Hi Knitters,
Last week I put up a new banner on the blog (the photo above). In October I did post a very short video on the making of the hat right here if you're interested. The video includes some of these same photos.
TC took the photos of me on our front stoop in a very quick and haphazard way. I love the banner photo in the way the sunlight is blinding in the distance.
I didn't write a pattern for the hat. I made it up as I went. It has a deep ribbed brim and a simple stockinette stitch top. I thought this project would show off the gradient roving from Fiber Optic, which I purchased at the Kentucky Sheep and Wool Festival last May.
I did a Navajo ply to keep the colors together. The fiber is a wool and silk blend. The yarn ended up being a worsted weight. I knit on US size 7 needles at 5 stitches per inch. I love the way it turned out.
Here is the yarn all ready to go. The colors are so vibrant and beautiful.
I'm going backward in the creation sequence here but this is the roving being spun into singles on my wheel last summer.
This is the roving before being spun. I've had a few asking questions about the hat so there you have it. The sweater is the Tea Leaves Cardigan by Melissa LaBarre in Madelinetosh dk in the Burnished colorway. It is my most worn handknit garment. What a great design.
The thing is that TC wore the hat to school one day recently. When I saw that she had it on before school I hesitated and almost asked her not to wear it but I held back. I didn't say anything because I want her to feel free to wear our handknits anytime and anywhere without hesitation. I want her to enjoy homespun clothing and to not worry about it at all. I want her to basically enjoy the fruits of our making lifestyle. I kept my concerns to myself.
Now the hat has gone missing and I am still glad I didn't say anything to her. I can always make another.
That's the story of my new banner. I am happy to have photos of my handspun hat to remember it fully.
The other new thing on the blog is that I am categorizing all of my old and new posts now. Since there are well over 700 posts it is taking me quite awhile to plug through them and distinguish what the labels should be. I have known about the need for categorizing these posts for a long time. When I finish categorizing all of the posts, blog readers will be able to find old posts and look for different topics easily. The categories will be posted on the blog sidebar for easy access. It is long overdue. Completing the labeling of all of the posts is still a work in progress. I think I have close to 300 posts categorized by now. I hope people will find this helpful in the future.
I'll keep chipping away at it in my spare moments. Have a great weekend, Knitters.
best, susie
