Hats Off

Well, I didn't do crap this weekend. :oP I had a lot of fun but I didn't get much packing or cleaning done at all. I did the bathroom (sort of - the bathtub still needs scrubbing but I did clean out & pack the stuff from my drawers and cabinets, and I cleaned off the counter and sink).

However, I did get a lot done on this hat, which I decided to make with the Manos del Uraguay cotton that I had bought. I'm knitting the large size since I was too lazy to knit a swatch and check the guage. Also, because I would have had to buy needles to knit the swatch with, and then a larger set of needles if I needed to switch up, which I didn't feel like paying out for. So, I just started on the large size, hoping for the best. I haven't decided what I am going to do with the finished project anyway so we'll see how it turns out. I may keep it, or I may give it to RJ. The colors I'm using have a strong mental association to her in my brain and as she is moving to NC she will need something to keep off the sun.

Knitting in the round has proven to not be terribly difficult at all. The decreases were also easy, except for the counting part, which I always have trouble with. A few stitch markers made that part easier.

Anyway, I did great and even added a pretty stripe of light blue onto my green hat (I think of it as Laura Ashley green) - and then I got to the part where I was supposed to switch to using two circular needles, and the whole experience kinda went straight to hell. :oP I think I have gotten the hang of it now, but I made some mistakes in the process, and I am not sure how the end product is going to look. It was a little disheartening because the project had been going so well. One of the reasons I chose this pattern was to give me a chance to practice some of the techniques I will need on my gloves when I start them, so I began the project without many expectations, but I got attached to it as I worked so it was kind of depressing to think it might all be ruined in the home stretch. :oP

C'est la vie, I suppose - no sense pouting until it's done, since it's hard to tell at the moment whether I was able to successfully fix my problems or not. Anyway, if I put my mind to it I should be able to finish tonight, or tomorrow at the latest.

Oh no, when I went to knitty to get the link for the double-circular technique I saw their sponsor ad for The Impressionist Collection and just about died. SO PRETTY. The one that they had on the ad that actually caught my eye was the beaded silk in Les Fleurs. WANT. But so expensive!!! That's over $3 per yard!! And what on earth would I do with it? I like the Snowscapes one too...AGH.

::covets anyway:: I'll just have to make a note and keep it in mind for a gift for my mom or grandmom or something like that. Something very special.
I have no idea what beaded silk would be good for but it is just so purty.

ANYWAY, I really wanted to do this project this weekend but Michaels does not carry needles of the size that I needed, so I ended up going to Capital Yarns - and they had the right size, but only in the Addi Turbo needles, which are a) expensive b) metal. However, I have seen these needles touted in several places as wonderful, so I decided to go ahead and try them.

I don't know whether they are really and truly faster than other needles, but I do think I prefer my bamboo. The metal ones are (shockingly) hard, and also pointer than my bamboo needles. This is a problem for me because somehow in my own bizarre way, I have developed this style of knitting in which I frequently push on the points of the needles to slide the needle down rather than sliding the stitches up. My left thumb and right forefinger are the ones I use the most freqently for this; the former handled it okay but the latter, not so much. I tried to simply stop doing things that way, but it has already kind of become habit and it didn't work so well. So my right forefinger is feeling very abused this morning, especially since I sliced it rather messily while opening an envelope after I got home last night.

The ability to actually finish a project in a reasonable amount of time has endeared knitting to me forever, and I think I can reasonably say that this is not just a phase. I lurv to knit. ^_^ I will probably go in spurts on it just like I do on my other crafts, but I don't think I will be giving it up any time soon.

When I lamented not having a cat to knit toys for, I did not consider how many people I knew that have cats. I now have catnip and cotton balls (to use for stuffing) in the house and I think I will knit until I have a whole basket of feline dim sum. Then I will take the basket to D&D (reserving a couple for L's cats and RJ's kitty) and send everybody home with some cat toys. I'm a little worried about the cats ripping them open and eating the cotton balls, but I will knit them as tightly as I can and tell everyone not to leave the cats with them unsupervised. I don't think I could live with myself if a poor kitty choked on a toy I knitted for it. :oP