A Hat of Many Nekos

I worked on my kitty hat while traveling and finally finished it once I got home. It fits beautifully and this is one is mine! I will not selling it on Etsy or giving it to someone else. This uses the Woolike yarn that I mentioned in an earlier post so it is acrylic yarn.

It is my tribute to my sweet, adorable, mean, nasty cat, Neko. I showed it to Neko. He said it didn't look like him so he refused to be impressed. Typical.

Although modified, this pattern is on Ravelry at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/witch-cats-hat.

"It's not me!"

You are not leaving me again!

"You were gone for so long."

When we opened the door home from our three week road trip, Neko came running down the stairs mewing and crying. It was obvious that he missed us and maybe even thought we abandoned him. I had never seen him so happy when we got home. I never heard him purr louder. He wasn't alone while we were gone. We have a tenant downstairs and she spent time with him. But it wasn't the same as his daddy. He even was happy to see me. In fact, for the first time since he was a kitten, he crawled into bed with us that night. We have been home a week now, and he does not leave our sides. Maybe he has a heart after all.

Next time, you WILL take me with you.

Was that ..... Big Foot?

We should have paid
attention to the sign.

While we were in Crescent City in northern California, it rained. And it rained. And it rained. We camp in the back of our van so rain usually does not bother us. However, we camped in a redwood forest that night. All night long, the rain pounded the van roof making it very hard to sleep.

Now Ken is a realist. He explained the pounding this way. The branches of the redwood are designed to gather the rain and pool it on its needles until the water is so heavy that it falls. Therefore even a light rain can gather into big drops by the time it reaches the ground -- or the roof of our van. That's why it sounded like hail on our roof rather than just rain.

However, I have another theory. I think it was Big Foot. After all the Pacific Northwest is supposed to be crawling with them, right? I have watched some documentaries on Big Foot and one of the things they do it throw rocks at people who invade their territory. I think it was Big Foot pounding our roof with peddles and rocks to make us leave. Big Foot was persist enough to keep it up all night, but really, what else does he have to do?

See? Here is Big Foot sulking away from our camping
area. What more proof do you want!

Then Ken asked why there wasn't a pile of stones on the roof of our van. Well, that's very simple. The rain washed them all away. Duh. I just don't understand why Ken doesn't buy my explanation.

And this leads to one of the biggest questions of our time. What is the plural of Big Foot? Is it Big Feet? Big Foots? Or it is just Big Foot without the plural, just like we do for deer and elk? I guess we will have to wait until we capture one to ask him.

Keep On A-Knittin'!

I posted yesterday about my travel bag of knitting materials, so I thought you might like to see the hats that I did finish on the road. I started the snowflake hats before the trip and I finished it in time for the cold weather in Utah. It is in a maroon and rose colored yarn and I am very pleased with the outcome. This pattern is free on Ravelry and you can find it by searching for Henny under hats. I used a different edge than printed, but the design is the same.

The second hat is a wonderfully simple plaid pattern. Although it was a repeated pattern, it was enough of a challenge that I had to keep my focus on it from time to time. It is made in a gray and maroon color and the picture on the right is closer to the true color. I made it big enough for men. I haven't decided if I plan to put in on my Etsy site or give it to a friend of mine. I will post this pattern in the next few weeks once I write it up.

I also worked on a gray and black hat with a cat motif that I should be able to finish soon and I will post pictures as well.

Knitting on the Road

Okay, this is one of my favorite parts of going on vacation. I knit. Ken drives. We listen to books on tape, enjoy the scenery, stop at whatever place we want to explore or hike, and then I can pick up my knitting again. Whenever I go on a trip, the first bag I pack is my knitting bag. I use a carpet bag -- a big carpet bag. It even has a tapestry of cats on outside. But I need a big bag like this for yarn, needles, markers, etc.

Now you may ask why did I pack so much yarn for only three weeks? Surely, I didn't expect to use all this yarn in that amount of time? First of all, it could happen. It didn't, but it could.

Second, what if my mood changes and I need to knit something else? And I mean NEED. Actually that did happen. I was working on the gray and black kitty hat and I had to stop to make a red lacy hat. I can't explain it, but I HAD to make a red lacy hat. It was calling to me, demanding me to stop my kitten hat and start the red hat. It was so fortunate that I had the red yarn and correct size of needles along.

I worked on five hats during the three weeks we were gone, and I finished two. I finished one of the other ones the day after I got home today. It was one of the pussy hats for a friend so I am not going to post a picture of that one. The fourth I hope to finish in the next day or two so I can post a picture of that.

Stay tuned for more information about our trip and my knitting projects.

Drought? I thought this state was in a drought

Ken and I love road trips. We get some books on tape, put a mattress and blankets in the back of the van and take off. As long as I have my knitting (along with more yarn and needles than I will ever use), we could go forever.

We just got back from three weeks. We drove from our home in Colorado to northern California. And it rained. And rained. We tried to drive down the Pacific Coast Highway, but ran into a total of 13 road closures. As we were driving one of the detours away from the PCH, we encountered a slide that had to have happened only minutes before we got there. A car had just come by us, so they must have just gotten through before the slide. So we put on our lumberjack hats and move a tree from the road ourselves. A local man came by and he pulled out his saw and helped us. I told Ken that I wanted an adventure, but who could have guessed it would have been this?


We were able to continue on our way to visit our son Lorne in Los Angeles.

I hope to someday still drive the entire Pacific Coast Highway. More about our adventures coming in the next days.

Woolike yarn - I love it!

I usually work with natural fibers because I love the feel of those. I find most acrylic yarn feeling either harsh or cheap. I can't even describe it adequately. Most of the acrylic yarns I have in my stash were inherited from my mother's or sister-in-law's stash, and they just sit on the shelves in my craft room. (Yes, I have a craft room --- room!)  I even admit that rarely purchase yarn from the craft box stores, preferring to haunt my LYS (local yarn store).

But I have to admit I have fallen in love with one of the bad boys of the yarn world in Loops and Threads Woolike. I think it is only available at Michaels. My mother would not approve! But Mama, it feels so good. (Okay, this is getting weird).

So for the time being, I will play on the dark side of cheap yarn until it breaks my heart. I have a feeling that it will pill up on me and lose its beautiful clean lines. I made the two hats in blue and navy, and red and black. I am working on writing up the pattern for the hats, so check back to find another pattern. The fingerless are in lavender and purple.

I just started a shawl using the pure white and it is turning out lovely. I'll keep you appraised of its progress over the next few days.

Free pattern - Rose's Fingerless Gloves.

I have written about my love of fingerless gloves a few times before. This is one of my own designs after knitting dozens of these. Whether you call them fingerless gloves, texting gloves, piano gloves or computer gloves, this one is quite dramatic.

I always knit with double pointed needles, but if you have ever tried to knitting in two colors with strands, you know it doesn't work very well. The end of the color is always on the opposite side unless you carry the yarn through the entire round. I solved this by turning my work to accommodate the stranding and sewing up the hole. It can be a challenge because you are also increasing for the thumb at the same time you are stranding for the rose. But it does work and looks great. The glove on the left was sewed while the one of the right was the knitted edge.

Rose’s Fingerless Gloves

MATERIALS
1 skein each Loops and Threads Woolike in Black and Red

(85% Acrylic; 15% Nylon, 620m/678yds)
Size US 1 (2.25 mm) Double Pointed Needles
Yarn needle

Stitch markers

Gauge: 16 stitches per 2 inches.

Cast on 56 sts. Place marker and join.

Work in stockinette (knit every round) for 1½”.

Next round (fold line): Purl every stitch.

Next rnds: Knit two rounds in black.

Next rnd: Join red yarn and knit one round.

Begin Border design: Work Chart A (7 repeats) once.

Next rnd: Knit one round in red. Cut red yarn.

Switch back to the black yarn and work in stockinette for 3 inches or the desired length for the wrist of the glove.

Next round:

Right hand: Knit 10; pm, k17 (for rose motif), pm, k 5, pm, k2 (beginning of the thumb inset), k to the end of the round.

Left hand: Knit 10; pm, k2 (beginning of the thumb inset), pm, k5, k17 (for rose motif), k to the end of the round.

Next Round A: Knit to the marker for the thumb inset (slip the markers for the rose motif for now). Sm, m1, knit to next marker, m1, sm.

Next Round B: Knit.

Repeat these two rounds until you have 10 stitches between the thumb inset markers, ending with the Round B.

Begin Rose Motif:

Right Hand

Knit to Rose Motif marker. Begin Chart B. Continue round to Thumb Inset marker. Sm, m1, K to next marker, m1. Without removing marker, turn your work.

Next round:  Purl to the first Thumb Inset marker, working the next row of Chart B. Turn your work.

Left Hand

Knit round to Thumb Inset marker. Sm, m1, K to next marker, m1. Without removing marker, turn your work. Knit to Rose Motif marker. Begin Chart B. SM, knit to where you turned your work. Turn again

Next round:  Purl to mark beginning the Rose Motif and work next row of Chart B. Knit to the Thumb Inset marker. Continuing the increases in pattern, work to end of the thumb inset. Turn your work.

Continue working the Thumb Inset (marking two stitches every other row) and Chart B until the number of stitches between the Thumb Inset mark is 24 stitches. 

Continue working on the Rose Motif until complete, working the 24 stitches of the Thumb Inset, ending with a purl row. Turn work. 

Knit to the Thumb Inset. Instead of turning your work, start knitting in the round again by joining the two sides.

Knit four rounds.

Next round: Knit to the Thumb Inset. Place the 24 stitches on a stitch holder. Cast on 7 stitches over the gap using the e-stitch method. and continue knitting to the end of the round.

Knit one round.

Knit to the beginning of the cast on stitches (the gap stitch). K2, ssk, k2tog, k to end of round.

Next round: Knit

Knit to the gap stitches. K1, ssk, k2tog, k to end of round.

Next round: Knit

Knit to the gap stitches. Ssk, k to end of round. (56 sts)

Continue knitting in the round for 1½” from the beginning of the gap.

Next Round: Add red yarn and knit one round.

Next Round: Begin Chart A.

Next rnd: Knit one round in red.

Next rnds: Knit two rounds in black.

Next round (fold line): Purl every stitch.

Work in stockinette (knit every round) for 1½”.

Cast off, leaving a tail long enough for sewing.

Thumb:

Put the 24 stitches from the holder on the double pointed needles. Join black knit and knit the 24 stitches. Place marker. Pick up 6 stitches from the cast on edge of the hand. (30 stitches)

Join to the first stitch and knit one round.

Next rnd: Knit to the marker which is the picked-up stitches. K2tog three times. (27 stitches)

Next rnd: Knit one round.

Next rnd: Knit to the marker which is the picked-up stitches. K2tog three times. (24 stitches)

Next rnd: Knit one round.

Next rnd: Join red and knit one round.

Begin Border design: Work Chart A (3 repeats) once.

Next rnd: Knit one round in red. Cut red yarn.

Next rnd: Knit one round in black.

Next round (fold line): Purl every stitch.

Work in stockinette (knit every round) for 1”.

Bind off. Cut yarn, leaving a tail.

Finishing:

Turn the glove inside out. Thread the tail with a yarn needle.

Sew the gap of the thumb inset using a whip stitch.

Fold the hem to the inside of the glove on the fold line.  A couple of pins can help keep the hem even. Using a whip stitch, tack the hem to the glove. Finish by weaving in the ends.  Turn glove outside in and block lightly.

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