I’m doing pretty well with Hatapolooza 2010, especially considering that I didn’t start my knitting until November. I’ve already completed 6 hats, and even started a pair of Batman mittens for Satanski. I was doing fine, until I got sick. Seriously?? Talk about awful timing. This wasn’t the kind of sick where I could sit home and knit and watch tv all day. This was the kind of sick where I had a fever and ridiculous headache, and could barely move without sneezing or coughing. Not pretty. So I lost about a day and a half, and since those were days when I didn’t get to do anything else, either, I feel the lost time keenly.
Still, I did manage to finish this hat before I got too sick. I love the way it came out, and despite the attention factor that I mentioned earlier, it wasn’t at all difficult. I may end up making another one of these before the year is out.

All in all, not bad for something I started after work on Tuesday

For the past few weeks, I’ve been watching Eureka as I knit. I tend to watch comedies (or really mindless dramas) when I’m knitting, because they require less attention on my part. I started a new hat today, and I’m feeling a wee bit victorious, since it’s stranded knitting, a style that I haven’t done before. I was finding it surprisingly easy, and really enjoying how fast this hat was going. I said was, because I ran out of Eureka episodes to watch, and switched to Damages. I spent the first half of the first episode watching intently and knitting on autopilot, and now have been unraveling my work for the next hour. Note to self: serious drama and Fair Isle knitting do not mix.

I read the season arcs/spoilers on the wiki, because I suspected that this show was too mean for me. I’m pretty sure it is. Ever character on that show is vile, and I don’t care enough about them to overlook it. I did see that the 5 most recent episodes of Eureka are available on Hulu, so I will catch up and then watch the remaining episodes there.

I’m in the process of blocking the two hats that I most recently finished. I had to stretch the white one a fair amount, but thanks to one of Satanski’s handy soccer balls (covered by a plastic bag), I think it will end up more or less the correct size.

I made the pompom for the second swirly hat, and will attach it once the hat has finished blocking.

Took the picture at a weird angle. This hat isn't crooked, I promise.

I made this hat for Amy Sue. It’s totally improvised, and halfway through, I already knew how I’d do things differently. Maybe I’ll get a chance to put those ideas into action on some other hat. I really like it, though, and I hope that blocking it will allow it to grow a bit; Amy has so much curly hair!

This hat is for my brother’s fiance, who asked me for a hat when she saw me make one for Satanski. I saw this pattern and thought it would be fun to make, and it was! I modified the pattern a bit, in that I didn’t make a 4 inch brim (why cover up this awesomeness??), and ended the hat by grafting together a total of 20 stitches, but otherwise stayed faithful to it. I used different yarns for the brim and the rest of the hat, and I love how well they match each other.

Since it’s not my hat, I just took crappy cell phone pictures of me wearing it. When T wears it, I’ll be sure to use a camera and take clear photos!

Pattern:
Swirly Hat, by TChemGrrl

Yarns Used:
Stonehedge Fiber Mill Shepherd’s Wool in Lavender for the brim
Cascade 220 Quatro in shades of purple for the rest of the hat

Needle:
Size 7 16″ circular needles
Six 6 Double pointed needles

I’ve finished 3 projects in the last 10 days. How? By picking them carefully. The first was actually a pair of socks that I’d been working on for a month. The fastest I’ve ever made a pair of socks is 6 days, and while I liked the way they came out, I would have gone nuts if I had to try to replicate that pace approximately 8 times in a month and a half. So my idea from my last post, that I’d do socks for everybody for Christmas, has gone far, far away. Instead, I hit upon something fun and easy: hats! I love hats, and the other two projects that I recently finished were both hats. The great thing about hats is that there is a ton of variety and changing fabrics and colors can really renew your interest in the category of hats as a whole. Plus, I’ve received 3 (two credible) requests for hats recently, so I know that they’re useful and appreciated.

Because hats are faster and easier to make, I’ve expanded my list, and now have about 12 people for whom I’d like to make hats. That means I need to make tracks, because Christmas is just over a month away. I’ll have to up the pace I’ve been keeping to make this happen. Whee!