Every good hat needs a ridiculous scarf

After my self-proclaimed success with Yulie, it only seemed fitting that I have a laughably oversized scarf to go with it. I wanted to pull a color from the many in the hat with the half-hearted goal of a slightly awkward combination.

I settled on a super chunky yarn, Lion Wool-Ease Thick and Quick, which knits up on hilariously large size 19 needles. For the stitch pattern, I wanted something simple, but not plain. I settled on a faux-herringbone pattern. The right side has that cute zig-zaggy look, while the wrong side looks like boring purl bumps.

Hopefully the end ensemble is cozy and cute instead of weird and homeless.

Camera found = Yulie pics

I've been bouncing off the walls since I finished my amazing Yulie beret. And while I'm not complaining, the 60 degree weather that kept me from wearing it is over. So without further delay...

Seriously, how great is this?

This is the right side.

And the "wrong" side.

Yayay Yulie!

Hats!

As I traveled to lovely NYC last weekend, I anticipated some cool fall weather (btw, I was right). At the last minute, I packed two favorite hats, my Odessa and a slouchy hat.

(this is the first version I knit as a gift, but I like the way L shows of the sweet swirl action)

The Odessa was a pattern published in the now-defunct MagKnits, by the delightful Grumperina. The pattern was well-written and really fun to knit with the traveling stitches. It called for a slightly above-budget Rowan cashmere-wool blend. But it only needs one ball so I gave in and I'm glad. It's soft and lovely. It's thin but warm.

(this is not me either, as far as I know this is the designer, SloMoeKnits)

The slouchy hat was knit on a whim, before I realized slouchy hats would be in style for the following 4 years... This was knit in a more budget-friendly yarn, to the tune of $3.00 and change. I actually think I like it more now than when I first knit it. It's a good go-to.

What I love most: each was knit sometime around 2007. And they still rock. Each is soft/stretchy enough to not pinch my ears with glasses on (am I the only one who has this happen?) And both were knit in neutral enough colors (dark teal, "mushroom") that they go with most anything. Hat win.

Cuddly fall knits

Admission: yarn sometimes sits in my stash for a long time. Like, years. Some of it is for projects that never materialized (like the totes gorgeous olive yarn I bought to make a Melissa Wehrle cardigan which I will still make!!). Some yarn is just waiting for the right project...

(from Cheval Blanc)

I had two skeins of Cheval Blanc Flamme (don't get excited, the website's in French) that were a kind gift from my B from Paris. I struggled with the nubby texture and variegated color to find the right pattern to make this look cozy and luxe.

Cue cool fall air and my firm belief that cowls are going to be HUGE this winter. You heard it here. Cowls. Huge.

I wanted something cabled, to add bulk and up the cozy factor. I decided on the Tuesday Night Cowl, by I'm Knitting as Fast as I Can. The cables are subtle and scrunch in a pretty way to add texture to the cowl.

It's nearly knit. I just need to decide whether I want to seam it or add some buttons. Probably buttons, because cowl over head + dry winter weather = static city.

Destroyed Cowl: Part II

For those interested, the Destroyed Cowl, aka my first fall knit, is just a big rectangle of stockinette stitch. Boring to knit, but good for TV watching. Fairly mindless. But, oh yay for dropping stitches on purpose!!

As always, the Kitchener stitch was way more annoying than expected. It's supposed to make the cowl a continuous loop of knitting. Blocking will even this out some.

But as you can see, I made some mistakes.

Okay, a LOT of mistakes here at the end... Fortunately, I think these won't be noticeable unless someone is studying it.

Next up: dyeing.

First fall knit

Apparently, I inspired myself. After I showed the Destroyed Cowl a few days ago, I started to really want one. So whilst at the airport Friday, (and on and off since then) I've been working on my own cowl. It doesn't look like much yet, but I have high hopes for this. I think I want to dye it too, after I was so happy with how this wool took color.

It's fall!

It rained today, and when I left from work, hello, it was fall. The breeze was chilly and I wanted scarves, sweaters and mittens (ok, maybe not mittens). Oh, let the fall knitting commence!

Maybe a chunky shawl collared cardigan like this (from Fall '09 Knitscene)?

Or this destroyed cowl (by Martha Merzig)?

Starting and Finnish-ing

To plan for some upcoming travel (coupled with Knitter's Mercantile summer sale) I decided I needed a hipster-jet-set-bandana-scarf-shawl-thingy. I wanted lace, but not frilly. I settled on a pretty simple, geometric pattern called Fifi.

The only catch was that the pattern was written in Finnish. Because the pattern was charted, I really only needed to know what each symbol represented, plus any unique finishing details. Thank goodness for Ravelry, I found someone who'd knit this pattern and seemed to know English. I was able to email her and sort things out. She is my Terhi-godmother.
Nonetheless, I am the proud owner of two skeins of Twisted Sisters Zazu merino in monochromatic variegated gold. I looooooove it. It is precisely the color of marigolds. Or more appropriately mums, I suppose, since it's fall.

Weekend Cardigan and FALL!

Today was the first day with bona fide fall weather in my neck of the woods. This worked out quite nicely, because I happened to start AND FINISH a cropped cardigan this weekend. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

On Friday, in a rare fit of organization, I began stacking and stuffing skeins in a hope to make the basement shelves look like a pretty yarn store display. It sort of worked, but now I'm supremely worried about dust. Anyway, I also happened to flip through Fitted Knits (by Stefanie Japel)while eating a fairly awesome dinner I made (but that's for another time). As I mentally flagged patterns, I happened to notice that the "Bold and Bulky Mini Cardigan" called for three skeins of yarn that I had just stuffed into a shelving unit. Well, clearly the only remedy was to cast on immediately.

So I did- and I was lucky enough to find myself two days later, on the first truly fallish day mind you, with a masterfully handknit cardigan! I felt it only appropriate then to model it unbuttoned and bolero-style and walk to the delightful North Market where I bought my first locally-grown apples.

It's fall, baby.

(Note: proper photos to follow. I just wanted to share! Can you blame me?)

Science slump

Unfortunately, new fall classes and new projects at work are making me all stressed and annoyed and thusly, needing a slouchy hat. Famous and cool people are wearing them, and that's good enough for me.


However, I'm knitting this beret on the sly. Periodically, I find myself so bogged down in UFOs, that I take on some small project with the zeal to finish it in three days or less. This was true of the legwarmers, true of the slippers, and now nearly true (Friday at the latest) for my beret.

Mine will be of my favorite Lion Brand Wool-Ease ($3.00/skein) in the "mushroom" colorway. It looks surprisingly like the color of mushrooms. And now that I think of it, it will probably look like a mushroom on my head, what with the floppiness. Is that good or bad?