Introducing the Kitty Hat

 I always swore I had no interest in designing my own knitting patterns, but the urge seems to be creeping up on me. Meet the Kitty Hat:

What do you think? Can you tell that the pink faces are supposed to be cat faces? I think they look more like mouse faces, but that fits the cat theme, too, I think.

The hat is knit from Berroco Vintage, which was left over from The Favourite Things Cowl and the patterns are from a variety of sources, but mostly Mary Jane Muckelstone's books. The cat is from her 150 Scandinavian Motifs book.

The hardest part was figuring out the right number of stitches to cast on and what size needles to use. The hat is wearable but the slouchy top is not exactly right, so I'm working on a second hat, but this one features sheep. I am hoping to come up with at least one hat design that I can release as a free pattern this summer.

I made up this hat as I went along, which was even more fun that watching self-patterning sock yarn play out. This is the thing about knitting; it has endless, fascinating variations!

First Spring Photo

It was a weekend of retreats -- but very little knitting.

On Saturday I drove up to Wisconsin Dells for a writing retreat. About 20 of us gathered at a nature camp and we both hiked and wrote outside. For the first time since fall, the sun's warmth promised that winter is over.  I love views like this one where you can see the last vestiges of winter floating down the Wisconsin River.

Why is it that you can drive 45 miles away from your home and it feels like you've entered a different world?

This morning I drove back to participate in a seminar connecting mindfulness with the Jewish tradition. For the first time, I ate an entire meal mindfully, meaning we ate in silence and concentrated on every bite. I was actually one of the slowest eaters. This was unexpected as I usually inhale my food. I wouldn't want to do it all the time, but it was an amazing experience. A simple egg salad, that would barely notice at a typical meal, turns out to contain a multitude of flavors and textures.

I hope you had an enriching weekend and are ready to face the week!

Finished If Unseasonable

My Favourite Things Infinity Scarf is finished!

Just in time for beautiful warm weather!

Oh well, it gives me something to look forward to next winter. I will share details after it is done blocking and I can get some close-ups of the motifs.

I'm heading into a day of teacher training, followed by a hectic weekend: A retreat for the writing program I participated in last year and then a day-long seminar on Torah and mindfulness on Sunday. I am a bit worried about having no downtime, but I can't imagine passing up either one of these opportunities.

What is on tap for your weekend?

Not Tired of It Yet

I've been nibbling away at the Quicksilver shawl I started back in January at the Sun Valley retreat and I am enjoying every stitich:

I love how the ivory sections contrast with the pink stripes. When I started this project, the directions seemed so complicated, but they are well-written and now the entire pattern makes sense to me. I think it will be great as a summer shawl -- one for air conditioning and evenings.

 

I decided against going to Knitting Guild last night, even though it's always good. In my own reading and on NPR, I've been encountering a lot of information about how harmful a lack of sleep is. Too little sleep contributes to weight gain, irritability, inflexibily -- all things I want to avoid!  As someone who has to start work by 7:20 a.m. (at the latest!), I struggle to get enough sleep. I really need to be in bed by 8 or 8:30, but it's hard to do that and also have a social life!

 

So, I went home, had a bowl of soup, and got into bed with a novel I've been wanting to read, The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt. Before long I was drifting off. I must do this more often.

 

Join me in Keep Calm Craft On with Nicole.

Two I Recommend

I've read two books recently that I highly recommend. The first is an adult dystopian novel that did not receive the attention it deserved when it came out last year, but was a favorite of many reviewers. In general, I've had my fill of dystopian novels, but any genre can be good if the writer makes it so.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is set in a future American where the population has been ravaged by a worldwide flu epidemic. Spanning two decades, beginning with the day the epidemic hits the Midwest, the book centers on a ragtag group of Shakespearean actors and symphony musicians that travel the Midwest, performing the the little settlements that have survived.

It is one of the less-grim dystopian novels that I've come across, and I appreciated that. The intricate plot kept me turning pages, and the characters are so vivid that you miss them after you read the last page.  The book also raises philosophical issues about art and history and change that merit contemplating. One of the central themes dances around this quotation from an episode of Star Trek: Voyager: “Survival is insufficient."

The One and Only Ivan is based on the real-life story of a Silverback Gorilla who lived at a shopping mall. I generally hate books that personify animals, but this one -- written for children -- presents  very believable voices for Ivan, the gorilla, and the other animals who live in this small zoo.

One of my students recommended this book, and I'm so glad I took him up on it. I hear that it is a very popular read-aloud in elementary schools, and I can see why. The story deals with big issues -- treatment of animals, how children are affected by the parents' economic situations -- very gently. And it is a good old-fashioned read!

To Buy Or Not To Buy?

This is always the question for me when a new knitting book comes out. I pretty much fall in love with all of them at first sight, so I find myself puzzling over this question far too often. But this one didn't require too much thinking:

I saw it at last month's Knit-In and I knew I was going to cave for a few reasons: The patterns are gorgeous; they are all worsted weight, which I am loving these days for its quick-to-knit-up quality; and the patterns look very well-written.  Besides, I like to buy from the sellers who come to events and sit at their booths for a couple days!

I even picked out the first pattern that I want to knit and bought the yarn (again from a booth!):

However, first I am determined to finish the pink shawl that I've already started. Yes, I do have an insatiable love of pink, especially deep, magenta-ish pinks. Really, a girl can't have too many pink shawls. (Although, I suppose I could gift one of them. Maybe.)

I'm in a mood to indulge myself, though, as I got some very, very good news yesterday. A year ago, a scan revealed a nodule on one of my lungs that could have been cancerous -- but was too small to be diagnosed. A scan this week shows that the nodule is gone!

At the same time, it's also been a sobering week. My husband was diagnosed with hypertension. One of my brothers diagnosed with a heart condition that isn't really treatable and can cause heart attacks; and the husband of one of my childhood friends died unexpectly in his mid-50s.

This is where I wonder if I shouldn't work less and spend more time with people. Given the declining funding for for education, that's easier said than done as we are being told to do more with less. Still, I know I need to achieve a better balance in my life.

It's Almost Done, She Said Sheepishly

My Favourite Things Cowl is done except for the blocking! I love, love, love it! I need to block it and shoot some decent photos but I do want to share one of my favorite designs:

I adapted the sheep from a design I found somewhere (details to come with the FO post). I am quite happy with how they came out and inspired to adapt and make more of my own motifs.

If you are tempted to knit this cowl, do heed the warnings about how heavy the cowl is. You cast on 72 stitches and knit in the round for 5 feet -- in worsted weight! I suspect I'll mostly be wearing this outdoors. I guess that may be the one reason to enjoy the long winter we are experiencing here in Wisconsin; one to five inches of snow expected here today with temperatures plunging back into the single digits tomorrow!

Another good thing about this weather: I have a lot of work to do before the school year ends so I'm going to try to put in some long days before the weather improves!

Join me in Keep Calm Craft On with Nicole today!

FO: A Day Late

I took this FO photo a few days ago:

It's the Leaves and Vines Beret from Vogue Knitting, which is possibly the best hat pattern ever, in Sun Valley Fiber yarn.

If I could drag myself out of bed, I'd find the ball band so I could share the colorway. But I'm not ready to to get out of bed.

It's a bummer to be sick because a year ago today Keith and I were married at the state Capitol. I had planned on celebrating by returning to the Capitol today for a protest against our governor's plans to make Wisconsin a Right to Work state, but I definitely am not up to braving single-digit temperatures.

Sick or not, I am very happy to have found my soulmate and to simply spend the day here at home with him, safe and warm -- and sneezy!

In Bed By 4 PM

If I am in bed by 4 p.m., it can only mean one thing: I'm sick. I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say that sneezing and Kleenex are involved.

So, I have a cup of hot herbal tea and a few minutes to comment on After I'm Gone by Laura Lippman. Lippman is one of the few suspense writers I can stand to read. She's quite a good writer. And while this isn't her very best, it is quite a good read. The story centers around the women left behind when a husband and father disappears. I have to admit that I'm sucker for stories that involve people disappearing. The story is engrossing and the ending surprised me. I recommend it when you want something gripping but not too heavy.

The book inspired me to try to track down a kid I knew as a teen. Greg Kammer is one of those people who disappeared into nowhere in 1985 and again in 1990. Presumably, he's out there living under a third identity. As far as I could tell, no one knows where he is now. Greg was a quiet guy, kind of a teddy-bear build, sweet. He left behind good jobs, romantic relationships, and huge business debts. I hope that he has found peace wherever he is.

Brioche Isn't That Hard

At this past weekend's Knit-In, I took a class in Brioche knitting. I have long wanted to learn how to do the Brioche Stitch. When Nancy Marchant came out with her beautiful book, Knitting Brioche, I checked it out of the library and perused it. It is a beautiful book with clear illustrations and directions, but I was still intimidated. So I jumped at the chance to take a half-day class with Elizabeth Prose.

And it was totally worth it. I love YouTube videos as much as anyone, but I still learn best from a teacher who is right there. Elizabeth did a great job, and I was off and running right away. As you can see, we learned to knit in the round, which I love.

She had us start a cowl, and mine was coming along quite well. But then, this morning, I made a mistake and didn't notice for a few rows. It was the kind of mistake that cannot be ignored. Elizabeth had warned us to watch our knitting because it's not easy to fix Brioche mistakes. I decided to frog mine and start again with softer yarn. For practice, I had used Encore, which is a great workhorse yarn. But, I'm very fussy about wool that touches my neck, so I'm going to have to pick up something extra soft. The amazing thing is that I don't have two good contrasting colors in my stash!

I'm linking up with Nicole at Frontier Dreams.