Portable Knitting

New Hat for J

I started out trying to make a hat for my toddler, figuring it would work up pretty quickly. I used this as a chance to do some stash busting. Combing through my yarn remnants I found some Rowan 4-ply Soft and I decided to try using it doubled. I tried to calculate my gauge, but with limited knitting time I just got started.

A great marled knit emerged from the dark blue and dusty purple-gray colors. I continued, mixing pale leaf green with icy blue. I realized as I got halfway that the hat was too large, then that I didn't have enough of those colors to complete the entire crown. I decided to add in generous amounts of white that I had, which I added as a stripe and then the crown.

I thought I might make it for myself, but my almost 5-year-old, with his big head, asked if it coukd be for him, so I finished the crown for a child's head. I completed the gay this week and already it has been worn to school and out and about -- yeah!

Batman Knit Hat

Here are the instructions for the Batman hat I designed for my superhero loving son. He has a big head so this I would consider a youth small. It is easy to adjust up or down in size in increments of four, to accomodate the double rib. I need to add in a diagram to help explain the ear join better

Cascade 220 (Dark Blue, Gold, Black)
#7 circular needles
#7 double pointed needles

Cast on 96 stitches with dark blue and join in a round on double pointed needles (24 stitches per needle)
K2P2 rib for eight rows

Increase one stitch at the start of the neck row (will be used for seam later on); knit 3 rows in stockinette

Switch to circular needles, begin pattern rows in intarsia following chart (28 stitches wide). Center pattern by starting the gold on the 43 stitch, or center pattern on midwat point. Knit this section back and forth as a flat knit.

 

Once intarsia section is complete, transition back to working in the round on the DP needles, decreasing one stitch at the start of the next row by K2tog.

Continue knitting with dark blue until hat measures 7.5 inches (19 cm) from cast-on edge.

Crown

To finish the crown and form the ears you will use a combination of kitchener stitch across the crown and knitted cast off (three needle cast-off) at each end.

Transfer the last 24 stitches (from the fourth needle, stitches 77-98, starting from stitch 77) onto a straight needle and then transfer the stitches from the first needle (in order 1-24). Transfer the stitches from needles 2 and 3 with the needle point ending in the same directions the other needle for joining. You will end up with parallel needles ready for joining.

Do a knitted cast-off of the first 11 stitches (Using a third needle put the point through the first stitch on the parallel needles and knit one stitch, repeat by knitting through two stitches then pass the first stitch over the second to cast-off. Repeat for 10 more stitches)
Kitchener the center 26 stitches together.
Transfer the final 11 stitches onto double-pointed needles and working from the outside in, do a knitted cast-off.
Bind off.

To finish ears, fold the cast off section so it is perpendicular to the seam. Using a tapestry needle, sew through the cast off seam to join it to the outside edge of the hat body. (diagram to be added later)

Next sew the inside 4 knitted cast-off stitches to the adjacent top seam of the hat to secure ears upright. Repeat for other ear.

Sew up seam from intarsia section.

Weave ends in to finish.

It has been forever, but I have been knitting

I haven't posted in forever. I have been knitting and working on things and actually I've bought more yarn as well.

I knit a Moderne Baby Blanket for my new baby boy. I did all but the last two sections which required intarsia and my baby came before I could do those sections so I just decided to leave it at well enough. Of course I've got a lot of extra yarn left as a result. I'm thinking of using light blue and white to make a striped pullover with a shoulder placket for the new little guy.

The Batman hat was completed over our Memorial Day camping trip, though I still haven't woven all the ends in I realized this morning, even as my son has been wearing it on cool mornings to preschool. I'll have to get on that this week.

I had a little striped beanie that I knit in baby size in my finished-objects stash that I pulled out for the new baby that also needed the ends woven in (now completed). It is a little bit for his two month head but in a couple months I'm sure it will fit fine.

I pulled out my malachite colored yarn a couple weeks ago and started swatching it. I'm interested in knitting a buttoned cowl with it, as I've lot of mother-of-pearl buttons that will contrast nicely.

I have my Wisp completed as I posted previously, all but for a dropped stitch in the middle that I've got a loop of red yarn holding together. I just need to sew that closed and weave in the ends (what is is with me and loose ends?). I never did buy or sew on any buttons to it. I will have to address that.

Oh, and for all of the fact that I finished my yellow zipped cardigan some five years ago, I never did install the zipper. I purchased one from ZipperStop.com but the color was wrong and I never got around to sorting that out. Just last week though I placed the order for the replacement zipper and hopefully this time it will be a suitable match.

I've been knitting a Little Coffee Bean for little Oliver, using ecru and brown heathered Cascade 220 that I had in stash. I'm down to the last 1-1.5 inches of the second sleeve and then I just need to do the button plackets. I purchased some bright red buttons to use on it already. I swear it is hard to get more than a few rows done at a time now between the two kids.

I did do some more rows on the Basketweave pullover that I started last year for my partner, though I'm only about halfway done with the back. Slow going, as I thought it would be.

Time for preschool pick-up for Jonah. I'll try to be a better blogger and post again soon.

Knitting about Batman

My son, now three years old, is a huge fan of superheros and his declared favorite is Batman. He has invented characters, both heroes and villans, from his eclectic mix of small figurines such as plastic animals, tiny toy firemen, a set of Gumby and Friends I was given years ago, a plastic monster finger puppet and a wind-up toy.

With great passion he has us help him pack his toys into small paper shopping bags and bring them around the house throughout the day; to the livingroom, my home office, the attic, his bedroom and beyond.

He and I have talked about what he wants to be for Halloween this year, with my thinking of getting a headstart on fashioning him a costume as we get ready to welcome a new baby in August. He is emphatic that he shall be Batman, with cape, utility belt ANC a mask that goes over his eyes with ears that stick up. I've bought material for the cape and should have enough for the mask as well. He selected a deep blue as what he wanted so a bluish batman he shall be.

In looking into handmade Batman costumes online I saw one example where the designer, a crafty mom, used stretch fabric for the mask. This got me thinking about how I might knit a Batman hat for my little guy. After thinking about it for weeks I finally dove in and started on a new wool beanie, using Cascade 220 from my stash.

It is a dark heathered teal with an intarsia Batman logo in the front. I'm currently working my way to the crown of the hat which I will finish with two pointed ears and a kitchenered top seam. I need sone time to knit and measure on my son so it can have enough depth for a bit of growth, but not too much.

As it happens his two hats from the past year have both been lost (bummer) so he will need this hat for our camping trip Memorial weekend. I think I'll have just enough time to get it done.

New hat underway

I've been working on a slouchy beret using up the leftover brown tweed Rowan from the baby cardigan and booties I knit for J when he was an infant. I'm hoping to knit matching wristwarmers too; I think I have enough yardage. I'm into the decreases of the crown, so not so much longer now.

I think it will be a great match for my green and brown wool plaid coat my partner bought for me in Paris in December. I love it and wear it almost daily. I'll have to share a picture when I'm done.

Not much else on the knitting front, though I am contemplating starting some new baby things.

Striped Baby Beanie for Charity

There's a new Seattle group formed through the Ravelry site called HumanKnitty that is doing some charitable knitting. Since I'm relatively in-between projects I did a quick knit baby hat in Cascade 220. I just need to weave the ends in.

J liked the hat and when I told him it was to give away he said "Noooo." he wanted me to give it to his baby cousin Luka. Today he asked to try it on, of course it was way too small. I told him it was for a little baby and he agreed. I might make another for him since he liked it so much.

Long time no post

I have been keeping up on Ravelry with posting my projects but I haven't blogged in a while.

I am 80% done with a ribbed beanie for my partner. It is this really nice brown wool with some green blended in it that he picked our for himself at a yarn shop in Port Townsend in December. It should be really warm.

I also frantically dug around in my office where my stash is to find some yarn to start knitting something for my new nephew, due to arrive in March. I settled for some Jaeger alpaca in a rich tomato color -- my fav color right now. I cast on my #2 Brittany DPs and already knit two rows. I'll take it with me on my trip to LA this weekend.

I was rather horrified though tonight to find a moth larvae in the ball of Jaeger. I haven't been able to mind my stash as well as I would like between work and minding my toddler... With a little knitting time to keep me sane. I'm thinking that it is probably worth some spring cleaning and sorting of my stash, perhaps putting the yarn in the freezer to try to kill any little creatures.

pirate planning

I've decided that a pirate would be a good costume for Jonah this year. He likes hats and so I want to get one. I was searching online and actually found two knitting patterns for felted pirate hats. I'm not sure I could pull it off in time.

cashmerino beanie again

I've been struggling with the striping pattern on this hat. This morning, before the baby woke, I was able to get out my colored pencils and sketch it out. I think I've got it figured out now (fingers crossed)

A new beret for me

I don't think I mentioned it but I bought a skein of some Cascade Leisure in black several months ago, it seemed to be the right texture to use for the hair of a doll I want to make of a Fijian woman. I haven't gotten around to making the doll yet, still need to sketch it out and overdye the cloth for the body, but the yarn was just sitting there.

I wanted to make myself a new hat and then I remembered that I had that skein. I cast on using #8s and then shifted up to #10.5s and knit the whole thing based on the tam pattern in that Ann Budd pattern book. I felt it needed more fabric to it, that it was too close to my head so I ripped back to the ribbing and added in a second row of increases at the start. I finished it up a couple weeks ago. It's a great hat and I've gotten some compliments on it.