Hey, Jan,
After a long week (I accomplished a lot, but was really, really tired), what could I do but come home to hot chocolate, Bailey’s (for the creaminess it imparted, ha!), and knitting. Wilson and I watched a couple of videos on Korea and I worked on the Yarn Harlot’s Unoriginal Hat (November 6, 1997 post) in Pronto.
This hat is texture personified. I also used it to practice doing cables without a cable needle.
Two Korean videos pretty much equals one Unoriginal Hat. That little bit of yarn to the side? That is literally all that was left over, including the bits snipped from the woven in ends. Talk about aggressive yarn management! Of course, I could have used slightly smaller needles (these were US11) and the hat would have been a smidge smaller. 
As it is, there is plenty to pull down over the ears. I’d rather err on this side of things - too short hats are not only physically disturbing to me (cold ears! cold forehead!), but visually worrisome, as they look like they are going to fly off the wearer’s head.
I had finished the EZ Baby Sweater knitting the other night and actually found some semi-suitable buttons in my button box, so I finished sewing those on. I put them on thread shanks, but they still wanted to pop through the buttonholes. This is why they are just semi-suitable. Still, the color was perfect, they were free (i.e. already possessed), and so I just took a few stitches in each buttonhole to stabilize them a bit. Not perfect, but really quite adequate.
As you may recall, I had run short on the yarn for this. I’d gotten some more online, different lot, but I figured that was not such a problem with synthetics. I was right as far as color goes, I couldn’t be happier with the match. The texture difference is what surprised me - the new yarn is much fuzzier and softer. You can see where I changed yarn if you look closely. I don’t think it matters for this quick knit baby sweater, and the baby will just like the bottom edge all the more.
We are darn cold here today, but it is very beautiful. We only get really cold when it is clear as a cloud layer holds the heat, and the deep snow and blue sky are stunning. I am admiring it from inside. The temperature when I took these photos just moments ago (roughly at noon) was -7F. Or for a more impressive number, -22C. Of course, that is a whopping 251K, so what am I whining about?
Looking at things from different perspectives, I am
Your loving sister,
Ellen
Jan and Ellen are identical twins who have always had an innate fashion sense. Crafting is an integral part of their lives and they stay stitched together sharing their love of knitting, family and community.
January 20th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
I love the hat…it looks squooshy and warm. The right combination for hats in my book… I don’t care for tight fitting as they crush your hair and I like the texture to capture the air insulation. That said, I’ve not had a reason to wear a hat for several years. I kind of wish I did as I love knitting them as quick, but interesting knitting gratification.
Depending on the complexity of the design, they’re perfect for chitting or knatting. (Chitting being where the chatting is an embellishment to the main activity of knitting and knatting being where the knitting is an embellishment to the main activity of chatting. Did you know they were different?)
January 20th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
I also meant to comment on the yarn difference…wild! I wouldn’t have expected that. I can’t imagine it being considered a flaw in the garment though…it’s just too cute.
January 20th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
That hat looks so warm and comfy — perfect for the weather you’re having there! Hats are one thing that I almost never get to knit, as it’s so rarely cold enough here to warrant them (I suppose that would be true for mitts, too, but I do love them so). And the baby sweater is so darling!
Thanks for the thoughts on knitting for self vs others. I love conceptualizing knitting for yourself as anti-consumerism; I think that I may have been feeling that way without knowing quite how to say it (and I know that part of the draw of spinning for me is the idea of producing my own yarn from local and raw materials). It definitely does feel like it fits in well with the farmer’s-market-shopping, bread-baking part of my life! Also, thanks for the scientific justification for chanting at my drying knits; I feel much better about it now