FO: Squiggle Hat!

It's been a long week, full of terrible group projects and much whining about said terrible group projects. It's ok, though, because I finished my hat!

(click for bigger)

This hat was just what I needed this week. It was quick and fun to knit, and I felt a hefty sense of accomplishment after I finished it. I had two group projects going this week, and both groups had one of those super-ambitious high-strung types in BOTH of my groups (I, contrary to popular belief, am not particularly ambitious or high strung). In both groups, said high-strung person took over and got all crazy, resulting in group in-fighting the likes of which I haven't seen since junior high. For serious, guys, one of them literally highjacked our group paper and emailed the rest of the group the night before it was due saying that she had done more than her fair share of the work. So I emailed back offering to finish writing/pasting the paper together.....so she dropped out of conflict for several hours. I ended up on the phone with Jon (who was delivering tasty pizzas) ranting about how ridiculous and immature said group member was and pacing back and forth in the apartment. Anyway, after all was said ad done, I'd fume and knit a few rows on this hat and feel better.
Yarn - EA Yarns Andes (100% wool, 165 yards) in color 19 (orange/blue). I wasn't sure how hat-friendly this yarn was at first, but it actually ended up being pretty soft and surprisingly not scratchy. And I still love the colors.
Needles - 16" el cheapo bamboo size 7 circulars and a set of 4 bamboo size 7 dpns for the crown decreases
Pattern - my own! A skeletal pseudo-pattern follows below:

Squiggle Hat

Band
- CO 90 sts and work in [p1, k1, p1] to end for 3 rounds
- round 4: work all knit stitches as LEFT TWIST
- round 5: work all stitches in pattern
- repeat these two rounds once more
- round 8: work all knit stitches as RIGHT TWIST
- round 9: work all stitches in pattern
- repeat these two rounds 3x
- repeat rounds 4 & 5 two times
- work 3 rounds of [p1, k1, p1] to end

Slouchification
round 1: [k9, m1] to end {10 ts increased}
round 2: k plain
round 3: [k10,m1] to end {10 sts increased}
round 4: k plain
round 5: [k11, m1] to end {10 sts increased}

knit plain until hat masures 7"

Crown Decreases
r 1: [k13, k2tog] to end {112 sts}
r2: [k12, k2tog] to end {104 sts}
r3: [k11, k2tog] to end {96 sts}
r4: [k10, k2tog] to end {88 sts}
r5: [k9, k2tog] to end {80 sts}
r6: [k8, k2tog] to end {72 sts}
r7: [k7, k2tog] to end {64 sts}
r8: [k6, k2tog] to end {56 sts}
r9: [k5, k2tog] to end {48 sts}
r10: [k4, k2tog] to end {40 sts}
r11: [k3, k2tog] to end {32 sts}
r12: [k2, k2tg] to end {24 sts}
r13: [k1, k2tog] to end {16 sts}
r14: [k2tog] to end {8 sts}

weave yarn through and pull tight


And that's all there was to it.

PS - Jon wants me to tell you that there are SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES on Sprite cans! Yeah, I don't know where he's going with that, either

A Weekend at Van's

Guess where we were for the last couple of days? Van's in Chicago! He was having a recital (using a natural French horn, no less!), and we dropped by for a couple of days because Chicago's only a four hour drive away. And when you come from someplace like Texas, four hours isn't that far at all. Besides, since the recital was regarded as "an occasion," an astounding amount of food was prepared. It was like Thanksgiving all over again. We couldn't afford not to go!

It was wonderfully refreshing. You know those days were you finally stop and take a break and you had no idea that you needed a break that bad? That was what happened to me. Apparently the last week was far more exhausting than I thought. I recuperated by eating roughly a pound of cashew cookies and watching the first and third seasons of Little Britain. Which is one of the most awesome shows ever.

Oh yeah. And I did some knitting.


I started these socks last week. I didn't work on them that much, but I needed something to work on other than Flair. I'm using the red Ultramerino I bought awhile back and the drop stitch pattern from this steering wheel cover from Knitty...which is why I have dubbed them the Wheelie Socks. I've just started the toe decreases for the first one, so they're going pretty fast.

But then, because I'm a strange one, I decided halfway through the first season of Little Britain that I needed a break from the size 0 (!) needles I was making the socks on. So I started another project:


Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Who in their right mind would not bring the sweater she's been working on so feverishly, but instead bring a project that requires wee little needles? And who would be mad enough to then bring back up supplies should she finish/get bored with said wee needles she subjected herself to in the first place?" Well, I would. Because that's the way I roll.

Anyway, I've had an idea for a hat pattern bouncing around in my brain for awhile now. I wanted a slouchy hat that would be warm enough to wear in the cold winter winds (I made myself one awhile back, but it's lacy and the wind whips right through it), but would be big enough to accommodate my hair in it's puffy, thick, grown-out state (Shedir is warm, but not accommodating). So far, I've made the band. The serpentine twisted stitches that wiggle back and forth are there just to add that extra awesomeness that makes knitting mundane items by hand worthwhile, and I've decided to call it the Squiggle Hat because of them. Now I have to figure out how many stitches to increase in order reach the right amount of slouchiness without verging into mushroom territory - which is a fine line. Wish me luck.

PS - I just bought the sixth season of Northern Exposure. My collection is complete! All is right with the world.