new math

6+6+6=24

WTF????

Oh no, I used to be good at math! I have three new patterns in the works, and the equation listed above managed to foil me this afternoon. Yes, apparently 6+6+6 does really add up to 18. Sigh...

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a different sort of math...

We have cable, mainly because Paul's such a big enthusiast of Wisconsin sports and we're out of market for the Badgers/Packers/Brewers games. Plus the new Dr. Who's are on Sci Fi. :) I'm horrified by the price tag, however, especially since our special sign-up deal expired.

Last week Paul managed to get the cable company to lower our rates by following these suggestions from the Consumerist. Nice! It's definitely worth a try.

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Apparently Kylie Cat was abducted by the Interweave Knits crew for a photo shoot..
Actual Kylie shots:


Uncanny resemblance, eh? I suppose brown/black tabby cats are a dime a dozen. The Kylie-lookalike is modeling the 40 Winks Basket for the new Interweave Knits Weekend special issue. Check out the preview here. I especially like the Gooseberry Cardigan.

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Kristen Rengren is sharing two super-cute vintage-inspired baby patterns for free -- the Stella Pixie Hat and Cleo Kitty Slippers.

Pattern: Windy City Hat

ETA#2: Apparently I can't count! I've updated the gauge info below.
ETA: Pattern is now available as a PDF Ravelry download, too.

The Bears are already playing pre-season football games, and there was a cold bite to the air at North Avenue Beach the other night. Time to start knitting hats!

I designed this hat as a holiday gift for my dear friend Suzy last winter. I was inspired by the lace pattern that Melissa (AKA Indigo Mouse) used on the cuffs of her lovely Queen of Diamonds Fingerless Gloves (available here, too). Many thanks to Suzy for modeling!

Windy City Hat

Size:

Fits the average woman’s head. Add or subtract stitches in 8 stitch increments and adjust decrease rounds as needed.

Materials:

• Soft worsted weight wool or wool blend, approx. 110 yds. Suggested yarns: Knit Picks Andean Silk, The Plucky Knitter’s Merino Worsted, Cascade 220. The first time I made this hat with Andean Silk, I had to break into the second ball. The second time I got by with just one ball. So be on the safe side and buy two – you can always make a pair of Fetching or another hat with the extra.
• US 7 circular needles (16”) and DPNs or size needed for gauge
• Tapestry needle

Gauge:

19 sts = 4"

Be sure to check your gauge. I’m a loose knitter – I actually used US 6 needles. You may even need to use US 8.

The Plucky Knitter’s Worsted Merino (single ply) in “Cheeky”

Directions:

Cast on 80 stitches using either the cable cast-on or long-tail cast-on. Place marker and join to knit in the round.

Rows 1 – 4: work in k2, p2 ribbing

Rows 5 – 8: k all stitches

Row 9: (ssk, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, k2tog, k1)

Row 10: k all stitches

Row 11: (ssk, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, k2tog, k1)

Row 12: k all stitches

Row 13: (yo, ssk, k3, k2tog, yo, k1)

Row 14: k all stitches

Row 15: (k1, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k2)

Row 16: k all stitches

Row 17: (k2, yo, sl2tog-k1-psso, yo, k3)

Row 18: k all stitches

Rows 19 – 28: repeat rows 9 – 18

Rows 29 – 42: k all stitches

*If you like having a longer hat that fully covers your ears, work a few more rows in stockinette*

Shape crown:
Switch to DPNs when it becomes too difficult to work on circular needles.

Row 43: (k8, k2tog)

Row 44: (k7, k2tog)

Row 45: (k6, k2tog)

Row 46: (k5, k2tog)

Row 47: (k4, k2tog)

Row 48: (k3, k2tog)

Row 49: (k2, k2tog)

Row 50: (k1, k2tog)

Row 51: k all stitches

Break yarn, leaving a 10" tail. Using a tapestry needle, thread the tail through the remaining loops on the needle and pull tightly until the hat top is closed. Weave in ends.

Pattern & images © Jodi Haraldson, 2008.

Pattern for personal and charity use only.

www.caffeinatedyarn.blogspot.com

Knit Picks Andean Silk in “Cranberry”

the good and the not-so-good

good things

1) getting out of the city for a day at Starved Rock State Park

2) spring is really here
3) discovering a bar with a very provocative title at Starved Rock Lodge

4) cruising along on my June Carter socks

5) enjoying a Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss, the true marker of spring for me. What can I say? I lived in Wisconsin for many years. This used to be a seasonal brew, and I would count down the days until its spring release. Blackberries, honey, and wheat , mmm...
6) having tickets to Ben Gibbard's solo show tomorrow night. :-)

7) discovering really cute free patterns at Susan B Anderson's blog (Ms. Itty Batty Hats herself), such as Elefante.

8) finding a lovely pattern for some darling cotton slippers over at the SockPixie blog.

9) planning for this:
10) the BBC miniseries version of Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters. Beautifully adapted, beautifully acted, right up there with the BBC Pride and Prejudice. Highly recommended.

not-so-good things

1) waking up to city workers trimming trees with chainsaws and running the chipper at 6 am; consequently developing a headache that lasts all day

2) spending too much time and energy on this fiddly little baby bootie that looks an awful lot like a moon boot

Pattern: Christine's Baby Booties
Needles: painful little size 1s

Do I even bother making a second one?

3) the movie version of Rebecca directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

4) The Owl and Moon Cafe, by Jo-Ann Mapson. The author (or implied author, what have you) adopts a condescending tone to her characters that just TURNS ME OFF. I have a feeling that she feels the same way about the reader. There's also a very strange attitude towards academia. Not recommended in any way.

bunny beanie

* photo from the pattern website *

I finally rediscovered the free online pattern for the sweet little bunny beanie I made back in December. Here's the link. I have enough yarn leftover to knit another! The picot edge was a bit fiddly.