A winter hat in July

It is no secret that I'm a big fan of Ysolda's work. One might even consider me a groupie. I think her patterns are ingenious and that her style is unique and always fresh. Like most, I have been eying up several of her new patterns and dreaming up when and how I'm going to make everything with only two hands. Fast forward to last weekend. While my fabulous roommate was overseas in Scotland this summer, she brought a little something back home with her. Realistically, I don't think it would have been possible for her to have picked a more perfect souvenir to gift--it's obvious she knows me far too well.

What did I receive you ask? I'll give you a few hints: It came complete with a booklet copy of the pattern, the yarn suggested (in my favorite color), and a nifty tote bag-- all purchased from K1 Yarns in Edinburgh...

Oh enough of this suspense! Meet my latest fling:Pattern: Rose Red
Designer: Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Orkney Angora St Magnus D.K. in Aqua
Needles: US #7 & US #3 Addi Turbos
Time to Knit: July 20-July 25th
Level of Love: wishing I could wear hats at work.I really love this hat--in fact, I'm going to go ahead and say with confidence that this is my favorite hat yet (And just for the record, that's quite a few hats!). This pattern has just enough variety to keep it interesting, but was simple enough to knit with a movie going in the background. The chart made it incredibly easy to follow, and it was fun watching the pattern grow as it got bigger.
As for modifications, I really only made two: I decided not to add the the i-cord section on the top center, and I went down to US 2's for a simple 2x2 rib for the brim. Again, I'm incredibly pleased with how this turned out.

In other news, apparently I'm not allergic to angora as I had previously thought! Though I was hesitant about it at first, this yarn was incredibly great choice for this pattern-- it really gave the hat a softer look, and I'm glad I no longer have to avoid the fiber like the plague.

So yes, It's official-- I mark this hat mission a success.

When Life Hands you Lace...

You hand it a mindless stockinette project. Though admittedly I'm still basking in the glorious afterglow of the Shetland Triangle, I needed a project to clear my head. You know, to wipe the slate clean and start it fresh with something else. More importantly, to start it fresh with something easy.

Enter the hat: A straight, 90 st stockinette beanie style man-hat with stripes just to keep it interesting. I'm not joking when I say that this hat is a project that you'll blink and miss--it's that good (and that fast!).This project satisfied my urge to knit something useful and mindless--a perfect combination in my opinion. As for the recipient, he's a great guy who just happened to be at the right place at the right time. Just as he was mentioning his need for a new hat, my fingers were itching to start one. A few episodes of Daria later, a new hat was born. In a nutshell, this project gave me the mindless break I needed...and it also gave me an excuse to use my personalized tags--yeah!

So in conclusion, I urge you to go out, cast on, and knit something obscenely simple--you'll probably be happy you did!

Sneaky.

So we're just going to go ahead and not acknowledge that I've fallen off the face of the earth for the past month. Step one in pretending it never happened? Introducing yet another surprise project!

Yeah, I have a PhD. in Sneakiness.Yup, that's a Shetland Triangle you see!
Yarn: a little less than 1 skein of Malabrigo Lace. Yummm.
Needles: 47" US 8 Addi Turbos
Time to knit: June 26-July 19
Level of love: Off. the. charts.

Today was the day of my fantastic roommate's bridal shower and afterwards I was able to snap a few pictures of her wearing her new item. Seeing as Jamie's the one who got me re-interested in knitting (hear hear!), making a special project for her was the least I could do. I had purchased the yarn on a whim during a trip home; when I brought it back with me, I specifically remember Jamie handling [lusting after] it quite a bit. Little did she know that she'd get it a few months later.
In other news, I love the pattern. No really, I love the pattern. I absolutely will be making this again. The only thing that didn't work like clockwork was my first attempt on the bind off (waaay too tight). 2nd time around, I ended up going up to size 15's to make sure it was loose enough to make those characteristic points. As for modifications, I only did one extra repeat than the pattern called for, but it stretched to a decent (and wearable) size due to the size 8's. Oh, and as if this a shock, the Malabrigo was heaven to work with.

So there you have it! What's yet to come? Perhaps another hat (shocking?), a fun filled trip to an Alpaca farm, and finally learning to spin? Ohhhh the possibilities!