Vera's Crafty Blog

Calendar Girl

Traditions Two

There are two things I like to do on New Years Eve.  One is to take down any and all Christmas decorations.  My mother said that it is bad luck to let Christmas decorations see the new year, and although I don't agree with that now, I just like to do it for the "out with the old/in with the new" vibe.

The other thing I like to do is buy calendars.

 

Oh, yeah, I'm probably not done yet.

Any other calendar junkies out there?

I Love a Meret

Silk Garden Meret

I know this seems like "Vera's Hatty Blog," but I have another mad hat to offer.

It's the Meret by Woolly Wormhead, and it's probably one of the neatest hat patterns I've knitted in a while. 

I love how it looks in the Noro Silk Garden.  I used to be shy about mixing non solid yarn with a pattern, and it doesn't always work, but it really does this time.

  

What's so neat about the pattern is that after the brim, there's no purling, and the lace pattern is easy and intuitive.

 

Here she is blocking on a plate.  Until fairly recently, I had never blocked a hat.  It really makes a difference although I did get a strange look from Patrick when he saw several hats on plates on a towel in the middle of the living room one morning.

It's a fabulous pattern, and although my Mad Hatter phase is truly winding down, I'll need to make another, perhaps with a little more slouch.

Thanks to my friend, Lisa, for gifting me the beautiful Noro Silk Garden.  I have 8.5 skeins left, so I'll probably make a vest or something else with the rest.

 

On the Brain and Needles

I'm currently knitting a heart scarf, and I really need to finish a scarf for Patrick.  I want to make at least one more Meret, and I have another Woolly Wormhead pattern on the brain, but my first real project for 2010 will be a sweater.

Happy New Year!!!

Cupcake with Milk

On and On and 'Till the Break of Dawn...

Yes I'm still making hats, although I feel myself winding down a bit.

My latest is another Super Cupcake Hat.  Made it over the Christmas holiday. I'm loving this pattern and the Shaker Rib, once I understood how to do it.

I decided not to block this one.

 

I also love the yarn. It's Leche by Queensland Collection.  In addition to the wool, silk and microfiber, it's 20% milk fiber.  Honestly, I have no idea how to make fiber out of milk, but it sounds really cool.  The yarn is super soft and sweet to work with too.

   

Perhaps, I make the matching cowl someday.

Ravel, Ravel?

Pat and I went to North Myrtle Beach for a very rainy Christmas.  They next day we got out and saw Up in the Air, which I loved, and a kick ass Sherlock Holmes with the always fabulous Robert Downey,  Jr.

I wanted to stop by Knit N Purl and Island Knits, but both were closed.  Knitting Up a Storm (which is only a few minutes from my MILs) was open, so I stopped by and got this.

 

I kept it cool, didn't go crazy, with a couple of skeins of Gedifra Airmix for a cute Valentine's scarf (I've got to stop making hats someday) and a very neat pen/tape measure combo which states the following...

 

Truth.

A Mad Hatter Christmas

The Hats Keep Coming

My hatmania hasn't let up just yet. The weather is right for them, and I think that's what triggers it.  Here's what I've been up to lately...

Gwen

My friend Mollie made one of these and taught a class on it at the LYS, and I just had to make one.  It's a terrific pattern, that's easy to memorize, and makes a lovely hat. 

This one, knitted in Cascade 220 is for Pat's mom. Blocking really makes it.

 

 

Rosalie

I'm not at all into the whole Twilight/New Moon phenomena, but I think this hat is cute.  Made from a pretty electric blue Cascade 220, this is for Pat's sister.

 

Kelechi

I very much wanted to crochet something, and I love how this turned out with some Cherry Tree Hill Potluck I had lying about.

  

Super Cupcake

Bonnie Marie Burns does it again with this pattern.  The picture doesn't show how cute this hat is.  Going to make the cowl to match too.  The yarn is Paton's Classic Wool.

I can't part with it.

 

Another Rib-A Roni

This is becoming my "go to" hat.  For Pat's niece, Hana.  The yarn is some Crystal Palace Fjord I found on sale.
 

Lady DJHK

While shopping last night, I came upon this and HAD to have it.

 
 

Music and Hello Kitty? How could I go wrong?

 **Merry Christmas!**

Rose Rose

Knit Like the Wind

I spent most of yesterday in my pjs, watching football and knitting furiously on my Rose Red beret, and I finished her during lunch today.

I love, love, LOVE this hat! *jumping on the couch*  The pattern is very well written and quite easy to follow.  An extremely pleasant knit that just kept my hands and needles going.

This photo shows the cables reasonably well. It's such a beautiful hat.  Naturally, these photos don't do her justice.

  

The color is truer on these.  
   

I enjoyed working with the Frog Tree Alpaca, but the prettiest hats I saw on Ravelry were knitted with Angora Merino from Sublime Yarns.

I already have the yarn on order for another hat :-)

Coming up Roses

Sunday, Lazy Sunday

I've done little much except watch football and knit my Rose Red beret.  I first spotted this pattern on Ravelry, and knew I had to get it on the needles.

  

I don't knit many top down hats, but the pattern has been very pleasant to knit, and works up pretty quickly. 

The color isn't true in the photo below.  It's  actually a dark rose.   I'll take a better photo once it's done.

  

All is Vanity

Mo Coline

I had Patrick take some photos of me in Coline.  Vanity would not permit me to leave it at the self portraits I took this morning.  I really need to learn to take a decent self portrait.

 

I ended up wearing her to work today, and got lots of compliments. 

My co-workers are used to me dragging my knitting to work, but they are still fascinated that I can make things that look wearable.

I have fun with it.

I really wanted a better shot of the back of the hat and the beautiful crown decrease that I stressed over so much.
 

Deciding on a color for my next one...