S and her new hat

I finished S' hat :)  It only took a lazy 3 days to finish the hat.  I think it turned out well!  Here she is rocking her new hat.

In my last post I stated that I was worried about doing the decreases properly.  The pattern was a bit confusing, but I managed to figure it out while knitting it.  I think understanding the mock cable pattern and thinking a few rows ahead really helped me with the decreases.  Basically you are merging two mock cables in the decrease locations - once the cables have merged, you perform the decrease stitches in the next mock cable rows.  I contemplated not knitting the ear flaps and putting a pompom on top, but I really liked the idea of strings hanging from the side and wanted a hat that she could wear under her hooded coat.

After knitting the hat, I really wanted a pair of matching mitts.  I don't know what it is about having a matching hat and mitts makes it more complete.  Since there was not pattern available for mitts I thought I would just make it up myself.  I took my knowledge from the mittens I've knit in the past and came up with a pattern.  Here's the basics:

Mittens
Cast on 28 sts

Rounds 1-14: k2,p2 ribbing
Rounds 15-22: knit the same mock cable pattern as the hat

Thumb gusset:
Round 23: k1fb, k1fb, knit mock cable pattern
Round 24: k4, knit mock cable pattern
Round 25: k1fb, k2, k2fb knit mock cable pattern
Round 26: k6, knit mock cable pattern

Transfer 6 sts to a stitch holder, cast on 2 sts, then continue the mock cable pattern until about 1” from the top, then do 3 decreases (spaced out as evenly as possible) every other row until you get near the top, then k2tog until you’re left with 4-5 sts (I forgot how many).

For the thumb, pick up 4 sts from the top of the thumb hole, the continue to knit the 6 sts the off stitch holder. Knit in a round until desired length (I did 12 rows), then k2tog until there are 3 sts.

If you need the mitts bigger, the next size up would have to cast on 32sts (multiples of 4) and for the do 4 decreases spaced evenly.

I absolutely love the mitts with the hat :)  So happy with them!

After a long hiatus... I'm back (hopefully!)

I have to stop doing this - It's been a while huh?

I went through a bit of a transition the past several months.  I lost my job back in February, and I went through a bit of a slump, so being motivated to do anything but look after S was a bit difficult for me.  But after some time off, and a much-needed vacation out west (it's amazing what looking mountains for a couple of weeks can do to brighten your mood).

Even though I haven't touched this blog, it doesn't mean I haven't been knitting :)  So I have a lot of catching up to do :)

So since it is getting colder, I am looking at knitting S a hat.  I've decided on the Double Rib Toddler Hat pattern I found on Ravelry.  I like the fact that it has ear flaps, so it will keep S' ears warm.  I bought a skein of Cascade 220 in a pink/purple colour from my local yarn shop.  Funny thing is, right after I bought that yarn I went to the grocery store, where I found a nice hat/mitten set and bought it for S :) 2 winter hats is not excessive, right?

I'm knitting it with the mock cable. This is what I've done so far (just started today):

I'm a little worried I can do the decreases at the top of the hat properly, as the pattern gets a bit confusing with the mock cable.  I just hope I figure it out as I'm knitting it :)