Look, I made a hat

Starting on a hat..
Finishing a hat...
Look, I made a hat...
Where there never was a hat


Oh Sondheim, you're always there for me with an appropriate quotation.  Even when it really doesn't have much to do with what I'm actually saying.


A while ago, I mentioned that I was knitting a hat for Patternworks’ Chemo Cap donation project.  It was a new pattern for me, and while it wasn’t super difficult, there were aspects that required some thinking (I had forgotten some ribbing details, like whether to start with a knit or a purl stitch at the beginning of each row…I really need to remember that better). I thought I’d share some pictures, because I think it turned out really well.

The hat.  I really like how the border looks a little knobbly.

They say when you make something by hand, you're supposed
to leave a mistake.  This shows God (or something) that you
don't think you're perfect. I think. I just made a mistake and
didn't know how to fix it. Plus, a little error brings the handmade,
humanelement to it, right?

Love the way it looks from the top.

I even think it looks cool inside out.

All ready to send!  And yes, I sent it on time!

Knitting!

Knitting on BART is fun!

With the weather finally being all gray and rainy (I wore a coat three times this week!), my knitting instincts have started to kick in.  It's hard to work up the desire to knit when it's hot out, especially when there are all kinds of excuses along the lines of "but the knitting stuff is all put away, and it's so messy in here, I don't want to take anything else out right now".  You know, excuses.  Justification.  So easy.  But now the weather is of the sort that encourages warm and cozy feelings, hot chocolate and apple cider.  And of course, knitwear.

Also encouraging me to knit is the Patternworks chemo cap donation program going on right now. Their goal is to collect 1,000 chemo caps by October 29, to send to Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. In addition, for every cap received, they will donate a portion of the yarn sales to the American Cancer Society.


Last night, I sat down to work on my chemo cap, since it's due soon, and I realized I was only halfway through with a baby hat I started months ago. I don't even remember who I was making it for, or if it was for a specific person, but I had to finish it.  You see, this chemo cap pattern calls for the use of size 6 circulars and size 6 DPNs, and those just happen to be the needles wrapped up in this unfinished hat.  Oh, the troubles! Such struggle! Such a hard life!


Anyway, I'm working on finishing this hat (should be done today) so I can get started on the chemo cap. This hat is a simple roll-brim baby hat; I've made several of them over the last few months for the long list of friends with new babies.  I love making them because the yarn is so soft, and the colors are so cute, but I'm excited to try the ribbed pattern of the chemo cap.  We'll see how it goes - I'm glad to be getting back into knitting!  

Remember when this blog was about knitting?

When I first started this blog, I wrote about knitting a lot.  And funny story, I actually used my knit lunch bag today, on the day I will finally blog again about something I've knitted.  No kidding.  PS - I just realized that I never shared the finished bag, avec lovely star button (that I don't actually use as a button, because that buttonhole would just be annoying).  So here ya go.  The bag. 

The lovely Miss Keira was my bag model, which actually ties in nicely with today's post about knitting.  Keira recently became a big sister, which inspired me to bust out my circular needles and learn how to make a little baby hat. Of course, my first attempt resulted in the tiniest hat known to mankind, which ended up being more doll-sized than baby-sized.  Perhaps (and this is just a guess) I have underestimated the size of a newborn baby's head.  Did you know that their heads are actually not all that tiny when they come out?  Terrifying.

I digress.  After teeny babydoll hat, I tried again...resulting in about 1" of twisted, mobius-y gigantor that would definitely have been too big for Baby.  I decided to invest in some slightly larger yarn, and use slightly larger needles, since um, I was frustrated and wanted to try again with something that wouldn't take quite so long.  I didn't want to venture in to the scary land of Double Pointed Needles, so I stretched that thing as far as it would go on my 16" Size 10 Circulars.  The result? The hat you see below on the left.

It was almost big enough to fit me.  My head is slightly larger than the head of Miss Baby, but I had extra yarn and tried again, casting on about half as many stitches.  The result?  An adorable pair of hats, perfect for Big Sis and Lil Sis to wear together.  And by golly, these hats better fit those girls! :-)

Actually, I made three hats in the last week.  Baby is getting 2 hats, because baby yarn is ridiculously soft and adorable.  I may have bought 4 different skeins of baby yarn. Attention friends: if you are pregnant, or recently had a baby, expect to receive a baby hat.  I might be obsessed.

I got an amazing deal on a set of DPNs on Amazon (5 DPNs in 13 sizes for $21.99!), and figured I'd brave the DPN knitting on the smaller hat...smaller hat = more difficult to stretch out on the circulars.  And you know what?  It wasn't awful.  I made a little mistake when making the pastel hat (it was my first try), and used 3 DPNs total instead of 3 for the stitches and a 4th to stitch with, but you can't even tell.  See?

Thanks to Crazy Aunt Purl for her awesome tutorial.  Also, see this one about decreasing stitches.  She is hilarious, and is one of the main reasons I am not afraid of DPNs.  After finishing off the pastel hat, I finished off the bright baby hat, this time using the correct number of DPNs.  Wow.  That was way easier.  I might even say that I love doing this now.  It's pretty awesome, and I really like pulling the yarn through the stitches at the end to finish it off - there's something satisfying about pulling it all together (literally) like it's a drawstring bag.  Super!  No fear!

Wow, totally scary!!!

I'm totally doing it!!

Where have I been?

I just realized that I haven't blogged since Valentine's Day, and that was a while ago. My V-Day included a really yummy box of hand-picked chocolates (all dark, some with nuts, some with pomegranate, pretzels, marshmallow...all yummy). The Boy knows me, what can I say? I hope your V-Days were everything you hoped they would be...and more.

Speaking of everything you hoped it would be...and more...I saw 27 Dresses this weekend. I was visiting the lovely Reed in Colorado, and we got some girls together to totally girl-out at a chick flick. I hardly EVER do this, and boy is it fun. There's something so guilty-pleasure-satisfying about a totally predictable, rom-com (as Chrissie calls it). Cute guys, pretty clothes, witty banter, what's not to love? It's so formulaic, down to the sarcastic best girl friend and the puppy-eyed cute boy who the ingenue/sassy heroine fights with but eventually realizes she's in love with. But I love it. And this movie hit the spot. Especially with appearances by Jan from The Office and Kitty from Arrested Development (ok, I know Judy Greer is in a ton of movies and things, and she's fabulous in them all, but she's probably best known in "this crowd" from AD). [note: spoiler - if you can have a spoiler in a rom-com - quote from the wedding at the end of the movie..."Is this day everything you dreamed it would be?" "No. It's more." eeeewww aaaawwwwww cheeseball!]

Anyway, highlights from this weekend include:

dorking out at the Boulder, CO office

margarita (only needed one!) at this mexican restaurant whose name i've forgotten

aaaaand I MADE THIS HAT!

Milestones Shmilestones

Happy Purim (apparently)!

Once again, Purim has snuck up on me, and I am unprepared. So sad. I'll have to get some Hamentashen and a noisemaker and write the date down next year. Not that I really have any feelings towards Purim one way or another, but it could be fun if I didn't remember it's happening the day before it happens.

But to celebrate (like I've been planning this special pre-Purim night out all along), tonight I am going to see my friend's band play in San Francisco as part of this crazy thing called the Noise Pop festival. Maria Bamford is appearing on Sunday, but I cannot go, because alas, tickets cost $24. And alas, I am poor. But I digress. My friend's band is called Street to Nowhere, and they are playing tonight at Slim's. And I am going for free (because really, folks, when do I ever leave the house if it ain't free?). I am excited. His girlfriend will be there, and I haven't seen her in a while, and that will be fun. But the "big news" is that I am going to the show alone.

"But Kim," you quickly interject, "you just said you're meeting the ladyfriend there. Hence, a lack of aloneness." Yes, but I am going (ie: travelling) to the show All By Myself. Finding my way in the Big City. I'm not taking public transportation, because the directions involve BART and a bus and walking, and I don't really know where this place is, and I'm always terrified of getting on the wrong bus or going the wrong direction or paying too much because I didn't ask for the right kind of transfer or standing on a dark corner all alone waiting for a bus that is running late...or something. (apparently I am not afraid of long sentences, but we knew that, didn't we?)

So, the point of this highly entertaining story is: I am driving. Which does not terrify me as much as getting lost on public transportation, but does terrify me a little. Driving in San Francisco is a little scary to little old Kim from the valley where streets are flat and there are no one way streets and oh my god these hills are steep and where the heck am i and how do i get back to the east bay from here. So yes. I will be driving tonight. And it will be an Adventure. And I may call you in hopes that you are sitting in front of your computer to help me via googlemap.

In other news, I stumbled across this wonderful hat pattern from everyone's favorite Crazy Aunt Purl today. It's called the Brangelina Hat (see also: prototype), and looks like SO much good times I don't know what to do with myself. Before I knit it, however, I will need:

• one set of 16" circular size 10 needles ($$)
  
• one set of 16" circular size 11 needles ($$)
  
• a couple double pointed size 11 needles ($$)
  
• the cajones to knit with double pointed needles (priceless)
  
• some delicious WoolEase Thick N Quick yarn (not a problem here, I love buying this stuff! so cheap! so thick! so quick!)

So once I get these things, I will attempt this hat. Because gosh, it looks cute. And jeez, it's time for me to get over my irrational fear of double pointed needles already!

Another fear I am hoping to get over: my fear of going to Stitch N Bitch. I am thisscared of going by myself because let me tell you, I do not love me an awkward situation. I'm sure everyone would be lovely and welcoming and nice and all, but I'm also sure I would babble on in a rather embarrassing manner, and probably share too much information, and there is also the chance that I would sit silently and not talk to anyone. That last one isn't quite as likely as the babbling on and being the Queen of TMI, but you never know. I would much rather have the security blanket of a friend who wants to come along and stitch and bitch with me. Anyone? We'll see. Maybe the cajones needed for double pointed knitting will help me to venture forth solo to a Berkeley Stitch N Bitch. Or vice versa. Either way, I need me some balls.
side note: why, when we need courage, do we say we need balls? (or cajones or testicles etc.) is it because we, as a society, feel that men are more courageous? so if a woman, or anyone for that matter, wants to feel Strong and Brave, they need to be more manly? i'm not saying that many men aren't Strong and Brave and all that, but so are many women [duh]! i am not particularly Strong and Brave myself, but why don't i say that i need to get myself a pair of breasts when i mean i need to suck it up and just not be a wimp (or a pussy???) i mean, come on. these gender-identified character traits are really silly and stereotypical and outdated. even though sometimes i am indeed a "pussy" and feel like i'd like someone who has indeed "grown a pair" to walk down the street with me.

Enough ranting and raving for now. Back to thinking about knitting and the fact that it is Friday! What a nice, long bloggy blog to satisfy you as you sit in your cubicle waiting for Happy Hour!

PS: I have no idea what's up with the title of this blog. Something about it feels like it negates my whole "get over my fears of driving in the city and going to SnB alone and knitting with DPNs" thing. Oh well. It rhymes.
PPS: This Hat Calculator looks useful. Once I figure it out, I'm sure I'll rave about it. For now, check it out!

Correctly Calorimetry-ing

Thanks, Bobbie, for reminding me that I haven't posted the altered pattern for the Calorimetry! So, take the original pattern, and do this:

• use a size 6 needle instead of a size 8. Now, this (and everything else I'm about to tell you) will vary based on the kind of yarn you use...and be forewarned: your gauge swatch might lie to you. mine did. My gauge on the tan/brown monstrosity (which I am wearing on the thunder and hailstorm that is today, by the way) was perfection, but the thing still ended up gargantuan. Go figure. I blame the size 8 needles. Somehow. The size 6's worked on my Caron Simply Soft Shadows yarn just dandily.
  
• instead of casting on 120 sts, cast on 82. This fit around my average-sized head, but if you have an unusually large (or unusually small) head, you might want to do one of those math-y things where you knit a gauge swatch, measure your stitches per inch, and do some division to find out how many stitches to cast on to come out with the number of inches around your head. Keep in mind that it does stretch. And if you knit with acrylic instead of heavy worsted weight (erm, like I did), it will stretch and pretty much stay (flop) there, rather than being all ribbed and contract-y like ribs are supposed to do. That said, mine is ok. A little loose, a little floppy, but hey, aren't we all?
• instead of repeating row five 15 times more, repeat 7 times. or 8. or 6. Reed suggested I just repeat until it was about half as wide as I wanted the finished product to be. Really, she's a bit of a genius. I mean, I'm sure I could've come up with it on my own, but she did suggest it to me when I was holding my giant Calorimetry in my hands, laughing/weeping because it was such a babushka looking thing and wondering how I would ever work out the math to make it smaller.
  
• that's it. just keep repeating till it's 1/2 as wide as you want it to be, then start the decreasing part (row 7). You're skipping "row 6" in the original pattern.

The finished product should be a deliciously delicate (at least compared to what it would be if you followed the pattern) headband of sorts. I love mine. Can't wait to make more. Love it!

Oh, and if you were curious about why it is called the Calorimetry (I sure had no idea what the heck that meant...don't worry, you're not the only one!), this is why:

"Calorimetry is a scientific term describing the measurement of heat lost or gained. [I did not know this. I haven't taken science or math since high school, and I'm pretty sure I never learned it.]

Knit hats are a wonderful way to block out the cold, but when you have long hair it usually requires wearing it down, not often the most comfortable option on a blustery day. [so true! so true!] This headscarf allows you to wear your hair up while keeping your ears warm and preventing heat from escaping from the top of your head." [I love it!]

That paragraph can be found at the beginning of the pattern, but I thought I'd include it here anyway, just for simplicity's sake. Now go! Knit away!

Think I included the pattern link enough times?

In other news, I'm still having trouble posting the fabulous photoblog, but I'll try again later. Or give up. Please respond to my "help me" inquiry, oh blogger help gods and goddesses! I am no quitter!

Questions? Comments? Calorimetries?

PS: I have reached 100 blog views! Unbelievable! I'm hoping that most of them aren't from my refreshing the page to see my changes...but hey, thanks all y'all.

So Much To Blog, So Little Time

So many adventures to write about. Such a small amount of interest to so many. Nonetheless, I proceed...

As you may recall from a few days ago, The Time For Blocking was close at hand. Well...The Blocking has occured. Wonder of Wonders, Miracle of Miracles, Kim has blocked a 2x2 rib scarf. Please, alert the press. This could be the front page story of no local paper!

However, as said blocked scarf is still pinned to my floor, and as a bit of exposition is necessary (ie: why the heck did I decide to attempt blocking anyway?), I must elucidate you with my tale of The Calorimetry Who Wanted A Scarf.

Several months ago, my dear friend Reed showed me this wonderful pattern. It really is quite a lovely and versatile piece of knitware, and I plan to make many more. However, BE WARNED: The Pattern Lies! After a gigantor first attempt (no photos available, though I've heard that Rachel does actually wear it), I came up with this second, smaller (yes, smaller. the first one was extremely large) version. See below for examples.

example #1

example #2

example #3

So, after this one wrapped its way around my head, I began to think that maybe the problem wasn't me, after all, but an error in the pattern. Turns out several people had the same problem (thank you, google. and Reed.), and I devised (erm, followed Reed's instructions) a new version of the Calorimetry. Way Awesome. Even if it doesn't hold the rib as well as it should. Heck, this yarn cost about $2.50 a skein, and each Calorimetry only uses about 1/3 of a skein. I don't care.

lovely, smaller version

check it out! so fancy!

So I'm lovin my new Calorimetry, and wearin it all the time, when suddenly I realize: I have 2/3 of a skein left of this gray-color varigation yarn! Illustrious! It seemed the only thing to do was make a matching scarf...but THAT, my friends, shall require it's own bloggy post.