I love to knit mittens and hats from the top down! Starting at the top provides me the opportunity to keep trying it on as I go. . . and my projects always turn out the right length.
Here is a video of a really nice cast on that I have started using to get a sweet flower at the top of my hats and mittens.
I used this method for this hat –
I’m a big fan of fulling and felting too. These mitts are knit using two strands of Galway wool and US 17 circular needles, then fulled to fit.
I’m working on a pattern that explains how I knit mittens from the top down. . it will include directions for this fulled mitten, which by the way is super warm and great to wear in MN winters while waiting for the bus! This could also be used as an oven mitt.
I have a great collection of mitten and sock pattern books that I love to page through and look at the designs. Sometimes I crave a small knitting project in color work but I don’t want to spend the time it takes to knit a pair of mittens or socks. . . so I came up with a great idea.
Fulled coasters in Fair Isle knitting!!
Knit and Fulled Coaster #7
Thinking that the fulling would prevent the dreaded stockinette roll I was sadly mistaken. Taking a different approach, I knit the second one starting with 3 stitches, increasing each side to approx 30 stitches wide, then decreasing each side down to three stitches. I ended up with a square coaster that didn’t roll. For some reason working the color pattern on the diagonal resulted in flat coasters! COOL!
I had odd amounts of 100% wool yarn from Gale Woods Farm that worked out great; the worsted weight worked up really fast, the wool fulled easily and I could use up my odd amounts. I knit these on size 9 needles and fulled them in the washing machine.
It was a little tricky changing the orientation of the designs. If the design was set in a diamond already it was easy to knit the Fair Isle and work the increases and decreases without worry. But a few of these I had to rechart to keep my place while knitting and shaping.
It was also a fun way to see how the pattern looks when different colors became the foreground or background.
These coasters are the same design but the colors are reversed.
I’m going to remember this. Next time I knit a big project using color work, I will first knit a few coasters while experimenting with the color.
I started a new line of items for needlefelting surface design. These mitts are hand knit and then fulled in the washer.
They knit up quickly and then we’re onto the fun of needlefelting!!
I was lucky enough to work with some Make A Wish children. . . we decorated hats to sell at the fundraising ball and auction for the Make A Wish Foundation. Hope they brought in lots of dough!!
I’m desperately low on my felted caps and I have two big parties coming up. . . so, I thought I’d spread the wealth and hire/teach my niece Hannah to operate a knitting machine. She did very well and is on her way to being very productive. Thank goodness!
I finally did it! I set up a store on Etsy to sell my felted hats.
For the past 3 years I have been holding needlefelting workshops, well I call them parties, to which I bring felted hats and scarves plus all the supplies needed for needlefelting. When I first started doing these parties very few people knew what needlefelting was, but it is becoming more and more popular. To see some of the hats I have decorated with needlefelting see my other post under needlefelting.
Now, my felted hats are available to you on line. So far I have only put up one color. (My goal is to get a different color felted hat that is in stock on line every day. A bit of an ambitious goal me thinks.) They fit young adults through adult size heads. I am experimenting with child sizes but it may be a while before I get those up there. And child sizes aren’t all THAT different from our adult heads. Who knows how old one is before their head is the size it will be for the rest of their life?
It’s a perfect day for knitting. . . too bad I won’t get to it until later this evening. (and then I’ll be taking pictures of felted hats to get on Etsy)
Tomorrow night at the 331 Club some friends of mine are playing at 7pm; the Ditch Lilies – an all girl honky tonk band. I have tap class from 7:30 to 9pm but will be at the club after that. See you there?
