Should Be Knitting

It's been feeling a bit chilly around here the last couple of days. If it wasn't August I'd assume fall had come early. I hadn't meant for the last couple of days to come together into a sort of celebration of autumn but they have.

Winter's Bones: Watch the trailer then go watch the movie. There's not much more to say about it than that.

photo from myrecipes.com

Pumpkin Pie: I can't think of a food that screams fall more than pumpkin pie (excluding turkey and the fixings of course). I baked up a pie using coconut milk as a dairy replacement. I wasn't disappointed.

Mrs. Darcy Cardigan: (Rav Link) There really is no reason for my obsession with this sweater, but I need one in my life. Granted I've been saying that forever and still haven't knit one. I should change that...

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It's been rather hot here for what feels like forever. I've recently caught up on Criminal Minds (and started a shrug) so I was in need of something else to do. I ended up making this little guy for a friend. He's an incredibly quick knit. The Rav pattern is here.

Wordless Wednesday - July 13th

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A Couple of Old Projects

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Sometimes I think I should rename this blog and turn it into a cat appreciation page but then I come across old project photos or pick up a pair of needles and remember why it is I love documenting my work; there's something magical about turning yarn into something so useful and beautiful.

A simple single crochet stripped scarf:

My first go at a Hermione Hat. The yarn was a horrible choice for this project. I ended up frogging it and turning the yarn into a pair of arm warmers. More on the arm warmers and the finished Hermione Hat in another post.

Wordless Wednesday- June 29th

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Wordless Wednesday

Kate’s Subarctic Hat

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I get a little excited when my favorite shows have knitted items. OK, maybe excited is a bit of an understatement. If it’s there I have to have it. So, when I can’t find a pattern I make one.

Kate’s Subarctic Hat
Size:

Standard women’s hat (21 inches)
For a larger/smaller size I would (because I’m an authenticity nut) adjust your gauge. Adding or removing pattern repeats also works

Materials:
Size 7 (US) circular needle or dpn’s
Size F crochet hook
Waste yarn or second circular needle

Gauge:
4.25 st/in or 17st/4 in

Yarn Used:
Red Heart Super Saver Solid in orange, black and white. Any worsted weight yarn with the appropriate gauge would work. I prefer the Caron of the three I used.

Pattern:

Earflap (make 2):
Cast on 4 stitches in orange (MC)
Row 1: Purl

All even rows: m1, knit to end, m1
All odd rows: purl

End after the purl row with 22 stitches
Transfer the earflaps to waste yarn or another circular needle

Hat:
In orange (MC) cast on 26 stitches, knit on earflap, cast on 22 stitches, and knit on second earflap (92 stitches)
Knit 8 rows
Knit according to chart

Crown Decrease:
[Note: The original hat has no knitted decreases, instead the top is sewn closed. If you would prefer to do this for your hat, continue knitting in stockinette stitch for several inches. Then bindoff, sew the top of the tube shut, fold in the corners and sew them in place.]

(In black (CC2))
Row 1: K35, k2tog, K41, k2tog, K12 (90 st)
Row 3: *K8, k2tog* around (81 st)
Row 5: *K7, k2tog* around (72 st)
Row 7: *K6, k2tog* around (63 st)
Row 9: *K5, k2tog* around (54 st)
Row 11: *K4, k2tog* around (45 st)
Row 13: *K3, k2tog* around (36 st)
Row 15: *K2, k2tog* around (27st)
Row 17: *K1, k2tog* around (18 st)

All even rows: Knit

Row 19: *k2tog* around (9 st)
Row 20: k2tog 4 times, k1 (5 st)

Cut thread and draw through remaining 5 stitches

Finishing:
Weave in ends.
Single crochet around the edge of the hat and earflaps.

Cut 12 32” lengths of orange yarn (MC)
Fold 6 lengths in half and pull the center of each length through the stitches at the bottom of the earflap. Thread the ends of the yarn through the loop this creates and tighten.
Braid (four strands of yarn in each section) until 5” long.
Tie the end of one piece of yarn around the end of the braid. Do the same with a piece of yarn from the opposite side of the braid. Trim the fringe.

Enjoy!

Adele:: 21

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::Adele:: 21

Tumblr // YouTube // Website // Facebook

About the Album:

This is Adele's second album although the first one I got my hands on. The only things more awesome than the songs on the album is are the live performances plastered all over the internet. The only complaint I have about the album is that in order to listen to it properly you have to crank the volume all the way up. All the way.

First Encounter:

It's hard to tell anymore who's fault it is that I got addicted. It all started with Rolling in the Deep. I'd heard a couple of her other songs before that but hadn't paid much attention (I was clearly insane).

Favorite Songs:

This really is not a fair assessment as every single song blows my mind. That being said I tried to pick out the best fits for the next couple of sections.

Set Fire To The Rain- 'Rumor Has It' may have been my first favorite off the album but this song- I have such a soft spot for piano which I know doesn't help. There's something so incredibly powerful about the lyrics and the chorus is beyond amazing. It had almost 300 plays in less than a (musicless finals) week. It would have more but it's the only part of my reward system that seems to actually motivate me to do anything.

Turning Tables- It still surprises me how soft this song is given how powerful it is emotionally.

Rumor Has It- Fun, catchy, upbeat. You can really dig into his one and have a good time.

He Won't Go- This is my kind of love song. It's not Disney fluffy. It's real, it's all hardship and devotion. I love it.

Least Favorites:

HAHAHA that's funny.

Favorite Lyrics:

My hands, they were strong, but my knees were far too weak To stand in your arms without falling to your feet -Set Fire to the Rain

Under haunted skies I see you, ooh, Where love is lost, your ghost is found -Turning Tables

Other Songs:

From the enormous number of live performances I'd have to say I love I Just Want to Make Love to You most of all. Along with that, everything else on the album live or not. Seriously. Here's a song list. As for her first album, 19, here's a list of my favorites:

Make You Feel My Love

Chasing Pavements

Hometown Glory

My Same

I'm hoping to have an album review up soon because I've so much to say about a couple of those.

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Have no fear, I'm still here. That rhymed. Huh. Anyway, I'm still around just insanely busy with my last semester (hopefully) ever. I'm off to Maine for two weeks when finals are done. I'm hoping by the time I get back I'll be feeling a bit more chatty or at least be in the mood for posting photos. I've done quite a bit of crafting since I last posted so I have some catching up to do.

"Oh the grass is green Everywhere but under me"

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I haven't been feeling very chatty or very crafty lately. I have been working on stuff for some friends and am either waiting for official photos or am waiting to ship the gifts off before I can share. In fact this afternoon I have to put the finishing touches on a couple of things before I mail them tomorrow (I keep saying this so we'll see).

Tomorrow I also need to start another hedgehog. I swore I would give this pattern a break (the loop stitch it uses eventually turns me into whiny knitting girl because it's a bit slow and odd), but it's too cute and it's been requested by JB as a gift for someone. After that I'm back to trying to clear out my queue and backlog or WIPs (story of my life).

January was a bit of a book month which continued into this month. Currently I'm a quarter of the way through the Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes and half way through The Golden Compass. This had lead to a bit of a Sherlock kick and really hasn't helped my obsession with period fashion. I'm already planning out summer sewing projects that in no way involve my poor unsewed winter wardrobe or the two summer refashions I started last year.

I think the biggest thing is the rekindling of my farm!love. I can't stop thinking about spring and gardens, baby chicks and canning. I keep catching myself staring at the ceiling grinning like an idiot. It doesn't help I've recently picked my clarinet back up again. I've missed it so much, but all the practicing seems to be bringing out my dreamier side. Oops.