Clocks got set back an hour all over Canada today. That means we got an extra hour to sleep….or in my case, make a ridiculously large pompom.
My day was spent doing odd jobs around my apartment mostly to procrastinate from getting caught up on work. For my occasional breaks, I worked on the 2nd hat of the weekend. I’m really enjoying knitting on large needles–I think these are 6mm circulars, so these hats seem to almost knit themselves!
The goal is to have a hat on the head of every member of the robotics team I mentor. These rather crazy hats have helped us define our spirit and sense of fun. They really do make us a “close-knit” team.
I think a hat with ruffles is next. I haven’t quite figured out how I’m going to do it yet though.
My day began when I woke up rather unexpectedly at 4:30 AM. I spent an hour or two very productively getting paperwork done, and crossing things off my very long “to do” list. I then got caught up in a fun stripey hat that I had been knitting on and off for the last 2 days. I have no progress pictures, because at 4:30 in the morning I just don’t think of finding my camera!
Finished Product
It was concert day today, and I’ve not been feeling 100% lately, so I took it easy and knit/slept a lot. I was able to save up enough energy to sing well tonight, and I was also able to bring a completed hat to show some other knitters in the choir.
For sale at the concert were goodies from a local group called Calcutta Rescue Canada, a group that raises funds to help in schools and hospitals in India. The sale continues all weekend at 193 Earl Street, so go check it out on Sunday Nov.7th from 11AM-3:00PM.
Their products are beautiful, unique, reasonably priced, and benefit disadvantaged people in India.
I’m on a roll these days. This is hat number 5 that I’ve knit in the past 10 days. I sit back and marvel at this fact, knowing that I have also done a lot of other things in the past 10 days. I believe that knitting brings balance for me. It provides time in an otherwise busy and sometimes stressful day to let my fingers create something and let my mind wander.
There are some weeks when I don’t get the opportunity to pick up my needles at all. Those weeks, I end up focused on deadlines and the endless list of small tasks that must get done. Efficiency decreases….motivation decreases….frustration increases….until I give myself a time out and start another project.
Hats are nice and small. They are portable, and progress speeds up as you approach the crown. I really enjoyed making this hat because the colours are fun, and the texture is so great to photograph. I am excited to try this in different (non-robotic) colourways.
As a finishing touch I embroidered a glow-in-the-dark robot onto the hat, along with our team number (2809). These are the trademarks of a hat for K-Botics. I think my next hat will have a pocket…or ears…it will definitely be unique, that’s for sure! Tomorrow I’ll cast on and see what happens.
The tessellation toque now has been completed. Ends are woven in, ribbing was added around the edge to finish things off and make sure the brim didn’t roll too much.
I enjoyed adding the finishing details of our team number, and our robot to some of the less intricate hexagons.
All of the embroidery skills I learned in Brownies has come in handy with these robotics hats. French knots and chain stitch are my friends!
Our team has been keeping me busy these days, so there hasn’t been much other knitting going on. If you want to read about what’s going on in the wonderful world of high school robotics, have a look at our blog.
I’m looking for inspiration for some more creative and different hats.
I help mentor a FIRST Robotics team, and we’ve developed quite an interesting fashion trend. This is one special hat, for one of our more outgoing team members. [general pattern]
I’ve never made a jester hat before. It wasn’t all that difficult to do. I made a regular hat (90 sts in circumference), and worked until the hat was ready for decreases. I divided the 90 stitches into three groups of 30. Working on one section at a time, and with double pointed needles, I knit the 30 stitches and cast on 10 more stitches to complete the circle.
I decreased stitches as I went along, 5 stitches per round every 6 rounds to start. Decreasing became more gradual toward each point.
To make the second point to this hat, use the 30 stitches that are on a stitch holder, then pick up 5 stitches from the first point, and cast on 5 more stitches (40 sts total). To make the third point to this hat, use the 30 stitches on the stitch holder and pick up 5 stitches from the first point, and 5 stitches from the second point to get the 40 stitches total in the round.
I added stripes to make it more interesting, and then to top it off, I put very special pompoms on the ends. The pompoms add weight, and make the points flop over nicely. They also GLOW IN THE DARK!
These pompoms are made with the glow in the dark yarn that I picked up this summer from Seed Stitch Fine Yarn in Salem MA. This hat will be great on our late night bus trips to and from competitions. It will enhance our Bus Raves (dance parties on the bus with glow sticks and loud music)
Last night I finished a pair of mittens that I started a while ago. I love making mittens because they are portable projects, and a rather necessary accessory for the Canadian winter that is quickly approaching. I like customizing colours and patterns and making sure that my cuffs are long enough.
Really warm mittens are often knit with a stranded pattern in two colours. The stitch pattern usually includes a maximum of 4 or 5 stitches in a row of one colour.
I knit with a rather tight gauge, using 4mm double pointed needles and worsted weight yarn from Topsy farms. My general recipe for stranded mittens is as follows:
Decide on a stitch pattern: Colour in some squares on graph paper being sure not to make more than 5 stitches in a row one colour.
Figure out how many stitches and rows are in your pattern repeat: Choose one point in the pattern and count horizontally and vertically until you have mapped out a repeatable pattern block.
There are 4 stitches and 6 rows in this repeat
There are 6 stitches and 10 rows in this repeat
Decide on how many stitches to cast on: This should be a multiple of the number of stitches in one repeat, and it should fall somewhere between 48 stitches for size small to 54 stitches for size medium/large.
Using the first pattern, the cast on could be (4)(12)=48 or (4)(13)=52 or (4)(14)=56
In the second case it could be (6)(8)=48 or (6)(9)=54
Cast on: Use one colour, cast on the appropriate number of stitches and join in the round being careful not to twist.
Knit cuff: Join second colour and work until the cuff measures 2.5 to 3 inches (depending on your cuff preference).
Thumb Gusset: Mittens are very form fitted at the cuff, and you need to increase stitches to account for the width of your hand at the thumb area. The way to do this is to increase 2 stitches every alternate row on the thumb side of the mitten. The increases will affect the stitch count, and the pattern repeat. A good work-around is to change the patterning for the thumb gusset. A checkerboard or striped pattern on the thumb is easy to do.
Continue until the gusset is 17-21 stitches depending on thumb size. Keep gusset stitches on a stitch holder or piece of scrap yarn, and cast on a full repeat of stitches, or whatever is needed to maintain a consistent pattern across the hand.
Knit Hand: Keep knitting in pattern until the mitten fits up to your little finger.
Decreases: Put the mitten on your hand. Mark the stitches at the little finger and index finger edges for decreases. There should be equal numbers of stitches on the palm and back of the hand.
Keeping pattern consistent repeat the following two rows until approximately 16 stitches remain
Row 1: knit until 2 stitches before the little finger edge. K2tog in main colour, SSK in main colour. Knit in pattern until 2 stitches before index finger edge. K2tog in main colour, SSK in main colour.
Row 2: knit in pattern. Use main colour over the 2 stitches on the little finger and index finger edges.
Kitchener stitch bind off. video credit: the knitwitch on youtube.
Thumb: pick up and knit (in pattern) the stitches from the scrap yarn/stitch holder, and stitches from the cast on edge around the thumb hole. I often choose stitches that are not right on the edge of the thumb hole to avoid creating holes around the thumb. The number of thumb stitches is not critical. Make it fit your thumb. Knit in pattern in the round until the thumb is 1.5 to 2 inches long.
Decreases: K2tog in pattern until around 6 stitches remain. Cut yarn leaving a long tail. Draw yarn through stitches and pull tight.
My grandmother, the knitting matriarch of the family, turned 95 today. The family gathered to celebrate with cake and ice cream and champagne.
My mom made a delicious banana cake garnished with chocolate coated strawberries. It was quite an elegant dessert party.
I brought my newest finished project to show and tell after dessert. My handspun blue/green/purple yarn has now become a hat. It’s a one-of-a-kind toque that will warm the head of a friend of mine this winter.
It is soft, stretchy and long enough to keep ears toasty warm. I am very pleased with how the blue-green and blue-purple colourways have blended together to form waves and strata of colours. Cables are almost lost in the stripes…but I needed the cables to keep me interested, and to add elasticity.
This hat has many hours of love and care spun into the yarn, and knit into the stitches. I hope it brings much warmth and comfort to the wearer all winter long.
So, a friend of mine has been going on and on all summer about “glow in the dark minions”, and how much he wants one. This was long before I had seen Despicable Me, and I really had no idea what he was talking about, so I smiled and nodded, and went on with my day.
However, after my crazy road trip this summer, a few things lined up that allowed me to make his dreams come true.
1: I saw Despicable Me at the drive in theatre in Wellfleet Massachusetts, and saw the minions in context. I get it now!
2: I saw a knitting pattern for minions! (ravelink) So cute.
Anyway, I got to knitting up a little minion for my buddy. It is a quick project. I spent a few minutes over a few evenings, and ended up with this cute little guy.
I decided against the button eyes to make goggles because I didn’t have any buttons, and also because I wanted the eye parts to glow in the dark like the rest of the little guy. I embroidered the goggles along with the rest of the face.
The overalls are knit in light blue sock yarn, and the hands and feet are knit in black sock yarn. You can use anything though, as long as the yarn weight matches that of the body.
Here’s proof that he glows! (It’s hard to take a picture of things glowing in the dark…it looks way better in person)
What would you make with glow in the dark yarn??
P.S. If you are looking for this yarn, Seed Stitch Fine Yarn does accept online orders!
Today I’d like to present to you the result of all that spinning
I have completed a pair of mittens for Evan (my traveling buddy) to commemorate our adventure, and remind him of his introduction into the crazy world of fiber arts. (He spun the white fleece on a drop spindle at our campsite)
The mittens have 2010 on the cuff (palm side) and on the back of the wrist they have alpacas!
All of the black stranded colourwork is done with alpaca that I bought on our trip. This means that the inside of the cuff is extremely soft and fluffy.
I like how all of the colours stripe and blend together. The mittens don’t match perfectly, but I think that adds to the charm. They are one of a kind, and will be making their way to Providence this fall for his birthday!
Franklin was inspired by a teenage girl I met a few years ago, who wore a slouchy hat to school every day.
Knit in wool, or alpaca, Franklin will keep you cozy and stylish as temperatures begin to drop. Knit in cotton or bamboo, it can be your signature piece all year round.
The pattern is easy to modify, with extra rows to increase the amount of slouch.
Yarn: Worsted/Aran weight.
Needles: 5.5mm circulars or DPNs, cable needle
Gauge: 4.5 sts and 7 rows per inch in reverse stockinette stitch (gauge is not crucial except at brim)
Skills: Cast on, Knit, Purl, Working in the round, increases, decreases, introduction to cables
Anyway, I got to knitting up a little minion for my buddy. It is a quick project. I spent a few minutes over a few evenings, and ended up with this cute little guy.
I decided against the button eyes to make goggles because I didn’t have any buttons, and also because I wanted the eye parts to glow in the dark like the rest of the little guy. I embroidered the goggles along with the rest of the face.
Here’s proof that he glows! (It’s hard to take a picture of things glowing in the dark…it looks way better in person)
I like how all of the colours stripe and blend together. The mittens don’t match perfectly, but I think that adds to the charm. They are one of a kind, and will be making their way to Providence this fall for his birthday!
