Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Whimsical Hats: Part 2

  It's Hatathon time once again!!

California - 26
• MinnieMay9 - 6
• tangodancer - 6
• LisaDP - 4
• majmlj - 4
• lizcf59 - 4
• landandwater - 2

  I'm so happy that I remembered to sign up before a week or two into the month.  This way I get to be part of a group and don't have to hope to be lumped into a group as long as enough other people forgot to sign up.

Pattern: Jester Style Crochet Hat by Alison Russell - Yarn: Lion Brand Yarn Mandala Baby in Pixie and Honeydukes - Hook: 3.75mm
  I just kept thinking about the jester hats, how cute they are, and how much fun I had making the first one.  I also thought of trying out how to add a larger bell and make the bell removable for washing.  If the recipient was crafty, they could also make other attachments for their hat to really customize it.


Pattern: Jester Style Crochet Hat by Alison Russell - Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Ocean and Caron Simply Soft Seasons in White 2901 - Hook: 5.5mm
  I wanted to combine the dark blue and white again.  They are just so pretty together.  I wanted to play around with stitches and was curious how it would look with a cluster granny stitch.  That is indeed different than a granny cluster.  However, the hexagon ended up being flat, but I wanted to try it anyway to see if that would also work for a jester hat.  The shape it was forming reminded me of a hat my friend Sally has.  It was supposed to be a cat ear beanie, but her friend ended up making it way too wide.  She liked it that way and wears it often.
  I do like how it came out, but now I want to see what happens if I use this technique to make the jester "ears" while using the standard method for the body of the hat.  I think it will tilt them nicely.  I could also use the clusters on the body and the standard way on the "ears" to get them longer.


Yearly Yarn Tracker:
Yarn In: 10 (0)
Yarn Out: 9 (0)
Total: 1

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Whimsical Hats: Part 1

Pattern: Jester Style Crochet Hat by Alison Russell - Yarn: Lion Brand Yarn Mandala Baby in Neverland and Honeydukes - Hook: 3.75mm
  I was scrolling through YouTube and saw Making Hannah had made a video about crocheting jester hats.  The first one looked so easy and fun.  It got moved to the top of the queue, I didn't even finish her video before I started making mine.  I didn't want to make yarn tassels or pom-poms to go on the points, but I figured they needed something to help pull them downward.  I was looking for the large wooden beads that didn't end up working for Worry Worms.  While looking I found some sea creature themed pony beads.  Since I haven't made any kandi in a while, my animal shaped pony beads haven't been seeing a lot of love.  Everyone was disappointed that I hadn't added bells, so did that the second I got home.
  Alison has you sew the sides together, but I just used the Crochet Tight Join As You Go Method by Hooked by Robin on the last row.  I like the look of that better than when I try and sew things together and I'm more likely to get it done if I don't have that extra step instead of working it into the last row.  I also added a ribbed band to the bottom that was 12 stitches wide.  The hat was both too wide and too short for Miss Spud, so I knew it needed the length.  It reminds me of sweatshirts from the '80s.

Pattern: Textured Cat Hat by me - Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Ocean and Caron Simply Soft Seasons in White 2901 - Needle: US 6
  I kept wondering what it would look like if I switched which color was the larger stripe on the Textured Cat Hat.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to work two thin stripes or two thick stripes to change it, so I split the difference and worked three rows of each color.  I had intended to make this hat larger than the other one, but I didn't have it with me when I had cast on and didn't remember how many stitches it had.  Looks like I made it smaller, it fits Miss Spud perfectly right now.

  I had a dentist appointment last Monday, but since it was reported that we were going to get a huge amount of snow from Saturday night to Sunday, many things closed preemptively.  I got a call on Friday saying they needed to move my dental appointment.  If Miss Spud hadn't had her appointment in the middle of the day on Friday I would have been able to move mine up.  However, it got moved to Tuesday.  The amusing thing for me was how the closer we got to the day the less and less accumulation they predicted.  Everyone was panic buying things anyway, though I was able to get milk for Miss Spud.  However, the shredded cheese and fresh vegetables at Wegmans were decimated.
  We ended up with a pretty good amount of snow, about 8" inches.  The freezing rain made it harder to take Miss Spud out to play in and made driving harder for everyone braving the roads.  I ended up being able to make it to my Tuesday appointment.  I then had to go back for a bite adjustment this Tuesday, but hopefully my teeth should be good until my 6 month appointment.


Yearly Yarn Tracker:
Yarn In: 10 (0)
Yarn Out: 9 (3)
Total: 1

Thursday, January 29, 2026

A Rant About Colors and Their Uses

  Although I'm not posting about it anymore, I'm still trying to Project Pan all of the items I have too many of.  When I look back on those blog posts they just seem bloated for no good reason when I could just use a spreadsheet to keep track of that.  I was thinking about the colors of lip products I have set aside to work on and remembered the green lipstick that I think looks pretty good on me.  I then was lamenting about how I don't often have an occasion to wear green lipstick to.  That got me thinking about how wearing green lipstick is considered a bold enough choice that I've gotten double takes, but no one bats an eye when I wear my green sweatshirt.  That lead to me considering other colors and their "approved" uses.  Black is considered a staple color in clothing because it can look professional and you can pair it with any other color.  However, black lipstick and eyeshadow are daring looks.  I know that some people would consider a plum themed makeup look to be too bold for them, but as a general concept, it isn't very strange.  It isn't just makeup versus clothing items either, a pair of pink pants isn't part of the norm.  I think my overall feelings are that we should be freer to use colors however we want and not feel pressure to avoid something because we might stand out because of that choice.


Yearly Yarn Tracker:
Yarn In: 10 (0)
Yarn Out: 6 (4)
Total: 4

Saturday, January 24, 2026

Seventeen Months: A Prime Time for New Adventures

Week 69:
  The cast isn't slowing her down at all.  She is even starting to use her right hand more now that her fingers are more accessible.
  When we got to the cabin she started demanding that Gramma C turn some lights on and off.  The both of them also ran around the kitchen.  My mom caught her trying to climb onto the kitchen table.  Miss Spud was so glad we brought Tank with us this time.
  She doesn't understand Christmas yet, but she was having fun with everything from her LovEvery box after she helped me put her toddler sized chair together.  She hugged her new Lamb Chop quite a few times as well.
  I forgot her sleep-time ball at home, but we had the insert for her high contrast raddle.  She decided that we had to hand that one to each other, it wasn't for throwing.  She thought it was hilarious when, after handing it to me, I would put it on Tank's head and it would roll off.  It was then Bill's turn to hand it back to her.
  Her cast is making it harder for her to use her snack cup.  My mom held some Cheerios out to her and instead of taking them with her hand, she just lowered her head and ate them right off of Gramma C's hand.
  At one point I had gotten some Christmas punch and left it on the table.  I had gone into the other room, where Miss Spud was.  She then followed Bill out of the living room and spotted the juice.  She climbed onto the chair and was stretched out to get to the cup.  She proceeded to pick out bits of fruit from the punch, not splitting any other than what dripped off.  She had to really stretch, so that was pretty impressive.


Week 70:
  By Saturday morning she had my dad trained.  He was her peanut butter dealer.  She had a baby spoon and my dad would put peanut butter on it.  She would run off to do something else, like chase Tank or see what Gramma C was up to, and bring it back when she needed a refill.
  She made sure to help her Dada and Grandpa with the refrigerator.  The fan was struggling so they vacuumed and compressed the dust out of it.  I tried to put on a funny cat video compilation, but that only held her attention for a short time, pretty much until they were done making really loud sounds and I reopened the door between the rooms.
  We took Miss Spud out on a walk before her nap.  She was having troubles on the uneven grass.  She found the barn and explored that for a while.  It was fun to stomp on the second floor.  Once we got her going down the driveway she had an easier time.  We went down to the mail boxes and a bit farther.  We had to stop many times for good sticks and cool rocks.  At one point she sat down in the road and started gathering rocks.  She was too tired and grumpy to walk back, so I had to carry her.  She resisted her nap a little and wanted to poke Tank's eye, but then went down easily.
  She is talented enough with her small fork that she decided to eat her Cheerios with it.  I thought she was just going to break them, but she managed to pick them up, one at a time, that way.  She couldn't get her whole waffle piece with her fork, so she pulled pieces off to try and get those.
  At one point she trapped my dad on the stairs.  He was trying to get down, but every time he touched the baby gate she ran over.  He sat down to try and wait her out.  At one point she sat down on the bottom stair.  I had to distract her with her radio before she would get up.
  She found the drawer in the refrigerator with the fruit.  Before bed on Sunday night she grabbed an apple and claimed it for herself.  She was having some troubles because of her cast, but soon figured out how to brace it against her cast and take a bite.  It did get dropped many times, even with her new trick.  It took her about an hour and fifteen minutes, but she finished the whole apple all by herself.  She handed my mom the stem at one point.
  My mom was distracting Miss Spud with her Harvest Solitaire game and she was having some troubles making the cards move.  She tried grabbing my finger to use, but since she still doesn't understand how the game works, it didn't help.
  She loves having more people with us to play with her.  She has also worked on her running while we were at the cabin for Christmas through New Years.
  We let her stay up a bit later on New Year's Eve while wearing her party dress.  She practiced sitting down in her toddler chair.  It's a touch tall for her and she's not sure how to aim her butt, but she did a pretty good job.
  She knows how to start the new year with a bang.  As we were finishing up washing the last dishes and packing up, Miss Spud decided to test gravity once again.  She pulled the small pile of cast iron skillets off the box they were on and they landed on her left big toe.  After lots of blood, lots of tears, a lot of snuggles and rocking we ended up at the Urgent Care near the cabin.  When we got checked in we were asked if she was our middle because her middle is her wildest.
  There were a few other little ones there while we were.  The doctor saw her walk on her foot without problems so we decided to not to X-ray.  We were told her nail will probably fall off at some point and to give it salt soaks and a bandaid to help it do what it needs to.  When Grace was cleaning it, Miss Spud let her spray and wipe the toe, but Bill had to hold her leg and foot when the bandaid came out.  Overall, she made a bigger deal about her toe than when she was dealing with her broken wrist.
  It seems one doesn't really get toe bones, it's just mostly cartilage, until about 3 years old.

Week 71:
  She decided to start the week by lifting her leg to pee in her diaper.  Bill went in to greet her and free her from her sleep sack.  She then proceeded to lift one leg in response.
  She then spent some time feeding me Strawberry Cheerios one at a time.  It was hard work, so she ate a few herself to keep up her strength.  Every time she would open her mouth to show me what I was supposed to be doing.
  I love how rough and tumble she is.  She used to just fall onto whoever was laying on the Lovesac and then expected to get flipped over.  However, now she is jumping some.  That means that sometimes she misses and just tumbles herself off you, laughing the whole time.
  She had a great time at Wegmans.  She ate all of her chicken and her mozzarella stick, but not all of her broccoli.  Fara followed her around as she got to explore.  She tried to go down the stairs, push the button on elevator, and play with the blood pressure machine.
  After my mom and I had our own snack on Thursday, which Miss Spud needed some of, I made her some peanut butter toast.  When she was almost done with her piece she would put it on my mom's plate and go "ah" when she did it.  I then started saying "Ta-dah!" when she did it.  She then started saying it with me.
  When I wear my blue flowy pants, Miss Spud has discovered that the waistband is very stretchy.  A few times she has pulled the waistband out and managed to pull them down.  This week she decided she needed to wear them.  She pulled them down and then tried to step into them.


Week 72:
  She charmed everyone at knitting.  She had fun running around, trying to steal a bag of yarn, and finding silverware.  She got really mad at me when I wouldn't let her run around with a metal fork in her mouth.
  On Sunday she was hungry but didn't want Cheerios.  She would pick some up, yell, and then slam them down.  This was repeated a few times before we went downstairs and got an apple.  She was a lot happier after that.
  When we went upstairs for bedtime one night, Miss Spud ran ahead of me into her room.  She ran as fast as she could at her rocking chair and jumped after making contact.  She used the momentum to flip her legs up so she could get in without climbing.
  Mickey was watching her on boardgame night and we were told about how funny she was.  She kept trying to hug and kiss Tank, so he left when he could make a get away.  When Mickey's food arrived she acted like she's never been fed and kept trying to grab his food.  She even liked his spicy chicken sandwich.  When we got back she got an extra little treat and kept signing Please for more.  Usually when she asks for things nicely we give in, but she had already had a bit of Mickey's Bo-Berry Biscuits and then two gummies.  She did not need any more sugar.  Bill handed her a two pack of starbursts and said that she could have them if she could figure out how to open them.  She then proceeded to hand them to each of us, one at a time, and then get frustrated when we just crinkled the packaging.
  She wanted some pretzels in what we've dubbed the Pretzel Cup.  I don't have any so I put Cheerios in there.  She then spilled them out, and got upset they were spilled.  She helped pick them up until Tank distracted her and she ended up stepping on some.  She then looked at the bottom of her foot and ate the ones stuck to her foot.  After I put the rest back into her cup she carried them more delicately.  At one point a few spilled out again and she whined and brought one over to me, after we both put them back in the cup she wondered over to Bill to eat them.
  We ordered food and got her some beans, rice, and a quesadilla with meat in it.  She barely touched her quesadilla but ate a lot of her beans and rice.  Once she started playing with her food I figured she was done and went to clean up.  When I picked up her quesadilla she opened her mouth and leaned forward.  It turns out she didn't want to take bites and then move her hand away, she wanted to take bites and then move her body away.  With me holding it, she ate half of her quesadilla.
  After lunch on Wednesday Mary came over to hang out a little bit.  Miss Spud decided that Tank needed to be petted, but decided that she wasn't the one to do it.  She grabbed my thumb and put my hand on Tank.
  Bill and her invented a game where they pop up and down.  She will crouch in her crib while Bill kneels outside.  After peeking at each other through the slats they both go upward.  She stands up and Bill leans up.
  She thinks it's hilarious if someone tickles her right palm, inside her cast.
  While I was making lunch on Friday she went quiet.  When I was done, I looked at what she had been up to.  She found Bill's tablet in the Papasan chair and was drawing on it.  To do that she had to open the Notes app, and then unlock the tablet with Bill's pattern password.  I made sure to save her very important note.
  After lunch she saw her pack of gummy candies and wanted them.  I gave her two and she wanted more.  When she was taken out of her chair I gave her one more.  She then saw where I put them.  She climbed into Bill's usual chair at the dining room table and proceeded to not listen to Butt Down.  She knew I would get up out of my chair to come take her off that one.  Once I was close she slid off the chair, went under the table, hopped onto the chair I just got off of, and grabbed her bag of candies.  She then started shaking the bag as hard as she could to try and get the gummies to fall out before I could take the bag from her.  She ended up with two more.


Week 73:
  She cried when we first left her at Heather's place, but quickly moved on and played with her new electronic octopus.  She was having so much fun that she was still awake when we got her around 1am.  She didn't resist sleep too much on the way home and went down fairly easy again when we got home.
  She was determined to eat her Cheerios with a fork out of her snack cup.  She managed to do it, I was impressed on many levels.
  She is getting better at playing pretend.  She will now have Corduroy walk around by hoping him up and down on his feet.  She will also share her apple with him like he's eating it with her.  We will also pretend to eat her nighttime ball.
  While we were eating dinner on Thursday, Miss Spud managed to convince my mom to hand feed her blueberries.  She had to make sure they were in the perfect spot on my mom's hand before she leaned over and ate them.  I told her that if she wanted to keep staff to do her bidding all through her life she is going to have to have the money to backup that lifestyle.
  She impressed everyone at her appointment.  The X-ray technician was still talking about it once we were done.  She stood for her weigh in and height check.  She watched the machine when getting her X-rays and didn't move when they were taking the pictures.  When we were waiting for the doctor she sat on a metal step stool and also the larger chairs.  She kept insisting on sharing her flashlight with the doctor.  The one partial break was fully healed and the other has joined.
  I had to change her before we got her cast off and when I put a pad down she just laid down on it.  When we were getting the cast off she didn't try and move away, she just watched what was happening.  I washed her arm and she was reluctant for me to wash her palm.  She didn't reach into it, but it was easy to get her brace put on.  She gets to wear that for 3-4 weeks and then should be fully healed.  Even though I washed her arm before she got her brace, her sweater caused her to have a bunch of flakey skin on her arm.

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

I Don't Think This is a Dye Lot Issue

  I saw a skein of this at a Walmart when we were in Kentucky(bottom) and remembered that a rainbow yarn with short runs of color really does exist.  For some reason I didn't pick up one while we were there.  I checked a few Walmarts near me and didn't even see a spot for it.  Since I really wanted to make some rainbow octopi I ordered some off the Yarnspirations website.  I didn't see the jumbo, like I saw at Walmart, so I just ordered a few skeins(top left).  When we were recently at the cabin we needed to stop at Walmart to get a few things.  I swung by the yarn to see what they had and spotted something interesting.  They had three jumbo skeins of the Mexicana(top right) but I noticed something odd.  Going through all three I picked out the most vibrant one.  The other two looked even more muted and muddy.  I thought I possibly was remembering the color wrong or something, but it looked so very different.

  They look like two different yarns to me, they even pool differently.  The newest one looks like they mixed the colors with grey.  They even look like two different weights of yarn when put next to each other.
  After doing some more research, I discovered that the top right skein was made in 2022 in India while the top left was made in 2025 in Türkiye.  I did not take a detailed enough photo of the bottom one to tell when or where it was made.  I like how the older one works up, so I'm really hoping the newest one and it's friends on the shelf were outliers.

  With all the traveling we have done recently, I seem to come down with a bad case of startitis.  I may have also gotten it from one of the many doctors visits.  What you are looking at is a hexagon cardigan for Miss Spud, a Jester hat that I'm already planning on making a second one of, a Worry Worm, a Textured Cat Hat, and a test piece for a future dress for Miss Spud.  In the middle of all of this I managed to make the two rainbow octopi for the yarn comparison.
  Now, I've never claimed to be a monogamous crafter, but this is a bit much.  Luckily the beads for the Worry Worm will be dry before too long and that should also get another skein finished as well.  The Textured Cat Hat is the next closest to being done, I just have to close up the top and weave in my ends.  The test dress is one row short of dividing the sleeve caps from the body, so it will go quicker for a bit until the skirt starts to get full.  The jester hat will feel like it takes a while with the single crochet ribbing, but should go faster than I think it will.  The hexagon cardigan is barely started.  I plan to make it about the same size as her pumpkin sweater so we will get some wear out of it.


Yearly Yarn Tracker:
Yarn In: 10 (10)
Yarn Out: 2 (2)
Total: 8

Thursday, January 1, 2026

2025

Here is a quick list of everything I got done in the year of 2025

Crochet: 18
~Hats:
Side to Side Ribbed Hat: 1-8
Ruffle Hat: 1, 2
Kelp Bucket Hat
Twisty Curlicue Hat: 1-2
Beary Beanie
Side to Side Wheat Hat: 1-2
~Sweaters:

Knit: 4
~Hats/Headbands:
Textured Cat Hat: 1-2

Little Friends:
~Octopi:

~Worry Worms:

Others Work:
Water bottle holders: 1-66
 


Yearly Yarn Tracker:
Yarn In: 27
Yarn Out: 46
Total: -19

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Animal Hats and a Few Pumpkin Hats

Pattern: Textured Cat Hat by me - Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Ocean and Caron Simply Soft Seasons in White 2901 - Needle: US 6
  I was having the hardest time trying to find a written out how-to on working a ribbed Kitchener stitch.  There were a few videos, but I wasn't connected to WiFi and didn't want to use the data on my phone to hope it was right and not just how to work regular Kitchener.  One written out version was very confusing, having you work both first stitches on the needles and slipping them off before working the second stitch on each.  I finally found a post about How to Kitchener Stitch in Pattern by Susanna Winter.

Pattern: Beary Beanie by Chai - Yarn: Red Heart TLC  Essentials in Navy and Medium Thyme - Hook: 5.5mm
  Luckily (in my opinion) on the way to the hotel after our Spud Tour '25, we took a slight wrong turn and went by the David L. Lawrence Convention Center (DLCC).  Turns out we were there the weekend of AnimeVerse Fest Pittsburgh 2025.
  We went to dinner at Tapville, which is very similar to a place that used to be near us, The Craft Of Brewing.  You get a card that is linked to your credit card.  You then use the card on their taps and pour your own beer.  It's a lot of fun and a good way to try a bunch of beers, since you can pour small amounts.

  On the way back from dinner at Tapville I noticed that we were across from the Senator John Heinz History Center.  I loved the neon sign that looked like a ketchup bottle pouring into the Heinz logo.  Miss Spud was not impressed.
  The family sitting near us at breakfast was talking about what they were going to do at the convention.  One person wished she could give fan art to an actor but didn't know how to print it out, and another wanted to go and get a credit card decal.
  It sounds like a pretty nice convention and if we start going to more and/or want to travel a bit more, this might be one to consider.

Stitch Pattern: Wheat Stitch™ Crochet Pumpkin Spice Trio by Briana K - Yarn: Loops & Threads Kai Happy Pink Yarn and Bernat Softee Baby in Baby Denim Marle - Hook: 5mm
  I have been seeing wheat stitch pumpkins on every social media app I use.  On Reddit kelsday84 commented that they used that stitch to make a blanket.  I saw on Instagram, Angie Cimbalo (macimbalo) made a hat with it, but she used the "pumpkin" method where she made a rectangle, like in this video.  I used the short row method by My Yarn Spot with my usual changes since I don't like it when hats are bunched up at the top.
  I tried to carry the float on the second stitch of the first row of the color change.  I thought that might act a bit like a zig-zag stitch on a sewing machine and not constrict the stretch at the bottom of the hat like carrying it straight across might.  My other idea had been to try and work the short rows for the brim at the beginning of the row instead of at the end.  That would have involved some chainless foundation single crochets at the end of the first wedge, and though I think I could have made it work, it would be more complicated than is necessary.
  I was so glad that the carrying idea worked.  It also looks nice, so if someone flips up some of the brim, it won't look strange.
  However, I think the way the pattern is set up the "right side" ended up on the inside of my hat.  I could try and make the color changes at the top, but I liked how it looked on the regular hdc hats when the color change happened at the bottom.
  The things I have considered trying and if I tried it:
• Do everything the same, but work in the front loop instead of the back loop
  ~ For some reason, working into the front loops give you the bar you would expect, but doesn't give the ribbing effect you would also expect

• Work some parts in the back loop and some in the front
  ~ This works for giving the ribbing on the bottom and the bars on the front of the work, I'm not sure how I feel about how flat it lays between the wheat rows

• Turn the hat "inside out" when finishing and not think too much about how I like the look of the top on the other side better because no one else will care that much
  ~ Luckily for this one, I could turn the brim up and hide the floats, if I try it on one that doesn't need that I will have to carry the floats on the other side 

• Unknown fifth option

Stitch Pattern: Wheat Stitch™ Crochet Pumpkin Spice Trio by Briana K - Yarn: Loops & Threads Kai Happy Pink Yarn and Bernat Softee Baby in Baby Denim Marle - Hook: 5mm
  I did find a solution that I think I like, turns out it was the Unknown Fifth Option.  When working the first plain row after the wheat stitch I worked half double crochets in the pattern area in both loops.  On the way back I worked single crochets through the closest loop, which is the yarn over from when you made the stitch.
  Since the last one ended up so tall that I needed to turn up the brim, I decided to make the second one wider and a bit shorter.  I also played around with having five short rows so the top wouldn't always have the same color on the full row.  I only worked 6 sections, instead of my usual 7, so I didn't end up with two colors together at the top.  While I like the end effect at the top, it makes the short row section almost too big compared to the pattern rows.  I also didn't think I had enough yarn to make each section three short rows or I may have switched to that.


Yearly Yarn Tracker:
Yarn In: 27 (1)
Yarn Out: 46 (1)
Total: -19