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Dear Ellen,

This week I bring you almost all knitting.  I couldn’t resist including this photo from the Costco in Lancaster County.  I just love that the area businesses make accommodations for all of their customers including the ones who arrive in horse drawn carriages.  I think that kind of respect for differences is very much in keeping with the spirit of the campaign that you and Alison have begun.  As we travel around the Lancaster County area we see again and again how folks with very different beliefs and backgrounds come together to help each other and to help the community.

I’ve begun my part of the campaign.  On our way to and from the building site I worked on using up the yarn leftover from Woodland Vines to make a simple, masculine bucket hat.   The yarn is Briar Rose Fourth of July, a 100% merino…aren’t you using it for one of your hats too?  I cast on 116 stitches and did a bit of K2/P2 ribbing in the round.  Then I switched to a simple knit-purl checkerboard pattern.  After about 6 inches of knitting I did decreases at four equally spaced locations in the round.  I knit 13 stitches in pattern, did a left leaning decrease, a single purl stitch and then a right leaning decrease, then knit 13 more in pattern.  Do that four times and it takes you to the end of the round.  The next row is knit in pattern with knit-purl-knit at the decrease points.  Next row, same as the first decrease row except the number of stitches in pattern is decreased by one…and so on till you’re down to 4 stitches.  A simple gathering of those stitches on the tail, weaving of it and the cast on tail in and you have a very big slouchy hood-hat.  That’s not what I wanted, so into the front loader with a few towels it went.  When it came out I was very pleased.  The pattern stitch does give the fabric a bit of texture.  It fits my head just snug, so I think it will be a good size for anyone with a larger head.  Because it gained some thickness and wind resistance, it should be pretty practical too.

I also pulled out the Mochi Beret that I knit last winter.  I have never worn it, but I’ve used the mittens.  It has sat in the closet patiently waiting for its turn to go out.  And it’s really a nice hat, but you really need to be a beret wearer to put it to use.  I’m just not really a beret wearer.  I’ll send it to one of the women in Congress who doesn’t get covered by a constituent.   Maybe I’ll Google a few for winter images and see if I can spot someone who has evidence of a beret wearing history.

My Sweater from Down Under is making great progress.  I’ve finished the body to include blocking.  I made it tunic length and wider at the hips to account for my particular weeble shape.  (I wobble, but I don’t fall down.)  I’m loving the Blue Faced Leister yarn — the feel of the fabric and the pleasure of knitting with it.  I think the stitch definition is exactly what I wanted for this particular project.  I’ll get the sleeves going this week, but won’t stop knitting hats either.

Love, Jan

P.S. I’m tagging my projects for the campaign with “warmhatsnothotheads” — I suggest you do to.  In fact, the thought of a contest for those hats so tagged occurs to me….hmmm…..