Thursday, September 4, 2008

Hats and Small Dogs

I went into Anthropologie clothing store this past weekend thinking I'd snoop around for a design to inspire my knitting just like the talented Hilary at The Yarniad does (ya, right) only to find the cutest sweater jacket ever. Which I immediately bought.

In my defense to knit this sweater jacket would require US 0 needles (for the non-knitter that's a very tiny needle) and it might just possibly have taken me the rest of my life to complete. It was an easy call. Personally, I don't find instant gratification over-rated in the least. Plus I think it suits my newly completed flapper style hat - yeah!



As a self proclaimed "yarn sampler" (i.e. one who enjoys experimenting with different yarns) I like nothing more than to experience the various yarns available through independent vendors. I find it fascinating how yarn can take on so many different characteristics depending on how it is processed and type of fleece used. I like everything from the highly processed to the very rustic yarns.

The Lily Chapeau hat is a Morehouse Original design using their popular 3 ply merino which is what I would call a very rustic yarn and, I imagine, almost like handling an actual fleece (roving). I'm not sure why it's called a 3 ply as it sure looked like a single ply to me. There is little bits of vegetable matter included which I happen to like (in small doses). Opinion: A ruggedly soft yarn that I'll definately use again!


I know there is occasional grumblings out there that I don't knit more for children. Occasionally there's grumblings around here that I don't knit more for for small dogs. I know. I know. But, if you knit for children you won't be disappointed if you pop over to Denise at The Knitting Den (link is to her latest cute hat) or Tiennie at Tienne Knits (link is to one of her many children hats). Both of these knitters knit the cutest hats for children!


Specifications: Lily Chapeau design by in-house designer Evi Westmore. 2 skeins Morehouse Merino 3-Strand in contrasting colors (worsted weight, 140 yards per color). US 6 needles (circular and double pointed). Purchased as a kit directly from Morehouse Farm. The few pattern modifications I made - including how I dealt with the annoying jogging caused by making color changes when knitting in the round - are on my Ravelry page <link here.

Speaking of small dogs......
Sigh. I don't ask a lot. I only asked that Mr Puffy open and sort the mail while I was out. To then come back and find it just as I left it. Well. Such a disappointment.

And to think I had been considering increasing his allowance.

20 comments:

t does wool said...

naughty Mr. Puffy for not listening to mommy-dogs,kids,they're the same-a mind of their own:-)).Love the hat and the sweater...I say hooray for instant gratification-I've been known to partake now and again myself!

kasiaiscarly said...

ha! had our mail been on the ground like that with Zosia, we would have come back to indiscernible shreds of paper :)

Monika said...

You crack me up! :o) Sometimes I wonder why we DO keep them! :o)
Cute hat by the way!

Monika said...

Oh, I know - mayby Mr. Puffy is a procrastinator! He meant to do it, but you came home too early! ;o)

SissySees said...

What a great find!

I'm sure Mr Puffy has a great excuse for failing to sort the mail. Perhaps the mail carrier was late delivering it?

Bridget said...

I love both the sweater and the hat - and one of them you knit yourself, so that counts, right??

I'm curious as to why people think you should knit more for babies and children when you don't have any. I knit for new babies of close friends and family members, but otherwise that's it.

Poor Mr. Puffy - could he have been, ahem, "indisposed" and therefore not able to get to the mail???

Anonymous said...

I don't see you could stay mad at Mr. Puffy when he looks so cute and innocent sitting next to the mail. Surely, he had the best of intentions.

I love the hat, especially with the flower on the side. The jacket looks great on you; good find!

Denise said...

Awww, thanks for the mention :)
And I love your hat. Love the sweater too, you always look so nice in your photos.... and I just had a nice cup of Earl Grey (again) and wished you were here to join me.
I think I will be starting my cake probably end of Oct/beginning Nov. I only want to feed it for about a month!
Happy Weekend.
xxx

Denise said...

Oh, and Mr Puffy.... too cute!

Anonymous said...

Oh, but he's so cute!!!

You are too in your new duds! :)

Hilary said...

I was snooping around your Ravelry projects earlier this afternoon and came upon your fab new hat. My thoughts went something like, "Cute hat! Ooooh, cute sweater, too!" I should have known it was Anthro! I love the whole look.

P.S. You are very sweet to mention me like that. :)

Anonymous said...

Silly me. I forgot to say thanks for the nice mention and link to my blog! :) Thank you!

Anonymous said...

I love the hat! I may have to buy myself a kit. And, good bu on the sweater- sometimes you just need something you didn't make!

raining sheep said...

I am so with you on the sweater...that was a definite 'must buy item', I have only been to Anthropologie once, we don't have them in Calgary, but I am off to New York in a few weeks and will go. The hat is super cute, I love the fact that it has a flower. I love knitting with yarn from independent mills etc. There are a few here in Canada that are fabulous. My favorite is Hand Maiden...their cashmere is to die for.

Stephanie said...

Aww - he's adorable. How could you resist that face?

I';m adding you to my blog reader - just found your blog through Bridget's blog. :)

Anonymous said...

The hat looks great on you. I think it was very wise of you to purchase the jacket. It was instantly gratifying, plus it also means that you can knit many, many other things in the time it would take to knit a large project on US 0.

Poor Mr. Puffy, he looks very sorry for not performing his assigned tasks. You might want to still consider increasing his allowance. You never know what he might buy you:-).

amanda said...

Love the hat! And the sweater...I might have to stop into my local Antropologie :)

At least Puff doesn't EAT your mail. When we lived in the city, the mail carrier dropped the mail in the door through the slot, leaving it on the floor. Oscar used to take it upstairs and eat it, so we had to leave a basket outside for out mail. Sigh. (the gool ol' puppy days).

Windyridge said...

His expression is priceless. He almost looks guilty!

Ally Jay said...

Poor Mr Puffy, he knew that if he filed the mail for you it would be dog-eared and fit for nothing. He did you a favour really. Dog drool mail. Yuk.

Firefly Nights said...

I think Mr. Puffy is on strike because you haven't knitted him something.

I'd have bought the sweater jacket, too, but it definitely looks better on you than it would on me.