All Hail the Hat Queen

I can remember, very tentatively, attempting to knit my first hat - way back in October 2009.  It was actually the first thing I had knitted since I was about 7/8 years old and also the first time I had ever knitted in the round and used either circular needles or DPN's.  Very much a learning curve but a successful one and that hat is still kicking around here somewhere!!

Since then I have made a fair few hats and I, without fail, turn to Woolly Wormhead patterns when I need one.  I took part in both the 2014 and 2015 MKAL and when the sign ups for 2017 came around I decided to make both Hat A and Hat B.  Obviously the patterns have long since been revealed since the MKAL clues are released during November, but I've been considerably lax at blogging so am playing catch up!!

So...here we have Hat A - later revealed as the pattern Joyce.  I knitted this in the recommended yarn (very much against my rebellious streak) which was Stolen Stitches Nua.  A truly heavenly blend of merino, yak and linen - really a complete joy to work with, or just fondle!  I went for Frog on the Wall and Kitten Fluff,

 

 

 

Gorgeous huh!!  And for Hat B - Sette Vele - I chose CoopKnits Socks Yeah! DK in the Aeacus colourway (not surprisingly, it's green)  Again, another amazing pattern.  I very rarely knit in anything thicker than sock weight (or 4 Ply/Fingering if you can say the latter without sniggering!) so these were a nice change for me!  Sette Vele has the added bonus of a really ingenious cast on.

I couldn't stop there though - I was itching to cast on one of the patterns from the new Elemental collection from Woolly.  I'd already knit a sideways hat from the Circled book so knew how innovational the technique was - if you haven't tried a Woolly sideways knit hat, do!!

Deterred only by lack of suitable yarn, I picked up a few skeins of Crazy Eight DK from Chester Wool Company and dyed them in my favourite colours in the hope they would work together!  I'd already decided that my first hat would be the Toph pattern as I had swatched with a few different yarns but had been unhappy with the colours/yarn substitutions I had made.  Turned out that my favourite colours combined have a very Eighties throwback vibe!  It's a wonderfully squishy knit due to the construction and completely ideal for the current cold snap.  I'm already itching to cast on the rest of the collection!

NB - the hat queen is Woolly Wormhead in case my slightly stalkerish, fangirl post has not made that totally apparent!  

Year of Colour

Absolutely loving this fantastic tool from Makelight, which takes the colours from your Instagram photos over the last year to form a unique, and quite frankly beautiful collage!

Here's mine - not remotely difficult to tell what me favourite colours are!

Dyeing Up A Storm

Seems quite an apt title given that Storm Ophelia is currently blowing away and we've had the weirdest orange sun and sepia skies today!

But I was more referring to yarn, of course.  I've loved dyeing my own yarn for quite a while (would one day love to delve into becoming an indie dyer should the 48 hour day ever be invented) and am finding more and more at the moment that I will dye my own yarn unless I see something that I *have* to have!

So, recent (how on earth has it been 5 months since I blogged?!) dye jobs include...

A trio of Merino Singles Sock Yarn dyed with Dharma Fluorescent Dyes.  No plans at all for these as I was just testing the dye out but they do look rather good together!

A sweater quantity of Merino Sock Yarn (purchased at Yarndale 2016) to make a Polaris jumper.  I couldn't decide between green or pink but eventually decided to stick with my original plan of eye searing pink!

Spooky Sparkle Mini's in Sparkle Singles Sock.  Halloween is by far my favourite time of year and couldn't resist dyeing up a set of mini skeins in Halloween inspired colours.  The singles sparkle sock base looks amazing dyed up (I was slightly unsure of it when undyed!) 

And last but not least...

Black Pumpkin Self Striping Sock Yarn.  This was this weekends project and I loved dyeing it - did not love winding it quite as much!!  Destined to be yet another pair of Sod Socks! Gloves which I am just casting on.  

I have another few skeins of sock weight left to play around with and have plans for some neon speckles.  I've also got a few hat pattern that require DK on my wish list so think I'll have to pick up some more undyed skeins for those too.    

Making Cakes

Back in April 2010 I purchased my first ball winder.   A vintage £6 eBay bargain - it arrived in the original box, which was battered, dusty but otherwise as new.  That little winder has since wound a hell of a lot of yarn!

A couple of years ago I decided to upgrade,  the little winder had started clunking a bit and I needed a jumbo winder to tackle a 300g skein of Wollmeise Lace.  I had been lusting after a wooden winder since my first, but the only options were very expensive and had few UK stockists.  I eventually settled on a Brother Jumbo L2 Winder which I have been really happy with (although it always takes me a few turns to remember which was to thread the yarn through the second arm!)

As happy as I was though, my heart still lusted after a wooden winder.  After the unfortunate issue last year with waiting almost a year on a custom waiting list and eventually giving in on the seller (I'd lost faith in the customer service anyway)  I had all but given in on getting one.
Then a few weeks ago I saw the winder I wanted appear for sale, completely as new, and at a great price.  After some gentle persuasion from a certain best friend and the added bonus of birthday money covering half of the cost, I took the plunge and  purchased a Strauch Jumbo Ball Winder.

 

It is truly a thing of beauty!! 

Initial thoughts were tainted slightly as there was a bit of a grinding sound - cue panic and sadness!!   However, there was just a drop of lubricant needed and wow - ball winding perfection!!  I wound just over 700g of sock yarn for my Fade Shawl in an afternoon with absolutely no shoulder/wrist pain and it really was yarn winding joy!!  I actually take huge pleasure in winding yarn cakes (although only wind yarn as requires - my stash is all stored in skeins!) and I am so, so happy I took the plunge as I can see this lasting for many, many years to come.