I know it's sounds like a kid's book, or song lyrics, but really that title's about my recently finished projects! I've been much more inspired to knit, now that the weather is consistently under 100 (and even under 90 semi-regularly recently! Woohoo, fall may be in sight!!) So here is what I've produced in my recent bout of needle-related productivity:
Kool-HAAS
I love Jared Flood's patterns! Nice, clean lines, classic without being fussy. Love 'em!! I'm anxiously awaiting cooler weather when I can actually wear hats again, so that I can give this one a go. Oh, and the color of the hat is a lot closer to the picture below on the right - the fluorescent lighting in the left picture gave a clearer view of the cables, but kinda washed out the color :\
I actually started this pattern back before we moved, teaching a good friend how to knit cables. It got set aside for a while, though, between the move and the horrendous summer heat, so I've just finally finished it up. I know this looks like it'd be a hard first cable pattern, but the pattern itself is very repetitive, and only 4 lines, so it actually worked pretty well! It's a little fiddly at first, with the twisted stitches, but it becomes very easy to follow once you get a few rows done and you can see the path of the traveling lattice.
The yarn was an acrylic, Vanna's Choice by Lion Brand. Less stiff'n'scratchy than Red Heart; less shiny and more muted than Caron Simply Soft; still acrylic, so washable, durable and inexpensive. I'd use it again, definitely. This time it was the choice of the friend I was teaching - she provided the yarn for both of us. It was a little heavier than the yarn that the pattern called for, but my head it also a little bigger than what would be comfortable with the dimensions of the pattern's finished project. So, little bigger yarn yields a little bigger hat, with no extra shaping needed to calculate.
And for the record, it's actually the "Koolhaas Hat," but I just seem to always hear it in the Hans-and-Frans voice from SNL (you know, the Schwarzenegger-esque voiced, "We will PAHMP you up!" guys). Thus Kool-HAAS, the emphasis of course being on the second syllable.
My project is raveled here.
Lacy Hat
This yarn has been lurking in my stash for this project. The colorway is called Fire Agate, but it makes me think of Christmas, so I have been wanting to make a winter accessories set using it. Now that the hat is done, I've just under 3 skeins left of the yarn, so I plan on making a little pair on fingerless mitts and a scarf of whatever is left over after that.
The hat is an interesting pattern, and I don't know how crazy I am about it, but I like it enough that it's not worth a frogging. You have the edging, a set of the lace repeats, a garter stitch section with decreases, another set of the lace, then garter stitch and shaping at the crown. I'm more one for all-over lace patterns, so it's that garter section in the middle that I'm not sure of. Still, the yarn's busy enough in both color and texture that it's not glaringly obvious and odd. Like I said, I'm not crazy about it, but it's not bad. If I truly hated it, it'd be ripped out and reworked in another pattern! In summary, I guess, I like it, but it's not one I'd use again.
The yarn is Jewel Box, a yarn that has been discontinued by Caron, so good luck finding it. I found it on clearance at Michael's when it was first being discontinued (like I said, it's been lurking in my stash for a while). It's a chenille yarn, so it works up very soft, but I've no idea how durable it will be. Hopefully, there won't be much of the Dreaded W that happens with some chenille yarns ('worming' for non-fiber folk). Still, I'll be wearing this set in December only, as I am a strict traditionalist, and the Christmas season is confined to the one month between Thanksgiving and the actual holiday. No Christmas in September for me!! So, even if it does worm eventually, I think I should still get a few good seasons out of it.
The pattern is available on the Coats & Clark website. My project is raveled here.
One Row Lacy Scarf
The opposite of the above project, this is from some very new yarn! The yarn was Berroco Suede, a free ball of yarn from one of the shops on the Yarn Crawl a few weeks ago. I looked at that yarn, and all I could think was 'casual one-skein scarf' and this project was born. And knowing exactly what I wanted with a new yarn, led to a bit of Cast-on-itis, and ta-da! New scarf!
The project is great! It's a one row pattern, so very easy and mindless, despite being lace. And it goes along quickly, as you're using bigger needles than usual. And to ice the cake, it's free online! Would definitely use this pattern again, as it would definitely be different with a different texture of yarn.
As I mentioned, the yarn itself is Berroco Suede. I don't know if it really feels like suede, as I wasn't working a large flat piece - the laciness of the scarf kinda diminished that effect. Still, it's soft and drapes beautifully, and I'm very pleased with it. It is a little 'catchy,' though - one of those yarns that has enough soft texture to it that it snags and catches on every little uneven bit on your hands and needles. For me, it's not a yarn I would use during the winter, as my hands are usually completely dried out and catch on everything during that season. Still, if my hands are in better condition, it's a nice yarn to work with and I wouldn't mind using it again.
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