YARN - the perfect hat.

I love knitted winter hats. They are cozy and warm and there is something very delightfully wintery about them that seems almost festive. Living in San Francisco also means that unlike a city like say New York - hats are never required to avoid frostbite on the way to the subway but are just nice to wear to feel and look bundled up. I lost my favorite North Face beanie a few years ago while visiting New York and immediately replaced it with the same one - then lost the replacement somehow. I guess it was just not meant to be. This past fall - I started my hunt for the perfect hat. A hat that was super soft, not the least bit itchy (my forehead turns red immediately with itchy hats), looked casual and (holy grail) could be taken on and off all day without any negative hair ramifications. Why not a beret do you ask? This was the suggestion of my mother and two different yarn store staffers. Well - the answer to that is that despite my sometimes unhealthy love of stinky cheeses, croissants, baguettes and red wine - I am not French and certainly not old or eccentric enough to pull off a beret as a statement piece. Plus - I think they are dumb looking - like a yarn mushroom fell from the sky and landed on your head. Plop plop. 

the inspiration hat from purlbee.

I found my perfect hat on my all time favorite knitting/sewing blog the purl bee and is called - aptly enough - the simple pleasures hat. It is made with silk and cashmere and is divine.


Can we stop for a moment and just give an appreciative contented sigh for cashmere?? How is it that yarn spun from the underbelly of some special goat can be so scrumptiously soft and warm and light and silky? Anytime I am feeling meh and don't want to go out to the grocery store or to work or to anywhere besides on my couch with my sweet puppy - I'll wrap myself up in a cashmere scarf. Living in San Francisco - I can pretty much do this all year round without giving myself a heat rash or looking like a crazy person.

Back to the hat...what totally sold me on the pattern was the first photo on the post. In the photo - the hat is obviously very casual and soft but it is also perfectly loose in the crown, making it unable to smoosh hair! I made a special post-work trip to my local boutique yarn store - Greenwich Yarns and picked up some wonderfully silky smokey gray yarn to make the hat. Given that I was flying to New York that week it was going to be a great plane project - something portable that did not require too much counting. Besides running out of yarn less than an inch from the top (arrggghhh!!) meaning I could not finish until I got back home - the pattern was super simple and the hat turned out great. For awhile this winter - I was wearing it close to 50% of the time I went outdoors. It was really obsessive but I loved it so...

my much used and loved (and stretched out) hat.

I got a lot of compliments on the hat. My favorite one being "Where did you get it?" This means it did not scream HOMEMADE which I am always afraid of. I want things to look unique and hand crafted but not like some sort of shoddy home-ec project. I think it is one of the many many reasons I splurge on the better materials (Irish linen, cashmere, alpaca etc.) and stay away from anything acrylic. My mom loved the hat - despite it not being a beret - so I made one for her for Christmas to replace the one I made last year that she destroyed through overuse and love. Here she is below wearing it proudly with a great coat I got for her 10 years ago when I worked at Gap. It has lime green silk lining (the coat, not the hat). I always regret not having purchased one for myself...

my mom wearing her christmas hat.

Anyhoo - there are a few things to note about this project in case you want to try one on your own. Here it goes --
1. splurge on the materials noted in the pattern - cashmere and mohair with silk. It really makes all the difference - especially if it is going to be your winter staple.
2. If you are even a slightly loose knitter - you will need to go down a needle size or two. The first hat I made was straight to the pattern and it is super loose now. If I shake my head - the hat falls down over my eyes.
3. While you are knitting the pattern will seem odd. While 6 inches is usually half a hat with most patterns - with this one - it's just the ribbed brim. Then the crown seems to go on forever. But do not worry - it will all come together and make sense in the end.


Happy knitting.

B.L.E.

p.s. - I'm making a navy cashmere version now too! It will probably be my stand-in for the gray one now that it is so stretched out. The gray one will become part of the always gorgeous dog walking uniform. 

I want to go to there.

Ohhh I'm so excited! I am going to New York in just a week for work, life, friends and fun. Annnnnnd I get to go to the new gorgeous looking Purl soho. My two favorite stores - Purl and Purl Patchwork - are now combined into one master store. I see a few hundred dollars flying out of my wallet and a few wonderful new project flying back to San Francisco in my suitcase. Swoon.

The one sad thing about a full week in New York is a full week away from my little family - Adam and Biscuit. This will be the longest Adam and I have ever been apart. I know we are very lucky that we have never had to spend more than five days apart in five years. Very lucky - but it will make this trip that much more difficult.

Luckily - I will some of my very best friends in New York to keep me very entertained. Here comes trouble of the best sort.

B.L.E.

sock it to me.

Having plowed through hats and mittens, scarves and baby blankets and three (yes three) dog sweaters recently - I want to try to knit some socks. I have always been afraid of socks but I think I am ready to take on the challenge. I know there are lots of sock patterns out there but I need some help finding one that fits the supplies I already have. This is because I really need to work through my ever growing stash of gorgeous yarn. Like Rumpelstitlken - I need to spin this straw into some gold (p.s. - nothing better than a mini-man with a fondness for shiny).

Ok so here are my requirements - 

1. uses doublepointed needles - preferably 3.25 mm

2. easy easy easy - this is my first dabbling with socks and I don't want to get scared away 

3. requires traditional sock weight yarn,  or thicker wool - this is what I have plenty to work with

Bring on the suggestions and wish me luck!

B.L.E.

current piles = future projects

Lately I have been on a bit of a bender. All the fabric and yarn shown here I purchased in the last 2.5 months. I think I have self control but I just don't. I think I can stop whenever I want but I just can't. Despite my obsessive watching of Hoarders I continue to purchase supplies for unplanned projects. I buy things "just in case."

The problem truly is that there has been so much great stuff around lately. Beautiful hand dyed yarns in incredible colors from purlsoho.com and my favorite local yarn shop Urban Fauna. Whimsical fabrics in fantastic prints (monkeys and robots and dots oh my!) from Etsy and then there was the gnome incident which led to a fear that if I didn't purchase now I may never get it.

That being said - I now have a wonderful stash of really great fabrics and yarns that need projects worthy of their beauty. This is where you come in.

Friends - I need help. Please help inspire me. I need ideas, projects, requests, patterns, something to get these great materials transformed into fantastical things. So...shoot. I'm all ears. And who knows? Your super idea could very well end up being a present just for you!

Cheers!
B.L.E.

YARN - knitted beanies.

Looking back on the blog I realize it has been a year since I posted any knitting projects. This is a bit odd given that I knit probably 5 times more than I sew. See - the sewing room is allllllllllll the way upstairs and the tivo and the couches are downstairs - where it is warm. Once the weather perks up and it is no longer dark when I get home - I'll do a bit more sewing. But this winter has been all about the knitting.

Here is a list of knitting projects I have completed since November.

5 pairs of fingerless gloves. Yes - five! I had my own Christmas sweatshop going.

3 baby hats.

1 hat/mitten combo for my baby niece.

2 adult beanies - including the one above which was a Christmas gift for my mom. The other was for me to walk the dog in.

1 gorgeous (if I do say so) baby blanket that I will have to blog about separately in all its glory.

I wish I could give you some fantastic tutorial on how I made these beanies but honestly - I have been making hats on circular needles for so long now I don't even pay attention to how/what I am doing. I cast on what "looks right" and start knitting then start to decrease when it looks about head-size. These hats are a bit of a change-up for me though because they are truly beanies. They have a ribbed foldover brim and a much more fitted look. I made the bigger one for my mom and then made a matching one for my niece with the leftover yarn. Want to know the cutest thing ever? They wear them together after their swim class. How f*cking adorable is that?

Since I am of no help at all with providing patterns or instructions - here are a few similar options for you to use.

1. Pill Box Hat from Lion Brand Yarns.
Single color, no brim, great for a first project.

2. Cashmere Hats for Mom, Dad and Baby from The Purl Bee.
Three great patterns. I'm especially in love with the baby hat with the little ear flats. Precious. Also - can we say cashmere? Yum!

3. Rolled Brim knit hat from Martha Stewart.
This one actually looks the most like all the hats I usually make. The difference is that it does not use circular needles which is nice given that many beginning knitters don't have all the supplies. This patterns also uses very chunky yarn - meaning you can finish in just a few episodes of Sex and the City on a weekend afternoon.

Enjoy.

B.L.E.

things i want to make part 1 of 10,000

I have the longest list in the world of things I want to make. I see something gorgeous and I bookmark the webpage or add some sort of fancy post-it to the book and then...it sits. The list grows longer - either waiting for me to find some time, develop some unobtainable crafting skill, buy the 1,100 necessary supplies or some combination of the above.

Here is a project I both have the supplies for and **gasp** have started! These are big steps people - I expect a gold star on my chart from each of you after you read this.

Hand knit washcloths - hold your questions as to why any right minded person would feel the need to knit their own washcloths. These are so soft - and pretty - and are relatively fast - and make great gifts. Don't judge - this very well could be your next birthday present and wouldn't you rather wash your bum with something made with love?
I have completed 2 out of a set of 3 - knitting them out of a soft off white organic cotton yarn. All I need to do is finish the last 1/2 of the 3rd washcloth and attempt to block them - which will be a new knitting skill for me.
I found the pattern and this photo (mine are not quite ready for their close-up) on the purl bee website. If you are ever in need of inspiration of any sort - the purl bee is your place. Everything comes with great tutorials and there is not a thing on there that is not drool worthy in some way.

B.L.E.

YARN - one pair of mittens - this time with fingers!

With a little persuading by Sarah - I finally made a pair of mittens with finger and thumb covers. On a rainy Sunday filled with Dim Sum and yarn shopping - Sarah picked out the yarn and I got to work. I love the coloring on these - they are made from just one skein of yarn but it was hand dyed - making for that great variation in color from mitten to mitten.

I used the same pattern from Martha Stewart that was noted in my original post for fingerless mittens http://housewifebyaccident.blogspot.com/2009/02/yarn-lots-o-mittens-none-with-fingers.html. Since this yarn was much thicker than the original pattern and Sarah has petite paws - I reduced the cast-on stitches from 39 to 30. With a stroke of luck I finished the mittens with just 6 inches of yarn to spare.

In our adventures Sarah and I stumbled upon the greatest little yarn shop called Urban Fauna Studio http://www.urbanfaunastudio.com/. The place is about the size of my bedroom but filled top to bottom with treasures - 2 inch tall knitted robots, felted centipede toys, ceramics that look knitted and the most beautiful yarns - most hand dyed, sustainable and/or organic.

There are no stuffy pretentious old ladies there - nobody to judge the quality of your cable knit. Instead it is owned and operated by a guy in (maybe) his early 30s who acts surprisingly like my brother who is a tattoo artist in Portland. Seriously - he was wearing a t-shirt with a hot dog dancing with a mustard bottle.

He was incredibly helpful and truly passionate about his store, art, yarn, knitting, spinning and the culture of just experimenting and playing with material. It was very refreshing - especially for me - I often just pick up yarn and let it tell me what I should make - I rarely go into a shop with some grand preconceived plan.

I have quite the stash of yarn now. Luckily it has been cold and rainy so I can justify sitting around happily knitting away.


B.L.E.

YARN - lots o' mittens none with fingers!

My sister claims these are called "handwarmers" but Ms. Martha called them fingerless mittens and I am afraid of her so fingerless mittens it is.

A few weeks ago I opened up the January issue of Martha Stewart and saw these mittens and I was smitten. I never even turned the page - just grabbed some random yarn I got for free at work (could one of the reasons RedEnvelope failed be because there was sh*t like yarn just sitting around - free for the taking??) and got to work.

This project was fun for many reasons - 1. I have never made mittens or gloves or anything of the sort 2. I have never used doublepoint needles and 3. you don't really have to count stitches you can eyeball it - and I don't like to count or follow directions 4. how friggin cute are these???

Here is the link to the pattern -
http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/fingerless-mittens?autonomy_kw=mitten&rsc=header_7

These quickly became my new obsession. All in all - I have made 7 pairs - even one by commission - thanks Alisa!! While in New York - I visited a cute little yarn shop in Park Slope, Brooklyn with Carrie and Alisa and it was just brimming with mittens. I picked up another mitten pattern (free from the nice owner lady) this one with ribbing detail.



The ribbing is fun - almost gives it a lacey kinda look - especially in the white organic cotton one. But I have to say that the roll top original Martha one is my favorite - it has that urban pauper look - so very Olsen twins circa 2006.

Anyhoo - if you need mittens with no fingers - call me! I can't seem to stop.



Cheers!

B.L.E.