Wow. It has been awhile, huh? My return to the blog was delayed by some changes in my personal life. I was laid off from my job the day before we left on vacation. It sucked, I cried, we had a great vacation and then we came home. And I hid. And hid some more. I've been interviewing but I did hit a funk and I am happy to report that I have snapped right out of it. I have been knitting. And quilting. And baking. And cooking. I will start to update you as we all catch up.
Today, look at the pic above. My second wood hollow hat by Kirsten Kapur at Through The Loops. My first is this one:
pea. US 6 16-inch circulars...about two sizes smaller than the recommended for the gauge. I'm thinking it will be deliciously warm and snugly on my dad's head this winter, so it needed a smaller, tighter gauge. One thing I always try to remember when I'm knitting with alpaca is that is has drape, not a whole lot of stretch. This can be hard in something like a hat, so finding a pattern that uses: cables in a rib-like way and utilizing a Twisted Rib for the band is a great way to build stretch into the resulting fabric. Ultra Alpaca has some wool in it, I believe, so that helps a bit, but the drapieness of alpaca will always try to win over the other fibers. Knitting with a smaller needle will also help later drape and keeps the hat's shape once it's worn. It is knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca, in the color split pea. US 6 16-inch circulars...about two sizes smaller than the recommended for the gauge. I'm thinking it will be deliciously warm and snugly on my dad's head this winter, so it needed a smaller, tighter gauge. One thing I always try to remember when I'm knitting with alpaca is that is has drape, not a whole lot of stretch. This can be hard in something like a hat, so finding a pattern that uses: cables in a rib-like way and utilizing a Twisted Rib for the band is a great way to build stretch into the resulting fabric. Ultra Alpaca has some wool in it, I believe, so that helps a bit, but the drapieness of alpaca will always try to win over the other fibers. Knitting with a smaller needle will also help later drape and keeps the hat's shape once it's worn.
The second hat is knit n US 7 16-inch circs, with Berroco Blackstone Tweed. I love the raspberry color. It's knitting up very pretty. I like that Berroco hasn't polluted the pink with blue "tweed" flecks but stuck to reds and purples. Surprisingly, this yarn has a bit of a thick and thin feel, almost like a handspun tweed. It ribbed nicely and is cabling well. The yarn is made of wool (65%), super kid mohair (25%), and angora (10%). That angora will make a soft hat and very insulating, while the mohair and wool gives it a lot of durability. So far, the hat has a great halo forming as well.
Tomorrow, miniature pies in jars.
Sounds like you are making the best of rough times. Life's curveballs can be sooooo frustrating.
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