Two More Snap Hats

A quick post to show you a few more Snap Hats.  If you've been following along, you know I've been knitting the heck out of this pattern.  I am holding four strands of fingering/sock weight yarn together when I knit these hats, so I am using up lots of scraps.  I think I am getting a knack for selecting yarns that go together to make cool looking hats.  

Here you can see my Snap Hat No. 4 and Snap Hat No. 5.

This pattern is from "Tin Can Knits" and here is the pattern link (it's not a free pattern but I am certainly getting my money's worth out of this pattern): PATTERN LINK on RAVELRY  

Miss Winkle

Miss Winkle

I'm a huge fan of patterns/designs by Martina Behm.  This is her design called "Miss Winkle". If you are a fan of the television show called "The Big Bang Theory", the name might be familiar to you. Yes! This design is named after the character Leslie Winkle played by Sara Gilbert. This is what Martina Behm has to say about this design.

One of my favorite sitcoms is "The Big Bang Theory“.  In one episode, nerdy physicist Leonard dates his colleague Leslie Winkle and they have a fierce argument about which version of  quantum Mechanics is correct – String Theory or Loop Quantum Gravity. When Leonard declares that he prefers his space “stringy, not loopy“, that’s a dealbreaker for Leslie (”How will we raise the children?“).  This is very loopy shawlette is here to celebrate Miss Winkle, women scientists and all women who know what they want and don’t let any man talk them out of it!

My Miss Winkle is knit in "Tosh Merino Light" by Madelintosh. The color way is called "Electric Rainbow" and the fiber content is dreamy, squishy, soft 100 percent Merino Wool.

I am sure I will knit this design again in the future!  I love it.

The photo above and below show the project while it was drying. I soaked the item in water for a bit and then squeezed out the excess water. Then I stretched it out on a large bath towel and allowed it to dry.  These are not the greatest photos but it allows you to see the shawl's unique shape a bit better.

Hogwarts Express

Hogwarts Express

If you are a fan of the Harry Potter books or movies you Muggles will likely know that "Hogwarts Express" is the name of the train students ride to Hogwarts, the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  You board the train at Platform 9 3/4 in London.

This shawl is also called "Hogwarts Express". This is a design by Susan Ashcroft.  She has another similar shawl pattern called "TGV: Highspeed Knitting" which is also named after a train.  Both shawls are identical until you get to the border. The main part of both shawls is garter stitch.  In the TGV pattern, the bottom edge is ribbing.  In the Hogwart's Express pattern, the bottom edge is owls created by cable stitches and the owls have bead eyes which are applied one at a time. I had intended to use some hematite beads for the owl eyes in my shawl but the holes in the beads were too narrow for my yarn. I ended up using some dark green beads instead.

I must admit I struggled with the Hogwarts Express pattern a bit.  The pattern gives you a few different options for how to make the tips of the shawl more rounded or less rounded.  The pattern also gives tips for when to start the owl border portion based upon the amount of yarn you have used and the amount of yarn you have remaining.  Frankly I just misunderstood a few things in the pattern and it wasn't until I had already knit the owls that a light bulb went off and I sort of got it.  I think I will probably make this project again and I bet I'll have better results.

I took a number of photos of this project because I've been fussing with the finished object.  I was struggling with how to wear this (it's kind of small), so I decided to overlap the ends of the shawl and I actually stitched it together so that it would be worn like a big collar or a yoke (if that makes sense). I tried it on and was still not happy with it so I undid the stitches and decided to wet block the shawl in hopes it would grow bigger.  It did get bigger and I am happier with this project now.

Here are the hematite beads that I had hoped to use.

Above you can see the yarn I used for this project.  It is Eden DK by Sublime. This yarn is an amazing wool cotton blend.  My local yarn shop, Yarned & Dangerous in Canon City, Colorado, carries this yarn in a variety of colorways.

Hogwarts Express on the blocking mats. What a fun knit!

Apple Socks

Apple Socks

I just finished these socks. The yarn is “Bis-Sock” from Biscotte. The color way is “Coeur de Pomme” (Apple Heart). The pattern is “Traffic Island Socks” which is a free pattern on Ravelry. The heel is a “Fish Lips Kiss” Heel in contrasting red. This red yarn is “Panda Silk” from Crystal Palace Yarns. I opted to do a contrasting heel so that I did not disturb the stripe pattern. Also, I did not want to run out of yarn. This kit (ordered on line from www.biscotteyarns.com) came with yarn, drink tumbler, and pattern to knit a cuff that can be inserted into the tumbler. You can see it below. Pretty cool, huh!!?? Now my feet match my drink.