Hats, Socks, and Bugs

A couple weeks ago after coming back from the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair, I found myself in a local yarn shop just browsing for yarn.  I came across a beautiful purple (of course) yarn with multiple textures and colors in it.  In some places it’s as thing as a dk weight yarn, and in others it’s very chunky.  I didn’t realize this until I got home and started knitting with it, but it seemed to work out.  It also has gold and red undertones in it, which look great outside.

I decided to use this purple yarn to knit my first hat.  Finding a pattern for the hat was difficult enough, since I don’t really wear hats, and wasn’t sure what I wanted.  I settled for a slouchy style hat, since it would be a bit looser to wear and looked like it didn’t have many details.  I opted not to make the striped part of this pattern as my yarn changed colors subtly without having to change out my yarn.

Surprisingly I finished the hat today (I thought it would take much longer), and I’m extremely happy with the result.  Gizmo is modeling it for you in this picture.  I’ll be keeping an eye out for more yarn to make a similar hat, although I really need to make an effort to stay away from purple.

Another project I’ve been wanting to tackle is amigurumi.  I had received a couple crochet books last year for Christmas, but have struggled with getting the hang of it, as I’m not an expert at crocheting.  I’ve read that it’s suggested to use wool yarn when making these small objects because it stretches a little more and is a bit more forgiving than acrylic or cotton, but until recently I’ve stayed far away from wool.  It wasn’t until this week that I came across a new amigurumi knitting book, Knitting Mochimochi, which has some seriously cute amigurumi knits, better than any other book I’ve found out there.  In the book there’s a pattern for “Bite-Free Bed Bugs.”  They had a pretty easy design and used techniques I already knew, so I decided to tackle it first.  From start to finish it took around 1 – 2 hours of work, which isn’t bad for starters.  This little guy also has a knit night cap with stars embroidered on it to keep him warm while he’s sleeping.  It’s apparent that this is my first amigurumi knit, however with practice I’m sure they’ll improve.  To anyone looking to knit amigurumi, I strongly recommend this book over the others that are out there.  Here’s a link to Mochimochi Land, the author’s site dedicated to her knitting of tiny creatures and objects.

Last, but not least, I’ve been on a missing to find sock yarn.  I haven’t knit socks yet, but I want to make something cozy I can wear around the house in the winter, not something practical to wear with shoes.  While at my LYS this afternoon I came across some light purple yarn that I think will be perfect.  I haven’t picked out a pattern yet, but I have a feeling this may be my next “big” project.  The lady at the yarn store had a chart which determines how much of whatever weight yarn you’re using you would need to knit a pair of socks, which was really helpful, since this is new to me.  I chose to use a thicker yarn (as opposed to a fingering weight yarn typically used for socks) for a couple reasons – the socks will be completed sooner with a heavier yarn, granted this yarn isn’t even worsted weight.  Also, a thicker yarn seems like it’ll make a softer sock, more along the lines of cozy rather than practical.  I’ll update once I start making them.  Wish me luck!