something to keep me busy

    I wanted a hat to go with my sweater, so I started one. I wanted a slouchy style, so I was going to begin with the Elizabeth Zimmermann model, and after making a wider ribbed band, increase a stitch every other stitch. Basically doubling my stitch count.


    I made the wide ribbed band, and was into the third or fourth round after the increases when I decided that this wasn't what I wanted. What I wanted was a hat with a rolled brim, like the neck, sleeves and bottom of my sweater.


    Remember, I'm making this up as I go along. So I frogged the first attempt. I got out my smaller 16", size 6 circular needle, and made a swatch. With that needle, my gauge was 5 stitches per inch, consistent across the whole four inches.  So I started again, after measuring my head. I cast on 110 stitches, and began knitting. Here is where I'm at right now:

    I am not really sure yet if it's going to fit me, but my hopes are high. It looks about right. I won't know for sure until it's long enough for me to try it on. Hopefully this project will keep me busy until this weekend, when I'm meeting my daughter to select a yarn for her sweater.


    I should mention that I'm not really sure yet how long the hat will be before I begin the decreases, or even how I will do those increases. Some of you know me, and know that I prefer not to make plans most of the time. I have always found that if you make plans, something usually happens to frack it all up. Hence my vigorous attempts to live spontaneously.


    However, there are some things that you just can't be spontaneous about, like doctor visits, and medical tests and the like. My greatest appreciation goes out to the lovely young lady who took my blood this morning, and made it darn near painless.

And So It Begins

     First, I feel I must assure you all that I am still working away on the Gamer Gloves, but I've begun the yarn selection process for my sweater.  I had thought that perhaps I could begin the sweater, with yarn from my stash, just to make sure I could do it. It doesn't even have to be in gauge, or anything. I desire to make sure it's doable for me, before I invest money in any amount of yarn.


     So I got out some Lion Brand Cotton Ease, in purple, and began to swatch. I know I said I wasn't going to, but to me this yarn is a contender. It's so soft, I imagine it would make a sweet sweater. Unfortunately, the gauge was off. I would really like to use Size 9 needles, as I have these circulars in many sizes from a past cardigan. I ended up putting aside the Cotton Ease.


     Then I picked up my latest copy of the Patternworks catalog. I flipped to the back page where they have the chart for the different yarn gauges. I need a heavy worsted/aran weight yarn, so I went through all the yarns of that weight in the chart, one by one, and picked out two that I really liked. One is called Elements, and it's gorgeous. It comes in heathered colors, and I can't decide which one I like best. The other is N.Y. Cotton.


     After all that, I went to the KnitPicks website, and looked at their heavy worsted/aran weight yarns. I found one there that's perfect, and it's not even horribly expensive! I can't remember the name of the yarn right now, but I did put it on my wish list on the site. I think I picked out a purple. I put in that I want 10 balls, because I want extra to make the sweater longer.


    Now I just need to inherit some money, or win the lottery or something. Then I could afford to get the yarn for my sweater.