David's Jamaican Hat

The sudden realization that Dave was going on leave earlier that I'd thought brought a halt to the scarves and a frantic effort to get his hat finished by today. . . I made it, just barely.

Luckily I am not working Fridays this term.



This morning I finished the last few rows, bound off and frantically wove in all the ends while darling Jess made a batch of her melt-in-the-mouth shortbread for morning tea.

I made it to work as Jenni was putting out the food that everyone had brought in. Then Jenni, Janice & I sang 'Bye, Bye, Bye, Bye David Goodbye' (not the Bay City Rollers' song!). Though truthfully I didn't sing, more like accompanied and tried to keep in tune.

David loved the hat and even acquiesced to my request for photos of him wearing it.

The pattern is from the book Hip Knit Hats by Cathy Carron

Another year, another Christmas, more knitting

I found some lovely colour change yarn at Spotlight recently, and to make it even better, some of the colours of the yarn was just AUS $3.00 a ball. I bought some at that price, got some more free with a voucher and later bought more at 30% off sale.

It is a Spotlight yarn, Moda Vera Noemi; 88% Acrylic 12% Polyamide, made in Turkey; 100g, approx 250m per ball; recommended needle size 5mm

There are imperfections with the yarn & I have had balls with broken & knotted yarn - which is fair enough, but little effort was made to match the colour. So at times I have to cannabalise from another ball to match the colour sequencing correctly.

The thickness of the yarn can vary quite a bit and the colours vary, even among the same lot. I have mostly what is called Purple Mix, but most are predominantly orange & some have very little purple!

I am making scarves with Noemi for my friends at work, which I will hopefully have done them all in time to gift at our work lunch on Wed 19th Dec 2012. Since I am under time restraint the scarves are, so far, simple garter stitch which leaves the yarn to showcase colour & texture. I am varying the widths of the scarves as well, and slipping the first stitch purl-wise for a neater edge.

Scarf 1: 35 stitches; Col - Purple Mix - 04; started 19.10.12; finished 9.11.12

Scarf 2: 36 stitches; Col - Purple - 4; started 10.11.12; finished 16.11.12

Scarf 3: 30 stitches; Col - Purple Mix - 8; started 16.11.12; finished 24.11.12
(different to other Purple Mix - orange-green/aqua-purple, but more orange than purple)

Scarf 4: 25 stitches; Col - Purple Mix - 8; started 24.11.12;
(varied thickness, the red/orange is very thick.
Yarn was broken & knotted to a much thinner orange)