A Pause for Some Knitting

I hesitate to post these because the whole thing seems so "granny" - not that that's a bad thing, except when you're a gay man. Actually, I was looking at these pictures and the phrase "gayer than a box of birds" came into my head. Oh well. What are you going to do?

I'm sort of addicted to small projects. I have a sweater on the needles, but it's at that stage where I'm in the middle and I can't really see the end of the tunnel yet. I like to finish stuff. Plus, my friend, Miranda had a baby right after I got some free yarn, so that was a perfect storm for making these baby bibs. I bought the buttons at a shop on the Albert Cuyp market.

Then I decided to make a little hat to send along with (and prove I can do something other than garter stitch squares) and I really like these cables, so I put a few ideas together and came up with this hat, which is "cute with a k," as we used to say - meaning "kute," meaning beyond just cute. It's so sweet that my teeth are rotting while I type this. The next paragraph will be devoted to the hat. Skip to the following paragraph if you're not interested in all the thought that went into the hat.

The basic construction of the hat is from Hey Julie's Cable Baby Hat. Julie's is even a variation on a theme. I used Elizabeth Zimmerman's Fishbone Pattern found in The Opinionated Knitter. I did some decreases similar to Julie's and then topped it off with a leaf. I got the idea of the leaf from Dagmar, who got the leaf pattern from Hinke. Put all together and what does it spell? Well...nothing, but that's how I made the hat. I like how the leaf pattern is mimicked at the top of the cable. Total accident. I'd write it up if I didn't feel like I was ripping off four people and breaking a copyright law in the process.

This yarn was €9,50 a ball. (Are you serious?) But it is amazingly soft. Did I tell you that someone told me that it's really the micro-fiber that makes things amazingly soft? It's not the cashmere, it's man-made polyester! And "mad props," as the kids are saying these days, to my camera (Canon EOS 450D). I love it. That and this defused Dutch lighting make for some great snaps.

I think I've got a pair of gloves in my future - a gift - and then I'll tackle that sweater. My goal is to wear the sweater before winter is over, but I just looked out the window and it seems like I've got a bit of time left.