My Adventures in Knitting, truly my Yarn-escape!

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Tuesday's Knitting Away - Knitting For The March for Science


Joining "Frontier Dreams" today and sharing my knits


  And I'm getting all fired up to knit for March For Science.  Our scientists all over the nation will be marching this Spring in Washington D.C. and other large cities.  Check these websites for updates! - March For Science- Facebook
-March for Science (New Site!!!)

The official date for the march - Earth Day, Saturday, April 22nd, 2017.




      There's lot of debate on what hats to knit, many are doing Brain Hats - Free Until the March.  But I love simple and coming up with designs that newbies can also do.   I'm trying to persuade others to do simple hats in green, or green and blue for the Environment and The Earth.  I'm hoping for one color and/or color theme and then the more elaborate brain hats and other hats will stand out and be fun without being overwhelming. I like to encourage creativity and different hats, but if a lot of us do hats in the same color scheme it'll tie things together visually and make more of a unique statement for scientists.


      So this week I'll clear my knitting and finish what I'm doing (I'm being optimistic here) and get some green yarn. I'm considering getting green yarn from KnitPicks in their Swish Worsted Yarn, which is very soft 100% wool. They have some darker handsome greens from Jade to Long Lost Heather.  I like the vibrancy of  Rainforest Healther, a Teal.  So I'll play with different colors. 

Update- Now we know we're dealing with an April date some of you might want to go with a lighter yarn.  One suggestion was Shine Worsted Yarn by KnitPicks, a cotton & modal worsted yarn in lovely colors bright colors!   Mighty Stitch Yarn is an acrylic and %20 wool yarn which also might work, awesome greens and blues!  Or Brava Worsted Yarn, %100 acrylic, great colors! Be creative and have fun!

OK, and update on an update- I checked with my Expert knitting friend and she said that wool is your best choice because wool has stretch: "Yarn for warmer weather hats…. I think I’d still stick with merino wool.  Cotton and linen don’t have any stretch, and I think hats just need stretch to stay on!  I would use a fingering or dk weight, and choose a lacy hat, maybe…  something with holes."  So, I don't know about lace for scientists, but I'm going to see if I can find some light hats and post them on Friday's post.  Much more protest hats on Fridays blog (many free patterns), around 29 patterns.  Friday Ideas for March for Science Hats!


  Hopefully The Simple Slouch Hat  it's a quick knit.  I also already have that Preciosa Tonal Worsted in Bonsai I got from KnitPicks by mistake last month, it'd be one fancy hat that might just stay on my head!

Imagine in Blue and Green Stripes!


 My pattern is The Simple Slouch Hat - Free Pattern, a simple and easy for beginners style.

Some other hat suggestions that would really look great-


Swell - Free Pattern - I'd do this hat without the ear flaps (which are real cute), but because it's April for the March you're not going to want them!




My friend Maureen is doing the Banff hat and going to the March for Science with her 20 something daughter!  Doesn't that sound fun?  Wishing I could be there!













An Earth Hat design in the making-



  I'm considering adding a Resistor patch to my The Simple Slouch Hat  I'm knitting.  If I can make enough, I'd like to send them to my son's Ecology College if there are kids (probably) who will be marching.  Cool design isn't ?



 I Need To Find This In A Patch, if anyone finds it let me know! Thanks!



More Hat Patterns on Friday's post-  Friday Ideas for March for Science Hats!

Come join the Resistance and knit for our Science Community!

Friday, January 27, 2017

Friday's Fantasy Knits - Spring Cowls

     Alright confession time: I'm behind and I'm nearing the end of last month's projects, but to get a freer feeling (besides finishing) I need to clear my plate of my expectations.  I've decide to dump all winter projects because even though it's the end of January and here we will have lots of snow in March and April, I feel like Spring is around the corner.  We're also moving.  (More details on my Random Thoughts blog).




      So I'm gearing up for leaving and I still want to do my Birthday Dreambird  (the knitting group I'm in is doing a KAL with it) and I'm ordering my yarn today.  (That means I've got to be done by next week!)



     So I wanted something else, a cowl.  I was thinking something more for spring and lighter and while I hunted I came up with these patterns.  I'll let you know next week which I picked.  But I did know that I wanted some Swish DK Yarn  for whatever I did.  It's so soft, and I'll miss working on the hat I'm finishing for a gift.  So I'm getting 2 different colors, a fixed circular needle in Caspian Wood and a cable needle to avoid shipping costs (hint, hint).




     So here are some cowls I've been considering.




































Hope you're inspired for Spring knitting!





Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Wednesday's Yarn Along



Today I'm sharing with Ginny at her "Small Things" blog; 
come join me and share what you are reading and knitting in "Yarn Along".



     This weekend I got sidetracked with a PussyHat Project and then for fun I converted it to a conventional hat.  But I used The Big Hat pattern instead of the original pussyhat pattern.  I then ripped it out,  just to show others that redoing and recycling of all those hats and donating to women in need would be a good way to use the hats if they're not going to be used again.  Cute results, and I just have the pom pom left to do.  More details: Tuesday's Knitting Away




          Now I'm back to my Peace Cowl in KnitPicks Preciosa Tonal Fingering Yarn in Bonsai and finishing my Don't Mind the Gap hat which is made from Swish DK Yarn  in Cobblestone Heather.  Hoping to wrap up my hats at the end of the week.




     Next week I'm hoping to go on to the Dreambird and knit it in Knit Picks Chroma Fingering.  The feathers in Lupine and for the background I decided to use the new Chroma Twist Fingering in natural, because the twist ought to make it a bit more durable.  




       I'm still reading the Ingrid Skyberg FBI Thrillers series and I'm on the fourth book.  I went over the previous books in last two week's of Yarn Along - Wednesday's Yarn Along - Jan. 11, 2017 and Wednesday's Yarn Along - Jan.18, 2017.  The 4th book is Deep Hurt (Ingrid Skyberg FBI Thrillers Book 4) Kindle Edition by Eva Hudson .  I've read not only the series but the short stories that are meant to be read in between the books.  But I love it when you know the characters in a book and immediately feel "at home" when you start the next book in the series and can enjoy the dialogue, interaction between characters and plot.  Really having fun with this series and I was surprised to discover #5 and #6 (new).  Goodreads - Deep Hurt





Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Tuesday's Knitting Away



Joining "Frontier Dreams" today and sharing my creations
     

If you want to visit me and read about my thornier issue connected to Women's rights and how I'm pretty divided personally on the subject, come on over to my Random Thoughts blog.  Link on right.  I wanted to avoid going into it here, but then again I didn't want anyone making assumptions of my viewpoint, such as it is in it's fence sitting glory!  Here's my random thoughts - The Women's March - Just Random Thoughts.

     I've got my hands full with projects to finish and I seem to be tackling them the way I do a meal - a little bit at a time, rotating them.  Hoping this week to wrap them up.  (Have I been saying that every week? Sigh.)  Then, I got sidetracked this weekend making the PussyHat Project.  I thought about it Friday night and I realized I really felt left out not making one.  I didn't have time to make the original Pussyhat Project, but a Facebook friend had given me her pattern in Super Bulky yarn and I realized that the instructions were fairly close to The Big Hat pattern I had been making this winter.  I love this pattern and the hat is real cute, but I didn't have a hat of my own yet!  So I devised a scheme to make a Pussyhat in a day, then convert it to The Big Hat so I'd have my pom pom hat, also I thought this might be a viable solution for what's going to happen to all those hats - recycle them, donate them!


     So I asked my husband to take me to Joanns across town (this is a long drive, "town" is a sprawling Colorado Springs).  Hum, no big deal you say, well I can't drive right now and he's super busy working his off hours on maintenance for our buildings and others and he hates fabric stores!  So I lured him with the Starbucks store next to it and we left early.  I got to get some pink yarn!  I was going for this bright Hometown USA Phoenix Pink, then switched to a brighter pink, and then I mosey overed to my loved Wool-Ease Thick & Quick and I realized one skein of that would do the trick (it's the only yarn I've used for this hat so far) and I scaled my pink down to a mauve looking salmon realizing that I could always wear this hat, it'd match the grey coat and mauve scarf I already own.


     So at Starbucks I started.  In front of the fireplace with my own designer latte - a "half-calf, whole milk, latte with only bar caramel drizzled on the top, nothing sweetener on the bottom."  Can you tell I lived in New York State?  Also my husband worked at Starbucks once, where I figured exactly what I wanted on his free mistakes.  Only thing I could think about was this was my first time at Starbucks this whole winter and this was sooo nice.  Happy husband, happy me, Latte, yarn and knitting, and a fireplace (sigh, a good one).


     So I'm knitting purely so I could feel connected.  I had my Sister-in-law in Washington and my best friend from the East.  I was hesitant at first to knit a hat.   And I realized going into it here seemed too wordy and maybe obnoxious to someone who doesn't want to "talk" politics, so I created a post on my Random Thoughts blog, realizing I need to post there more often, once a week perhaps.  Here's my random thoughts - The Women's March - Just Random Thoughts.


      By the time I got home the brim was done, I brought up the march and listened to speeches while I knit.  It just helped me, and it was a fun knit!  I knit this hat for 8" and then cast off.  I took a few pictures, for fun and then, yes, a bit crazy, I know, I ripped out the closure, put it on needles and I'm still knitting.  I added one more inch and I'm decreasing now.  Pom pom later.  Check out yesterday's blog for details and also some thoughts on how to recycle your pink hat.  Monday Moments - How to Repurpose and Recycle Your Pussy Hat


     My other goal was to see could I make the hat and then Repurpose it (Monday Moments - How to Repurpose and Recycle Your Pussy Hat), which ended up being fairly easy.  I ripped my seam out, placed it on needles and finished The Big Hat pattern (well actually I am at the very top of the hat now and I need to make it's pom pom).  I'm keeping mine, but I think giving the hats away, if you don't plan to use it again, to a shelter or Homeless woman would be very nice.  Some people want to keep theirs for future marches, that, of course is awesome!  Or just wear them.  Just as long as we don't waste!  


My friends Maureen and her daughter in Washington, DC.  Maureen, an old friend from the East is my "knitting expert" I always mention and she is wearing the PussyHat Project done in the recommended Malabrigo yarn.  I'm awaiting close up shots of this beautiful knit hat!  Apparently they were at a standstill the whole time, about 5 hours of standing, but they were within a block and listening distance of the stage, so I'm thinking that's a prime location! 



Maureen's Pussyhat in Malabrigo-
  


Thanks to everyone who marched for all of us!


And when I'm done I'll post more pictures!  I'm expecting a real cute hat!




Some more musings and pictures on the day of The Women's March - Simply Saturday - The Women's March (Jan. 21, 2017)

After -



Still needs the Pom Poms!