March 2008
Another batch of caps for cancer patients was finished by 9 March and dropped off on 13 March to The Wellness Community.
The brimmed hat is a new pattern for me, combining solid cotton yarn
(Lily Sugar'n Cream, 'Tea Rose") and variegated ribbon yarn (Lion Brand
Incredible, "City Lights"). This actually makes the ribbon yarn much
less frustrating than my previous attempts using it alone.
However, my gauge was a bit looser than the pattern called for, so it's
a tad oversized. It would fit nicely over a head scarf. I hope someone
decides it's the perfect spring pick-me-up.
The other six caps are all cotton, switching to the "Peaches &
Creme" brand which seems a bit softer but not as thick. Halfway through the second cap in the "Fiesta" color
(top right), I was most
annoyed to find that the third ball with the same dye lot number had the
order of the colors reversed! Not only that, but there was a knot in
the middle of the skein where it switched back to the other order!! I
was with my Stitch'n Bitch group when I discovered this - my apologies to them for blistering their ears.
When I finally calmed down, I devised a plan based on cutting my losses
depending on how far in the knot was. Rather than unwinding the whole
ball to find the knot, I started another cap and crocheted until I got
to the knot. At that point the new cap was smaller than the one I'd
been working on, so I switched back to that one and continued on with
the yarn now in the matching color sequence. The ball ran out before I
finished, so I picked up the yarn from the other partial cap,
unravelling it as I crocheted it into the almost-done cap, thereby
getting all the yarn in the right color sequence without wasting too
much time. Had the knot been further into the ball, I would have stuck
with the cap in the reversed color sequence, finishing it from the
outside of the ball and the previous cap start. OK, I probably totally
lost you by now...suffice it to say it was a good way to make the best
of a unpleasant situation.
15 March: I've been hauling the fourth Stitch'n Bitch afghan to our weekly meetings to show it off to everyone since I finished it in February.
So I'm happy to report that I had it with me when the super-speedy
crocheter who made the variegated blocks showed up. Here she is with
our lovely collaboration!
In posting photos of the afghan to the group's site, I noticed I hadn't
done my usual close-up of an interesting detail. This time I chose the
center block, which (you may recall)
she started and I finished. It's the perfect symbol of the
collaborative effort that brought this afghan to completion. Now to
figure out where to donate it...
I still had two balls of ribbon yarn, in the "Rainbow" colorway, so I
picked up some yellow cotton yarn, modified the pattern I mentioned
above to be smaller in diameter, and voila! The perfect Easter Bonnet!
Note that the ribbon yarn ran out before I finished, so I switched to
two strands of the cotton for the final rows. I thought that gave it a
distinctive look, especially paired with the crocheted flower. Maybe
I'll pin the flower on my lapel instead, to tie the colors to whatever
else I decide to wear. Then I'll wash it (to see whether it
really does soften up) and donate it in my next batch. If I can bear to give it away by then!
Now for a real challenge - turn some of that luscious hand-dyed wool into fancy enough items that they'll fetch a good price at an upcoming charity auction!
22 March: I've just found the perfect prop for
photographing the hats I've been crocheting. It's tough to get a good
photo while I'm wearing one. But today I bought a glass head at Pier 1
Imports - it's perfect! I'm now experimenting to see what
combination of light and settings and such work best. I'm so
thrilled, I may have to leave it sitting out with one of my favorite
hats on display. OK, I amuse easily...
Here she's modeling the wool cap I've created from that wonderful
hand-dyed yarn I mentioned earlier. I plan to donate it to a
charity auction raising money for The Wellness Community. What do you think? How much would
you be willing to bid? I may also add a scarf - we'll see.
And then I let her try on my Easter Bonnet, so I could get more of an
angle on it. I think she looks rather dashing, if I do say so myself.
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©2008 N. J. Taber
Last updated: 20 Apr 2008