Missing In Inaction

I admit I haven't been doing a lot of knitting and this blog has been neglected.  This cool pair of socks seems to have gotten me started again.  Now I'm trying to finish another pair of gray socks that  I started months ago. Finishing projects started long ago can be challenging.

 Don't forget that the second Saturday in June is world wide knit in public day.  There are lots of organized events, but I say if you knit where ever you go on Saturday take along your knitting. I plan to and I hope I will have finished the gray socks so I can start something new!  I have not seen or heard from Purl, but I hope on Saturday, somewhere, she will be knitting too!

Together Again!!!

Today Purl came to the knitting meeting.  I have missed her a lot and it was great to see her.  Here I am in my sweater and hat that I finally finished.  My daughter's matching sweater is still in the sewing together stage.

Purl is looks fabulous in her pink striped hat and scarf.  She has been spending time with the local theater group.  Grease paint clearly agrees with her. I don't know if knitting can compete with all that excitement, but it was great to get back together today.    

A Knitter's Christmas

Over the years I have always loved to knit presents for friends and family.  Always my plans exceed what I manage to finish or sometimes even start.  There have been several years when yarn and pattern were wrapped with the promise of a somewhat belated gift.  This fall I had planned  to finish two sweaters.  One for myself and the other for my daughter. They are replacements for matching sweaters we have had for years.  This is hers.  It is pinned to be blocked in preparation for sewing it together.  This year  handmade stone buttons and a hat to match the as yet unfinished sweater were wrapped for her to open.

She took her hat home when she left,  so I took a picture of mine.  The hats are the same except for color of course, and I used pattern 1 for mine and pattern 4 for hers.  You can count up from the bottom on the back of the sweater to see which pattern I used.

Of course for the knitter unwrapping a gift of beautiful yarn is a pure pleasure.  The deliciously soft hand spun silk in my favorite purple shade, and the super awesome stitch marker were a gift from Amy.  She stopped by white barn farm to shop.  We love to go there together when I visit.

The lace weight wool is from the sheep of a friend who owns Lilac Hill Farm. It  was hand dyed with red sandalwood by her.  The stitch marker will be put into use very soon.  These beautiful skeins of yarn will sit in a pretty basket for awhile, looking gorgeous until I decide what to make with them.  For a knitter thoughts of Christmas giving start early and last well into the next year.  I think this is as it should be!

Ginny's Dishcloth Hat

    

Last month at the knitting group I attend, a friend asked me to try to copy a favorite winter hat that belonged to her friend Ginny.  Ginny had worn  the hat for many years and it was her favorite.

 

 With the help of someone in the group who knits dishcloths, I did my best to write a pattern for what Ginny called her asthma hat .  We all agreed that we would try to make the hat at this month's meeting.  When I spoke to Ginny on the phone she said she would love to make a new hat and thought she would like it in purple. 

I had some purple yarn and chose it to make the hat thinking I would give it to Ginny when I finished it. As you can see the hat is not yet finished.   It was in the newspaper today that Ginny passed away.  She and her husband had been married for 62 years.  I will finish the hat and give it to someone who needs a hat to keep warm this winter.  The pattern for Ginny's hat follows.  If you try making it and like the hat, it would be nice if you also made one to give to someone who needs a warm hat.  I think Ginny would like that!

Ginny’s Dishcloth Hat

Worsted weight yarn, about 4 oz.

Needles to obtain a gauge: 4 stitches to the inch in stockinette

I used size 9.

Leaving a 10”tail,  knit a chain for 2 inches.  Increase in the last stitch.  Working in garter stitch, increase one stitch at the beginning of every row until you have 16 stitches on the needle.  Work even for 32 rows.

Next row: Knit 6, place a marker, increase in the next stitch, place a marker, increase in next stitch, knit to end of row.  Wrong side row: increase in the first stitch, knit to marker, slide marker, purl to the next marker, slide marker, knit 6.  Mark the wrong side with a safety pin.

Knit 6, slide marker, knit to last stitch before marker increase in next stitch, slide marker, increase in next stitch, knit to the end of the row.  Repeat the last two rows 15 times more.  Work one more wrong side row. You should have 66 stitches, 43 on back of hat, 17 stockinette  and  6 garter stitch on the front.

Work even with no increases, but keeping to pattern for 8 rows.

Begin decrease rows:

Knit 6, slide marker, knit to last two stitches before marker, knit 2 tog. , slide marker, knit 2 together, knit to end of row.Knit 2 tog. , knit to marker, slide marker, purl to next marker, slide marker, knit 6. Repeat the last two rows until 16 stitches remain. End with a wrong side row.

Knit even on the 16 stitches for 32 rows.

Decrease 1 at the beginning of every row until one stitch remains.  Chain for 2 inches.  End off, leaving a 10” tail.

Use the yarn tail to secure a loop at the end of each strap. 

Sew buttons on the dishcloth side 4 ridges up from the first increase and eight stitches up from the lower edge.Definition of terms:

Knit a chain: Cast on 1 stitch. Knit that stitch over and over without changing direction until chain is desired length

Garter stitch: Knit every row

Stockinette stitch: Knit one row, purl one row

Increase: Knit in the front and back of next stitch

Decrease: Knit 2 together 

You can change the size of the hat by adding extra rows at the top of the hat and you can add a few more rows to the straps.