Holiday Knitting Round-Up Part 1: The N’oreasters

For as long as I can remember, my family has spent Christmas with some cousins on my Dad’s side. Now we kids are all grown up, and sit at the adult table. (As an aside, I managed to point out that this meant our parents were sitting at the senior adult table. Har.) I still live in Atlanta, but the cousin children have all moved away to the chilly Northeast, so I love the holidays every year where we get to catch up.

The New Hampshire cousins spend a lot of time outdoors, so I wanted to make hats for them. For the boy, I chose – wait for it – The Boy Hat, which I found on Ravelry, and fell in love with because of the crown decrease. So cool. I used Cascade 220 Heathers and size, er, 7 needles, maybe?

Ravelry link
For the girl, I went with Foliage in Malabrigo worsted, colorway Dark Earth, size 5 and 7 needles as directed in the pattern. For the record, the hype on Malabrigo? ‘Tis true. Also, the pattern – very excellent. I have made one of the bulky variety as well for another friend.

Ravelry Link
The NYC Cousin is a classically trained vocalist, honing his skills in the Big Apple. He also tunes organs, and I thought he might need some fingerless gloves to help him stay warm and still have the dexterity he needs. First I tried Dashing, but my row gauge was ridiculous just a smidge off, so they ended up reaching to my elbow without really stretching. Evidence:

Not quite the look I was going for, so I scrapped that idea and jumped on Knitspot’s Hot Waffle Mitts with some Cascade 220 Heathers.

Ravelry Link
This turned out much, much better. They are a little big on my hands, but fit my cousin perfectly (I hope he’s getting some good wear out of them with the recent cold blast!). Anne’s pattern is super – well written and quick (I’m planning to make myself a pair with the matching hat very, very soon).

As usual, it was great to see them at Christmas, and I so enjoyed making these gifts for them – I hope you guys are enjoying using them just as much!

FO: Bennie’s Beanie

 And now to the second of the FO’s from vacation: Bennie’s Beanie!

 

Not much to say about this one – pretty basic, but I had fun doing it.   The yarn came from Knitting Addiction, in Southern Shores, NC – just above Avon where I was on vacation.  I had to stop by the store on the way in, of course, and what a lovely store it is!  I only wish it had been just a little closer to the beach house so I could have spent some of the windy afternoons there…  (Then again, I’m sure the rest of the family enjoyed eating real food and not yarn, so perhaps it was best for the vacation budget that it was a little further away.)

 

I did realize that I really need to learn colorwork, because the only think lacking on the beanie is the “OBX” that Bennie wanted incorporated in the stripe.  Not to mention some of the super duper patterns in the new Knitscene that require stranded knitting (The Stag Bag, Golden Road, and Highlands Zip, for starters), as well as the Tomato craze – it’s definitely time to get to learnin’!

 

The Deets:

Pattern: Spiral Top Web-Generated Hat, from The Knitting Fiend, for a size 23″ head

Needles: Susan Bates 6″ dpns and16″ circs

Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Black Forest and Lime Light

Notes: No earflap, cuffed with 1×1 rib

Speaking of Hats…

I made one for myself, too, just in time for 80-degree weather. Ha. Maybe I’ll go on vacation to the southern hemisphere this summer and have an excuse to wear it before November.

I actually made this hat before the baby hat, and did knit this one in the round (my first in-the-round thingy – yipPee!!), and so that’s why I can definitively say I like doing hats this way better than flat, like the baby beanie.

Project: Alison’s Beginners Cap
Yarn: Plymouth Galway Worsted - Color Number 600 (a bit less than 1 skein)
Needles: Size 8 – 16 inch circulars and dpns

My first baby knitting project!

Once upon a time, there was a need for a baby shower gift.

Why not knit a hat, I thought?

And so, I did. I think it turned out ok, but I don’t think I like knitting hats flat and then seaming them. (I think that’s because I’m not so great at seaming yet, but that’s a technicality). Plus, I somehow got one of the cables all screwy, and I’m also not good at fixing mistakes yet, so if you look closely enough, you can see it. So don’t look closely.

As far as a model for the picture, I do not have a baby and the kids would not cooperate, so the bear will have to do.

Project: SweaterBabe’s Cable Baby Beanie
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in Celery (Color Number 11, I believe)
Needles: Size 9