Winter is here :-(
Warning -- lots of pictures! It's snowing and blowing and generally being miserable outside, so what's a guy to do but stay inside and play with a camera? Right? RIGHT? Right. Sigh.
So, I am pleased to announce that I have finished a hat. Which to many of you, I realize, doesn't seem like a big deal, except that I started this hat a year ago. Yes, it sat on the needles for a whole year. But it's done now, and I love it. It's warm and cozy and it covers my ears, which is a good thing.
So, I am pleased to announce that I have finished a hat. Which to many of you, I realize, doesn't seem like a big deal, except that I started this hat a year ago. Yes, it sat on the needles for a whole year. But it's done now, and I love it. It's warm and cozy and it covers my ears, which is a good thing.
You can see exactly where I left off last year. I should have gone back and ripped out a round or two, but I didn't, and I'm not going to because I am embracing the rustic. Yes, rustic. That's what it is -- it's rustic, not sloppiness. Rustic, yes. The pattern is the very clever Thorpe, and the yarn is a bulky Alpaca labelled Vintage 2006 that I got from Bridget in the Knitters Tea Swap 4. Thanks again, Bridget! I left off the crochet edging and braidy-tie thingys -- not because I'm too lazy to figure out how to do them but because it's RUSTIC! Ahem.I also knit up my handspun from the previous post -- and I know you don't want to be bothered with scrolling down so I'll throw in yet another picture --
-- into this ...
... which I admit looks kind of weird until you turn it upside down and roll it up a bit into this:
Which still looks kind of weird, but Yes! It's another hat! Just a basic top down toque, as we call it up here in Canada, although some people elsewhere might call it a watch cap. I made the turn-over especially long so it would fold over and cover my ears, which I think I mentioned is a good thing.I tried to take some pics of this hat actually on my head, but all I got was something like this ...
... or this ...
So that's what you get too. Sigh.I've also been spindling a bit.
It's a "mystery roving" that came with a spindle I purchased from Dragoncraft, and I thought it particularly fitting to the season because it reminded me of snow. It's a mixture of merino, bamboo, soysilk and angelina, and it came out very soft and shiny and, well, sparkly.
See? Sparkly. I didn't think I was an "art yarn" type of person, but I will admit it was fun to let it be what it wanted to be. I have no idea what to do with it, though. It's maybe DK weight, 150 yards.
More sparkles! I wish all sparkly white stuff was that much fun and didn't require shovelling. I also wish everyone out there a safe and happy holiday season!Has it stopped snowing yet? Sigh.
35 people had something to say:
You are a handsome devil, Dave. Stay warm!
Um, Dave, did you think about a) putting the hat on someone else and taking a picture or b) having someone else hold the camera? Just a thought...
Looks like a nice warm hat! And I do like your wintery spun yarn. Perfect for decorating your Christmas tree :)
Nice hats! A wash or two and you won't even see that line I bet. As for snow, ugh. Three storms in a week? Can we have a little break? Pretty please with a cherry on top? Nice yarn, I'm not usually a fan of the sparklies in my yarn either but that's lovely!
LOL @ embracing the rustic
I understand that! As I had a hat OTN for about year too!
I love the Rustic look you Rustic lookin' man!! :o)
And the sparkly spinning yarn..beautiful!! Does remind me of snow! Betcha make a cute baby hat...no??
Hey!! I understand about trying to take pics of your head when there is no one around to model or snap for you! ;op
Happy Holidays to you too Dave!! Hope they are merry!! :o)
I'm working on a gift hat right now and listening to a Christmas CD I burned, all while watching the snow fly here, too. We are to get 10-15cm along with a wind warning to boot, then it is supposed to change to rain. Lovely.
Love the hats! I have some yarn to make the boys each a Thorpe. Think I'll do one for me and Hubs, too. Everyone complains of cold ears.
ROFLOL! I love it. Isn't photo-ing yourself fun? hehehehehe
(my photos all turn out that way, too)
Isn't it funny that knitters are all excited when "fall is in the air" and then gripe about the snow that follows it?
(((hugs)))
With a camera in one hand and yarn in another what more could one want to do on a blustery day? Can you please keep those storms up in Canada and not let them venture down to the Rockies? I agree with Julie, a nice soak should get rid of that little line.
Wonderful hats, and you spinning keeps getting better and better!
Sounds like you are going to need some warm hats.
Well, if you get bored of all that snow and wind, you can always head down here with that sparkly yarn.
It was in the 80's today. I sat outside and knit. (However, tomorrow it's supposed to be 20 degrees colder ... probably won't be outside knitting tomorrow.)
I like both hats! They definitely will keep your head warm! Brrr!
Ha! Rustic. Admit it. You just fear the crochet. =P Love the touque! I call it that too, but I'm from so far north in NY that I might as well be Canadian. Go figure.
If there ever was a yarn that said "winter," I think it's your sparkly yarn.
Brrr is right, I can't wait for the weather to settle down - with the windchill it was below -40 this morning! Yuck.
The Thorpe is great, very rustic - and love that yarn!
Rustic, handsome and serviceable. All you could ask for in a hat. :)
yeah, absofreakinglutely freezing here, wind chill galore. Ugh. I love winter, but when it's a bit more temperate.
I LOVE those hat photos. I have several of those in my collection, too. (The weird angled photos - and it's gotten worse with the D-SLR).
I'm in project limbo right now - nothing on the needles but a sadly neglected, barely started pair of socks. I should do something about that ...
stay warm!
Love the hats! Congrats on warm ears. ;o)
ooooh, what gorgeous handspun! and that's dedication to finish a UFO from a year ago!!!
Such delightful eye candy! And yes it's terribly hard to take shots of yourself.
I just adore that glittery handspun. It reminds me of a fairy tale!
Love that first picture of you :)
You could make your mother a nice cozy cowl with that yarn! I agree it looks like that's exactly what it wanted to be spun into- I'm impressed with how quickly you picked it up!
And as I recall from my time in Ottawa, those double layers are a good thing. It has stopped snowing here in MN, but it's minus 12 F with wicked wind chill, black ice etc. Have a warm safe holiday.
I giggled thru your entire post, I like the hat - rustic or not and the toque, they are both especially useful in your cold weather. The yarn you spun would make a beautiful neck warmer for someone or ear warmer/headband such as Calorimetry, it really is gorgeous, I love how the blue and white play off each other.
I like your hats, both of them.
I'm not sure about that sparkling yarn. Well, sparkling isn't my kind of thing at the moment. Must be all those sparkling christmas things around. It is just too much.
If it is still snowing? No, it isn't. It is rainy, grubby, awful. I would like some snow. Better than this all day dark sky full of rain clowds.
Thorpe is a great pattern, and your other hat is a winner too!
Your handspun is just beautiful. I read your blog often....and always admire your creations.
Have a nice Holiday - and stay warm. Winter is going to be a doozy this year, I am afraid!
I've recently done a hat-on-my-own-head photo shoot too, and it wasn't pretty. Oh, the hat is actually quite pretty in real life, but neither the hat nor my aging face is treated kindly by the ultra close-up! Time and more photos were not making it any better so I said "meh" and put it up anyway.
Your hats look great!
We have snow and threats of further snow here in Western Canada too, and in this part of the province that is quite rare. I heard today that there hasn't been snow all across Canada like this since around 1972.
That's exactly the hat my Dave wants - a fully doubled ribbed cuff - so practical...but blah...I hate doing that much ribbing!
Isn't it fun trying to take your own hat pictures? That's how most of mine look too - but every once in awhile if I take enough....1 comes out just right - I've also tried the self timer with occasional luck.
Happy holidays to you!
I know that watch caps look simple, but they are so practical that I keep knitting the same one. Yours turned out very nicely indeed.
Happy Holidays.
Happy holidays! x
Your hat from the handspun looks fabulous! (despite the lack of photos that show it in its totality)
And I love the little sparkles on the latest handspun.
I got "slushed" in today (translate that 10 inches of deep unforgiving slush that grabbed ahold of anything it could and wouldn't let go). Even the mailman didn't come today. :-(
Is it spring yet?
Great hats Dave! i love the long cuff on the second one. Your winter yarn is just like snow and it is beautiful. Good luck with the shovelling- we are living the same here in VT.
hats are a great knit . . so quick and such a nice object to hold afterward; love them, especially your handspun one . . .
Happy holidays! I have 6 months of catching up to do. That hats are amazing! I got a copy of Thorpe (thank you) yes, it's almost always warm here, but I have 1 hat collector in the house (yay!) and I like them too. must.keep.ears.warm. You handspun is great! It does look like snow!
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year - I always enjoy your sock knitting, and your spinning is totally inspiring me too. Stay warm...
Nice hats. Good for the weather we're having.
Try putting more twist in your handspun yarns. A skein that looks a-bit-too-tightly-plied knits up to a better fabric than one that looks "just right" in the skein.
Intellectually I understand how constant snow and cold would be very draining after a while, but for someone who has never experienced a white winter, I'd love to do that, just once. I really like your hats. Practical and earthy. Very suitable for the weather, both to wear and make. :) Hang in there. Spring is around the corner (as is Autumn here).
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