Concept Hat Complete

I just realized that I never did post pics of my finished project known as the Concept Hat. I was waiting to post pics until I was certain it would fit and whatnot. Well, I'm most pleased to announce that it fit and it worked! Yea! It looks so cute in person. I did chuckle when I tried it on because it looked a bit Rastafarian on me. Oh well. It looks great over my mom's hair rollers. She said it felt great too. It wasn't too loose or too snug and it stayed in place overnight without issue. Holla!

Pattern: Mine (aka "Made it up as I went along")
Yarn: Crystal Palace Panda Cotton, 1 skein, Colorway 0415, Roses
Needles: Size 7 16" circs
Size 9 16" circs

Concept Hat is Finished!

Yea! Another finished object! I think the hat will work well for my mom and she really seemed to like it. I have a few pics, but I want to wait before posting them. I want to see it in action before I get too happy!

Concept Hat update

Well, I finished the ribbing and have switched to size 9 circs. I was distracted while trying to do the switch and it was NOT working well for me. It took me twice as long as I think it should have, but at least it's on there now. I was contemplating finding a different stitch pattern to use, but decided the k2tog, yo followed by a row of yo, k2tog would be easiest. I think it might be the right size this time with the 80 stitches I cast on, but it's still a little too early to call.

I successfully ignored the sock today. I had to walk by it several times and I still managed to not work on it. I was always better at writing papers with a very pressing deadline. Perhaps I will turn out to be a great pressure knitter too. Or else I just won't get them done on time and they can become a Christmas or birthday present. :) Sometimes I hate to admit that I want them done but lack the motivation to work on them. Oh well. It's my own issue to work on, I guess. I could easily finish the first one by Saturday if I just don't ignore it. That would give me a week to finish the mate and I usually bust out the second one a little faster than the first.

Who am I kidding? I really want to finish these. I just need to sleep better tonight and work on it tomorrow. A lot.

Concept Hat and sock update

I have a project I've been calling Concept Hat. My mom likes to set her hair with rollers before going to bed on occasion because she hasn't heard that it isn't 1964. Anyway, she usually wears some kind of cap over them at night to hold them in place and possibly for comfort. She's tried all kinds of caps and most won't get the job done. Her current one has lots of holes in it and is getting ready to retire. So she asked me if I could knit her something appropriate.

Well, to be honest, I'm not sure if I can or not. I thought it over a bit, talked it over with knowledgeable people, and decided to at least give it a shot. I wanted yarn with some elastic content and the LYS didn't have much that would fit the bill. In the end, I decided to try this Panda Cotton yarn. I pulled out my size 7 Addi Turbos and cast on. I didn't know how many stitches I wanted and didn't feel like doing a real swatch when I have no idea if my idea is even going to get off the ground. So I knit about an inch of 2X2 ribbing and switched to size 9 needles and a k2tog, yo type of open stitch. I did that for a few inches just to get a look at it. Then I put it on a longer cable to really investigate.

It appeared to be a bit too big but I felt like I was on the right track. So, today I ripped it all out, rewound the yarn, and cast on with fewer stitches. I've only done about 3 rounds of ribbing but I'm feeling like this project just might work out right. I'm quite excited about it actually. :)

In sock news, the gusset decreases are done! I tried the sock on and it seemed to fit okay. It's a little snug for sliding on, but once it's on, it feels just about perfect. Just a few inches of foot and then a toe and it's done! Yea!