Startitis or a new hat, and my first attempt at a mitten...

I've started another hat, since I finished the Aran one. I am thinking of making another tam, but now am uncertain. See my 1x1 Rib is far too loose. I'd added a few extra stitches at the beginning and had hoped a section of ribbing would correct the issue, but it seems there will at least be elastic and perhaps felting in this hat's future.



I've also started with a mitten, in the same yarns. I've never knit one before, but the online patterns had too tight of a cuff, so I'm improving. I'm using Patons Merino Wool for the MC and using Bernet's Felting Wool for "thrums". I had each brand's Rosewood colorway, and used it in the cuff with the Patons, and am now using Brown for the mitten body, and am trying to decide if the thrums will be enough color challenge in the mitten itself, I've been thinking about making the back of the hand pink, and the palm brown but I think that might be easier knit separately rather than in the round....

Dance of Joy

Finished the Lion Wool-Ease Aran hat I started to go with the double ribbed thin scarf I'm still working on with it. The hat has a double rib on the beginning, and then stockinette, then I decided to double rib again at the top. :)

Size Matters

Size & shape of the needles really does matter.

For example, on the oversized charcoal scarf I'm using huge size 15 bamboo needles. And my hands are killing me by row 4. So I've been doing 4 rows at a time, so I get one pattern iteration each time.

With my hats, the size 4 16" circular Boye needle is okay. I think the needle is plastic, which is a bit odd, as the cable seems heavier than the points. But with working in such a small round seems to make my hands work differently, and I can only do a few rounds before my hands hurt in a different way. I got the Silverlume size 3, 16" and the needle is much longer and more comfortable, but the bends in the cable at the end of each needle bend so much I'm afraid they are going to break. It's much better than with the previous needles.


I also have a ribbed scarf on size 6 straight needles. But the ones I were using were so long it was excessive, and none of the local stores sell short size 6 needles - so I got a set of clover dpns and put point protectors on the ends, and it works wonderfully.