The Next Batch!

Here is the latest batch of chemo hats!  Another fun dozen, I experimented with more stitch patterns, color patterns & styles.  I bribed my daughter into modeling them for me.  As you can see in the pictures, her cooperation was quickly declining as we went along!  Not really, she just was enjoying hamming it up for the camera...too much, maybe! 

Some of my favorites from this batch are the blue & cream Swiss check, the black & blue Quaker rib (probably my most favorite!), the green & white Quaker rib, & the rose & burgundy Thorn stitch hat.  I just love the Quaker rib hats, they look sort of slouchy, then open up to show the hidden color underneath!  Sort of like an accordian!  Plus they are fun to play with! 

The ladies at work seemed unanimous on the rose & burgandy hat.  It was the overall favorite from the bunch!

Oh Just Kick Me!

Here I go again.  Dreaming of yet another tote bag/purse.  Sigh!  This time, I'm thinking of using some pretty wool yarn that is hand dyed in lovely shades of purple.  I've tried felting it already, last year when I was trying to decide which yarn to use for the eyeglass case.  It comes out nice & thick when felted. 

So I'm thinking about a new knitting bag.  Maybe a bit smallish.  Just enough for a skein or two & a chemo hat or other small project.  Something I can just grab, stuff & go!  I don't really need another huge bag.  I've already got quite a few of those!  I'm thinking maybe in the "booga bag" style...with the drawstring type handle.  I'm not sure yet, because this yarn does felt up very thick!  Needles will have a hard time trying to poke through this yarn!  I want to add some nice pockets on the outside, for little gadgets & whatnots.  Maybe a pocket or two on the inside as well.  I have a ton of this yarn, so it won't be a problem!

I'm still making chemo hats!  I'm almost done with this batch, I have 3 more till I have my dozen, then I'll post pictures of them.  The ladies at work only see the hats in progress, they haven't seen a finished one yet.  They think I don't really finish them!  I promised I would bring in the batch when I'm done so they can see them.  I'm doing some different things to a few hats.  So its been exciting for me to work on them.  I'm excited to finish & show them off!  Soon!

What's New?

Not too much new to report on my end.  Still making Chemo hats.  I'm very close to finishing my 8th hat in this bunch, so I'll be able to post the pics soon!  While I just love the helix spiral pattern for its ease & use of smaller scraps, I've been doing a few different styles of hat for variety. 

Currently, I'm making a Quaker rib hat. Another very simple concept, its 4-6 rounds of St. st, then 4-6 rounds of reverse St. st. - repeat to crown.  I'm having a lot of fun with these, though, because it scrunches up like an accordian!  You can't really see the St. st. parts until you stretch it out, so I'm using coordinating colors for that part.  Its sort of like a surprise when you stretch it out & see a different color inside!

My mind is roaming for variations on this, maybe add another row of a third color on the St. st. parts, just a row or two.  Use up some smaller scraps & add some interest & variety as well.  I'm also contemplating a spiral rib hat.  I have loads of cream & off white yarns just screaming for a textured pattern.  It won't even matter if its just a solid color, because the stitch pattern will add the interest.  I may even venture into some cables, but those take more time & thought, so I'll see how I feel about it!

On other news, Luv2knit63 (aka Lisa!) asked about the helix spiral hat pattern.  I searched the web & couldn't find the pattern again, but I know its out there in many forms.  If you want it, I"m sure if you search more diligently than I did, you'll find it! :)

Rhaman60 asked for the felted purse pattern.  I sort of made it up as I knit along. Unfortunately, I did not write down instructions for what I did.  Shame on me!  But there are many very nice bag patterns out there, a google search should help with that!  I hope you find something you like! 

Someone else out there asked about knitted flowers.  (I can't seem to find the post right now)  I highly recommend Nicky Epstein's book Knitted Embellishments.  It is rather pricey to buy ($30), but I found it at the library.  There are loads of delicious flowers & other trims!  The woman is a genious!  I personally want this book, too, so maybe a Mother's Day gift or anniversary present?! 

Thanks to everyone who take time from your busy days to read all my sillybabble! 

Happy New Year & More Hats To All!

Happy New Year to Everyone!  Let's hope its a healthy, hopeful year for us all!

Here are some pictures of my latest batch of chemo hats.  I actually finished these back in late October or early November & took them to the cancer center.  But I was in the middle of some bag babble, so I didn't talk about them yet!

I was trying to get a little more adventurous with the yarn types I've been using.  So I pulled out some chenille yarns.  They blended very well with the regular yarns & came out soft & cuddley.  I'm not a big fan of chenille, but I have a ton of it from a yarn store going out of business sale. 

I also pulled out some fun confetti-type yarns.  They have lots of fluff on them & look rather fuzzy & cuddley.  Not a fun yarn to work with, but I don't have too much of it either!  I think the hats came out fun!  I'm sure someone out there will love them!

I also resorted to one of my favorite basic patterns, the spiral helix.  It is such a great way to use up those yarns & I made quite a few that way!  They just look so interesting & its better than a plain boring hat!  Like the hats I made in the beginning!  There are a couple with a regular ribbed hem, but most have the soft rolled brim that I like so much! 

I currently have 7 hats in the basket, but as mentioned before, I like to give them in even dozens.  So, just a few more & they'll be making their way to the cancer center too! 

 

Woohoo! The Bag Is Felted!

Yahoo!  I finally worked up the nerve to felt the latest purse!  It came out great!  The only thing that didn't come out like I had hoped was the handle, but it still looked okay, so I wasn't too worried!  I felted it before Christmas, I just haven't been able to post the results till now! 

The size came out just what I wanted, which is good & the handle ended up being long enough, once I reknit it!  All in all, a fun, interesting project that I would do again.  Silly me, I didn't keep any notes on the construction of this bag.  Must have been a moment of insanity or just the busy holiday season.  Ah well, part of the fun of designing is being able to make something on the fly! 

In the pictures above, I show the completed, felted bag, which doesn't look too much different than it did before felting.  At least not in these pictures.  I took a shot of the underside of the pocket flap so you can see the I-cord trim around the rim inside.  I hope that will keep some stability to the top, so it doesn't stretch out of shape over time.  Also, you can see the felted carries, they won't get caught on anything now, cause they are all blended together now.  I also have a shot of the handle, which didn't flatten out like I wanted, but still looks good. 

Finally, the recipient of the bag!  My daughter's friend!  She was so thrilled to finally get it!  She was able to see it in progress & was very anxious for me to finish.  The best part is that she likes it!

Just Call Me Chicken!

Yep, that's me, a wimp!  I still haven't felted the latest handbag yet.  First, the strap issue kept bothering me.  It was too short & it might have gotten shorter with felting.  So I took It apart & reknitted it longer.  I really like the length now.  Its attached to the bag & the ends are all tucked in, so I just need to felt it. 

Why haven't I felted it yet?  There is a tiny part of me that is afraid it will get messed up.  Don't ask me why, I guess because felting goes against everything we knit for!  If the felting ruins the bag, I don't have leftovers to re-make the bag. 

The other thing is I started a new job a few weeks ago.  I'm exhausted!  Wow, I can't believe how tired I've been!  So, my point is, I've been too tired to stand in front of the washer to felt the bag!  LOL!  I'm planning on felting it today, so wish me luck!  I'll be sure to post pictures of the finished result!

What have I been up to in the meantime?  Chemo hats, what else!  Lunchtime is a great time to work on a few rows of a hat.  I recently turned a batch over to the cancer center, so I'll post pictures of those soon.  Plus, I'll need to finish up my next dozen & take pictures of those, too. 

Lucky me, I'm not doing any Christmas knitting this year! Smart girl!

Bag In Progress!

Oh no, not another one!  Yes, its true.  I'm making yet another bag, a purse this time.  This is not for me, so its all good!  I'm using up the leftovers from the felted entrelac bag shown before.  This is a totally improvised pattern.  I made it up as I knit along! 

I started out with the bottom of the bag.  I made a stockinette stitch rectangle, long & rather narrow.  This is the bottom of the bag.  Then I picked up stitches around the rectangle & started my stitch pattern in the round.  I just love the way this stitch looks!  Bright, festive, fun, I think I'll use this one on a few chemo hats later on! 

Anyway, I kept the side panels in plain stockinette, with a slip stitch at both ends of the panel to define it a bit.  After a few inches, I started decreasing the side panels, so the bottom of the bag would be wider than the top.  It worked out just like I wanted!  Wow!  The side panels sort of fold inward, so it makes the bag look more square when empty, but it will have give when it has goodies in it. 

I did an attached I-cord around the front opening, then worked the flap back & forth.  I used a garter stitch side edge to help stop the curl & put garter stitch at the bottom of the flap as well.  The flap still curls from the bottom, so I'm hoping that after felting, it will lay flat.  If it doesn't, I don't know what I'll do yet! 

The handle gave me the most trouble.  I had cast on about 15 sts, & was going to work it in a long strip.  I started with just the blue, but quickly found out I wouldn't have enough.  So I added some of the pink, but didn't have enough of that either.  I had already run out of the green, so that was out.  I started again, adding the yellow, which I had the most leftover.  Ick.  I went back & forth with this for quite a few days.  I would be motivated, start knitting, then realize it wouldn't work.  I would have to put it aside for a day to stop my frustration!  Then I would frog what I had done & start again.  This went on for about a week or so.  Argh. 

Then it hit me!  Why not knit the strap lengthwise?  This way I could determine how much yarn & had & give myself a better idea of when to stop!  I put a knot in the center of each length of color, then rewound them into balls.  When I would get to the knot, I knew I only had enough to repeat what I had already knitted.  So, I cast on with the blue, about 130 sts, worked till I saw that knot, then stopped.  Picked up the yellow & did the same.  I had the least amount in the pink, so it only got 2 rows, then yellow again & finished with blue.  I barely made it with the blue.  I guess binding off takes more yarn than casting on does. 

But the strap is done, & while it is not as long as I had hoped, it will just have to do!   I have no more yarn, except for a few lengths to sew the strap on.  I had intended on making an inside pocket too, but I was over confident in my yarn quantity!  I'm going to felt it today or tomorrow, & I will post pictures of the final result!  Cross your fingers for me!