Stripey Baby Beret Pattern

The Tilden Park Scarf is an easy ruffled and ruched infinity scarf that adds a feminine touch to any outfit.

It's baby season! Well, at least it is for one more of my friends, Nanda, who is expecting the last of this year's bumper crop of babies. I think there were at least 5 kiddos born within the last 6 months amongst my fertile friends!
Since Nanda is a knitter, and more specifically a knitter with very discriminating taste in yarn, I wanted to make her a worthy hat. This is a variation on my pattern Le Mieux, made a little bigger so it can fit babies from 3 to 6 months.

I used Aurora 8, a favorite yarn of mine because of its squishy softness, but any worsted weight yarn will do.

Don't forget to check out my other free patterns listed on the sidebar!


Materials
• 40 yards of Karabella Aurora 8 in green (color 63)
• 40 yards of Karabella Aurora 8 in blue (color 43)
• 1 US size 5 16 inch circular needles OR needle size needed to achieve gauge.
• 1 US size 7 16 inch circular needles OR needle size needed to achieve gauge.
• 1 US size 7 circular needles, any length, OR needle size needed to achieve gauge
(US size 7 DPNs may also be used instead of 2 circular needles)
• 6 stitch markers
• Row counter
• Tapestry needle

Special Skills Needed
• Knitting in the round

Gauge
• 4.5 stitches = 1 inch on US size 7 needles in stockinette stitch

Finished Measurements
Finished hat circumference is 16 inches. This fits a 3-6 month old baby.

Abbreviations
[ ] repeat instructions between brackets
cc contrasting color
co cast on
k knit
k2tog knit two stitches together
ktbl knit through the back loop
mc main color
MIL make one left
MIR make one right
p purl
pm place marker
ssk slip one stitch knitwise, slip next stitch knitwise, then knit stitches together
sts stitch(es)

Directions
CO 72 sts onto the smaller 16 inch circular needle in mc (blue yarn). Join to knit in the round, placing a marker at this point so you know where your round begins.

[ktbl, p1] to end for 5 rounds.

Next round: Switch to larger 16 inch circular needle. k12, pm, k12, pm, k12, pm, k12, pm, k12, pm, k12, pm

Increasing Stripe Rounds: [k1, MIL, k until 1 sts remains before marker, M1R, k1, slip marker] to end. k next round. Alternate Increasing Stripe Rounds between the mc (blue) and the cc (green). For the first round, use the cc (green yarn). Carry the unused yarn up the back of your work.

Repeat the Increasing Stripe Rounds until there are 24 sts between each set of markers (144 sts total). Your last round should be with the mc.

Decreasing Stripe Rounds: [ssk, k until marker, slip marker] to end. Repeat round once more, then switch colors. For the first round, use the cc.

Repeat Decreasing Stripe Rounds until only 6 sts remain, switching half of the stitches to the second set of circular needles when the hat circumference is too small to be worked only using the 16 inch circular needles.

Nubbin Rounds: k1 round, removing markers as you go. Repeat this round 2 more times. k2tog 3 times. 3 sts remain. Cut yarn, leaving a 6 inch tail.

Finishing
Using the tapestry needle, thread the yarn tail through the 3 remaining sts. Pull closed. Weave in ends.

Here goes my usual plea: if you knit this, I'd love to hear from you and see your finished objects!


http://spindlesandspices.blogspot.com

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Say Cheese (Mozzarella Cheese, that is)

Lured by the promise of homemade mozzarella in less than 30 minutes (thanks to Animal, Vegetable, Mineral by Barbara Kingsolver - cheese recipe is in the middle of the page), I bought vegetarian rennet from here, citric acid, and half a gallon of whole Strauss milk.

My first attempt at making mozzarella, documented here in the photos, did take 30 minutes. My next attempt took only 15 minutes - by 30 minutes, I had my kitchen cleaned up again.

Witness the magic:



I calculated that half a gallon of milk yielded almost 8 ounces of cheese. The milk cost $4, and is organic and local to boot, while the other ingredients I added were probably only $.10. So, for $4.10 and 15 minutes of my time, we have cheese that is better and fresher than what I can find in the stores. As a cost comparison, the brand of non-organic mozzarella that is readily available at my market is 6 ounces and costs nearly $7. It also has lots of other ingredients other than milk, rennet, sea salt, and citric acid.

The point of all of this is not to brag over my supposed kitchen prowess, but to say, "You can do this, too!" It was so, so easy. The only special equipment needed was a thermometer, but most of us have one lying around, right?

The next logical step would be for my tomatoes to ripen so I could make insalada caprese, but I have to sit tight for at least a month.

Greaseball's Statement to the Press

GB: Recently, it has come to my attention that certain pictures are circulating depicting me as Lady Liberty. I am not a girl. Repeat. I am not a girl. I am a stud.

Fifty: You are a neutered stud. I think that means that you're not a stud.

GB: Regardless, I am not a girl. Repeat, I am -

Fifty: A dork. Repeat. Greaseball is a dork.

----------
The cats have experienced small brushes with fame, and it is getting to their heads. They demand that I spoon feed them wet food. They demand that an attendant be hired for their litter box. It's all because of this and this, two recent posts in CRAFT Magazine's blog.

Also, Norah Gaughan, my all time favorite designer, left a comment on one of my Ravelry cat hat patterns stating that Greaseball is cute. My friends think that I should make Greaseball a shirt that reads: "Norah Gaughan thinks I'm pretty cute." I would do it, too, if Greasy liked to wear t-shirts. Maybe he needs a baseball cap instead?

International Cat Hat: USA

The Tilden Park Scarf is an easy ruffled and ruched infinity scarf that adds a feminine touch to any outfit.

Nothing says America more than Lady Liberty herself! Just in time for the 4th of July, this pattern includes not only a Statue of Liberty cat hat, but a also a mini torch cat toy.

Don't forget to check out my other free patterns listed on the sidebar!




Materials
• 25 yards of worsted weight yarn for the hat. I used Cascade 220.
• 7 yards of worsted weight, feltable wool for the cat toy in main color (torch), 3 yards of worsted weight feltable wool for the contrasting color (flame)
• 1 pair of US size 7, 16 inch circular needles, OR needle size needed to achieve gauge. US size 7 DPNs may also be used instead of circular needles.
• 4 US size 7 DPNs
• 1 pair of US size 2 needles
• Row counter
• Tapestry needle

Special Skills Needed
• Knitting in the round
• Knitting i-cord
• Felting
• Whip stitch

Gauge
• 6 stitches = 1 inch on US size 7 needles in stockinette stitch

Finished Measurements
Finished hat circumference is 10 inches, but it is very stretchy. Greaseball's face circumference is 12 inches and the hat fits him just right.

Abbreviations
[ ] repeat instructions between brackets
bo bind off
cc contrasting color
co cast on
k knit
k2tog knit two stitches together
kfb knit through the front loop without dropping the stitch from the needle, and then knit through the back loop and drop the stitch
ktbl knit through the back loop
m1 make one stitch
mc main color
rnd round(s)
sts stitch(es)

Directions for hat
Using the US size 7 needles, CO 56 sts. Join to knit in the round.

rnd 1-5: [ktbl, p3] repeat until end of round
rnd 6: k all sts
rnd 7: BO 7, slip 12 purlwise, BO 6, slip 6 purlwise, BO 6, slip 12 purlwise, BO 7. You can leave the slipped stitches on the needles, or place them on stitch holders.

For points
There are 5 points on this hat. Each point starts with 6 of the slipped stitches (the 12 slipped stitches will be two points). The points are knit in a tight gauge in garter stitch so they will hold their shapes.

rows 1-3: knit 6 stitches using US size 2 needles. Turn.
row 4: k1, k2tog, k until end of row. Turn. (5 sts)
rows 5-7: k all sts. Turn.
row 8: k1, k2tog, k until end of row. Turn. (4 sts)
rows 9-11: k all sts. Turn.
rows 12: k1, k2tog, k until end of row. Turn (3 sts)
rows 13-15: k all sts. Turn.
row 16: k1, k2tog, k until end of row. Turn. (2 sts)
rows 17-19: k all sts. Turn.
row 20: k2tog. Cut yarn and leave a 6 inch tail.

Repeat 4 more times for remaining points.

Finishing for hat
Weave in all ends.

Directions for torch
In mc (grey) and using US size 7 DPNs, CO 6 sts.

rows 1-15: knit i-cord
Divide sts into 3 DPNs, 2 sts per needle, and join to knit in the round.
rnd 16: k all sts
rnd 17: [k1, m1, k1] 3 times
rnd 18: k all sts
rnd 19: [k1, m1, k until 1 sts remains on needle, m1, k1] 3 times
rnd 20: k all sts
rnd 21-26: Repeat rnds 19-20 3 times. (21 sts)
rnd 27: BO all sts.

In cc (yellow) and using US size 7 DPNs, CO 1 slip knot. This is the torch's flame.

row 1: kfb. Turn. (2 sts)
row 2: k all sts. Turn.
row 3: kfb, kfb. Turn. (4 sts)
row 4: k all sts. Turn.
row 5: kfb, k2, kfb. Turn. (6 sts)
row 6: k all sts
row 7-9: knit i-cord for 3 rounds.
row 10: BO all sts. Cut yarn, leaving a 6 inch tail.

Finishing for torch
Whip stitch together the flame to the inside cup of the torch, where the torch starts to increase. Weave in all ends.

Felt the torch. A bowl of sudsy water and a potato masher are my felting tools of choice.

After the torch is dried, I put a pinch of catnip into the torch's cup and rubbed it in to make it even more irresistible to my drug loving cats.

If you make this, I'd love to hear from you and see pictures of your patriotic cat!

http://spindlesandspices.blogspot.com

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Vespa Stinks, by Greaseball

GB: I wonder if I should say anything? I mean, if I smelled a little off, I'm sure she would tell me. Isn't telling her the right thing to do?

GB: Hey, Vespa, I know this is a sensitive subject, but... Have you not been bathing yourself lately? Um, I kind of noticed that something smelled a little ripe, and it isn't me.

Vespa: Oh, you have got to be kidding me! Me? Stink? Are you sure you're not smelling yourself? Oh, and FYI, I'm a dog. I don't bathe myself. The boy gives me baths. So if you have a problem with how I smell, take it up with him.


GB: Gack! Her breath stinks, too. Reason number 140 why I am so glad that I am not a dog.

-----------
So, six months later, I've busted out the software that came along with my camera so I can shoot photos in the RAW format. This means that I can spend less time prepping each photo beforehand, and just enjoy shooting, but it also means that I have to tweak each photo to make it presentable. So far, it's pretty fun, albeit a slow process. Slow is a relative word, though, and I am thankful that I don't have to develop any film. That's what turned me off of photography the first time around - I have vivid memories of staying in little dark closet by myself to reel film, only to discover that I did it poorly and there were giant bubbles eating all of my subjects' heads. Okay, so this was in the 4th grade and I'd like to think that I'm more coordinated now, but the ever present bruises on my knees might beg to differ.

My fascination with food has been kicked up a notch due to summer's bounty, so I've been taking a lot of dinner pictures and writing down particularly delicious kitchen experiments. As a little challenge, prompted by reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, I am avoiding most processed foods and, when possible, buying organic, local food. There is a hipster word for this: locavore. Funny, but this is called "how you eat" to lots of other people in different countries, including my own grandmother who still grows most of her own produce out of habit. So, no, you'll never hear me refer to myself as a locavore. I don't call myself a foodie, either, because who doesn't like to eat good food? (Okay, so I can think of one person who ate a tinned fish and a microwaved sweet potato every. single. day.)

Anyway, the point of this all is that I've been experimenting with foods I have not tried before. Last weekend, I bought 2 pounds of cranberry beans from the farmers' market. Opening each pod was like unwrapping a Christmas gift - the color of the beans varied a lot, so I was constantly shouting out, "Ooooh! Look at this one! And this one!" to no one in particular. Let it be noted that Mingus did come over and sit by my feet, because he was sure that he was going to get a treat (he didn't). I believe I also uttered, "This would make beautiful sock yarn!" a few times.

Shelling these beans reminded me of knitting: something useful to do with my twitchy hands. I boiled them for about 30 minutes, drained them, then swirled them with a little bit of meyer lemon olive oil, garlic, and sea salt and called it dinner. The next day, I pureed the beans and used them as a spread for the kalamata olive bread that I baked. Delicious!

There is another International Cat Hat coming up very soon, so stay tuned!

Today's blog post was sponsored by the letter R, for Random.

International Cat Hat: Turkey

The Tilden Park Scarf is an easy ruffled and ruched infinity scarf that adds a feminine touch to any outfit.

What cat doesn't need a fez?


Well, perhaps Fifty doesn't need a fez...

This hat is knitted from the top down. Admittedly, it is tricky to start this hat because 1 stitch is knitted back into itself to create 8 stitches, so remember to cast on that first slip knot loosely.

Don't forget to check out my other free patterns listed on the sidebar!

Materials
• 80 yards of worsted weight feltable (non superwash) wool for the hat. I used Cascade 220.
• 1 yard of DK or worsted weight black yarn for the tassel. I used Tahki Cotton Classic because it is in my stash.
• 2 US size 10.5 circular needles, any length, OR size needed to achieve gauge. US size 10.5 DPNs may also be used instead of 2 circular needles
• 6 stitch markers
• Pint glass (yes, really!)
• Row counter
• Tapestry needle

Special Skills Needed
• Knitting in the round
• Making a tassel
• Felting

Gauge
• 4 stitches = 1 inch on US size 10.5 needles in stockinette stitch

Finished Measurements
Finished hat circumference is up to you! Felt it until it fits your cat's head.

Abbreviations
[ ] repeat instructions between brackets
bo bind off
co cast on
k knit
kfb knit through the front loop without dropping the stitch from the needle, and then knit through the back loop and drop the stitch
M1 make one stitch
p purl
pm place marker
rm remove marker
rnd round(s)
sts stitch(es)

Directions
Loosely CO 1 sts onto one US size 10.5 circular needle (needle A).
kfb 4 times (8 sts)**. Slip 4 sts purlwise onto the other circular needle (needle B).
Join to knit in the round.

** Alternatively, loosely CO 4 sts onto one needle and kfb 4 times. This will result in a bigger hole up at the top after felting.

rnd 1:On needle A, [kfb, pm] 3 times, kfb. Repeat for needle B (16 sts).
rnd 2: On needle A, [k until 1 sts before marker, kfb, slip marker] 3 times. k until 1 sts before end of needle, kfb. Repeat for needle B.
rnd 3-5: Repeat rnd 2 3 more times (48 sts).
rnd 6: On needle A, k6, rm, k6, pass marker, k6, rm, k6. Repeat for needle B.
rnd 7-13: k all sts.
rnd 14: On needle A, k1, m1, k until 1 sts before marker, m1, k1, slip marker, k1, m1, k until 1 sts before end of needle, m1, k1. Repeat for needle B (56 sts).
rnd 15-21: k all sts.
rnd 22-29: Repeat rnd 14-21 (64 sts).
rnd 30: Loosely BO all sts and cut yarn, leaving a 6 inch tail.

Finishing
Weave in all ends. Felt hat using your preferred method until it shrinks enough to fit your cat's head. I highly suggest that you jot down your cat's head diameter ahead of time and that you don't try the wet fez on your cat. If you do, I am not responsible for your cat's actions. To dry the hat, I found that an upside down pint glass was the perfect shape fez shape. If your cat hat deviates enough from the pint glass that it won't work to hold its shape, cut out cardboard to line the bottom and sides, then stuff the hat cavity with plastic bags.

Once the hat is dry, make a tassel and weave it into the center of the hat.

If you make this, as always, I'd love to hear from you and see your fezzed up cat!

http://spindlesandspices.blogspot.com

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Canine Dohorkus

I believe this is the correct scientific name for him. I was trying to get him out of the picture, and then gave up. He's a ham. A huge, furry ham. (The image of a huge, furry ham waltzing to the Christmas table just gave me chills.)


The boy is also a dork. Who propagates 15 (yes, 15!) carnivorous plants? The assignment last weekend was to grow a respectable garden that would get us one hair-width closer to having our own summer bounty. He planted other things, but he spent a good chunk of time tending to these, his "babies." Personally, I think Mingus was jealous.

In addition to the 15 carnivorous plants, we started some chard, lettuce, eggplants, tomatoes, and beans. I have high hopes and grand plans for the chard, lettuce, and tomatoes. I haven't seen any green inklings of hope for the eggplants and beans. Those seeds could have been bad - after all, they have moved with us a few times, or perhaps it is not hot enough here for them. Either way, they were planted way too late in the season. I call it "guerrilla gardening."

These plants are all growing in weird places, too. The chard patch is coming up in the front yard. Why? Well, those of us who have dogs know that vitamin P isn't good for the diet.

Vespa's too noble to be a dork.


Another International Cat Hat is on its way. I just have to figure out how I want to distribute the pattern. It's hot here, so I suspect that the easiest way possible is going to win.

Finito!

It measures a whopping 56" x 56", just a few inches shy of my height. I'm spending some quality time with the finished Curve of Pursuit blanket today, because tonight it is going to its new owner.

I decided to do an applied i-cord border for the blanket to prolong the torture. (Actually, I decided to do it because I like how finished, how polished, it looks.)

Woo hoo! I can finally cast on for a new project!