Hat!

Purl Soho came out with this really great, easy, fun, and fast hat pattern made with their lovely cashmere yarn and I can't stop making them.  Tiny stripes, larger stripes, block colors, and one color are some of the options I've made.  I asked the kid pose in one so I could show off how cute they are. 

Purl Soho KAL, Prism Blanket

I finished the blanket a couple weeks ago but I so love the process - there's no sewing! - that I'm using the scraps from this blanket and a bunch of other knitting projects to make a baby blanket with smaller squares.  I hope to find cute flannel fabric to sew onto the back to make it super cozy.  Here's what it's looking like so far...

You guys, there's no sewing!

Pottering Around hat

Black Trillium Fibres came out with a Harry Potter-inspired set of colors in a Merino and Mulberry silk blend that I so enjoyed working with. There is the slightest hint of sheen and it is super soft. It just felt good having it run through your fingers. So, I made my own little ribbed striped hat for Monsieur Henry, going heavy on the Gryffindor and using the tiniest amount of Slytherin. Two things I learned since I looked before starting on ways to effectively change colors without that noticeable jog and to keep the purl stitches from having that tiny bit of new color showing through. For the former, take the right-most ladder and move it on the left needle to knit it together with the first stitch. For the latter, knit the entire first round. It surprisingly does not show at all. All this to say that I am quite happy with the end result and will now commence lots of striped and ribbed projects to utilize these tips. The most challenging aspect was figuring out how to decrease, not only because I couldn't find a good pattern for the 1x1 rib I was using to illustrate how to do it and I was running out of the color I wanted to finish it with. That self-imposed constraint meant I had to find a way that would work quickly and not destroy the pattern. Luckily, I finally stumbled upon a pattern with a stitch count that was close enough to mine that I could do one round and reduce the number of stitches and then follow those instructions. I tied it off early because I really was down to the last little bit of yarn.

Purl Soho happiness

The sale was awhile ago but I'm just getting to posting about the goods I got at 40% off now. (40%!) A green and gold scarf or hat is in my future. Who knows what else I'll make but it'll be bright.

New yarn, eh?

Whilst in the country of our neighbors to the north during winter break I did a little wool shopping. Hooray for new yarn!

Yarn sale

Purl Soho had an unbelievable 40% off sale. Just sayin'.

Oyster Gray, Ice Blue, Ballet Pink - Purl Soho (merino script), Sequoia - Spud & Chloë (super bulky), Otter Brown, Green Gray - Purl Soho (super soft merino), Red Zinnia - Purl Soho (line weight), Ochre Yellow - Purl Soho (flax down)

Crafts: Knitted hats!

I have nearly all the way, almost, come pretty close to deciding to participate in one of the many local holiday bazaars* this year. I have a ton of scrap yarn that I'm using up knitting small hats (see left) and scarves for babies, toddlers, and kids. I hit Happy Knits to start restocking my supply (see yarn below), which will give me more scraps when I'm done knitting up those projects. (Right now projects include a hat for a good friend and these super cute hand warmers from Purl Bee for another friend.) There is much knitting to be done.

Tundra Pinkberry - The Fibre Company(bulky), Pumpkin - Cascade Highland Duo (worsted/aran), Mecha Hojas - Malabrigo (bulky), Golden - Cascade Highland Duo (worsted/aran), Sand - Cascade Highland Duo (worsted/aran), Mecha London Sky - Malabrigo (bulky), Moorland - Madelinetosh (pashmina worsted), Heirloom White - Purl Soho (bulky), Dragonfly Blue - Purl Soho (bulky)

*Right now I'm looking at Snowflakes in Sellwood, Glencoe Elementary's Craft Fair, and Llewelyn's Holiday Bazaar. But, I might go big (or go home, right?) and look into the larger venues like Portland's Christmas Expo or Crafty Wonderland.