Pigtail Hat

In the cold of winter, a hat is a necessity, but it can be a disaster for your pigtails, ponytails, etc.  Well, Rebecca Dovi has a solution, the Piggle.  This stretchy, lacy hat with openings for pigtails is genius.

The pattern calls for a dk weight yarn, but I used Caron's Simply Soft.  So I made the following modifications.  I substituted size 5 dpns and reduced the cast on to only 80 stitches.  I worked 6 rows of ribbing, then worked 5 repeats of lace pattern. Inserted pigtail holes per instructions and worked 2 more lace repeats then began decreases every 10 sts. It is perfect.  Because the lace rib pattern is so stretchy, it will easily fit a wide range of heads.  I need to make at least one more of these, in purple.


If you are new to lace knitting, don't be intimidated.  This pattern is only a 5 stitch - 4 row repeat. It is simple to memorize and execute.

Lacy Fingerless Mitts

I loved knitting up this super simple but lovely pattern:  Lacy Fingerless Mitts designed by Rosemary Falk.  The top photo shows it on my hand, and I have large hands so it is over-stretched.  The 2nd photo is on the hand of a person in  my photography class and it fits her much better.

The yarn used is Premier Yarns Serenity Sock.  It is a 50% wool, 25% bamboo and 25% polamide blend and I love working with it.  I have made several pairs of socks with this yarn and find that it is not only super comfy but very durable.

This bottom (blurry) photo is of my latest shipment of yarn from Joann's.  More of the serenity sock yarn plus several skeins of Caron Simply Soft for some childrens projects.   It may be last shipment for sometime, because I just learned that a yarn shop is coming to Dover-Foxcroft, ME!!!  I am so happy that Sister X Two will be opening a shop on Main St around November 16th.  All you locals mark your calendar and make their grand opening a huge success!

Are You a Thrifty Fiberista?

I hate to say this, but occasionally I find knitting and crocheting to be expensive.  I mean, I can buy some man-made fibers that are adequate and cheap, but I really crave working with natural fibers and that can be prohibitive on a fixed or limited income.  Also, acquiring all the notions that can be so handy to have can be quite an added investment. In the past I have gone to thrift stores and the like to purchase used needles and hooks, or wool sweaters that I unravel for the wool. 

A while ago a wonderfully talented and beautiful friend, Heather Kinne of Highland Handmades and host of The Fiberista Files, told me how she snips straws into little stitch markers!  I love thrifty tips like that.  Do you have any thrifty tips that you would like to share with me and any of those who read this blog so that we can all be a bit more thrifty?

I will share one of mine to get us started.  I like to save the little ends that I trim off after weaving in the ends on my projects and use them as stuffing.  I just save them all up in a resealable bag and when I get ready to use them I stuff them in a section of old pantyhose so they don't poke out through my knitted or crocheted project.  I hope some of you will comment on this blog with your thrifty tips!

Tuesday's Temptation

Some of you may already know that I have a sensitivity to metals, so I don't wear much jewelry.  One of the things I do love though, is shawl pins.  They are useful, beautiful and won't irritate my skin.  My personal preference is for simplicity, but I do admire the bejeweled ones too.

This week I saw one that looks perfect in design and in its simplicity too.  I hope you enjoy it and the other ones that are featured at Jenny Buttons.   I am torn between the shawl pin above or the stitch markers on a wearable pin below.

Tuesdays Temptation

Drop spindles are a guilty pleasure of mine.  I love to collect them even if I don't use them nearly as much as my spinning wheel.  They can be such lovely decorations, gathered together as a bouquet in a vase.

This week I found this lovely spindle that drew me into a world of pretty delights.   I want it!  There are many more lovelies for you to check out at Zebisis Designs.

The Harlot To The Rescue!

I was cabling along, minding my own business, when to my surprise I discovered a cable that meandered in the wrong direction about five (yes that is 5) rows back.  Ok, I have frogged 5 rows of multiple cables before.  I can handle this.  Take a sip of tea and breathe.

There must be another way to fix this, right?  I can't be the first person to cross a cable in the wrong direction.  This wasn't even the first time I had done it on this project!  Fortunately, I had caught the other misdirected cable crossing after just one row. 

Google is my friend.  Google will guide me to what I need to know.  So, I type in "fix a cable" and after I get a multitude of sites for fixing tv, dvr and computer cables, I realize that perhaps knitting should be mentioned in the search somewhere.  Google: fix knitted cable.  Okay, lots of results: videos-part 1 & 2, more videos, how-to, ...Yarn Harlot!  My knitting hero has help for me! 

I will not try to rewrite what she has so perfectly demonstrated and explained with humor and finesse.  I will just tell you it works like a charm!  I am back to working my project, cabling along, minding my own business.  Take a sip of tea and breathe....

Fingerless Mitts

It is that time of year again.  When the promised arctic temps of the coming winter begin to whisper to us through the autumn leaves.  The arthritis in my fingers begins to ache a bit more persistently.

If you have to spend hours each day at a keyboard (or with a crafty implement in your hands), you may enjoy the comfort provided by fingerless mitts/gloves.  They enable you to be able to type but still warm the rest of your hand in the often drafty offices so many people work in.  Heck, they are just cute!

The cream colored pair is crocheted in a wool/acrylic blend.  The pattern is Mme Defarge's Fingerless Gloves by Kimberley Way.  It is very quick to work up and the lace makes it stretchy so it will fit many different sized hands.

The rose colored pair is knit in Caron's Simply Soft. The pattern is Braided Mitts by Tera Johnson.  This pair is warmer as there isn't any open work.  They knit up quickly and I believe there is enough left in the skein for a cowl to accompany the mitts.

Now I think I will try my hand at designing a pair of these useful and attractive accessories.  What are you working on?