grand total

Okay, my unofficial goal was to hit the 30 hat mark this month ... and I did it! Yipeeeeeeee! Even better--I tallied how many yards I knit this month, and including the two washcloths I'm up to 2,567 yards. From hats people!! That's amazing. And my local knitting guild has now knit over 100 hats, ensuring that each child will receive one. I'm so proud and happy! (and next year I vow to work on this project more gradually ... lol)

Previous total: 24 hats
This week's additions: 6 hats
TOTAL hats knit: 30 HATS

"trick" knitting

A nice, boring black and lime green striped washcloth .... 

Until you discover the batty creature hiding inside! This is another illusion dishcloth, similar to the candy corn dishcloth I made a few Halloweens ago. I love these since they are such a fun surprise! Wishing everyone a happy Halloween!

Pattern: Black bats illusion dishcloth (link to my Ravelry project page)
Needles: size 6
Yarn: mystery green cotton, Peaches 'n Cream black yarn
Mods: None!

Pumpking washcloth

Lately I've become a sucker for shaped novelty wash cloth patterns. Knit Picks has quite a few to choose from (I love Some Pig and Bear With Me, for example!), but when I saw this cute pumpkin I just had to knit it now. It's a fast one to whip up! My only advice is to closely read the beginning--I had to frog a false start since I misread a KFBF, thinking it was a normal KFB. Oops!


Pattern: Pumpking, a free Knit Picks pattern (link to my Ravelry project page)
Yarn: Peaches 'n Cream cotton
Needles: size 6
Mods: None! But this definitely had to be blocked to lay flat!

current hat total, week 4

Much more productive week! Was really hoping to hit the 25 hat mark, but just came short ... next week for sure!

Previous total: 18 hats
This week's additions: 6 hats
TOTAL hats knit: 24 hats (wooohooooo!)

double dutch, an easy double-stranded free hat pattern

  

The more hats I knit for charity, the more I knew I needed a fast, go-to hat pattern that could use leftover bits of worsted weight yarn I had on hand. Worsted weight hats are great, but sometimes you just want to churn out a large number of hats in a short amount of time--and that's when bulky yarn is awesome. But what to do if you don't have bulky weight yarn? Double-stranding to the rescue! Double stranding is just holding two yarns as you knit. It is a fantastic technique for creating heavier gauges and for busting through stash at a faster rate.  

 

Double Dutch hat

Needles: size 10 / 6 mm (I use circular needles with 40" cable and magic loop, but choose whatever circular needle method you prefer)

Yarn: 100 grams of worsted weight yarn, split into two colors 
 (the large size used 41 gram of each color)

Size: Small (finished size, 16.5 " circumference, fits up to a size 19" head)
Large (finished size, 18" circumference, fits up to a size 23" head)

Gauge: 4 stitches per inch in stockinette

(Any modifications for size large in parentheses throughout)

CO 56 (64) 
Begin ribbed brim: K1, P1 around. Continue ribbing until reaches 1.5 inches.

Next round: Knit.  Continue in stockinette until hat measures 4.5 (6) inches from cast on edge.

Begin crown decreases. (size small skips to Round 3)
Round 1: * K6, K2tog; Repeat from * to end. 56 stitches
Round 2: Knit
Round 3: *K5, K2tog; repeat from * to end. 48 stitches
Round 4: Knit
Round 5: *K4, K2tog; repeat from * to end. 40 stitches
Round 6: Knit
Round 7: *K3, K2tog; repeat from * to end. 32 stitches
Round 8: Knit
Round 9: *K2, K2tog; repeat from * to end. 24 stitches
Round 10: *K1, K2tog; repeat from * to end. 16 stitches
Round 11: *K2tog; repeat from * to end. 8 stitches
Round 12: *K2tog; repeat from * to end. 4 stitches

Break yarn and seam through final four stitches, pulling tight to close top of hat. Seam in ends.

sewn from Pinterest: easy lined drawstring bag

If you're like me your Pinterest boards are filled with infinitely more projects than you could ever make in a single lifetime. I keep posting cute sewing projects, and finally I made one! This is my first easy lined drawstring bag made with the tutorial by Jeni Baker. Awesome tutorial, and super easy--just as advertised! I would totally use this tutorial as the basis for making future lined drawstring bags. The only downfall? It's a pretty small bag if you make it using the tutorial dimensions. It would work for a sock knitting bag, but that's about it! So next time I would upsize it, which would be really easy to do. This is also a great project for using up leftover yardage from other sewing projects.

current hat total, week 3

Oof. This week was pretty pitiful. I'll have to step it up next week!

Previous total: 15 hats
This week's additions: 3 hats
TOTAL hats knit: 18 HATS

current hat total, week 2

This week was the week of the "chunkeanie" pattern (a free pattern by Wooly Wormhead, you can find it here)--I busted out six different hats using that pattern! Super fast and fun, and especially fast with chunky/bulky weight yarn! I also finished my another neon yellow and black sidewinder beanie (not pictured) and am halfway through another (below). Next week? I'm feeling the urge to double-strand some worsted weight yarn for more super speedy hats. Maybe this free Marled Hat pattern by the folks who make Plucky Yarn??

Previous total: 8 hats
This week's additions:  7 hats
TOTAL hats knit: 15 

current hat count, week 1

Every Friday this month I'll post a finished hat progress update in my personal hat-a-thon. Here's my "starting point." The five azalea hats I finished in August, the first sidewinder hat I finished in September, and two new hats this week--a second sidewinder and the luuk hat on the far left. I'm almost half-way finished with my third sidewinder beanie using the same skein of Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn Reflective (colorway: yellow glow) and am curious to see how much yarn I'll have remaining. Can I squeak four hats from one skein?? We shall see ... I have another skein of the same yarn in the orange glow colorway to attack next!

Previous total: 6 hats
This week's additions: 2 hats
TOTAL hats knit: 8