Oh, what will it be?

I dunno.

I’ve not started a sweater after finishing Fern because I wanted to wait until after Christmas. That is because I wanna see what I get for Christmas. I flat out asked for yarn for one sweater, and did some blatant hinting for another, so if either of those materialize, I’ll start one of them. Probably on December 25.

No, I’m not gonna tell you what they are. Telling would jinx it!

Bucket Chat

Last Friday the lovely and talented Bonne Marie, creator of the Bucket-o-Chic pattern emailed me and we chatted about the wavy-ness of the brim of my Skye Bucket.

Note to myself — if I ever see a yarn called “Scum,” buy it and knit a bucket hat so I can call it my Scum Bucket.

Bonne Marie offered the possibility of holding the yarn doubled but picking up stitches at the ratio of 3:4 instead of 5:6. She was concerned that if I knit the brim with a single thickness it would roll. I countered with the suggestion of a single thickness garter stitch or seed stitch brim.

If you head on over to Chicknits, you’ll see she knitted a hat incorporating her suggestion, and it came out beautifully.

By the way Silvia had an intriguing idea about how to salvage my wavy hat . . .

Since it’s felted, why don’t you cut the brim and make it shorter then overcast the cut edge by hand then steam/wash and see what it looks like?

Isn’t that clever? Maybe I’ll try that!

And of course, I had to knit another hat incorporating my idea. I knitted my hat out of Lopi Light and picked up stitches for the brim according to the original pattern. But I did not knit the brim double thickness. I used one strand of yarn and knit the brim garter stitch.

Here’s the hat pre-felting:

Tossed it in the washer and sent it through twice. And here it is, in all its felted glory:

I did very minimal post-felting manipulation — just popped it over a tin to dry and smoothed it down a bit. Not a wave in sight!

Mobius

It’s coming along.

I think Lucy is practicing for her career as a spokesmodel.

Close-up:

Happy Monday!

This has been another of those weeks that seemed ten days long. Hopefully today will pass without incident.

Bucket Hat

There were some questions about my bucket hat in yesterday’s comments.

I used almost two skeins of Colinette Skye for my hat — but I did make a large size, and I doubled the yarn for the brim. In future, I will not double the yarn for the brim of hats I felt — as is pointed out in the pattern, doubled yarn doesn’t felt as much as when it’s knit singly, so it took extra manipulation to get the brim to lie flat, and I’m not 100% happy with it. I think a single thickness brim felted will be thick enough, so that’s what I’ll do for the next one.

In answer to another question, you can use any heavy worsted weight wool that will felt. I just started another hat in Lopi Light.

And I was asked for a photo of me wearing the hat. Hoo-boy! You’re gonna be sorry you asked.

Because I have been averaging 2 – 3 hours of sleep per night for the last 4 nights, I am a vision of loveliness. Dark shadows under the eyes, giant zit on the chin. So this is as much of me as you’re gonna see right now!

I don’t want to frighten anyone any more than necessary.

Mobius Cowl

It’s coming along, and I’ve made a point to not leave it lying out where Lucy can get her little paws on it.

I don’t know yet what I’ll do with the yarn that Lucy unravelled yesterday — but I’m sure I’ll think of something!

Lucy’s thinking about it too.

Knitting Basket

Tomorrow, December 20, is the deadline that Teresa, Deb, and I decided to set for contributions to the Knitbloggers Knitting Basket Fund. If you want to contribute, there’s still plenty of time — the link is in my sidebar.

And a huge thank-you to all of you who contributed and helped make this project such a resounding success!

Remember the old cartoon “Fat Albert?” There was a character who wore a hat that covered his whole face, with holes cut out for his eyes.

All I need are the holes!

As you’ve probably guessed, that’s my bucket hat in its pre-felted state. Huge, no?

But lookie here! After only one trip through the washing machine, it was magically transformed into this:

I thought it would take three washes to do it, but it took just one.

I’m here to tell you that Colinette Skye yarn felts beautifully.

I made a large hat, partly because I have a big head (that’s big head, not swelled head) and partly because I wanted a hat that would fit loosely and not smoosh down my curls too much. This one does the trick. The only thing I’d do differently is to not make it as tall from top to bottom. So now I know for the next one.

Thank you

For all your nice comments yesterday. Lucy does indeed love her kitty bed and I am going to have to make her another one, for the bedroom. She usually sleeps on my bed, but sometimes she drapes herself on top of a dresser, and it would be nice if she had a cosy comfy bed there.

She’s not . . . spoiled . . . do you think?

Anyhow, I encourage all of you who have small fuzzy critters who might like a bed to make one. It’s really really easy, and it can be knitted from any feltable bulky wool, with or without the fur edging. As I mentioned before, I’ve posted the free pattern on my website. It’s available as a link from my knitting page (look under “Knitting Gallery in my sidebar).

At least two of you who have blogs I’ve read have adorable toy/teacup poodles. Those tiny tots deserve felted beds!

Fern

I’ve made a Fern page, also linked to from the main knitting page. Don’t bother to go there, because the only photo there is the one I posted yesterday. But if I have time and the weather cooperates, we’ll take some outside photos over the weekend. I’ll let you know.

Yup, I knitted it in 20 days. See? I told you it was entertaining.

And Lolly, if you’re reading this, I’d love to follow Vanessa’s suggestion and have a Fern Day Out at MDS&W sometime. We could be the Bad-Ass Fern Girls!

Mobius Cowl

I started knitting the HeartStrings Soft Cables Mobius Scarf in Peruvian Collection Baby Silk (80% baby alpaca 20% silk) in color “peridot,” held doubled, on size 5 US needles — pattern and yarn bought from Elann. I think calling it a cowl is more accurate.

I started this at 2:00am yesterday morning — I’m an insomniac. This is the first time in years, though, that when I can’t sleep I’ve turned on the light and started knitting. I figured — who am I kidding? I’m not going to sleep again before my alarm goes off at . . . ahem . . . 4:25am, so I might as well do something constructive.

I left it on the couch last night and got up for a minute. Then the phone rang. When I returned to the couch, I saw this:

And I saw this:

She looks just a little too innocent, doesn’t she? I couldn’t get angry with her because it was my own fault for leaving it unattended. And the yarn is quite alluring.

Well, I decided she did me a favor, because I thought I’d like the pattern better knitted in something with a little more body. So I started it again with some Noro Cash Iroha (40% silk, 30% lambswool, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon) on a US 7 needle. And I like the results much better.

And I love my macro lens!

My first Booga Bag was given to its intended recipient yesterday. This was the one knitted in color 88 for my friend Odie. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone more delighted with a gift than she was with her bag. She immediately transferred her purse stuff to it and carried it when we went for coffee (we work in the same building but for different agencies). Based on that experience, I’ve no doubt that she pestered people for the remainder of the day by making them admire her bag.

There’s nothing like giving a friend a warm fuzzy bag to give yourself a warm fuzzy feeling!

Speaking of Warm Fuzzies . . .

Be vewy vewy quiet! We’re hunting puddy-tats!

First, we set the bait:

We have a nibble!

Look! We nabbed us a puddy-tat!

No fear that Princess Lucy would turn her dainty little nose up at her new bed — she loves it. She spent the evening alternating between sleeping in my lap and sleeping in her new bed.

I think she needs one for every room of the house.

L-B asked how the techno-hair handled its third trip through the washer. It didn’t seem to have any ill effects. I think it would work as stripes in a felted bag if you knitted it together with the feltable yarn. I knitted the last five rounds of the bed with the techno-hair held together with the Big Kureyon. It seems to have survived three trips through the washer without any problems, and while I am sure it didn’t felt, being 100% nylon, it smooshed up nicely when the Kureyon felted.

Here it is:

Oh, did I mention that I got the macro lens that I ordered for my new camera? Is that an extreme close-up or what??!!

The lens (for those of you who care) is a CANON EF 50mm F/2.5 Macro Lens 10D F2.5 — and it’s totally fun to play with!

Bucket-o-Chic!

The observant among you will note the addition of a new WIP in my sidebar — a bucket hat, being knitted from the oh-so-fabulous Bonne Marie’s equally fab pattern. I am making a felted version, and knitting it from Colinette Skye wool, which I scored on an eBay auction when I fell off my yarn diet (cough, cough).

The color is “ice.” An extremely light green.

Hmmmm . . .

What else did I do last night?

Oh, right. I finished Fern.

What Now?

Small projects between now and Christmas. I haven’t wrapped any gifts or done any number of things I ought to be doing, so I’ll work on little things for the next week or so.

I popped the kitty bed off the blocking form and decided it’s a bit too big. I thought a little bit smaller would be cosier for Miss Lucy, so it went through the washer one more time, and is blocking, again.

I was a bit over-zealous in my blocking the first time around. But that’s the beauty of felting — after going through another cycle in the washer, it’s at the size I want now. So tonight I’ll put the bed on the chair where the Big Booga Bag is now, and see if Lucy likes it.

So she’s had to wait another day, poor deprived little thing!

Here she is, giving her opinion of the situation.

Fern

I’m moving along on the second sleeve. This sweater will be done this week, barring any unforseen atrocities.

St. Lucia Day Gifties!

The ever-generous L-B sent me some St. Lucia Day gifties that I received on Saturday, which was, of course, St. Lucia Day. Lookie!

These are little Swedish soaps in boxes. Aren’t they cute? They have little strings so you can hang them on your Christmas tree.

It reminds me of the sorts of things my grandmother used to send me when I was a little kid.

Holiday Party

Today is my office holiday party and I’m feeling bleah. Have a raging ear infection and really ought to have stayed home from work. But duty calls — we have a major deadline c.o.b. tomorrow, so it’s off to work I go.

With coffeecake and scones. No, originality is not one of my strong points.