Fiber Monday

 

Still No Thread
Hat Instead

As you may guess by the above caption, I still have not had a chance to scoot down to the ol Wally and grab some red crochet thread for the Mystery Project, which will have to be on hold until such a time as appropriate thread is procured. However, I have managed to make a Size Large Seed Stitch Beanie from Kirsten Holloway Designs, and let me tell you, that was fun!

I had completely forgotten how fun it can be to make a hat!

I used my clear orange plastic I hook (5.5mm) and about 2/3 of a skein of Red Heart Unforgettable in Polo, and I ended up with a very very cute hat!

A very cute hat indeed!

I don't think I've ever done front post single crochet or back post single crochet before, but I really do like the rib effect it gives, and my oh my do I love me a good half-double crochet in the 3rd loop (those fun ridges)! Seed stitch, or lemon peel stitch, is still really fun, and I look forward to continuing to work with it!

I do, however have to get my act together on picking up that thread, though. I can't abandon the poor Mystery Project forever.

And I have some Mother's Day gifts to work on, too.

The hat, by the way, is lovely and soft and stretchy, and while my noggin does not at all qualify as "large-to-xl", the hat still stays put, and the stretchiness tells me that I could absolutely get away with a smaller version!

As for the bit of yarn I have left over... I maaaaay make something... critterlike from it. Unforgettable is such a smooth, shiny yarn that it'd absolutely make a cute little art doll or amigurumi for someone who doesn't play rough...

And I do have that whole box of eyes...

Let us see what we can do with a little yarn and a lot of practice!

And Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Fiber Monday - Sunny Beret

 

In Which I Finished That Scratchy Hat!

So last week or so, I started working on a hat! This hat was actually a beret, and I was making it out of a particularly scratchy, weird yellow wool I'd bought ages ago and had no idea what to use it for.

Well...

That hat is done!

Yes, I had my boy Dedbert model the beret for you. Yes it's too big for him.

Blurry semi-action shot!

The beret actually feels pretty decent, though it's a tad big for me (which is weird, because I used the Small/Medium pattern, but my family tend to have small skulls, so there's that...), and you don't notice the scratchiness of that wool when it's on top of your hair. I really like the yellow color, and I kind of wish I had enough yarn to make another one for me, because that? That hat's going in the Sell Box for when I A) get my Etsy shop set up all the way, or B) Covid chills the heck out so I can maybe go to a craft fair!

I still have some of the yellow yarn left, but I think I might turn that into a handbag or a small yellow stuffed animal? Whatever I do with it, I think I have come to terms with its scratchiness against my fingers, and I'll be able to work it up much more quickly!

The reason this blog is up so late, by the way, is because somebody decided today was a writing day and wrote two pages towards the middle of their novel. Somebody is me. I wrote two pages of my novel. I'm in the thick of it now, and I'm super excited!

That'll about do it for me today, guys. Expect some extra writing tomorrow (particularly about my writing!).

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Fiber Monday - Using Up The Scratchy Yarn

In Which I Worked On Something Different

Back when Over the Rainbow Yarn was open, I would pick up anything I could, especially on sale. Sometimes, that meant a sweet bunch of lime green or cerulean Uptown Worsted, and sometimes it was the lovely merino lace I'm using for the DA Lady Sibyl shrug... but sometimes it was on sale for a good reason. Take this bright yellow wool yarn, for instance...

Well, it's really more... mac & cheese/goldenrod colored in real life

It's... scratchy. Extremely scratchy. Unpleasantly so. So what do you make out of something that's a color most people would cringe at and a texture that only a crocodile could love?

Uh...

I decided to try making a beret. Specifically this one.

Do I know if it'll work? No. Do I know if it'll feel fine when worn? Nope. Do I worry that it'll be worthless and I've wasted hours of my life on an unusable hat? Kinda, but not really. Why? Because I can always frog it out if I fail.

Btw, I recently learned that "Frog" is a verb in knitting & crochet meaning "to break down a project back into its yarn". I've had to do that with this yarn several times. The good news is that every time I frog the project, the yarn gets a little softer, which gives me hope that with time (and probably a good washing or three) it'll be more comfortable.

I had to frog and restart because I forgot to read the instructions lol

So that'll probably do it from me, today. I'm a little tired, I need to pee, my partner is trying to sing a song about me to the tune of Marc Mero's theme (which is a little alarming because I do not at all look like Little Richard...). Now I'm off to see what I can snack on before I continue making this beret :)

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Fiber Monday: A New Hat For A New Year!

In Which It's The End of the Decade!

Well, it's here. The penultimate day of 2019. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve Day, and this will be the last project of 2019. I'll absolutely have it done by tomorrow.

It's a hat, in case you're wondering lol

The pattern I'm using is called The Aniak Beanie, and it's a very fun pattern to make. I'm probably going to have to use this spiralled shell stitch elsewhere! Made with five easy stitches, this hat is a great advanced-beginner project. All you need are: chain stitches, slip stitches, single crochet, half-double crochet, and double crochet. That's it. That's all you need!

It's taken me maybe four hours to get to about 6.5-7" in height, and the pattern calls for 9.5", so I'm nearly there. It's such an easy repetition that it'll be hard to stop.

I'm using a 5.5mm hook (an I-hook) and Caron Simply Soft yarn, which is a worsted weight. It's obscenely soft. One of my awesome sisters got me the yarn, which is in a colorway called "Sunset Autumn", for Christmas (along with three other skeins, though they're all green!). I kinda like the way the shells look a little like turkey feathers, and this will make an excellent fall hat. I'm not sure if I'll try a pompom - I'm kinda trash at making them.

If you're looking for this yarn, here's some closeups of the yardage and weight, also the color!

It's very cute!

As for why I'm posting this blog as late as I am... well... I had "help" this morning keeping me from the upload:

She's sulking because I won't let her sit on my lap while I work.
Sorry, kitty, I need to be able to lean forward!

And that's it for today's penultimate blog of 2019!

Tune in tomorrow for the final entry, my plans for next year, and the finished hat!

Go Enjoy Something, guys!
FC

Fiber Monday 238: Pumpkin Set Week 3

The "Pumpkin Set" continues to grow!

I may not have done any trimwork this week, but I finished the second fingerless glove and sewed it up!

They actually look pretty good! And they fit well, too!

Once I finished the second glove, I started on the next piece of the set.

With a length like that, you'd think it's the scarf...

I've started work on the hat - actually, I'm almost finished as of the writing of this entry! It's being worked as a flat rectangle, but once it's as long as I want, I'm going to sew it up the back and spiral reduce the top down to a more manageable level before cinching it shut. (Uh... if you didn't get that, I'll show you when I do it...) Then I'll maybe add a ribbed bottom to keep it on my head.

Look how big! 

I think that's all I've got for you today on the yarn-front, so tune in next week for a hopefully completed hat!

Go Enjoy Something!
FC