Little Black Cat Hat

I guess putting all that WIP/UFO crap on the blog yesterday inspired me to finish something. I blog-shamed myself!

Name: Kat's Hat by Diana Foster

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino - 2 skeins

Needles: US 4 vintage DPNs

Notes: This hat has a crap ton of ends to weave in. And black yarn sucks for weaving in on the right side of the hat. I had to sit under a spot light to see the stitches so I could get a nice hidden yarn tail. Sheesh. That said, it is soooooo cute!

I used google eye buttons, and embroidered the rest on with left over sock yarn. The white is Louet Gems Pearl and the pink is Lana Grossa Meilenweit Cotton ringel. It took longer than it looks like it would. ( Not totally because I was stretching it out to avoid the shawl. really.) If I were to knit this again, I'd do the ear flaps first, with a provisional cast on, then cast on the brim, putting the ear flaps in as I went. I wouldn't save me any ends, really, but It would be less stitches to pick up.

The hardest part of this pattern is getting the ears and ear flaps and face straight and centered and even. Holy Crap. Maybe it is easier in a different color. Oddly, this is not what stalled my progress. Even all the finishing isn't what really ground this hat to a halt. The size is what did it.

Ok. I didn't really read the pattern before I started. I thought it was a baby hat. It is not. It is a "child's hat". I kept thinking, "this looks big for a baby" and "knit 6" before shaping the top? really?" But did I rip back? noooooo. I waited until I had the ears and the ear flaps finished before I tried it on. Guess what? It fits my absurdly small head, which is "child size". It's cute, but not my style.

So, last night I finished it up, still not knowing who I am going to give it to. I guess I'll put it in the gift pile!

PS. I did two rows on my shawl too. Progress is progress!

Blogging about.. well, not much at all

Summer is so weird around the Costumechick blog. I am not at work a whole lot - mostly because I need to use up my Vacation days, and my pirated (yes, still) Internet at home is spotty, at best. But I am trying to post when I am actually at work, and have time, since I have lots 'o crap to do because I'm not here much. It is a vicious cycle.

What I've been up to:

1.The Dahlia Darling sweater. I'm still love it, but am not working on it. I developed a rash. I stopped knitting it, just in case, and a week has gone by. My rash is gone. Could be a coincidence. I am going to finish a few other things, then pick it back up. If the rash comes back, I'll have to take evasive maneuvers.

2. Fountain Pen Shawl.

I pretty much hate it. I dislike the yarn and colorway, but I am on the last repeat, so I am finishing it anyway. It's hard to stay on top of it though. I can find a million better things to do. That said, I'm not frogging it. If I don't like it now, I'm not going to like it better later. Instead, I'll overdye it when I'm done, providing it looks as much like ass as I think it is going to.

3. Little Black Cat Hat. I cast this on in umm.... May? All it needs are eyes and ends woven in. How lame am I? You know, I could avoid the Fountain Shawl tonight and finish this.....

4. Mark's mittens. I forgot I even cast on for these until I looked at my Ravelry WIPS. Sad.

5.Cloverfield Shawl. I cast on for this in the fall for a play at work. We ended up not needing it, so I stopped working on it and put the project in my desk cubby at work. I keep looking at it and thinking "just finish it". At the same time, I know there are errors that I just fudged around since it was just a prop, and i think "rip the fucker out." Really, I'd just like my needles back.

6. Three sweaters of crappity crap. I have three (THREE) sweaters that I need to frog. One is done to the armpits, and I realize it is three sizes too big. One is done, but fits like ass. The last is Evad's mutton chop sleeve sweater of Doom. Seriously. It's been 4 years. Sad Sad Sad

7. Madame Defarge Socks.

Obviously, I have nothing else to knit, so I cast on for my Socktopia, July socks. The details will come later. Just know that it wasn't *all* Fountain Pen avoidance.

Whew. But you know, despite all of that, I did manage to cast on and complete two quick projects last week.

It's a hat and a scarf from some RAK yarn that I think is Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky. I still have a ball left, so I might make more some more quick hats. I don't know if they are a gift or for charity yet. We'll see!

Oh, and I heard that! I know I had lots of things OTN, but I didn't have any good movie knitting. My dahlia sweater was on Time Out, otherwise the ribbing on the front would have been perfect, I hadn't cast on the socks yet, and the rest are too complicated or involved, in some way, to do at the movies. I am practical, you see.