knitting school dropout

thanks for all the lovely messages on my last post. exciting times here, for sure!

i've neglected to mention a few of my newest designs here. you can click through on any of the nemes to go straight to the ravelry pages and find links to purchase them.

cecily and i have continued to collaborate on the Wool series of ebooks for quince and co.

in book 2, our most recent release, i have 2 new patterns.

madigan is a short-sleeved, cowl-neck pullover that's a great piece for layering. it's a round-yoke style sweater, knit from the top-down. it's knit in lark, quince's lovely worsted weight wool, so it flies off the needles.

photo by carrie bostick hoge for quince

gladys is a long toque, knit in the lovely sport weight yarn, chickadee.

photo by carrie bostick hoge for quince

and last but not least... i have a pattern in the newest Wool People for brooklyntweed

Lawrence is another short-sleeved pullover meant for layering (can you tell i'm obsessed with these lately?). it's also knit from the top-down, in a raglan style, and features an off-center lace panel and welted trim.

photo by jared flood for brooklyntweed

lawrence is the sweater that almost didn't happen. i was knitting it during my first trimester and was so sick, and so exhausted, that i struggled to knit even a row or 2 at night. luckily, jared and co were super understanding, and helped me make it work. i'm so happy i powered through because in the end, i loved it!

happy knitting!

Posted by melissa at 01:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

from now until the end of the day on sunday june 5, all patterns in my ravelry store are 20% off! click here to see which ones apply.

i have a new design out, done for the lovely folks at blue sky alpacas. the cafe beret uses just one hank of their lovely new yarn, techno.
see the design on ravelry here.

© blue sky alpacas
Cafe Beret
by Melissa LaBarre
Published in
Blue Sky Alpacas Pattern Leaflet: Café Beret
Craft
Knitting
Category
Hat → Beret, Tam
Published
June 2011
Yarns suggested
Blue Sky Alpacas Techno
Yarn weight
Bulky / 12 ply (7 wpi) [Information on yarn weights]
Gauge
15 stitches and 18 rows = 4 inches in lace pattern
Needle size
US 10 - 6.0 mm
US 9 - 5.5 mm

* female
* in-the-round
* lace
* ribbed
* seamless
* written-pattern

Café Beret
designed by Melissa LaBarre

This flowery beret is knit in a pretty lace pattern with a single hank of Techno!

EXPERIENCE LEVEL
Intermediate

MATERIALS
• Blue Sky Techno (50g/120yds): 1 hank
• Size 9 (5.5mm) 16” circular needle,
or 1 size smaller than size needed to obtain gauge
• Size 10 (6mm) 16” circular needle, or size needed to obtain gauge
• Size 10 (6mm) double pointed needles, or size needed to obtain gauge
• Stitch marker
• Tapestry needle
Photo Shown: Tonic Orange #1979

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Circumference: 17” Brim; 28¾” at Crown
Length: 8”

GAUGE
In Lace Pattern, with larger needles,
15 sts and 18 rows = 4”
Needle size required may vary depending on color of Techno chosen, please check your gauge.

Posted by melissa at 06:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

november leaves is a hat pattern with 2 options to fit an average adult woman's head. there's a beret shape, and also a fitted option. both feature a 4-leaf motif at the side of the head and are quick knits in a worsted-weight yarn. the pattern uses brooklyn tweed shelter, just 1 skein for the fitted version and 2 (you'll only need about 200 yds total) for the beret version. they're both knit densely at 5 sts/inch, so no worries about that little lacy bit giving you the chills. these are really warm hats!

you can find it on ravelry here.

pattern is $5

Posted by melissa at 07:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)

as i continue to obsessively knit new hats and sweaters, i'm taking notes and making patterns. this new one is a slouchy beret that uses a little less than one skein of madelinetosh tosh vintage (i used the very beautiful color "tart" for mine). it features garter stitch, a diamond lace pattern, and spiderweb-like centered double decreases at the crown. go knit yourself one! clicking the buy it now button with take you to paypal. after you pay for your pattern, the link to the pdf will be emailed to you at your paypal email address.

you can queue it, fave it or completely ignore it on ravelry here.

p.s. i've temporarily turned on comment moderation because of obnoxious spam that i'm too busy to deal with. if you don't see your comment right away, don't worry, it'll be up soon. comments should return to normal soon because a book, yarn and pattern giveaway is coming very soon!

Posted by melissa at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

the new twist collective is up! i'm happy to report that i have a design in this issue. the extra bonus is that mary-heather's cute face is modeling it.
photos by jaime dixon for twist collective.

the pattern can be purchased as a download through twist collective here.

or, you can see it on ravelry here.

and to update you on a hat i previously mentioned...

photo by carrie bostick hoge for quince and co.

my effie beret from quince and co can also be purchased on here and ravelry directly from me. buy now

happy hat knitting!

Posted by melissa at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

recently i had the opportunity to try some lovely yarns before they became commercially available. it was instant love.
that's why i am so excited to tell you that quince and co is finally here!
so, go see all the lovely yarns and patterns there. you might even stumble upon this little reversible ribbed beret i designed.
photography is property of quince and co.

find this design on ravelry

or

Posted by melissa at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

i'm finishing up some new hat (and a sweater!) designs right now. the ruffled cardi is finished. a new hat design is getting charted tonight.

not that it'll make any room for my new patterns, but i thought i might take advantage of ravelry's ebook feature and group my 2 most popular hat patterns together for a reduced price. they are still the same price when purchased individually, but if you don't have them already, you can purchase acorns and crooked paths together as the two lace hats collection for $7.50. they are $5 each separately.

clicking the button below will take you to the paypal page. after you pay you'll be given instructions to download your patterns.

Posted by melissa at 05:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

if you're having trouble finding copies of the new fibre company/kelbourne woolens hat patterns at your lys, i'm pleased to announce that they are now available online!

now when you click the picture of the hat, on the kelbourne woolens wholesale patterns page you'll see a "click to buy" button. just click it to purchase pdf downloads of each hat. instant gratification!

photos are property of kelbourne woolens. used with permission.

comments are disabled on this entry.

Posted by melissa at 01:07 PM | Permalink

the 3 hat patterns that i designed for kelbourne woolens/the fibre company are now available! you'll now be able to purchase copies of these at your favorite fibre company stockists. they'll also be available for purchase as downloads on the kw site in the coming months. i'll give you a quick peek at each of them this week:

stratum is a beret that uses garter stitch and stockinette columns as a simple way to showcase the truly beautiful yarn, terra. it uses only 2 skeins. i'd love one in beet, personally.

find it on ravelry

(photographs are property of kelbourne woolens and used with permission)

i'll be back with the others in a few days. right now, i'm trying to finish up a new design for madelinetosh and i only seem to have a limited amount of energy for knitting when i get out of work these days.

goodnight, all!

Posted by melissa at 08:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (30)

between 2 jobs i've been working 6 days a week lately and that hasn't left much time for knitting. it has however, left plenty of time for casting on for a bazillion projects. unfortunately, the lack of after-work daylight makes it hard to document it all. here are a few:

green tea leaves

it's always a bummer to send away a sweater you like and never see it again. so, after i designed tea leaves, i immediately cast on for my very own in madtosh worsted in malachite. although i'm dying to wear it, i'm just not really ready to knit it all over again. it's been hanging out at the bottom of my bag for 2 months getting jabbed with pens and turning into a tangled mess. the 2 balls of yarn i was alternately are now on disaster i am not ready to tackle.

when the newest twist collective issue came out, i bought the pattern for cecily's mystere right away. i was just looking for a reason the use the ridiculously soft valley yarns amherst, and this was it. this is going to be a great everyday sweater.

i also participated in a little knit-a-long for the book knitted toy tales at webs. they book is filled with adorable toys to knit like a frog prince, matroyshka dolls, and an owl. i knit one of the three little pigs, but of course forgot to take picture after finishing. here's a little in progress shot and a crappy cell phone pic that i snapped before the store opened one day. the pattern do call for a lot of seams, but i knit most of the pig in the round with magic loop instead. it's pretty easy to avoid the seams.

i've also cast on for a ton of other knits. many are gifts and will be revealed soon.

i'll leave you with a quick peek at my soon to be released hat pattern. i used a stitch pattern that resembles acorns. this is the bulky version that uses 1 skein of peruvia quick. i'm currently finishing up the pattern for the worsted weight version that's knit with 1 skein of berroco vintage. the pattern will contain patterns for both weights. it should be ready within the next 2 weeks.

happy holidays, friends.

Posted by melissa at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (23)

sometimes you just have to cast on for a beautiful hat, as soon as you've found the perfect yarn.

pattern: springtime in philadelphia (canopy version), by my very talented friend, kate

yarn: 65/35 cashmere/silk fingering weight in "elfine" from pigeonroofstudios.

love!

Posted by melissa at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (21) | TrackBacks (0)

thank you so much for all the sweet birthday/book wishes on my last post. it's been kind of a chaotic week and i'm just slowly starting to reply now.

i scribbled out a chart for a big, leafy hat many months ago, and then totally forgot about it. a few days ago, while looking for a different chart (still missing, ugh), i found it. minutes later, i was winding yarn and casting on.

it's a quick knit, and you could squeak 2 out of 1 skein of twinkle soft chunky. the pattern will be available sometime this month. 50% of the purchase price will be donated to pancreatic cancer action network.

Posted by melissa at 07:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

hi there!

i can't show you most of what i've been up to, but i do have a new hat pattern in today's classic elite webletter. (ravelry link)

after i finished knitting it, i was having one of those low self-esteem days, so i begged the girlfriend to let me photograph her wearing it instead. even though it's not the style of hat that she would normally wear, she looked great in it, and now the pictures are in the webletter. i've been giggling all day just thinking about the girlfriend's face arriving in a bunch of email boxes this afternoon.

This pattern was written with the feature that i've always added to my slouchy hats. the garter stitch band has 4 short rows wedged in between the purl rows. This makes for a wider band at the front, all the way back to the ears, then a narrow band at the back of the neck. i think the hat sits more comfortably this way, and i thought it was about time that i actually wrote it into a pattern.

i hope you like it!

Posted by melissa at 01:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)

i tend to knit certain things when i'm stressed, bored, or just in need of a little break from a larger project. usually, i just knit hats. i still do that, but more often these days, i can be found knitting these random little leaves in various shapes and sizes, then looking for a use for them.
since one of my very best friends is super pregnant right now, i've been adding those leaves to lots of baby projects for her.

first up, a sweater that i'll give to her today. it's knit from local handspun and embellished with a leaf made from handspun scraps from other projects.
it's a pretty basic raglan, knit to itty-bitty measurements. i made shorter sleeves in the hopes that it could maybe still be worn in the spring.

i knit her this little hat out of noro's cashmere island (on super discount at webs), and finished it by knitting an i-cord at the top which morphed into a leaf. i then knotted the i-cord, so the leaf would stick out at the top. i love this hat, it's sickeningly soft. i must have a little cardigan for myself out of it someday.

then, there's this other simple ribbed hat that i knit, then stitched one of my many leaves to.

speaking of leafy things my top down leaf tee from classic elite's spring/summer book round pond is now up in ravelry.

here's a photo from the book (photo from classic elite yarns)

i have one more leafy thing to finish, and then maybe i'll move on to something else. I'm hoping that i'll be able to warp my new kromski harp rigid heddle loom, after the first attempt had me pretty frustrated. i picked up weaving made easy before i left for my trip, i'm hoping it'll make the process less aggravating. i hate when i'm not good at things on the first go.

Posted by melissa at 09:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)

i took a quick break from sweater knitting to make a couple of hats from the fabulous book boutique knits. they were so fun to make, as both are uniquely constructed. i think the end results are both quirky and very wearable.

say hello to the sideways grande cloche

i used less than 2 balls of rowan cocoon and knit the pattern exactly as written. it's long enough to cover my ears, and has a really cute shape. i especially love the flat top.

i also made the side slip cloche. this hat is insanely cute. my original plan was to use something from my stash to avoid buying more yarn. that plan was a major fail, as i ran out of yarn during the decreases and had to buy more cashmerino, from a different dye lot. so yeah, my cute hat has some color variation way up at the top, but whatever, i still love it.
i went up 2 needle sizes for the body of the hat so i could tuck all my hair up into it, and it worked out perfectly.

now, if i had a few more hours in the day, i'd be casting on for my friend cecily's adorable sweater from CEY's webletter this week. kate and i saw this in person at rhinebeck and have been very patiently waiting for the pattern. it's totally cute. cecily also designed elaine's blouse, in the newest interweave issue. it reminds me of some of my favorite vintage tops.

speaking of vintage, the newest issue of popknits is live! everything is really cute, and as always, i'm wishing for more knitting hours in the day.

Posted by melissa at 04:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)

um, what are you doing here?
shouldn't you be knitting kate's fabulous hat, right this very second?

inside

outside

on the girlfriend's head

or mine

it's fabulous

pattern: selbu modern by kate!
yarn: reynold's whiskey, in a pukey green and peacock blue, less that one ball of each
needles: us1 for ribbing, us3 for everything else (i had to go up on needle sizes, i'm a tight knitter)
mods: none
knitting time: 4 days

this pattern is a beauty, i am especially crazy about how perfect the decreases are. go knit one. you must!

my dreams of having a new sweater to wear to rhinebeck on saturday have been crushed by more casting on, and swatching, for other sweaters. it's starting to become a problem round these parts.

Posted by melissa at 05:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (38)

there's a chill in the air. that must mean it's time to knit more hats.

i cast on for this one a few days ago as a break from other projects, then picked it up again during last night's vice presidential debate. the hat knitting proved to be much more fun. if i never hear the word "maverick" again, i will be a very happy lady.

today, i attempted to capture the sheer love i have for this super cute hat. i failed.

so, i accepted help. oh look, there's my pretty hat!

pattern: duchess starfish hat by cecily glowik (ravelry link)
yarn: araucania nature wool chunky, less than 1 hank in color 137
i knit the pattern exactly as written, which i never do, because it was perfect.

i've been on this never-ending mission to knit through all the random balls of yarn i've accumulated over the years. this was the perfect little project. this hat has been firmly planted on my head all day. i love it.

i have several things on the needles, but this one has been going to work with me lately. it's the drop collar cabled jacket from that new debbie bliss knitting magazine. it's a bulky cabled thing, not what i'd normally cast on for, but i just felt compelled to knit it for some reason. i've added some length, changed the numbers to knit between 2 sizes, and now i'm thinking about messing with the collar. it looks cute in the photo, but it'll probably look weird on me. i don't know, i just have a feeling.

it's actually nice to knit something in pieces for a change. i can fit whatever part i'm working on in my bag and haul it around with me. i'm sure i'll feel differently once i start seaming it up. well, i'm only about 20% into it'll, so i'll save that worry for a later date.

Posted by melissa at 05:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

sorry about the extended silence here. i could begin to explain the MANY reasons i haven't been blogging, but that would make for a very long entry. so, i'll just give you two.

during the month of august (which also turned into paperwork overload at the full-time job), i knit and wrote patterns for 3 garments. unfortunately, i can't show them yet. one will be hitting the newsstands a little later this year, though, so it won't be too long of a wait.

lately, i've been trying to get some other projects finished up, but it just isn't happening. a week and a half ago, our apartment was partially flooded by a leak in an upstairs apartment. the water wasn't so hard to clean up, but the process of trying to remove all the water from the walls has been a little hard to deal with. the industrial dehumidifiers and fans are extremely loud, and we have to yell to even have a conversation, only a few feet apart. after listening to it for 11 days with only a few hour break on one day, i'm pretty much losing my mind. did i mention that our apartment was 98f with 2 air conditioners on last night? those dehumidifiers are going to kill me!

i've had to move my knitting to our tiny little porch. amongst the mosquitoes and tomatoes, i managed to squeak out this owl hat.

on ravelry

the chart i made was just cobbled together from various owl imagery. i ended up simplifying it as i knit, because i hate intarsia with a fiery passion. i thought i just might hate it less, because i really like the hat, but no, intarsia will never be my thing. ever.
the yarn is just yorkshire and scottish tweed aran scraps, plus some dark brown beaverslide.

ETA: i added my hand-drawn owl chart as a ravelry download. it's not a hat pattern, just an owl.
you can download the chart here, if you'd like.
if you're looking for some basic hat patterns, i think the knitter's handy book of patterns would be a great resource for patterns in any gauge.

i was planning a baby hat with the same image, but i think i'd like to get back to sweaters first. i'll have 2 baby sweaters to show in a few days, then it's back to a sweater for me. i've been swatching like crazy.

more later,
melissa

Posted by melissa at 09:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (57)

my hat pattern is featured in this week's classic elite web-letter!

i knit both of these versions in the middle of may.

the white was first, using classic elite's provence. i really loved how it came out, but i just knew it was going to look really great on my step-sister. it did, so i knit another one in bam boo, since it has great drape for this type of hat. i'd never used a bamboo yarn before, but i certainly will again.

since cotton and bamboo can lose shape with wear, i went down 3 needle sizes for the ribbed band, to combat stretch. you may want to up the needle size on the band for other fibers though.

you can queue it on ravelry here

well, i hope you like it!

also, my tilted duster is dry, dry, dry! i'm just figuring out which buttons to use. after a long slump of once-a-month posting, it looks like this little blog might actually have regular content.

see you soon,
melissa

Posted by melissa at 03:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)

...for this is a hat-heavy blog post

i have been working away on my 2 sweaters in progress, but not without distraction. i've landed on sleeve island with my orangey pullover, the perfect time to cast on for some hats.

each one of these took little more than a day to knit, and i'm thrilled with how they've turned out. holy instant gratification!

first off, the girlfriend's february 13th hat, which is basically just a wooly apology for being a total valentine's day hater.
i originally intended to knit her the utopia cable hat in some charcoal cascade 220 , but i forgot the pattern at home shortly after starting the ribbing. i was forced to just come up with something else, or endure a meeting knit-less. she liked it and bought me vegetarian sushi, and all was right in the world.

next, i decided to wind up some malabrigo in the "paris night" colorway, and knit the utopia hat (ravelry) for myself. one day later, i had a perfect, warm hat. i highly recommend the pattern.

last, i chose to use up the leftover malabrigo for another hat. i had the blue from utopia, and about the same amount in olive, left over from a ganomy hat. i put them together and made this basic striped hat, with only a few inches to spare.

i'm happy to have a few more choices in head coverings this week, it's freezing here.

i really should get back to those sweaters now.

Posted by melissa at 01:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)

thanks so much for all the lovely comments regarding my bubble pullover. i guess i finished it just in time for the cold new england weather. it's been getting lots of use!

since casting off, i've been casting on like mad for lots of small projects. i've had a couple crappy weeks, nothing bad, just feeling generally overwhelmed by small, usually benign things. so, i pushed aside all my current sweater projects and made some damn hats!

hat 1: bonnet for a 32 year old
yarn: maisy day handspun in "spitfire", purchased from hello yarn and one ball of debbie bliss cashmerino aran in brown.
needles: 5mm 16" circs
pattern: i knit the bottom (ear covering) portion from the maltese fisherman's hat pattern in elizabeth zimmermann's knitter's almanac, except i doubled all the numbers. after i cast on the additional stitches for the front, i just went along and knit the top as i would any plain hat, instead of following the pattern. i only had 112yds of this yarn, so i knit it a little shorter than i normally would and added a garter stitch border and ties. i also added the most pathetic excuse for a pom-pom ever. which, incidentally, is the only kind i can seem to make.
the verdict: it's cute. i love the handspun. it covers my ears. i am happy.

hat 2: brown flop
pattern : none, but here's where i tell you my secret for making a floppy hat like mine (please skip this part if you dont care :))
take your standard formula for a plain close fitting hat in the yarn of your choosing. knit 1x1 rib for 1 inch, after this point continue in rib, but start adding short rows to the front 60% of the hat. your ribbed band will become wider in the front than it is in the back. add as many short rows as you wish. my front ribbing was about twice as long in the front as it was in the back. after the front rib was the length i wanted, at the beginning of the next round i began knitting in stockinette, but increasing every other stitch like this: k1, k1f/b, repeat until end of round. there, now you have lots more stitches and you can knit some easy stockinette for hours. i added a few more short rows to the front of the stockinette portion too. once it starts to get long, you can try it on as you knit and decide when you want to start decreasing to close up the top.
yarn: louisa harding grace 50/50 silk wool, a little less than 2 balls.
needles: 4mm 16: inch circular
thoughts: grace is a beautiful yarn. i forgot to take in to consideration the fact that this hat will stretch out with wear. i would make it a tad smaller next time, until then, i'll re-block it after a few wears.

hat 3: another maltese fisherman's hat from elizabeth zimmermann's knitter's almanac
yarn: berroco peruvia in a heathered pink.
needles: 5mm circulars
details: i wear this one all the time. it's longer than the first one and the yarn is nice and soft. i bought more of the peruvia in a dark blue to add trim and ties, but i haven't done it yet. this hat covers the ears PERFECTLY. i walk around, all smug and warm, every windy day. i did the same thing with this hat, doubling the numbers, doing my own hat thing at the top, etc.

hats have always been my favorite thing to knit. a simple one can be knit up in a day and they're a perfect way to test out a yarn for it's durability, or to get the chance to try a yarn that you couldn't afford in a sweater amount. long live the hat!

oh, and can i share with you the awesome tags that i ordered from namemaker? they're kind of motivating me to knit those gifts i keep putting off.

Posted by melissa at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)

miraculously, i have another finished object to show off:

pattern: i modified a chart from here,
yarn: rowan yorkshire tweed, less than 1 ball each of brown, and blue. i also used a little bit of valley yarns longmeadow in red for the lining.
needles: 3.75mm inox circs

umm, i love brown and blue together. i love gigantic flowers. this hat is far from perfect, but i adore it. i was a bad girl, not paying very good attention to the whole yarn dominance thing. lesson learned. the floral motif is a little hard to see at times, but i still like it. i'm still a stranded knitting newbie, having only knit one pair of mittens and one hat before.
my knitting became extremely tight and uneven at the very top. this can only be blamed on la strada, which i was watching at the end parts of this hat. stranded knitting and subtitles do not mix well, but i loved the movie, so it's all good.

i'm also only five rows away from finishing my swallowtail shawl. blocking should be taking place later today.

Posted by melissa at 08:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

i managed to remove 2 projects from the WIP list recently, despite feeling like i haven't had a free moment. luckily there were meetings and lunch breaks to knit through, so i am finally able to present you with these:

first up, my cloudy day bolero. the pattern is ysolda's, from yarn forward. it's a great pattern, well written, and easy to follow.
i made only minor changes. i (obviously) lengthened it a lot. i had 3 balls of yarn and just kept knitting until they were gone. i also used us10 needles, when i think the pattern called for 11s. this was pure laziness, i couldn't muster up the energy to look for 11s for more than 5 minutes, and the 10s were right in my bag. i also used noro iro, color 63, which is half price at webs right now!. after finishing, i had only a few scraps left.

i apologize for the not-so-great front shot, the other photos were making me feel a little self-conscious about my post quit weight gain.

i also finished a hat, inspired by the one my 93 year old great aunt has been making for years. i really like the finished result, and the beautiful "bobby blue" malabrigo i used, but i still plan to make another that looks a little more like hers.

here's a shot of the very flat top:

next up, i'm finishing the stranded hat that i mentioned once before. that is, if the small furry animals will let me. i'm knitting the top of the hat and the lining at the same time. i switch to the plain lining during subtitled films, then back to the stranded knitting when i'm watching crappy t.v.

after that, i hope to finally finish my swallowtail shawl. i kind of gave up after the p5togs started slowing me down. i would have eliminated them, but i really like how they look. i think a break was all i needed.

i have been terrible at responding to comments/returning emails lately and i apologize. i was temporarily swamped with other stuff, but i'll be better from now on.

for those who asked, i really liked miranda july book it has a really neat website you can check out here.

Posted by melissa at 05:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (1)

i'm here to report that i really haven't been knitting much at all. i've been in a kind of funk lately, the kind that makes you feel anything but creative. instead i've mostly been reading, (now it's BITCHfest and human oddities), indulging in a little retail therapy in the form of really cute boots and thoroughly enjoying my copy of fitted knits. i'm pretty sure i'm casting on for the puff-sleeved cardigan as soon as i finish my books.
i did manage to knit 2 hats. i am very new to having longer hair and all the fitted hats i have leave me looking like i have a giant lump on my head when i pull one on over a ponytail. i decided to knit up a couple looser hats. the slouchier one is made from naturewool chunky in a grey/black color, the pom-pom hat is navy felted tweed. both are in constant rotation in this bitter cold.

(don't you love my ancient peeling mirror? )

my next post will be totally dedicated to my sea silk leaf lace shawl, which is currently blocking. i think it's real purty.

Posted by melissa at 05:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

sorry, the sweater is not quite done. i worked on the second sleeve for what seemed like eternity on sunday and in true melissa fashion, i put it down with only 3 inches to go. at 10pm sunday, i cast on for this:

(pardon the non-modeled shot, but the thing is too damp for my cold head)

around 9pm monday i was pulling the yarn through the last few stitches at the top. i can't believe i finished the entire hat in less than 24 hours. it was too cute to put down. i didn't add the lining until today. this project has made me realize that what i had thought was a provisional cast on, is probably not. either that or i am totally correct and it's just a total pain in the ass to undo.

pattern: we call them pirates from hello yarn
yarn: dale of norway hauk in oatmeal and pea green less than 1 ball of each
needles: us5 inox 16" and 40"circulars
mods: i had to go up 2 needles sizes to get closer to gauge. i made a few more decreases in the lining since i lined it in cotton and it tends to grow.

i love it and it fits just right, but this baby is not for me. i still need to work on getting my tension even and i'm sure knitting in the dark while watching movies didn't help any, but that doesn't discourage me. i think 2007 may be a year filled with stranded knitting.

the best thing about this project is that i had just the right yarn and needles without having to make an excuse to go out and buy anything. i'm on a major budget at the moment, trying to decide if i should get a new car and have the major stress of a car payment, or invest a bunch of money in my fixing crappy little car and instead buy myself the digital slr of my dreams. neither of these are very easy to do considering i work for a non-profit. tax refund time is just around the corner though, so with that and some serious cutting back, i should be able to make a decision by the end of march. i'm making it my birthday present to myself. so i'm all about the cheap thrills from here on out.

speaking of cheap thrills, i just discovered i can re-live my youth for only $17.00. going to see bands like bikini kill and bratmobile were some of the highlights of my late teens/early20's. that's why i'm so excited to get this dvd.

expect another finished object post in the next few days. i'm off to watch bad education, and finish that last bit of sleeve.

Posted by melissa at 04:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

i decided to start with small projects first, in order to shrink my WIP pile this weekend.
first off, i've finished the girlfriend's ganomy hat. i'm sure i'll be stealing this from her until i can knit one for me. maybe she won't like it, now that it's done.

pattern: ganomy hat from EZ's knitter's almanac
needle size: u.s. 10.5 addi turbo
yarn: rowan biggie print? ( i lost the label) in grey
i intentionally knit this on smaller needles than recommended for the yarn, for a more dense fabric. this hat must provide warmth during the endless shoveling of harsh new england winters.
i cannot recommend this pattern enough. once your read it over, you won't have to look at it again and you'll end up with a ridiculously cute hat. yay!

i also finished another Noro Kureyon striped scarf for a friend's birthday. same deal as before, 1x1 rib alternating between two different balls, every 2 rows. i think i used one ball of color 156 and one of 157, but those ball bands could have ended up in the bottom of my bag from something else. i think i'm totally burnt out on these now though.

now i'm off to map out my route to the federal courthouse. yep, this knitter has jury duty tomorrow. i hoping for lots of uninterrupted knitting time, i've lots of big projects to get moving on.

question: are they going to swipe my addi's at the metal detector? or should i just switch to my plastic denise needles and play it safe?

Posted by melissa at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

it's true, i am trying to distract you from my total lack of completed knitting projects. i think i have reached a point where i have sooo many works in progress, that i can't even decide what to work on or finish. i'm setting a goal of completing at least 3, large or small, by sunday night.
currently, i am completely addicted to knitting the super-simple ganomy hats from EZ's knitter's almanac. the pointed earflaps keep your ears warm, without being too flappy. i've finished one, and have 2 others on the needles. i'll probably knit one for everyone i know before winter's through.
the first one was a little snug, knit in that wonderful olive malabrigo that's been languishing in my stash for over a year. it'll fit my friend's little head perfectly i think, so i'm giving it to her. here's a little peek at it on my XL skull.

i thought this was a neat little distraction, so i'm totally copying leah. it's funny, when i shuffle my mp3s, i get songs that i haven't heard in months, so this is probably not a good representation of what i'm currently listening to.

if your life were a soundtrack, what would the music be?
here's how it works:
1. open your library (iTunes, winamp, media player, iPod)
2. put it on shuffle
3. press play
4. for every question, type the song that's playing
5. new question-- press the next button
6. don't lie and try to pretend you're cool

opening credits:
king's crossing - Elliott Smith

waking up:
don't ask for the water - ryan adams

first day at school:
leaders of men - joy division

falling in love:
flippy flop - erase errata

breaking up:
carnival - bikini kill

prom:
natural's not in it - gang of four

life's okay:
the stars of track and field - belle and sebastian

mental breakdown:
dolly dollar - liliput/kleenex

driving:
roadrunner - modern lovers

flashback:
rebels got a hole in it - halo benders

getting back together:
friendship station - le tigre

wedding:
hot rock - sleater-kinney

birth of child:
save a secret for the moon - magnetic fields

final battle:
i miss you - bjork

death scene:
call 1-800- fear - lali puna

funeral song:
making days longer - rjd2

end credits:
the fairest of the seasons - nico

well, i'll be back in a few days with lots of completed knitting, hopefully. bye!

Posted by melissa at 06:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)