Kick The Bucket

Here's what I spent the last 24 hours making: The Felted Bucket Hat from Chic Knits.

It is still blocking- it was a really quick knit, and I will definitely be using this pattern again, depending on how this first one wears and stuff.

Here's what it looked like pre-felting:




I made a few modifications- added length and width for my huge head. Hopefully the brim will stiffen up once it dries- if not, I am going to have to either needle felt it or see what some steam blocking will do!

I used Patons wool, which is my fave for felting, and when it was time to toss it in the washer, just followed the directions and started checking after 5 minutes. The project probably took less than 20 minutes to felt while agitating in the washer. After experimenting with different combo's of plates and mixing bowls, I found a bowl the right circumference to shape the brim.

The color isn't my fave, but it is what I had on hand. I am thinking about jazzing up the finished product with a black grosgrain ribbon and maybe a buckle of some sort- we will see what I come up with!

Casting On....

Oh my flippin'...something.

I cast on for The Man's Slippers last night.

The base pattern is Keep Away Slippers, and they are felted slippers with needle felted thrums. I am probably going to add an extra layer of knit on the bottoms to give them some extra wear.

It wasn't until I looked at the pattern (I am bad about this) and it was kind of like deciding to make cookies? And then you open the fridge, and there's no butter. Or eggs. Because these slippers assume that you use Magic Loop or two circulars. And called for the Turkish cast-on.

First of all, I am Armenian, and a Turkish ANYTHING seems excessive. I have seen people raving about it, but didn't really want to accept that the Ottoman Empire may have ever done anything that made sense.

Secondly, I have tried the "socks on two circs" method, and I hated it. The fact tat I was using my Boye Interchangeables at that point may have something to do with it, but the technique pissed me off so flippin' much that I just ended up swearing a lot and throwing it into a corner.

Thirdly, I was already going to be doing "thrumming" and needle felting, and I have zero "thrumming" experience (I think I actually said WTF are THRUMS!??) , and very limited needle felting experience. Crizzap. How many damn techniques do I have to learn?!!!

But then I thought, "OK, beeyotch, you have been knitting for a few years now. You're not exactly a bad-ass mofo in knitting terms, but you can hold your own. So hug it out, suck it up, or whatever. Quit whining and learn some new stuff. What the hell are all those books for, anyway?"

Books schmooks. It was after 9PM. I turned to the Internet, and I found this Turkish Cast-On Tutorial. Bless you, Fluffy Knitter Deb! But my work was still not done, so I went and found a great video of someone doing the Magic Loop Cast-On. You do have to scroll down a bit on that one.

I took a good look at both, and they literally turned my brain inside out and double dutch jump roped with it. It was one of those things where I wasn't going to comprehend it, but I was going to have to try to do it anyway.

In the process of casting on and having it completely BLOW MY MIND, I realized that the instructions for the pattern called for me to cast on 9 sts, but the Turkish Cast-on can only really be used (according to the tutorial) to cast on even numbers. So I just threw caution to the wind and did 10. Holy macaroni! Seamless cast-on, Batman!

I couldn't stop knitting magic loop until I got to the part where all the increases for the toe stop. By God, that is some heady stuff!

I think I may get over my sock irritation and ACTUALLY knit a pair if I can use this method.

Who knew? It's called Magic Loop because it really is magical. No joke. I still don't exactly understand it, but I think I may be in love with it, in a sixth-grade kind of a way. Like I am going to be doodling "Mrs. Jenna Magic-Loop" all over my Trapper Keeper. In Sharpie.