Platformnine Designs

Fair warning: This post will be LONG.

Spinning
Ok, I mentioned in my last post that I would be experimenting with a spin project. I received this gorgeous painted roving from a friend. The roving is from Sunshine Yarns and was in the colorway Lockhart, which was beautiful! But not my style, SO I decided that I would card the roving on my drum carder to attempt to make a more heathered color.

The roving started like this:

Then I broke it into color sections, separating mostly blues/dark colors and mostly yellow/light colors. I carded the blue section first into a batt (the blue & white batt) and then I carded the yellow section (the yellow/blue batt) and then I blended those two batts together and put it through the carder about three or four times so that it was really smooth and fluffy! I ended up with a really nice color, lighter than what I was expecting, but I really like it!

I’m spinning it with a little less tension so that I can have less twist in my singles. This is giving me a “fluffier” yarn that does have a technical name that I don’t feel like looking up right now :) The test plies look really lovely though! Here’s how it’s spinning up so far:

Books: Intentional Spinner & Color in Spinning
I just got them! I found them both on sale on Amazon, so I splurged and got myself early Christmas presents hehehe! I haven’t gone through Intentional spinner in depth yet, but thumbing through it earlier I already found a few nifty tips that can improve my spinning! I love Color in Spinning, the color theory charts are awesome and the samples of the colorways in the book are really helpful!

Other spin projects and Knitting
I also just wound this into a cake for storage until I ply it. It’s my Rootbeer batt from Corgi Hill Farm! I finished 2oz before I left for Alaska, and I still have about 2oz to spin. It’s Merino/Silk/Firestar :D

I also carded up this gorgeous BFL/Kid Mohair/Mill Ends/Silk/Bamboo batt that spurred me to create my first spinner’s notecard! The card has a batt sample, plied fingering weight sample, and a tiny little knit sample. I also put my carding notes and fiber percentages/colors notes on my little note card. It’s really shiny and soft and silky, I’m so excited to spin it!

My friend Scott was having a bad day the other day, so I knit him The ‘Stache. He was thrilled and it looked really good on him! I also finished my mom’s Christmas present, a Butterfly Beret. It seemed to take forever to knit! But it turned out lovely. I steam blocked it, which may be my new favorite blocking method. I had a heart attack and a half when I was weaving in the ends because my weave in at the crown snapped and ripped back four or five rows! I cinched up really snugly the second time around. The only projects I have left to knit before Christmas are my two brothers’ hats, my Stepdad’s hat, a cowl for my mommom and a cowl for my aunt. Five projects left!

My holiday knits are coming along nicely, I’m about halfway done. I’m hoping that I’ll be done in time to make ornaments to use as tags on presents, buuuut I’m not sure if that’s happening or not.

This week I’ve been working on getting back into the “spin” of things. My fiber addiction is slowly creeping back up on me and my wheel has been calling my name. And why shouldn’t it, I haven’t touched spinning since I left for my Alaska trip! I have a SW Merino that I received as a gift that I’m itching to spin. It’s blue, silver, and gold roving that I want to spin into a heathered yarn. I’ll post some pictures because the way I’m doing it is sort of an experiment. But before I spin that I need to get my groove back, so today I’m carding a few baby batts to test spin (and to test card so that maybe I can finally re-open my etsy shop!!!!). I’m also finally, for the first time ever, going to knit with one of my own handspun. I have a yummy worsted merino/silk that I’m knitting into a gorgeous cowl. I haven’t started it yet, but it’s in the works.

For Christmas my mom got me the Hiya-Hiya interchangeable needle set I asked for and I was allowed to have them early!!!! I ADORE these needles! They’re soooo much better than the KP Options that I have. For one, A 16” CABLE!!!!! They are about an inch shorter than the KP needles, but that doesn’t really bother me since I mostly hold the needles in my fingertips. I LOVE that they have the size printed on the needle, because with KP I was always pulling out my needle gauge to figure out what size I was holding. When they become available I plan on buying the individual needle tips in some of the larger sizes so I can have a nice set. I’ve also ordered extra 16” cables because I knit 3 or 4 projects at a time, and I love me some hats.

My family and best friends and my boyfriend are taking a holiday ski trip the week before Christmas to the poconos. Just a weekend trip, but it’s going to be a blast! I’m planning on exchanging gifts there, so I’ve been working my tail off trying to get those projects finished first!

Today also marks the 6 month anniversary of the beginning of my weight loss journey. To day I’ve lost nearly 40lbs (1.5lbs away!) and I’m truly amazed at my hard work and how easy it was to change my lifestyle and eating habits. I’ve discovered that I actually love working out, those happy endorphins do exist! I’ve been feeling great and I can’t wait for the next 6 months to be that much closer to my goal!

Temporarily putting the pattern here until Rav stops giving me technical difficulties uploading the pdf!!! >:C

ETA: PDF issues fixed, download now available!

Materials:
Yarn: DK weight, Red Heart Sport
Solids in MC, CC1, and CC2
Needles: 7 DPNs or 7 16” circulars
Gauge: 6 rows and 5 stitches per inch
Note: Original hat knit to fit a small head, for larger heads, use worsted weight yarn and go up a needle size or two, follow * directions for larger sized hats. This project was designed as a quick knit for the holidays for last minute gift-givers! Also great for beginners and easily customizable!

Directions:
CO 100 stitches onto needles and join in the round, being careful not to twist stitches.
Work in K2, P2 ribbing in MC for 5 rows.
Switch to CC1 for 5 rows, continuing in K2, P2.
Switch to CC2 for 5 rows, continuing in K2, P2.
Switch to CC1 for 5 rows, continuing in K2, P2.

Return to main color for 5 rows, then repeat the CC stripe pattern once more.

If a smaller hat is desired, begin decreases in MC. If a larger hat is desired, knit in MC for 1”-2”, then begin decreases in MC.

Decreases:
Round 1: *K2, P2TOG, K2, P2* (repeat around)
Round 2: *K2, P1, K2, P2* (repeat around)
Round 3: *K2TOG, P1, K2, P2* (repeat around)
Round 4: *K1, P1, K2, P2TOG* (repeat around)
Round 5: *K2, P1, K2TOG, P1* (repeat around)
Round 6 & 7: *K2TOG* (repeat around)

13 stitches remain. Break yarn, leaving a 6” tail. Weave in all ends and wet block if desired.

This pattern is free, no profit is to be made from it unless permission is given by the author.

(C) 2009-2010 Mary Veterano, Platformnine Designs

Life’s a whirlwind, what can I say?

On the knitting front: Christmas projects are in full swing. My poor Little Lace Vest has been put aside, halfway finished, until I can get these Christmas knits out of the way. So far the status is 1/14 complete, sooo 1 down, 13 to go. I have 5 of those started - 2 hats, a little girl’s cropped vest, a cowl and a neck wrap. I’m halfway done the hats, through 1 out of the 2.5 lace repeats on the cowl, a third of the way through the vest, and have done 4 of the 15 lace repeats on the neck wrap. Sooo, Christmas knits are in good shape. Knits for me, on the other hand, are suffering from Christmas season lol.

On the school front: Arrgh, it’s the last week of this class and I have a rough draft and final paper to write and I Do. Not. Want. To. Do. Them. The next class block (which is the last block before I get a 2 week Christmas break :3) I FINALLY have an IT class annnnnd another god damn Com class :| This time it’s Business Communication for the IT Professional. Kill. Me.

On the boy front: We’re most definitely in love. Also, officially the longest serious relationship I’ve had.

On a new front: I don’t think I’ve mentioned yet, but I’ve made a lifestyle change for the healthy. So far I’ve lost 30lbs since June and I’m feeling super awesome. I’m back to the weight I was at in my senior year of high school and lately I’ve been confined to dresses and skirts because my clothes do not fit and I hate belts lol. In fact, last night I was running upstairs to get something and my pants fell down around my ankles!!!!! That’s definitely the point when you know you need pants.