Rest in Peace, My Beloved Neko

You were very loved and you will be missed forever.

3-1-03 to 9-15-17

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My Love of Cats

It looks like we will have to say goodbye to our kitty Neko. Losing Neko will be tough. He is almost 15 and his liver is failing.

If you have been following my blog, you know he is quite a character. I have many stories about him including him sending messages to other cats via library books (11/3/12), second breakfasts (4/19/17), and his ability to appear and disappear at will (6/14/17). If you scroll through my blog, you will find other stories about this adorable but feisty creature.

I grew up on a farm in the 1950's and 1960's. I have three brothers and the nearest neighbors were several miles away; most of them did not have any girls my age. So I created a fantasyland with my cats. In the spring, I would hunt the haylofts to find the new baby kittens and make sure their mommy was well-taken care of. As I walked through the barnyard or the pastures, I was followed by a line of cats. It was so comforting to see a line of tails behind me. If I sat down on the ground, I would be covered with cats in no time. When I was 10, I counted 56 cats on the farm, and everyone of them would be named and loved. My dad would purchase a large bag of dog food, and cut it open in the barn or the garage so they could eat. Since we milked cows, Dad would fill large trays with the first draw of milk (which was not sold). In all my childhood, I never saw a mouse or a rat. Mom would put her wren houses up high in the tree so the cats wouldn't get them. In the winter, they all lived in the barn and in the summer they were everywhere, usually following me. I was destined to be a cat lady from the age of 5.

We will have to see what the rest of today brings but we are a house of sadness right now. It is hard to say goodbye.

Here There May Be Dragons!

Truth be told, I have never watched an episode of Game of Thrones, but both of my adult sons love it. I am more of a King Arthur fan with my favorite book of all time is Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I usually read it about every other year just to return to that fantasy land. So this is the hat that I made for my son. I am working on the another for the other one. No matter what, I love dragons and the mythology around them. 

One feature of this hat that is special is I knitted a fairly large lining before starting on the front of the hat. This accomplishes two things: 

First, it makes the hat especially warm over the ears because it is double thickness. 

Second, it covers all the stranding from the design so you don't catch them by accident while wearing it. 

I got the dragon design from a free design on Ravelry and I added another fair isle border above and below the dragon, so the pattern is free.  I want to experiment with a couple of other colors as well and I will post those as well.  Until then, enjoy!

PENDRAGON SLOUCHY HAT

MATERIALS
1 skein each Loops and Threads Woolike in Red (A), Black (B) and Beige (C) (85% Acrylic; 15% Nylon, 620m/678yds))
Size US 2.0 (­­2.5 mm) Circular Needles

Size US 2.0 (2.5 mm) Double Pointed Needles
Yarn needle

Stitch markers

Gauge: 16 stitches in pattern to 2”

Size: Fits most medium (22-23”) and large (23-25”) sized heads. Large size appears in parenthesis ().

Hat Pattern:

With Color A, cast on 140 (160) sts. Place marker and join.

Work in stockinette (knit every row working in the round) for 4 inches.

Purl 1 row (fold row)

Knit 4 rounds.

With Color B, knit 6 rounds.

Border pattern:

Round 1: With Color A, knit 1 round.

Round 2: With Color C, knit 1 round.

Round 3: *K1 with Color C, K1 with Color A.* Repeat between * to end of round.

Round 4: With Color A, knit 1 round.

Round 5: *K1 with Color C, K1 with Color A.* Repeat between * to end of round.

Round 6: With Color C, knit 1 round.

Round 7: With Color A, knit 1 round.

With Color B, knit 3 rounds.

Dragon Pattern:

Using the chart, repeat pattern 7 (8) times.

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K 3 Rounds in Color B

Border pattern:

Repeat border pattern above.

Switch to Color B. Work in stockinette (knit every round) until the hat measures 7 (8) inches from the fold line. Feel free to add more rows if you want a slouchier hat.

Crown:

Switch to double pointed needles when appropriate.

Round 1: *K2tog, K16, SSK.* Repeat between * to end of round.

Round 2: K all stitches.

Round 3: *K2tog, K14, SSK.* Repeat between * to end of round.

Round 4: K all stitches.

Round 5: *K2tog, K12, SSK.* Repeat between * to end of round.

Round 6: K all stitches.

Round 7: *K2tog, K10, SSK.* Repeat between * to end of round.

Round 8: K all stitches.

Round 9: *K2tog, K8, SSK.* Repeat between * to end of round.

Round 10: K all stitches.

Round 11: *K2tog, K6, SSK.* Repeat between * to end of round.

Round 12: K all stitches.

Round 13: *K2tog, K4, SSK.* Repeat between * to end of round.

Round 14: K all stitches.

Round 15: *K2tog, K2, SSK.* Repeat between * to end of round.

Round 16: K all stitches.

Round 17: *K2tog, SSK.* Repeat between * to end of round.

Round 18: K all stitches.

Break yarn. Thread yarn thread and draw through the remaining stitches.  Weave in ends.

Fold the hat on the purl round and pin or baste in place, keeping it as smooth as possible. Whip stitch the lining in place.