Cat Hats and an Eclipse

Pattern: Textured Cat Hat by me - Yarn: Caron Dawn Sayelle in Lt Fir Green and Caron Sayelle in Night Sky - Needle: US 8

   I had worked through how to make the same stitch pattern as the hat I saw on AliExpress.  However, it doesn't look exactly the same since it looks like they worked it from the top down.  I tried to do it again, but I shifted the color change by a row.  I don't know which style I like more, so I might write-up how to make both.

  I had to use my phone for this one because somehow, all three of the batteries for my big camera were dead.  Where I am we didn't get a full eclipse, but it was a lot of fun to watch anyway.  I still had my eclipse glasses from back in 2017, so I didn't have to worry about trying to find a new pair.

Yearly Yarn Tracker:

Yarn In: 0 (0)
Yarn Out: 8 (2)

Total: -8

IDKHOW the District of Consent

   We went to another IDKHOW concert!  This time it was the usual suspects along with River and Mickey.  It was at a The Atlantis this time and there are things I liked about this one and things I liked about the other one.  The other one had the bathrooms on a separate floor and the show space was bigger, so it wasn't too bad to get to them once you got through the crowd.  Getting to the bathroom at this one was a pain from the mass of bodies if you weren't already near it.  I did like how much closer to the stage everyone got to be.  The Atlantis used reusable plastic cups and had collection bins for them all over the place, that was pretty cool.

  The opener was the Benches.  I don't think I've ever heard of them before, but I did like their music.  I'll keep them in mind if I need someone new to listen to.

  IDKHOW has very recently released a new album.  It definitely has a different vibe from the first and I was curious how the more mellow songs would do in concert.  They are good on CD but are better in person.

  At one point Dallon came down into the audience and asked that no one try and pull his hair or touch him.  When he got back to the stage he asked if the "C" in "DC" stood for consent because everyone had listened to his requests.

  The setlist was a good mix of the old album, new album, and some throwback songs from a previous band he was in.  He even got a little catty over some of his previous bands, but in a very funny and subtle way.

  We actually played adult peekaboo this time before we got the encore.  It was a great show, and it makes sense that they keep selling out where they are playing.

Deer Signals and Pi(e) Day

  I saw some deer laying down in my backyard.  At some point one of them stood up and was looking really intently at the neighbor's back door.  It stomped its front right hoof and the others looked in the same direction.  It then stomped its back right leg and the other deer stood up.  One stayed down and wasn't looking very impressed by everything.  After a bit, everyone laid back down when nothing happened.

  It's apparently pretty hard to find frozen juice concentrates that aren't orange, apple, or lemonade.  Bill needed some cranberry/raspberry concentrate for one of the pies he wanted to make.  I was able to find one that was cranberry only in a liquid format.  It seems that not many of Bill's coworkers have heard about a Shoofly pie, but they were willing to give it a try.  The cranberry/blueberry was super popular.

Yearly Yarn Tracker:
Yarn In: 0 (0)
Yarn Out: 6 (1)

Total: -6

Trying it With More People

   We had the most people at the cabin that we ever had last weekend.  The most we have done before has been four, including Bill and myself.  This time we had seven people out.  Bill tried to make a chart so people could let us know when they thought they would be getting there, which bed they want to claim, and they could also claim any meal spots they wanted to cook for.  I don't know if no one else noticed, or they just were unsure, but the bed spots were the only one anyone responded to.

  It was a bit cold and rainy, but we all managed to have a good time.  We had a fire outside one night, in the fireplace another night, and in the potbelly stove most of the time.  So, there were lots of chances of being warm.  Not everyone felt up to going on hikes, but we went on a few.  Got to show off all the cacti and the old foundation.

  I'm pretty sure Tank was confused as to where my parents were on the first night.  He was wondering around and yelling in a very sad tone at 5am.  He had fun getting attention from everyone and even dragging Denver over to his treats a few times.

  It was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to having more hang-out weekends out there.

Yearly Yarn Tracker:
Yarn In: 0 (0)
Yarn Out: 5 (0)

Total: -5

Did you remember the February Hat-a-thon?

  I didn't remember about the hat-a-thon until I went to go list some of my hat patterns on another site and went to go see what forum posts mentioned them.  I wasn't able to join a team, but I was able to join as a cheerleader.

  I decided to work the pattern as it was written, except for the decreases.  While adding the extra slip row was fun for a while, the last one caused me more stress than fun.

Rolls I got for this hat: worked <~ and /\

  Crown
6 - 4 - 6 - 3 - 2
5 - 4 - 1 - 2 - 4

2 - 1 - 5 - 4 - 6
  Brim

  I got to hear what the incident at Santini's was.  My mom emailed one of the other people and was told that one of them saw one of the local homeless men picking, what was assumed to be, lice off his head, putting them on the table and then sweeping them onto the floor.

Yearly Yarn Tracker:
Yarn In: 0 (0)
Yarn Out: 5 (2)

Total: -5

Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Solid: Is It The Best?

Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Solid 

Overall ratings: 4.5/5 from 660 votes (Jo-Ann) - 4.8/5 from 129 votes (Michael's) - 3.9/5 from 14062 votes (Ravelry)

Average Cost: $5.15

  I have been using this yarn for a while.  It's what I used when I made my Orange You Glad baby hat pattern.  I don't know if it counts as cheating for this project if I already know how I feel about a yarn I'm going to test.

The best yarn ever!

Love this yarn. Glides on my crochet hook beautifully when crocheting. Never had a problem with it. Colors are fantastic. Will be sorry to see it discontinued.

~ Cookietins (about 4 months ago) 5/5 stars

Pattern: Lucky Bamboo Hat - Color: Dusty Purple - Needle: US 8

  So many of these reviews talk about the yarn being discontinued.  I don't know where they heard that information from.  So far, many months after these reviews have been left, I can still easily find it in stores.  I'm wondering if they had planned on discontinuing it and then sales went back up and so they changed their minds?

I love this yarn but it can be tricky

This is a great yarn but people who are not used to crocheting or knitting for very long are fussy about it. I’ve made several Afghans and particularly one pattern that really looks beautiful with this yarn and it washes up beautifully if you do it the right way. I have been knitting and crocheting since I’m seven years old and so that’s nearly 60 years now. I know what I’m talking about I’ve heard that they’re going to discontinue this yarn and I’m not pleased.

Leena Linda (about 9 months ago) 4/5 stars

Pattern: Side To Side Ribbed Hat by Sally L.M. - Color: Rust - Hook: 5.5mm

  The Dusty Purple was an older skein and the Rust I got recently.  I noticed that I had more problems with the yarn wanting to split with the newer skein.  It's either that or I was crocheting more tightly than I usually do and that was what was causing the splitting problem.

rough. feels like plastic.

i bought a bunch of these because the price seemed decent and i really like some of the colors. the skeins are smaller and contain less yarn than i was expecting, which is a little disappointing. i've been using them to crochet a blanket/throw and it's fine for that purpose but the texture is pretty poor. it feels very rough and plasticy. i wouldn't use this to make clothing, but for a throw, they're ok.

~ DoloresP (about 11 months ago) 2/5 stars  

  I still like it overall.  I am working with the newer yarn for a knitting project and haven't had any problems with it trying to split.  In the past I never crocheted with it, so that might be why I never had a problem before.  It's not the best affordable acrylic out there, but if they had a color I wanted to us I wouldn't hesitate to go for it.

Another Location Bites The Dust

Pattern: aMAZEing Dice Hat by Wyvern Knits - Size: B - Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in Retro Stripes and Black - Needles: US 6 for brim and US 8 for body

  I recently got a new phone and it's interesting learning all the new swipes and shortcuts.  It also wanted to make this yarn look more pastel than it is in person.

Rolls I got for this hat: worked ~> and \/

  Chart number w/row for wraps for 12th row

  Crown
B w/12 - B w/4 - B w/14 - B w/6 - B w/18
1 w/2 - 2 w/6 - 5 w/4 - 3 w/8 - 5 w/6
2 w/6 - 2 w/6 - 2 w/12 - 3 w/4 - 2 w/2

5        - 6        - 4        - 5        - 1   
  Brim

  The yarn-overs work better than the make-1s, but it still makes the top look a bit wavy and they are sitting oddly for some reason.  I might try and make another one with a ssk decrease instead of the k2tog decrease at the top.

  Work has been interesting in the last few weeks.  One of the people I worked with looked for a higher paying job because her youngest has gotten to college age.  She is still helping, but can't come in during office hours because of her new job.  The other has just been out of town helping to take care of his mother.  Luckily, we are past the busiest time of the year, but it's still pretty busy.  I've been getting through it with the help of our Super Volunteer.

  The Wednesday knitting group is moving locations again.  Something happened a few weeks ago and the group decided to move to the local Wegmans.  I don't know if the event happened before I got there or I just missed it because I was there that day and have no idea what happened.  I know I was deeply offended when they put Skittles on their canoli for one of our White Elephant swaps, but I've mostly forgiven them for that.  Looks like I will get Wegmans food twice a week now.

  So far we have had:

Cosi (found bugs in takeout box, and they have also closed)

 La Madeleine (menu was small for a weekly meeting, it was a bit pricy, dark, and small tables)

 Champs (closed on us)

Santini's (event happened)

 

 

Yearly Yarn Tracker:
Yarn In: 0 (0)
Yarn Out: 3 (1)

Total: -3

A New Friend and a Fun Adventure

Pattern: Jason's Cashmere Hat by Melissa Thomson - Yarn: Berella So Soft in Dark Rose - Needle: US 8

  My dad has become good friends with the owner of Bourbon Boulevard and was invited out to see his farm.  The GPS decided to take us down the wrong road and have us try and use a Dominion Powder access path to get to the correct location.  We then asked for directions again and it took us along actual roads.

Pattern: Seafield Headband by Jennifer Shiels Toland - Yarn: Berella So Soft in Dark Rose - Needle: US 7

  We eventually found the huge house he has and got to meet his dog, Mina.  We all drove out and my dad and Bill helped him with a project he had in mind.  I stayed in the car and knitted, where it was warmer.  He learned a lot and had a great time.  We then had lunch at Bourbon Boulevard, it was funny because he put it into the kitchen remotely and then called so they didn't cancel the order for a table that didn't have any people at it.  We sat at my dad's usual table, table 61.

Yearly Yarn Tracker:
Yarn In: 0 (0)
Yarn Out: 2 (2)

Total: -2

Jason's Cashmere Hat: Is It The Best?

© Melissa Thomson

Jason's Cashmere Hat 

Overall rating: 4.9/5 from 2320 votes (Ravelry)

Cost: Free

  I was scrolling through the knitting board on Reddit when an impressive post showed up.  Swannygirl94 said that she and her mom wanted to try and fill a bathtub with these hats.  They didn't get there, but still made an impressive amount.

© swannygirl94 and her mother

  I probably won't be making 40 of them, but if the two of them love this pattern that much, then I think it's worth trying at least once.

I’ve knitted several hats for my husband. He works outside or an unheated shop in Ohio in the winter. This is the BEST EVER pattern!! He can turn it up or pull it down over his ears and it is snugly warm. The pattern is easy to follow and is delightful to knit!! Thanks SO MUCH!!

~ dmgoss55 (over 4 years ago)

  I was going to mention that I don't like it when patterns only have one size, but other people have successfully added another pattern repeat to make it a larger size.  I imagine that someone could also take off one repeat and make it a smaller size as well.

I LOVE this pattern! It is so well written! I am quite proud of the hat I finished, it was my first time knitting cables in the round. And I do believe that the well written pattern did all of the work! I am super excited to give this as a gift and I’ll post pictures once completed. Thank you for sharing this for free.

 ~ samanthadawnrawr (over 3 year ago) 

Yarn: Berella So Soft in Dark Rose - Needle: US 8

  The four inches of ribbing for the brim really got me.  I wouldn't make it quite so long if I make it again.  Two inches would be the max I would work before getting into the cables.

  I am just being nitpicky at this point, but I feel like the last two rows of decreases would look more cohesive if we worked ask as the decrease as opposed to the k2tog.  The decreases would lean the same way the cables did in the rest of the hat.  I also added an additional decrease row, but that is also more personal preference than anything about the pattern.

  Overall, I think this is a really fun pattern and works up pretty quickly.  I can see myself making it again.

New Year, New Fun!

   I have been loving my Best/Worst project, even if I didn't manage to get as many done as I had hoped.  I'm planning to keep it going for a while.  Since that was a fun new addition to the blog, I thought of another fun challenge.  I saw Kitty Natty on YouTube track how many skeins of yarn she took in during a month and how many she finished in her "One Year of Stashing Down" 2022 video.  Her goal was to use up all of her stash and while I'm not that ambitious, I think it would be interesting information to have.  It will help tell me if I really am slowly chipping away at my stash or if I'm staying pretty steady with how much I have.

  I plan on changing the numbers on the bottom per post, with a indicator on how much the count changed from the last time I posted.  If I decide to change that then I will try and remember to go back and reformat every post with the count in it.  So it won't be month to month like she did, but a more loose tracking.  She also included what yarn was either brought in or used up, I'm just going to keep track of numbers.

Yearly Yarn Tracker:
Yarn In: 0 (0)
Yarn Out: 0 (0)

Total: 0

2023

Here is a quick list of everything I got done in the year of 2023.

Crochet: 19
Hats:
~~~Half Herringbone Hat
~~~Side to Side Ribbed Hat: 1, 2-3, 4-6, 7, 8-9, 10, 11
~~~Hazelnut Beanie
~~~Tilted Single Crochet Hat
Scarves/Cowls:
~~~Tilted Single Crochet Scarf
~~~Linen/Moss Stitch Cowl
Shawls:
~~~Linen/Moss Stitch Triangle Shawl: 1-2, 3

Knit: 31
Hats:
~~~Not Quite Ribbed Hat: 1-4
~~~Antler Toque
~~~Lattice Beret: 1-2
~~~Two Color Plain Bulky Beanie
~~~Cat Bonnet
~~~Lucky Bamboo Hat: 1, 2, 3
~~~Metro Hat
~~~Head Hug Chemo Cap: 1-2
~~~Boyfriend Hat
~~~Waves of Hope
~~~Textured Cat Hat
~~~Hurricane Hat: 1, 2
~~~Slippy Hat
~~~Dreamy Josephine: 1-2
~~~aMAZEing Dice Hat: 1-2, 3
~~~Swirl Hat: 1, 2
~~~Little Pumpkin Hat
Scarves/Cowls:
~~~Braided Scarf
~~~Roll 4 Skull Cowl

Worry Worms:
~~~1-26, 27-50, 51-122, 123-147, 148-172, 173-189, 190-212, 213-230, 231-247