Orange is the New Black??

So ... my mom had gone to Taiwan last year and bought me "some" yarn (even though I specifically asked her to buy me no more than two (2!!) skeins of sock yarn).  Nevertheless, of "some" of that yarn she got me, there were two that she got that was orange and a multi-striped orange:

For the life of me, I have no idea why she picked this colour.  I highly suspect that my dad picked it (I think he's colour blind; he tends to always pick garish colours like this - it's scary).  So, it sat in my yarn bin knowing it would probably never be knitted.

Then, one day, I was speaking to my co-worker, Fran and we were discussing her son's college ambitions.  He's planning to go to a college in the mainland, hopefully in Colorado and she's really excited for him to go so she can learn how to ski. :P  She then jokingly said that I could make a ski hat for her.  As soon as she said that, the orange yarn popped into my mind!  So, I brought it to work to show her what it looked like and she actually liked it!  Actually, I could totally see that it would go well with a creamish white color aded in and would look great on her fair complexion.  I showed her a hat pattern that I thought she'd love (she did!!) and another project was born! :P  So, I went searching for the perfect creamish white color and found it at Wal-Mart: Red Heart's With Love White.  I picked up three (3) skeins hoping that would be (more than) enough to also make a scarf and fingerless mitts as 1) I wanted to use up all my yarn and 2) c'mon - she's going skiing; she can't just have a hat!  She needs a whole winter ensemble! ;) 

Then, I measured her head (60cm circumference) and started the top-down pattern using all three (3) yarns.  I used my Chiagoo US 8 twist needles and the yarns in the following sequence: solid orange (O) first, then the multi-stripped orange (M) next, then the cream (C) color.  This is the exact pattern from Olives and Mermaids, just with my color sequence added in (to remind me to change colors):
CO 4 sts with color O using figure 8 cast on
M1 in each stitch; 4 stitches on each needle (8 sts)
Round 1: Knit
Round 2: Using color M, M1 in each stitch (16 sts)
Round 3: Knit.
Round 4: Using color C, *K1, M1; rep from * around (24 sts)
Round 5: Knit
Round 6: Using color O, *K2, M1; rep from * around (32 sts)
Round 7: Knit
Round 8: Using color M, *K3, M1; rep from * around (40 sts)
Round 9: Knit
Round 10: Using color C, *K4, M1; rep from * around (48 sts)
Round 11: Knit
Round 12: Using color O, *K5, M1; rep from * around (56 sts)
Round 13: Knit
Round 14: Using color M, *K6, M1; rep from * around (64 sts)
Round 15: Knit
Round 16: Using color C, *K7, M1; rep from * around (72 sts)
Round 17: Knit
Round 18: Using color O, *K8, M1; rep from * around. (80 sts)
Round 19: Knit
Round 20: Using color M, *K9, M1; rep from * around (88 sts)
Round 21: Knit
Round 22: Using color C, *K10, M1; rep from * around (96 sts) - skipped this step; just knitted in the 2 rows
Knit 22 rounds even starting with color C (2 round), *color O (2 rounds), color M (2 rounds), color C (2 rounds), * 3 times, ending with color C (2 additional rows)
Work 6 rounds in seed stitch starting with color O (2 rounds), color M (2 rounds), color C (2 rounds)

Set up for Earflaps, using color C:
· Work 12 sts in seed stitch; BO to end of first needle
· Work first 6 sts of second needle in seed stitch; BO to end of this needle
· You should have 12 sts remaining on each opposite side of the hat in seed stitch

Earflaps:
Work in seed stitch back and forth for 6 rows starting with color O (2 rounds), color M (2 rounds), color C (2 rounds)
Row 7: Using color O, work 4 sts in seed stitch; K2tog or P2tog to maintain seed stitch twice; work remaining 4 sts in seed stitch
Row 8: Work in seed stitch
Row 9: Using color M, work 3 sts in seed stitch; K2tog or P2tog to maintain seed stitch twice; work remaining 3 sts in seed stitch
Row 10: Work in seed stitch
Row 11: Using color C, work 2 sts in seed stitch; K2tog or P2tog to maintain seed stitch twice; work remaining 2 sts in seed stitch
Row 12: Work in seed stitch
Row 13: work 1 st in seed stitch; K2tog or P2tog to maintain seed stitch twice; work remaining st in seed stitch (I added this in as I felt like it would look nicer on my hat)
Row 14: BO in seed stitch
*Connect yarn to other side of hat and repeat for second earflap.

Finishing: Single crochet around brim and earflaps if desired (I used a size H hook to do this with the O color.)
Attach I-cord or braid to tips of earflaps. (I actually learned how to knit an I-cord and added tassels using the M color; it was 24 cm (9.5 in) long, including the tassels.)
Weave in ends and block if desired
I must admit, I had quite a difficult time with this hat.  I casted on three (3) times (and literally ripped it out twice!!) before I finally figured it out.  The first time I ripped it out was because I realized that I wasn't reading the pattern correctly (the hat was this wonky curly lettuce like thing (kind of like my first foray in making a water bottle holder); I wasn't sure how it would turn into a hat - that's when I realized that what I did was not what the pattern was saying. :'( - duh!!); the second time I ripped it out was because I finally realized that the number at the end of each row was the total number of stitches, not the number of stitches needed on each side (the hat in this version laid flat nicely when it was folded in half but when I opened it up, it was slowly getting wonky again and after a while, it became clear that I had an extra panel or two which lead me to reassess the pattern (again), which, in turn made me realize that I was supposed to knit xx as the total number of stitches, not make xx stitches on each side. 8S - it was a total V8 moment! :P).  Clearly, pattern reading and understanding is still something I need to keep practicing! :P  Then, I got to the ear flap part and realized the hat was way too big!  So, I ripped it back to Round 22, skipped that step and just knitted in the round.  Nevertheless, I finally managed to actually replicate the hat! *yay*

In hind sight, I think I would've made the earflaps 4 sts bigger as after I had finished it, it looked a bit small (although it covered her ears just fine).  Also, I was surprised how little yarn it took; it didn't seem liked I used much of the C color; I used most of 1 skein of the O color and about 75% of 1 skein of the M color.  So the "leftovers" went into making the rest of the "winter" ensemble. ;)

And, here's the pattern for:
Fingerless Mitts (cuff up) (uses the remainder of the skeins for color O & M from the hat, about 2/3 of the new skeins for color O & 1/3 of color M & barely anything of color C - there's still a lot of color C from the original skein).  I wanted the pattern for the mitts to more or less reflect the hat since I figured Fran might want to use it more with her hat.
Using my US 8 Chiagoo Twist needles & new Denise Short Sharp Tips, cast on 28 sts using the German Twisted method with color O.
*With color O, follow the seed stitch pattern, working 2 rows.
Switching to color M, work 4 rows.
Switching to color C, work 1 row in garter stitch.
Continue following * color pattern for 15 more repeats in garter stitch.
Place 8 sts on a stitch holder for the thumb, switched to my US 9 Denise Short Sharp tips and continue * color pattern for the remaining 10 sts for 9 repeats in garter stitch, ending with color C.
Knit 1 row with color C.
Knit 2 rows in color M.
Seed stitch 2 tows in color M.
Seed stitch 2 rows in color O.
Bind off in pattern with color O.
Using color O, going back to the thumb, pick up 2 sts for a total of 12 sts (6 sts on each side).
Following the garter stitch pattern, knit 1 row with color O (total of 2 rows).
Switch to color M, knit to the 2nd to the last st, k2tog for a total of 10 sts (5 sts on each side)
Knit 3 rows with color M.
Knit 2 rows with color O.
Bind off in pattern with color O.

and a Scarf (uses: the remainder of color O & M and 1+remainder of color C).  For the scarf, I wanted it to be different from everything else as she might want to use it separately from her other items so, the only similar thing was keeping in the seed stitch pattern; otherwise it was in huge color blocks.
Using my new Denise US 9 needles, cast on 48 sts using a long tail cast on with color O
With color O, follow the seed stitch pattern, working 66 rows (24.5 cm (9 3/4 in) long)
Switching to color M, work 89 rows (36 cm (14 3/16 in) long) 
Switching to color C, work 190 rows (xx cm (xx in))
Switching to color M, work 89 rows (36 cm (14 3/16 in) long)  
Switching to color O, work 66 rows (24.5 cm (9 3/4 in) long) 
Bind off.

Here's what the complete set looks like:

Thank you, Fran for helping me use up my yarn! :D  I hope this set keeps you warm! ♡  If anything, at least you'll look cute in it!! ;)

I Finally Got A-Head

I've noticed on a lot of other people's blogs that (eventually) they generally end up getting a-head - to not only show off their FOs (finishes objects) but they also (sometimes) use it to "block" their FOs.  As such, Hubby and I have been talking about getting a-head (get it? ;)) for a while.  We searched our local Goodwills and Savers and while I did find a-head at Savers once, it didn't quite call out to "buy me".  We searched online at Etsy and E-bay ... there were so many to pick from!  From old school hat blocks, millinery heads, wooden hat blocks, glass heads, plastic hat stands, etc.  But, alas, we remained headless as there no head that was quite right (both in style and price). :'(

So, we randomly searched Etsy, E-bay, our local Goodwills and Savers periodically to see if a-head could be found.  We even randomly search Craigslist.  And yet, the search continued ... Until one day, I found this on Craigslist:

Meet Hinoki - my new head! :)

(yarn in head not included)

She was beautiful and at a good price.  Her head seemed like just the right size to fit hats I'd make for myself (small-er hats) and yet would provide a good frame for other hats I'd make for other people (with bigger heads! ;)).  Plus, she had beautiful facial features that formed enough of a face without looking too real (and scary). ;)

Here she is modeling various hats I've already made:

She's even tall enough to model a cowl I made!

And a ski set!

I finally got a-head! ;) lol  (And, yes, I'm loving my lame head jokes! :P lol)

A Cowl of An Adventure

During my Puget Sound LYS Tour 2016, I stopped by a shop called Acorn Street Shop with my entourage.  My brother-in-law's girlfriend, A was simply taken by the shop and all of the scarves she saw hanging.  She actually asked me if I could make a scarf like "this".  Now, let me explain ... A is not the kind of person who would normally ask something like this but I think she was so smitten with the shop and its yarn, she couldn't help herself! ;)  I was so touched that she thought I'm such a skilled knitter, that I said, "Yeah ... I think I could do that.  Do you like it?  I'd love to make you something."  

That's when the search began ... finding the perfect scarf pattern that A would like.  We searched high and low in the shop and she fell in love with quite a few scarves.  We ended up choosing the yarn first then finding the right pattern for the yarn.  She saw this Malabrigo Rios yarn and simply had to have it:

Then, we narrowed down to one (1) scarf sample A liked; I looked it up on Ravelry (this yarn shop is amazing - they had everything labeled on the sample, including where to find the pattern!) and I tried to figure out where I could make it a tad longer as it was kind of short on A.  To be sure I had enough yarn, I managed to snag one of the ladies working in the shop to see if my idea would work; she looked over the beloved yarn and said that perhaps for the weight that we're using, this other scarf would look better.  Hence, the hunt continued (I think by this time, the rest of my entourage, Hubby and his brothers, were wondering what the heck we were doing in there! :P).  We searched high and low (again) to look at all of their scarf samples.  Then we came upon their pattern wall (yes, a wall full of various patterns one could buy) and started looking in there.  The lady showed us this cowl pattern called: Acorn Street Shop Basic Collection: Chain Link Cowl and then found an actual sample of it; A just fell in love with it.  So now, I'm making a cowl - something I thought I'd never make since I'm (personally) not into cowls (I just don't think they're as versatile as a shawl or scarf (or what I tend to make: mini blankets disguised as shawls or scarves)).  And here my new adventure begins:

I used my Chiaogoo Spin US 8 needles and casted on the required number of stitches as stated on the pattern using a long tail cast on (the pattern didn't say what kind of cast on to use but it does say that I need to end with a knit stitch so, I figured that this would be a close enough matching cast on stitch) and proceeded to follow the pattern.  (Sorry, can't show you how the pattern is written because it's copyrighted so, if you're interested in the pattern, you'll need to call or e-mail the shop for this pattern.)

It actually was quite easy and I actually finished this project quite quickly.  The yarn was very easy to work with, particularly in the heat of summer and the coloration was amazing.  I can see why people love Malabrigo so much.

After I finished the cowl, I realized that there was enough for at least one more knitted item.  So working with A, I also made her a pair of fingerless mitts to keep her fingers warm during her early morning (or late evening) strolls with her dog, Sammy.  The Squish Mitts, a free pattern on Ravelry, was my inspiration for her mitts.  Here's how I made it:
Using Chiagoo Twist US 8, cast on 28 sts using the German twisted cast on and join in the round.
P 29 rows
P10, place 8 sts on st holder, p10
P 28 rows
Bind off fingers
Pick up the remaining 8 sts and 3 additional sts, P
P 1 row
P 3 sts, p2tog 2x
P 3 rows
Bind off thumb

Now that everything was (finally) finished, it needed to be washed.  I washed it with a few squirts (like two (2) squirts) of shampoo and let it soak for 15-20 minutes; then I put everything on a towel (I used an hand towel), roll it up and pressed down on the towel to get out the water (A, if you're reading this, no ringing, just press down!  It'll feel damp but when you lay it flat to dry on your drying rack, it'll be fine.  I promise. ;)).  Boy, the yarn soaked up a lot of water and was a bit linty! :P  Each item was really floppy when it came out so, I decided to block it:

Man! :)  I really love the blocking set my Mom got me!  It comes in so handy! :)  Thanks again, Mom!! :) (A, don't worry; you won't need to block your items if you don't want to when you wash it.)

And, (drumroll) here's my finished products!

I hope A loves these items!  Thank you, A for helping me stretch my skills, having me make my very first cowl as well as learn how to do a German twisted cast on!  I hope this keeps you warm this fall and winter! :)  Our courier service will be bring it over to you shortly! ;)

Up-date:  A loves her cowl, mitt set and is excited to start using it this fall! :) *yay*  And, here's what it looks like on my live model:

More New Toys: Clover Felting Kit

On a blog that I've been randomly following, I came across a smart hint:  For yarn that is 100% wool, to join both ends, simply felt it together (how ingenious! ;)).   So, she showed how she did it with a felting needle and a big solid foam piece.   Since I neither had a felting needle nor wanted to keep a solid foam piece (that might disintegrate in a drawer or box I would probably store it in), I decided that I'd invest in a mini/small felting kit.  So, of course I checked to see if Clover made one (and, duh!  of course they do - they make the coolest products! ;)); then asked my favorite yarn shop to see if they carried it (or at the very least order it for me).

And, of course, while they didn't have any in stock, they ordered it for me. :)  And here it is:

I've already used it on a project I'm working on for my father-in-law (a blog for that to be coming out shortly) and the concept worked perfectly! *yay* :)

And while I was there to pick up my kit, I saw this:

I couldn't resist!  Finally, a Bulletproof Sweet Georgia yarn in a color Hubby loves and I get to try it out! ;)  I've seen this brand while we were up in Vancouver and in Seattle but never found a color either of us really like.  Amazingly, I found it here (and in a color we both liked) at home! :P *double yay* ;)

Crochet: Lunch Time Hooking & More Hooks

Hubby has really been getting into his crocheting - he's even hooking during lunch now:

Yup ... he's still making chains and a few rows.  He's even tried to make something in the round although it didn't quite turn out round; and today, he took it a step further by just crocheting everywhere in his little piece and making a mound of ... something! :P (Sorry, no pics of the mound 'o something)

And to top it off, we stopped by our fav yarn shop and picked up these puppies:

Hubby's well on his way to having a collection of crochet hooks! ;)

Who Would've Thought ...

You might've notice in my last blog (about my new Denise Needles) that I mentioned that my new organizer (dubbed Monsta) that I had said in one of the pouches, it held all my crochet hooks and Hubby's too.  And that's so true - Hubby has decided that he would be taking up crochet so he can also enjoy all my "yarny goodness". :P

I was so shocked initially, I didn't know what to make of this or if he was just joking and teasing me.  However, if anyone know my Hubby, once he puts his mind to something, he goes all out.  He picked up books from the library on how to crochet, he's been researching on the web about crochet hooks, techniques, and basically how to get himself started.  All this while not asking me to teach him how to crochet (no, I'm not offended).  One thing I've learned over the years is that Hubby needs to learn and do things his own way.  There's no getting around that. :P  All I've done was point him to a few websites, some crochet blogs that I've been following (hey!  I'm a sucker for amigurimi stuff! :P), and have looked at his work when requested.

So, first off, Hubby tried all my crochet hooks and with his carpal tunnel, found that the cheap inherited ones I've got (Boye or Susan Bates) were too hard on his hands.  The Clover Takumi Bamboo ones I bought were too sticky.  I told him that one of the bloggers I read, love the Clover Amour hooks.  So, off we went to our favorite yarn shop to pick up one.  

Clover Amour (H)

Once we got home, off he went on "testing" it out.  At that point, he finally learned how to cast on and made this ginormous chain (with very even tension, I must say! :)). :P  By then, he was getting the feel of the hooks and discovered that he didn't care for the blunt head on the Clover Amour.  So back to my stash of hooks to see what all the different heads looked like.  He finally determined that he liked the pointier head on the Clover Takumi's but hated how "sticky" the bamboo was with the test yarn I gave him to try out (Caron Simply Soft Camo).  I warned him that the stickiness could be a combo of the bamboo and the yarn and that depending on the yarn, it wouldn't be so sticky.  Nevertheless, off we went (again) back to our favorite yarn shop and he picked up these hooks:

from bottom to top:

Clover Soft Touch (7 4.5MM)

Bryspun Palmwood (H)

Mystery Pink Plastic Hook (H)

And off he went (again) to test out his new hooks.  By this juncture, he finally got past casting on and making chains to making his first row! :)  He's even got to the 2nd and 3rd row on a mini test of his.  

But, what I think he enjoys the most is ripping it back out and starting over! :P lol :)  

To top it off, while he knows how I have a bag and accessory bag obsession, he now has a better understanding of why I'm always in search of the perfect knitting bag.  He was carrying his "project" in the pocket of his work bag and the yarn slowly was unraveling in his bag.  He found an accessory bag that I was using to hold something else when it finally dawned on him that he could get his own accessory bag.  So, we picked up this for him:

It's a Klein electrician's bag; manly enough to hold his crochet project ;)

It's so interesting to see how he's enjoying the whole learning and discovery process. :)  It's so cute. :P  More posts to come as he progresses! ;)

Short Needles Got No Reason?

For our anniversary this year, Hubby decided that I needed to get an interchangeable knitting needle set that I've been drooling over.  So, I finally took the plunge and ordered a complete set of the Denise Needles - the Short Sharp tips set, crochet hook set, all of their cable lengths, 2 connectors, 6 end caps, and their organizer case.

Why, you ask, was getting this such a big deal?  Well, first of all, it was a complete unknown to me if I would like this system or not.  And secondly, for every brand of needles out there, if you want their interchangeable set, it can be a serious investment (as most sets aren't that cheap).  So knowing if you actually like the system helps to "encourage" one (well, at least me) to buy into the system.  Unfortunately for me, there was literally no store in my area (or even State!) that carried this brand, much less even knew about it (despite the fact that this brand has been around since the 80s).  So, that meant there was no way I could try out the needle set to see if I would like it or not.

Luckily, when we went on our Puget Sound Yarn Crawl earlier this year, one store (The Tea Cozy in Ballard) actually carried the Denise Needles but they only had their regular (standard grey) set.  I was so excited that I could at least try out the brand! :) *yay*

I found that while the entire set was made of plastic, it wasn't a hard plastic; there was some give to it.  Also, it was so easy to change out needles and cables - it didn't require a pin and all you had to do was to twist it on and off.  And, the joints (the point between the needle and cable) was very smooth.  The only problem now was that I didn't know if I would love the Short Sharp tips.  These tips are shorter than the regular Denise Needles and sharper than their regular tips.  But, I figured, how bad could it be if it were sharper than the ones I already tried?

So, when we got back home, I trolled the Denise Needles website.  They had lots of sets in various cases but none in their signature full-zipped Denise cases.  So, thus began my long conversation with Emily, one of Denise's owners.  She was so patient with me answering all my questions and letting me know about upcoming products like how the Short Sharp tips would be coming out as individual needle sets.

So, the "wait" ensued (for these upcoming products).  A month would pass by and I'd check their website to see if all the Short Sharp tip sets were there yet.  Nope so, I waited another month and another month and so on until finally ... they were all there! :)  Then, came the agonizing process of what colors to get in which sets ... should I get the Brights in the smaller range of needle sizes and Pastels in the bigger needle sizes or vice versa?  What colors should I get for the crochet hooks?  Brights or Pastels?  I wondered how I could cost effectively get every color cable available ... So, my conversation with Emily began - again.  Emily was soooooo great! :)  She said that she would be more than happy to make a custom set of color cables for me for the same price as one of their long cable set and that I could tweak the multi cable set.  And, finally, which color organizer should I get??? Choices, choices, choices!!!

Once I confirmed I could get everything I thought I wanted, I took the plunge and ordered everything.  In a few days, my "gift" arrived.  And here it is:

Here's what it looks like with everything packed into my new organizer:

I know ... it looks like a monster but I love it because it can hold so much!! :D ♡♡  It now consolidates what used to he in 2.5 bags into this one. :)  It has:

my Knitter's Pride Cubics set and all other (random) Knitter's Pride needles & hook

all my crochet hooks (and Hubby's too)

all of my stitch holders and cable needles

all of my double pointed needles

and of course,

my entire Denise Needle set (knitting needles and crochet hooks)

And here's my new needles in action:

So, how do I like it, you ask?  Well, I love it actually!! :) ♡♡♡  It's so light and the cable is way more flexible than one would think, particularly due to it's thickness; the cable is really so much more flexible than my Knitter's Pride cables.  And the needles are really short!  And because of that, it fits in my hands perfectly. ♡  I can see this set becoming one of my favorites and definitely will be my go to travel set if I take something other then a sock project. ;)

Thanks, love for "getting" me this great set! :) ♡♡♡