Beantown Beanie

When working with the owner of my LYS to create the Railroad Track Full Mittens, we discussed making a hat with the leftover contrast color yarn.

I was inspired by the technique in Ysolda Teague's Ripley where you knit a strip and join it in the round to create the brim.  Then you pick up the stitches and create the top of the hat.  After consulting some stitch dictionaries, I came up with a combination that really pleased me.  It complimented the mittens but wasn't all matchy-matchy.

The name was my daughter's idea - I asked what we should call it and told her I'd like something alliterative to go with Beanie...hence Beantown Beanie.

I took the finished hat to the LYS and we have one staff member who has an unusually large head.  She tried it on and it flew right off her head as it was too small.  Back to the drawing board and time to write up a larger size.  I knew this one worked when she put the hat in her Ravelry queue the next day!

If you are a local and visit Iron Horse in Natick, MA, you can get this pattern for free with purchase of 2 skeins of worsted weight yarn and the mittens pattern.  Stop by and check out the knit up samples.

I am having foot surgery a week from today - bunionectomy.  That means 3 weeks on crutches, 2 of those weeks I can't drive (it's my accelerator foot).  It also means a lot of knitting...I am hoping my next design will be born during this time.

Labor of Love

My son has never let me knit him anything - in spite my asking a lot.  Same is true for my husband.  Must be a guy thing.  Anyway, I brought up the idea of a blanket for when my son goes to college and he agreed.  I consulted with him on color which was less than helpful - "Make it blue, Mom".  I consulted with him on a pattern - "Not too fancy, Mom".

I found the pattern Five College Blanket - I hate paying for patterns when I know I could easily design my own blanket but at the time I started this I needed someone else to think for me.  When I went to buy the bulky yarn they didn't have blue so I purchased worsted weight.  Then I ended up having to think as I had to add repeats of the pattern to make it bigger...so much for having someone else think for me.

I chose Berroco Vintage - it is washable and wonderfully soft and squishy for a blanket.  I cast on for this on February 20th and bound off last night.  I must admit this daunting project was back burnered a lot!

When I started my Iron Horse Block of the Month afghan for my daughter (college bound next year), both my husband and daughter looked at me in askance and questioned if I had finished my son's blanket.  I realized I couldn't put it off any longer and put myself into overdrive to finish it.

He's coming home tonight for the long weekend and this is blocking on his bed.  It should be dry by the time he gets home - he can take it back to school.  This truly was a labor of love and knit with lots of love.