Making a wish list, and checking it twice :-)

Being aware that I have at least two possibilities of folks traveling from the US to the Philippines in the next 6 months, I dutifully made a wish list of knitting stuff I badly need from there.

The needle brand would most likely be Susan Bates, as I'm familiar with it, and satisfied with the performance so far. Affordable too...

Here goes, a list in progress:

Size 1 circular needles, metal
Size 6 double pointed needles, metal
Sizes 8, 9, 10 circulars, 16 inches long

Another row counter (well, maybe 2)

Elann's Canapone hemp yarn in the following colors, including Green Tea, which I already have some of but will get maybe 2-3 more balls, just in case:

FREE PATTERN: Simply Dotted Hat

The "Simply Dotted Hat" pattern starts from the top down and is knit in the round. This is a modified version of the "Simple Seed stitch", page 64, The Harmony Guide to Knitting Techniques and Stitches, edited by Debra Mountford.




Multiple of 4 plus 1 (I had 81 stitches)
Yarn: worsted weight acrylic
Size: US 7 mm /4.5 mm

INCREASE portion
Using 4 dpns

Cast on 9 stitches, and divide evenly on 3 dpns, 3 stitches per needle.

Row 1: Knit (and all other odd rows)
Row 2: Knit into the front of back of each stitch (kfb), producing 6 stitches per needle, total of 18 stitches.
Row 3: Knit
Row 4: kfb every 2nd stitch, producing 9 stitches per needle, total 27 stitches.
Row 5: Knit
Row 6: kfb every 3nd stitch, producing 12 stitches per needle, total 36 stitches.
Row 7: Knit
Row 8: kfb every 4th stitch, producing total of 15 stitches per needle, total 45 stitches.
Row 9: Knit
Row 10: kfb every 5th stitch, producing 18 stitches per needle, total 54 stitches.
Row 11: Knit
Row 12: kfb every 6th stitch, producing 21 stitches per needle, total 63 stitches.
Row 13: Knit
Row 14: kfb every 7th stitch, producing 24 stitches per needle, total 72 stitches.
Row 15: Knit
Row 16: kfb every 8th stitch, producing 27 stitches per needle, total 81 stitches.

VIEW OF THE SPIRAL TOP





START OF "Simply Dotted" pattern-- switch to circulars

Row 17: (Row 1 of pattern, right side)
Purl 1, *knit 3, purl 1* until last 4 stitches, knit 4.

Row 18: (Row 2 of pattern)
Knit

Row 19: (Row 3 of pattern)
Knit

Row 20: (Row 4 of pattern)
Knit

Row 21: (Row 5 of pattern)
Knit 2, Purl 1, *knit 3, purl 1* until last 2 stitches, knit 2.

Row 22: (Row 6 of pattern)
Knit

Row 23: (Row 7 of pattern)
Knit

Row 24: (Row 8 of pattern)
Knit

Repeat Rows 17-24 until desired length.



Basically, the pattern's rows 1 and 5 are where the dotted stitches are worked, and you knit 3 rows between Rows 1 and 5.

For this hat, I preferred having a rolled brim. After getting about 5-6 inches, I stopped at either Row 4 or Row 8, and just knitted all rows, up to at least one more inch.



If you wish to end the hat with a 1x1 rib, stop knitting in pattern when you reach either Row 4 or Row 8, depending on your desired hat length, then start knitting in single rib.

Bind off loosely.

Free Pattern: Arrow Rib Hat, from the top down

My first ever hat pattern is an adaptation of the "Little Arrow" stitch from page 62 of The Harmony Guide to Knitting Techniques and Stitches (Debra Mountford, editor, 1992). I knitted this for my "bunso" (youngest) sister, Marie, who asked for something in orange... she lives and works in San Francisco, California and has a handsome Irish-American bf who lives in upstate New York... so I guess she'll probably get to use the hat in both coasts.



Since the hats I've been knitting have been geared more for keeping heads warm and dry during rainy season in the Philippines, I had to look for a pattern that would keep my sis really warm, and I wanted something beyond the usual rib pattern.

I also had to find something that would go with my stitch count of 81 stitches, since that measurement more or less comfortably fit my own head and I assume my sis too...

Then I had to modify the "Little Arrow" stitch pattern since it was given for flat knitting, and I was knitting in the round with my 16-inch circulars.

I knit my hats from the top down. My increases are 9 stitches every other row. Basically the pattern produces a horizontal zigzag interrupted by single rib columns. Regarding my photos, please forgive the varying shades of orange... i took them on a cloudy afternoon by the door, and changed the camera settings midway the photo shoot :-)




Arrow Rib Hat

(NOTE: This pattern starts from the top down. It produces two rib columns at the join, between the last stitch of each row and the first stitch of the next row.)

Multiple of 8 plus 1
Yarn: worsted weight acrylic
Size: US 7 mm /4.5 mm


INCREASE portion
Using 4 dpns

Cast on 9 stitches, and divide evenly on 3 dpns, 3 stitches per needle.

Row 1: Knit (and all other odd rows)
Row 2: Knit into the front of back of each stitch (kfb), producing 6 stitches per needle, total of 18 stitches.
Row 3: Knit
Row 4: kfb every 2nd stitch, producing 9 stitches per needle, total 27 stitches.
Row 5: Knit
Row 6: kfb every 3nd stitch, producing 12 stitches per needle, total 36 stitches.
Row 7: Knit
Row 8: kfb every 4th stitch, producing total of 15 stitches per needle, total 45 stitches.
Row 9: Knit
Row 10: kfb every 5th stitch, producing 18 stitches per needle, total 54 stitches.
Row 11: Knit
Row 12: kfb every 6th stitch, producing 21 stitches per needle, total 63 stitches.
Row 13: Knit
Row 14: kfb every 7th stitch, producing 24 stitches per needle, total 72 stitches.
Row 15: Knit
Row 16: kfb every 8th stitch, producing 27 stitches per needle, total 81 stitches.


START OF "Arrow Rib" -- switch to circulars

Row 17: Knit 2, purl 2, knit 1, purl 2, *knit 3, purl 2, knit 1, purl 2* repeat until last 2 stitches, knit 2.

Row 18: Knit 3, purl 1, knit 1, purl 1, *knit 5, purl 1, knit 1, purl 1* repeat until last 3 stitches, knit 3.
Row 19: Knit 1, *purl 1, knit 5, purl 1, knit 1* repeat til end
Row 20: Knit 1, *purl 2, knit 3, purl 2, knit 1* repeat til end

Repeat Rows 17-20. If you wish to end the hat with a 1x1 rib, like I did, stop knitting the Arrow Rib pattern when you get 5-6 inches, depending on your desired hat length. Bind off loosely.



I've got another hat pattern to upload, the "Simply Dotted" hat. Need to sked another photo shoot for that :-) stay tuned!

The color therapist and her current projects

Since I've now become the "Mad Hat Knitter", I have been able to have at least two projects going on at the same time, one in my size 6 circulars and the other in my size 7 circulars, both 16-inch long, ideal for hat knitting, and made of metal, also ideal for acrylic yarn.

So... I usually plan my hat projects around the colors. What I do is choose the bright, warm, stimulating colors ranging from reds to yellows for hats to be knitted during the day, up to early evening. Then I switch to another hat project that's using yarn made of greens to purples/violets, or beige, or black... colors which are either neutral or cool and "depressing," to prepare my energy for ending the day.

I am almost finished with two such pairs: First, is the orange hat I promised to knit for my youngest sis Marie, although she did want it with blue... I'll probably knit her another one, since this is all in orange, as the design, for me, was best done in one color. The orange shade is a muted, more like "bright peach". This one I knitted daytime. I experimented on a rib pattern called the "arrow rib" and will post pattern soon:





Second is my "evening" project, another one from my jumbo ball of variegated yarn featuring green, blue, light yellow and violet. I was able to figure out the best pattern, using stockinette only, that would make the colors "pool" together in interesting combinations. Two "pools" had the light yellow beside the violet in nice contrast:





While another "pool" had the yellow surrounded by green:



Since I've been enjoying the "pooling" patterns produced by the variegated acrylic, using 81-stitch stockinette rows at an exact number of decreases to shape the crown, I might use other variegated yarns.

My ball winder

Queen of Hats

My knitting workstation is chaotic as ever... and I've got hats that are almost done, just need to weave in the ends!

As I continue to focus on hats, which are primarily head-huggers or beanies, i'm mulling the color lines I want to focus on. So far, here's what's come up:

1. Primaries--bright red, green and blue
2. Coed--school colors such as Ateneo blue, La Salle green, UP maroon and dark green
3. Fire and Ice--brilliant colors that can either warm you up or cool you down (a bit of color therapy here!). All brights, jewel tones here
4. Earth Classics--nature-inspired colors including beige and floral shades of lilac, etc. Where the basics and neutrals would fall, e.g. all-black hat, or black-and-white, etc.
5. Trendy Combos--Brights paired with neutrals, etc. and crazy combinations

I even checked the fashion forecasts for this year and next just to get a handle on what might appeal to the "fashionista", since Pinoys generally like being "in" but my decision has been to appeal to a wide range, since I am definitely not a fashionista.

I'm also pondering doing hats in cotton and even tencel... and experimenting with a lot of stockinette-based stitch patterns. Unfortunately, the pattern books give instructions for flat knitting, and not for knitting in the round, requiring some tweaking.

Overall, I'm excited about this new phase. I do still have my shawls in progress, plus the hemp blanket which I've decided will have touches of Green Tea hemp yarn, courtesy of my 3 balls of Elann Canapone. And other stuff...

New project, shush!

I've just agreed to a new project that includes a confidentiality agreement... which means I have to change the way I blog, because even mentioning where I am is not allowed. It's exciting!

What's great about this new project is that I'm gonna have time to knit! And some travel is involved... so there really will be days when i won't be blogging at all... and this probably means more blog posts about knitting.

I probably flatter myself in thinking that there are people, including strangers, who actually read what i write online... and no, they're not hackers or spammers (just got one today, a spam comment in one of my other blogs).

Still... for my dear friends and beloved readers, expect some changes. It'll start with a new theme soon.