Fidra - The Perfect Winter Hat

Want a quick satisfying knit? Gudrun Johnston's Fidra hat is just the thing. I've been dying to make it ever since its release last December, but never got around to casting on. I found a skein of Berocco Ultra Alpaca Chunky in my stash that was just the thing for this hat. It came together in only 3 evenings. I picture this hat coming with me on walks through a snowy landscape, then slowly defrosting by a fireplace in a cozy cabin. Of course, I don't actually have time for a walk these days, I don't have access to a cabin and we don't even have a fireplace. The snow however, we've currently got plenty of.

Renfrew

I hope you don't think that all I did on vacation was gorge on sweets and relax? Well, ok, you got me, I did, but I also did some knitting. When packing for our vacation, I purpusley left any hats at home and took yarn with me instead, to knit myself one. I had been eyeing the Renfrew pattern by Jane Richmond for a while, and decided this would be my next pattern to knit. I used O-Wool Balance, which was originally meant for another project, but was re-purposed last minute.

It was such a quick and satisfying knit. 

Do your knits have a story? Most of mine are associated with a story, an event, a location. The blanket I knitted while my baby was in the NICU, the scarf I knitted during my first KAL, the beach bag I knitted on the beach (where else?), the summer top that required hours of untangling linen yarn.

For me, this hat will always evoke images of a drive through the Alps. We were fortunate enough to be able to spend a week in a chalet, in a ski resort called Bad Kleinkirchheim. It was a three hour drive from our place in Vienna, and I spent it chatting with my cousin, a wonderful, uninterrupted talk we hadn't had in years. The babies were sleeping, and we chatted away while I knitted my Renfrew. It was fantastic, quality girl-time. And what better backdrop for photographing a knit then hiking trails in the Alps?

Ravelry notes here

Christmas is around the corner

Want to hear something scary? There are only 6 weeks left till Christmas! I know! It's almost here! Have you started knitting up your Christmas gifts yet? What's on your list?
I am hoping for a stress-free experience this year (HA! I know...), so I've made my choices, ordered yarn, and started.

My first choice? Foxy and Wolfie. The two girls I am knitting this for will look adorable in this hat. They certainly have the right personality to wear something like this.

Next on the list is a little lady that deserves something elegant yet playful, You have to agree that Ropes n Pearls qualifies. 

And last but not least a baby bonnet, for a brand new baby that I cannot wait to meet! 

All in all not a lot of things to make and easily accomplished in 6 weeks, were it not for a barely sleeping baby, homework, and other projects I have committed to!
Wish me luck...I can do it, right?

via Instagram

A Piece of the Past

Whether you are a knitter or not, I am sure that your childhood wardrobe contained at least a few hand-knitted items. I remember some of mine... there were a few sweaters, booties, a dress, but most vividly I remember a hat. 

A white hat that tied under the chin and had a little flower embroidered on the front. We all wore it, my sister, my cousin and I. It figures quite prominently in my childhood photos.

So when my sister asked if I would knit some winter hats for my nieces, I immediately thought of this piece. I set to find a pattern that resembles it. There are a few similar ones, but the one I liked the most was the "Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap". 

It is such a quick and simple knit, you can whip it up in no time! What I like most about it, is the fact that you can tie it, which is practical when your toddler's deft little fingers always find a way to pull off hats. 

Do you have knits that are modelled on childhood ones? Any favourite patterns you'd like to tell me about?

Ravelry details here

Happiness is...

sometimes... 
a cup of steaming coffee...
or a delicious piece of chocolate...
the smell of the air after a fresh summer rain...
or sunlight streaming in the windows...
today, happiness is a pile of lovingly hand-knit items...

I guess I am in spring cleaning mode, I have been going through our closets, sorting, evaluating, making piles. I feel a little invigorated by the warmer temperatures, I am back to making lists and plans.

In the process, I pulled out all of my hand-knits to, honestly, simply admire them. They make me happy. Is that funny? I guess it is, but knowing how much time and work has gone to making them, they feel like quite the accomplishment. It is rare that your accomplishments are this tangible.

The hat on top is for a friend, she asked me to make her, she was looking for a slouchy type hat, and after looking through countless options on Ravelry she chose Norie , another lovely pattern by Gudrun Johnston. I used Malabrigo Rastita in black. It is a very easy knit, a very straightforward pattern, and the hat looks adorable!

Anyone else feeling the spring-cleaning bug? Or at least a little less like hibernating? Tell me about your own projects.

More of the same please

You may have noticed that I decided to skip the customary retrospective this year. 

Why? 

Because 2012 was in all honesty a great year, and I want 2013 to be more of the same. A lot of things have fallen into place and I do not want this phase to be over. There was a rather lengthy period of, well, let's say trials, and 2012 finally brought an end to all that, so of course it is hard to let go. Sometimes, new beginnings are not what one wishes for, but just simply more of the same. Do you ever feel like that? That you have finally arrived at a place where things are good, plans have worked out and looking into the future fills you with hope and positivity? I don't want to let that go, that is perfectly understandable, no?

One thing I do wish for, is that I have a bit more time for my blogging and crafty side. I was not able to update the blog as regularly, but I am certainly hoping to get back into my old rhythm of posting at least once a week. I am also hoping to be able to explore new aspects of my creativity.

What about resolutions? None of those for me thank you. I will stick with goals. I want to perfect my sewing, learn how to do something new (I am dying to dye my own yarn), and improve my photography skills. Of course the list is endless, but I will start with these.
 
I am finally getting around to posting pictures of a couple of the Christmas gifts I knitted.  I had promised my mother-in-law a hat for a long time now, and I decided on the QL Slouch, which I knitted in some leftover Classic Elite yarn from my Effortless. I am really pleased with how it turned out, and she was really happy to see it. It suits her really well, and it was a surprise which makes it an even better gift!

My sister has been admiring my Herringbone Cowl for a year now, so I managed to whip up another one using Bulky Valley Yarns. It's one of my favorite colors, and it looks great on her. 

I love warm, cozy winter knits!

I'm late, I'm late

In February my sister asked me to make a hat for my niece, something light, for spring.  With the help of Ravelry, we chose “Swirl hat” by Sheepy time knits. It’s a playful looking pattern.

We’re now almost in June, and the hat is finished. I realize this is rather late, but I prefer looking at it as being prepared for fall, and not as being incredibly late for spring!

This little project was an exercise in patience. Don’t get me wrong, it was a fun knit, but I got to this point where I had to re-knit the same row, and I am not kidding, about twelve times.  You know when you read something over and over again, and it does not sink in? And I kept making mistakes, and did not manage to get the correct number of stitches….I am not the only one this kind of thing happens to, right?

In the end I got it, but I came close to calling it quits a few times. Also I had to make a rather significant adjustment in my knitting habits. I have always knit through the back of the stitch when working on a stockinette stitch project. It’s just a habit, I’ve always found it easier. But when you are working on a project such as this, with decreases, the direction of the stitch matters, so I had to keep reminding myself. Does anyone else out there have funny knitting habits?

When it came to the presentation, I was going to take photos today, we were all having a picnic with the kids, so the lighting would have been great. But alas….. no it did not rain…. I simply forgot the hat at home. A perfect ending for this project I think.

All in all I am happy to be done, and moving on to other projects. I am soon starting on something for myself that I am very excited about.

Roman - inspired spring hat

Another weekend, another party. Therefore another knitted gift. Actually two knitted gifts as there are two of his friends whose birthdays fall within days of each other.

It’s another Purl Bee pattern of course. As I am still hoping that spring will soon be upon us, I chose this hat which is great for chilly spring days. What do you think? And in this photo you can also see where my experiments with wrapping have led me… thank you again, Irina.

                                                                                           

Come back next week to hear about my knitting course!

To top things off

I realized recently that it's been a while since I actually knitted something for my son. If I remember correctly the last item was a scarf, last year (I do not count bears that look like pigs ...). Of course that made me feel really guilty (a feeling that seems to be a constant companion now that I am a mother), and I looked for a quick project.

I've recently acquired Joelle Hoverson's "More last -minute knitted gifts" and it has a hat pattern that caught my eye. I had found this beautiful color yarn by Patons, which is meant for socks, but the hues are too beautiful to hide. When I saw the yarn it made me think of rocks covered in moss, lying by the shore (see my inspiration here, here and here ).

Back to the hat though. My issue was that the pattern is written for a thicker yarn, so I needed to change it a little bit. This is the first time I've adjusted a pattern, and I am glad to say it's worked out (to my dismay I realized too late that I had not written down the changes I made).

My next challenge was to photograph my finished project. A. was not very cooperative, this was the best I could do (after bribing him with chocolate).

To get a better photo (or rather, a more enthusiastic look), I tried the hat on myself , and I have to say I like the look of it, so I will probably have to knit another one.