Hat Trick Hat #3: A Hat To Match My Mittens

Goal #3... hat trick completed!



Pattern: A Patterned Watch Cap to Match Your Mittens by Robin Hansen

Size: I measured my head and got 21.5 inches, which is between the Adult M and L sizes. It says in the instructions that you need to use the stitch count given as a guide - you need to add or subtract the least amount of stitches from the suggested number. Because my head size was between sizes, I am using 126, because it is between 120 (M) and 132 (L).

Needles: KnitPicks Harmony nickel plated interchangeable, size US 6 / 4.0 mm, 16" cable

Details: I’ve been wanting to make a traditional patterned hat from this book to match my trigger mitts, and I love the non-traditional look that can be achieved with this one! I did 4” of ribbing and just over 5” of the same diamond pattern used in my mittens (5 blocks high). Despite the fact that my gauge is perfect, this hat is HUGE. So huge I may frog and re-knit it.

Hat Trick Hat #2: Wood Hollow Hat

Goal #2 of this year's hat trick:



Pattern: Wood Hollow Hat by Kirsten Kapur (purchased as a .pdf file on Ravelry.)

Size: O/S

Yarn: KnitPicks Swish Worsted superwash wool in Lawn.

Needles: KnitPicks Harmony nickel plated interchangeable, size US 8 / 5.0 mm

Details: I can’t believe I finally found a pattern for this yarn. I’m amazed. I bought it specifically for a matching hat/mitt set. I followed the pattern exactly, except the needle size. That said, it did come out a little bigger than I expected. I think it looks kind of cute with a bit of slouch, though! :)

Hat Trick Hat #1: My Cabled Beret!

The folks in one of my Ravelry groups, the lovely ladies and gentlemen of Puck This!, have been spending the month of January participating in a "Hat Trick" KAL (knit along). Essentially, it is a challenge to net three goals (i.e. knit/crochet three hats) in the month of January. This is my first:



The photo isn't the best, as it was taken with my webcam. I'll upload a better one soon.

Pattern: Star Crossed Slouchy Beret by Natalie Larson (purchased as a .pdf file on Ravelry.)

Size: O/S

Yarn: Briggs & Little Heritage wool in Royal Blue

Needles: KnitPicks Harmony interchangeable nickel plated needles in US 10 / 6.0 mm for the ribbing, and US 11 / 8.0 mm for the body of the hat.

Details: I followed this pattern exactly as set. It knit up so quickly and was just the right combination of easy and interesting. I love how it turned out - I’ll definitely be making another! I was able to finish this hat in two days at a friend's cabin.

Heavy Socks

Remember the socks from this post that were supposed to be for Dad? Well, I finished them... for me! And they are awesome:



Pattern: #101 Heavy Socks by Briggs & Little

Size: I tried to make a man's size 12. I instead ended up with a woman's size 8. Live and learn.

Yarn: Briggs & Little Tuffy in Ecru, Oatmeal and Red Mix (sock monkey colours!)

Needles: One US 2 / 2.75 mm 40" Addi Turbo circular

Details: I modified this pattern in an attempt to knit two socks at once on one circular needle. I used 2-at-time Socks by Melissa Morgan Oates as a reference for learning this technique. Although I like the concept of finishing both socks at the same time, I found it to be more trouble than it was worth, especially where the socks themselves were so heavy. I didn't like how much needle/cable adjustment was required. It ended up being quite time consuming. That said, the socks turned out great, and are very warm and cozy.

- CO 54 stitches for each sock onto a 2.75mm x 40” circular needle (I am a tight knitter and I swear this needle gave me the correct gauge) using the long-tail method
- Rib for 8 3/4” = 74 rows (pattern calls for 11” but any longer and I wouldn’t have gotten it up over my own calf, and these were originally supposed to be for Dad).
- Heel flap is 3”

Girly Trigger Mitts

After slaving away on stranded mittens for my Dad and brothers for Christmas, I decided I deserved a pair. I cast these on on Christmas Day, when I was full of turkey and hanging around with the family after dinner. I finished them on New Year's Eve.

Pattern: Mrs. Martin's Finger Mitts by Harriet Pardy Martin, from Favorite Mittens by Robin Hansen.

Size: I used the stitch counts for the biggest child size, and the measurements for the women's sizes.

Yarn: Briggs & Little Tuffy, in Oxford and Rosewood.

Needles: US 4 / 3.5 mm Clover Bamboo dpns.

Details: I LOVE these mittens, they are so warm and cozy. I have also gotten a lot of compliments on them. I love the look of the traditional pattern combined with the non-traditional "girly" pink/gray colour scheme. As with all the "finger mitts" I've done, the cuffs are nice and long, perfect for tucking into jacket sleeves.

Christmas gifts... revealed!

This is WAY overdue... but here goes!

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Buddy Bags for Lily and Gus

Pattern: Buddy Bags by annypurls

Description: I fell in love with these the moment I saw them. I knew I'd knit them for the kids at some point, and Christmas seemed like a good enough occasion! I didn't stick to the colour choices exactly, but besides I that I kept very close to the pattern (which is great - very well-written and easy to understand).

Materials: 1 skein of Bernat Satin Solids in each of Flamingo and Maitai for Lily's bag, and in each of Saphire and Lapis for Gus's. I used up some remnants for the embellishments.

Lily's Buddy Bag:


Gus's Buddy Bag:

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Christmas Ornaments for the Penney/Healy Family

Pattern: Sweater Ornament from the KnitPicks Tidings of Joy Holiday Ornaments Pattern by Nina Isaacson.

Description: I ordered this pattern when it was available as a kit, before Christmas. I made hangers for the little sweaters out of beading wire.

Materials: KnitPicks Palette in Cream, Ivy, Pimento, Clematis Heather, Blue and Camel Heather (eight colours came with the kit, these are the ones I used for these four ornaments).

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Trigger Mitts for Jeff

Pattern: Mrs. Martin's Finger Mitts by Harriet Pardy Martin from Favorite Mittens by Robin Hansen.

Description: When I asked my brother Jeff what he wanted me to knit him for Christmas, his answer was "trigger mitts like Nan used to knit". Easier said than done. Traditional Newfoundland patterns are hard to find in written form. Luckily, with the help of my Wednesday night knitting group, I was able to track down Robin Hansen's book, which is a collection of traditional patterns from the east coast of North America. It is quite the find and I LOVE how the mittens turned out! Robin gives not only the patterns, but the history behind them, as well as tips on how to master the double-knitting techniques used in the book.

Size: The only issue I had with this pattern was the sizing. I ended up using the stitch counts for the women's mitts and the measurements for the men's mitts to get the right size.

Materials: I didn't know if I could trust Jeff not to throw these in the washer/dryer, so I knit them with Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in Navy and White. This is one of the nicer acrylics I've worked with. It's must softer than Red Heart!

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Trigger Mitts for Dad

Pattern: Mrs. Martin's Finger Mitts by Harriet Pardy Martin from Favorite Mittens by Robin Hansen.

Description: Save as above.

Size: Again, I ended up using the stitch counts for the women's mitts and the measurements for the men's mitts to get the right size.

Materials: I used wool for Dad's mitts, and I must say that the pattern really "should" be done in wool - the mittens look and feel fabulous. I used Briggs & Little Heritage in Bleached White (love the colour, hate the name... ew!) and Khaki.

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Fingerless Mitts for Adam

Pattern: A modified version of Mrs. Martin's Finger Mitts by Harriet Pardy Martin from Favorite Mittens by Robin Hansen.

Description: Save as above except I modified the pattern to have cut-off fingers. Each finger consisted of 7 stitches from the front and 7 stitches from the back of the mitt (i.e. one pattern block and the stitches behind it). I then cast-on/picked up extra stitches between these and ended up with the following stitch counts: – Pointer: 17 (8 rows in pattern, one row dark brown, cast-off) – Middle: 19 (8 rows in pattern, one row dark brown, cast-off) – Ring: 19 (8 rows in pattern, one row dark brown, cast-off) – Pinky: 17 (5 rows in pattern, one row dark brown, cast-off) – Thumb: 19 (6 rows in pattern, one row dark brown, cast-off)

Size: I used the stitch counts for the women's mitts and the measurements for the men's mitts to get the right size.

Materials: Like with Jeff, I didn't trust Adam to care for wool properly. I used Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Espresso (LOVE this colour) and Red Heart Super Saver in Buff.

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Now... it's time to knit something for ME!

Happy Birthday, Gus!

My nephew Augustus celebrated his first birthday on the 15th of November. I knit him this cute vest as a gift:



I was very worried about the sizing. After lots of consideration, I first cast-on the "2 years" size. A few inches in, I showed it to Mark's mom said she thought it looked too big. So I frogged it and cast-on the "12-18 months size" (I mean, he *is* 12 months old, after all). I had the whole back panel done and I was really happy with the size, but then showed it to Nan Penney, who thought it looked too small.

I had a mini panic attack, but I was not frogging it again.

Luckily, it fits him with room to spare. He should get a lot of wear out of it. And he looks pretty darn adorable in it, if I do say so myself:



Project Details

Pattern: Keene Toddler Vest

Yarn: Patons Decor in Rich Grey Heather 87673 (MC) and Rich Country Blue 87622 (CC). I chose this yarn so the vest would be machine washable.

Needles: Addi 40" circulars, sizes US 6 (4.0 mm) and US 9 (5.5 mm)

Notes:

• I made the body of the vest a little longer than instructed in the pattern because others on Ravelry had commented that it knit up a little short.
• I knit fewer rows of ribbing for the arm and neck bands because the ribbing looked too "long" to me in the pattern photo.
• I seamed the shoulders using the 3 needle bind-off as suggested in the pattern, and mattress-stitched the sides.