I *finally* finished this hat!! This has basically been my one and only WIP for the last few months but between wrist pain and daily life I haven’t had much actual time or urge to knit even though I REALLY wanted to wear this hat. I’m sad that I don’t have more time to wear it now that its finished because we’re sort of on the verge of spring here in GA… though I am sick to death of the cold.
As soon as Woolly Wormhead released this pattern I knew it was what I wanted to use this gorgeous skein of Malabrigo (colorway: purple mystery) which I got for my birthday from a friend who knows of my love of all things purple & Malabrigo. I cast on in November and the project sort of got worked a few rows here and there as I had the urge. I have to admit that life here at Mouse House has been chaotic and unbalanced since we moved last summer that I haven’t really had too much of an urge to knit.
I love this pattern and the charts (boy, I never thought I would say that…) that go with it… making the pattern and construction very obvious. As with a lot of WW’s other hat patterns, the Marina hat is also knit sideways and grafted at the end with a kitchner stitch. I probably overdid it in the push to get this finished last night and was a little brain dead when I got to the kitchner instructions because I mangled it pretty badly. This is NOT to say that WW’s instructions sucked.. because they didn’t (the in-pattern tutorial had both writing and photos) – I did one of those famous moves where you do what you THINK it says.. not what it really says to do. Once I stopped doing MY interpretation of the directions it went rather smoothly and I don’t think anyone will noticed the half-assed graft job because of the drop stitches.
Pattern: Marina Hat by Woolly Wormhead
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted (purple mystery) -less than 1 skein (Ravelry says 164 yds & 74/100g)
Needles: size 7 bamboo straight needles
Mods: none unless you count my ‘creative’ kitchnering.
more animals
OMG.. this is so me.
Today was my friend Lady Deathwatch‘s first annual Thankfulness Tea Party over at her blog.. and since I LOVE tea.. I told her that I would participate. I was originally going to get all dressed up in my Victorian Gothic clothes and set out a pretty tea party spread (like Black Crow did..) but hubby woke up this morning with a craving for IHOP** and we hit the road for breakfast & a trip to Target for me to look at clothing*. I did get back in time to make myself a nice pot of homemade spiced chai ( I prefer regular old teabag black tea and Lakshmi brand tea masala from the Indian grocery) with my pretty blue tea set & one of my favorite mugs before Munchkin came home from MIL’s house hopped up on WAY too much sugar. I have to post some photos of my hair soon.. which is becoming an interesting work in progress. The pinkish strand you see in the photo is part of the handspun yarn dreads which are in my hair.. I’m taking a style cue from photos on a friend’s blog of her very cool daughter with different colored roving in her hair & bright eye makeup.
*Dude.. I struck out BIG TIME at Target. Everything I liked was in the wrong sizes or the wrong colors. I’m going to hit another Target sometime in the next week or two (hubby willing that is..) because I found the cutest a-line swing tops with little buttons but they only had a strange teal color left.
** this link doesn’t go anywhere if you click on it but if you mouse over them.. they say things. Think of it as footnotes.. or obnoxious pop-up commentary. I’m trying to get away from wanting to use parentheses every 6 words but I’m not sure if this is any less annoying..
It was beautiful here in GA yesterday and I was able to hang out a bunch of laundry to dry. I realized after I hung them out that my collection of socks in this load of laundry were rather interesting.. I’m sure the neighbors were wondering why I was outside taking photos of my socks!
This just in : General Beauregard Lee (the Southern “official weather groundhog”) and Pennsylvania’s own Punxsutawney Phil (the official.. official groundhog- with a website!) have totally clashed on their forecasts. The South will apparently have an Early Spring while the North is screwed with 6 more weeks of Winter. In between? Fire, brimstone, and locusts of course!
According to Channel 11 news in Atlanta, no official records of the Southern groundhog’s predictions have been kept but his only ‘miss’ was when he called for an early spring right before the infamous “Blizzard of ’93″. Doh!
She Walks In Beauty :by Lord Byron
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.
And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
A thank you to Mogs Blog for hosting this year’s poetry slam. If you participate, please leave her a comment so that we can create a “poetry web”. This is my 4th year participating in the poetry slam.. I look forward to it every year.
♥♥♥♥ Also, as it is every year.. today is my wedding anniversary. This year it will be 11 years of having to say:
“yes.. we got married on February 2nd. Yes.. I DO realize (I realize it NOW.. I had no idea until someone pointed it out.. ) that it is Groundhog’s Day. Its also Imbolc – a pagan holiday and celebration of the Goddess Brigid. ::: insert blank look and glazed eyes here:::: Yes, I know – Groundhog’s Day.. hahahahaha. Shut up.”
