christmas present.
I've been working on my HAED. I took a break to play with the merino/silk fluffiness. The closeup shot isn't that great.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Here Fishie Fishie.....

The Fishie Socks are done!

The double decreases along the top of the shell pattern made them to tight for me, but they did fit Mortal, so they'll be a Christmas present for her.

I did give her the option of having them now -- if she gave me replacement yarn. She didn't go for that.


I also spun up some milk fiber I got on etsy from knittyandcolor
It was interesting to spin. It tended to break more easily. I ended up with 94 yards of light fingering.






Tuesday, June 15, 2010

This and that, again

The HAED progresses. Page 1 is basically done and progress has been made on page 2. Total number of chart pages? 36

I fixed the Cloning Anemone socks (ravelry) that my father put a hole in. That'll be his Father's Day gift. That took a while.

The shawl for the cancer benefit is blocking at this time. I should have the ends woven in by the weekend.

I made some truffles last week and I need to make some more.

Camp is this week. I am not looking forward to it.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

This & That

I cannot believe it is June already. Is anyone else having that problem?


Update from May:
  1. I got 2 of the fibers from MDSW spun and plied. I even set twist! They're drying in the bathroom now. Haven't figured out what to make with them, but that will come.
  2. I did 2 squares for a baby blanket, crocheted no less.
  3. The Daisies were in the Memorial Day parade. There were no major calamities. The horse in front of us had a bag.
  4. I got the fabric partially gridded for the HAED, and started. This is going to take a while.
  5. I finished 1 fishie tsock and sent down with the 'rents for Mortal to try on.
  6. The bumblebee socks have been finished and gifted to Mother. Note to self, need to get a picture.
  7. I decided on a pattern and yarn to make a shawlette for the cancer benefit in July.
  8. I got internet from the cable company and the computer was acting weird, so Tiger has it now.
  9. There was a spider and web inside my computer.
  10. I fixed the glitch in the center of my fountain pen shawl. It turned out really large.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

MDS&W

The Maryland Sheep & Wool festival was this past weekend. Of course I went.

I did manage to finish knitting the Fountain Pen Shawl before the festival. I blocked it on Friday evening and left it home on Saturday. I left it at home because it was just to hot. It was in the upper 80's, it may have even reached 90 (32 Celsius).

We didn't stay as long as we probably would have if it had been a cooler. We also didn't visit all the vendors. It was just to hot.

Here's the new items!

MD haul


The 4 bags of green in the back will be a sweater, eventually. I found the lace weight I was looking for. Would you believe that's the only yarn I bought? I bought absolutely no sock yarn.


I have no definate plans for any of the other fiber I got. It is not stash. It is fiber. The government says we need more fiber. Therefore, this was necessary!


I did get 2oz of really hot pink fiber for spinning and I've already spun it.

Hot Pink

It's also already been plied -- I plied it with some white and some glow-in-the-dark thread. It will be something for S. She needs to let me know what she would like though!


Because of MDS&W, I missed the final brunch for the Guardian Angel program at church. I did finish both items in time and gave them to someone else to take.
This is the Angel Lace shawl closeup. It went to the lady who had my name.
The lady I had loves Halloween. I've been giving her various Halloween items throughout the year and for the final gift, I made the October is for Spinners scarf.
spider 8