Baby Hat Madness

I had recently knit a bunch of baby hats for my cousin's twins. The twins, affectionately and appropriately called the Mini JJs, requested hats with ear flaps since these little LA babies needed to be bundled up for their new digs in St. Louis.

The payoff for baby hats is huge! I get pictures like this:

and this:


Their mom added the ties to the ends of the hats since it turns out that babies don't like to keep hats on their heads. I suppose Greaseball is much more patient in this respect. Next time I make a baby hat, I will make sure to add ties!

The bunny ear hat also got a fitting home with Little RoRo. Ack! He's so cute!

Now, the boy has requested an aviator style cap just like the ones I've given to three babies. Unfortunately, his head is not so small (although, babies heads, I was surprised to learn, are really not super small), so it might be awhile.

My Life, Out of Order

If my life were in order, that would be a first!

Since I have come to the sad conclusion that I'll never write a quarter of the blog posts I have in my head, here are some pictures explaining why this blog has been so silent.

We took the dogs backpacking at Snow Mountain. They like to leave us in the dust, quite literally.

Mingus usually take the time to sing us some blues.


And Vespa adds a little punk rock ditty to the mix.


I'll backpack for miles to a picturesque spot, only so I can sit on a tree and stare at my hands for a few hours. Hey, I like to sit and knit in nature!


We escaped to Pismo Beach for a few days to soak in some sand and sun time.


I experimented with figs after I was tired of popping them fresh into my mouth. This dish was chicken thighs braised with balsamic vinegar, red wine, and figs. It was so good!


We stayed in Nevada for a Halloween wedding and to explore. Here's the cutest wedding cake ever!

This is a little bit of Virginia City, which has preserved its Wild West roots. We stayed in a "haunted" hotel here. Want to know what is more annoying than ghosts? Ghost hunters! There was no insulation in this place, so we could hear the ghost hunters setting up equipment to catch whatever it was they try to catch and whispering whatever it is they think is cool to each other.



I observed my friends racing their Miata, and crossed my fingers that my other friends and the boy wouldn't go up in flames as they pit crewed. I had the oh so important job of changing the helmet cards and yelling, "1 MINUTE LEFT!"


New bike!

And here is some unexpectedly good road food in a little town between Williams and Clearlake. We had a hearty posole and one of the best fried fishes I've had since Mexico. I *heart* California and its unexpectedly good road food.

I've been busy gift knitting, too. But I can't show you any of those, so you'll just have to trust me.

I've been running, too. For those of you keeping track, I'm up to week 6 on the Couch to 5K program. Vespa and Mingus are on week 6, also.

This is not a political blog

And for this reason, I am perplexed why some political ads quite contrary to my views were popping up. Until this election is done, I've removed the banner ads. Sorry for those of you who had to see those hateful ads.

And now we return to our regular cat, dog, and knitting program...

International Cat Hat: Germany, Ein Prosit

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

Near the end of September (yes, this cat hat is a little tardy), there is this little thing called Oktoberfest that happens in Munich. When I went a few years ago, I have fond, yet hazy, memories of drinking liters and singing the ultimate drinking song for all ages: Ein Prosit. Perhaps this is not the name of the song, but it was the only lyric I could sing convincingly in German. So, anyway, many liters later, I found myself wearing a hat. An Oktoberfest hat. Kind of like this hat that Fifty-Fifty is now sporting.

I believe I was clutching the floor in this exact position, too. Let's just say that drinking a "mass" at 9 in the morning is unnatural for this lady. Seriously, you may all think I'm drunk to post such silly things, but let me assure you that I do not drink and post with reckless abandon.

For those of you just stopping by just for this pattern, rest assured that this hat is not an anomaly. Don't forget to check out my other free patterns listed on the sidebar!


Materials
• 70 yards of Cascade 220 in gray
• 8.5 yards of Sugar 'n Cream in white
• 8.5 yards of Sugar 'n Cream in blue
• 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)
• Row counter
• Tapestry needle

Special Skills Needed
• Knitting in the round using two circular needles
• Picking up stitches

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

Finished Measurements
Finished hat circumference is 10 inches

Abbreviations
[ ] repeat instructions between brackets
bo bind off
co cast on
k knit
k2tog knit two stitches together
m1 make 1 stitch
sts stitch(es)

Directions
Loosely CO 60 sts on the 16" circular needle (needle A). Slip half of the stitches to the other circular needle (needle B). Join to knit in the round, placing a marker at that point so you know where the round begins.

Main Body
Rounds 1-20: k all sts
Round 21: [k4, k2tog] until end
Rounds 22-24: k all sts
Round 25: [k3, k2tog] until end
Round 26-28: k all sts
Round 29: [k2, k2tog] until end
Round 30-32: k all sts
Round 33: [k1, k2tog] until end (20 sts)
Round 34-36: k all sts
Round 37: [k1, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k1] twice
Round 38-40: k all sts
Round 41: k2tog until end (8 sts)

Cut yarn, leaving a 6 inch tail. Using a tapestry needle, thread yarn tail through remaining 8 sts.

Brim
Pick up 60 sts around the base of the hat using the 16" circular needle. Join to knit in the round, placing a marker at that point so you know where the round begins.

Round 1: k all sts
Round 2: [k3, m1] until end
Rounds 3-5: k all sts
Round 6: [k4, m1] until end
Rounds 7-9: k all sts
Round 10: [k5, m1] until end
Rounds 11-13: k all sts
Round 14: [k6, m1] until end
Round 15: k all sts
Round 16: BO all sts

I-cord Ribbons
CO 4 sts using white yarn
Knit i-cord for 20 inches
BO sts
Repeat for blue yarn.

Finishing
Weave in all ends. Twist blue and white i-cords together, and tack them around the hat. Place the hat on your cat, and guard your booze just in case Fluffy gets a hankering for beer. Oh, yes, and please send me a picture if you make this! Your pictures make this crazy endeavor worth it.

http://spindlesandspices.blogspot.com

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Sprouty McSprouterson

Sprouts are the answer for those of us wanting to grow our own food, but do not want to wait months for the harvest. To put this in knitter's lingo, sprouts are to gardening that dishrags are to knitting.

I scoured my Indian cookbooks, searched the Internet, and picked my friend's brain on how to sprout beans. It seemed easy enough, but some of the instructions were pretty labor intensive and involved expensive gadgets and special beans. My head was hurting from information overload.

My friend's sprouting instructions could not have been easier. She soaks the beans, drains them, and then sticks them in the fridge. That's all! None of this "rinse 6 times a day and put them in a sprouting rack" business.

I procured some dried organic mung beans and lentils from a nearby health food store. I chose not to buy the beans marketed as "sprouting beans" because they were about 3 times as much as the organic beans. I also chose not to buy the $30 sprouting rack.

Here is how to sprout beans, wildtomato style:

1. Soak 1/2 cup of dried beans in water for 24 hours. This yields around 3 cups of sprouts.
   
2. Drain the beans and rinse them.
3. Put the beans into a bowl and cover with a towel. Place in a cool, dark place.
4. Once a day, rinse and drain the beans with water.
   
5. When the bean sprouts are 1/4-inch long, you're done! Stick them in the fridge if you are not going to use them right away.

I had 1/4-inch tails on my beans in 3 days. The sprouted beans had a nutty, grassy taste. We ate some of them for dinner tonight, mixed into Bhutanese red rice. We'll the rest for salads and stir-fries.

Mung bean sprouts are the type of bean sprouts found in Chinese food. These sprouts tasted miles better than those tasteless, limp things I get at restaurants or buy at the store.


These are my green lentil sprouts. Aren't they pretty?

Back from the BBQ

We're back from Austin, and the BBQ is still on my mind. Like good little solders, we ate BBQ 4 out of the 5 days we were there, sampling a new place each time. Yes, folks, it took discipline to hork down yet another piece of moist brisket, but we did it.

This is the most interesting, and dare I say the best, BBQ joint: City Market in Luling, Texas. The BBQ room (yes, a whole room!) is hidden at the back of the store. As you step through the doors, you wonder if you are in the right place, until you see a sign that erases any doubts.

I guess City Market got tired of people asking for utensils. I was told that the white sandwich bread was supposed to be my fork. I'm kind of a bread snob, and I think that Wonder Bread is the devil, so I just ate the meat straight like a true cave(wo)man.


This is the interior of the secret BBQ place. I could only stay in this oaky, smokey room for a few minutes before excusing myself. I guess I'm not core enough.

And here's our grub! What, you only see Wonder Bread? Well, what lies under the pile of devil's bread is moist brisket, pork ribs, and the best beef sausage.


I washed this meal down with Big Red. I heard it was a Only in Texas drink, so I tried it. It tasted like red gummy bears. Unfortunately, the smoke went to my brain and during my BBQ feeding frenzy, I dumped some of my Big Red onto my moist brisket thinking that it was the BBQ sauce. Oops.

In order to not gain 10 pounds of BBQ gut, we stayed active. This was hard to do since the humidity made me want to stay in the air conditioned house, but images of my last BBQ gut motivated me to earn those calories. This meant that we stuck on our Couch to 5K running program, we kayaked, we canoed, and we disc golfed.

These are pictures from our 6 mile kayak along Town Lake. The undersides of bridges are great motivators to keep paddling.



The tops of clouds are also great motivators to keep flying (as is spending quality time with friends).



So, um, yeah... There be knitting to show off. And some blog awards to pass on. And I have a new International Cat Hat all finished up and ready for its debut. I just need motivation or a swift kick in the arse. Feel free to provide me with either.

Stay tuned...

Austin Bound!

I'll be in Austin for a few days and I'll have some unscheduled time to explore. So... If anyone knows of any crafty shops or events that are unique to Austin, drop me a comment!

I already know that I'm going to go to Hill Country Weavers...

People Should Not Leave Hats at Our House

I cannot be held responsible for what happens to your hat if you leave it here.

Sunday Evening Picture

My cats are so neglected

I clicker trained my dogs, but never thought about doing the same for my cats. This set of videos shows cats sitting and shaking hands on command, and they were all clicker trained. There's even a video with cats helping someone find her keys.

I really want to try this with my cats! Maybe the boy and I can have a competition to see who can get a cat to sit and high five first. I pick Fifty as my cat partner.

A new International Cat Hat is coming very, very soon. Stay tuned!