Sunday, August 31, 2014

Honeycomb Hat and Simcha Hijinxs!

I'm so excited that it is almost fall!  For me fall begins the first day of September and lasts until Thanksgiving no matter what the Farmer's Almanac says and it's my favorite time of year.  With a Harvest Moon coming early this year (September 8, 2014) I'm sure that must be a sign of an early fall too.  To celebrate fall's early arrival and to kick off my fall knitting I chose the Tweedy Honeycomb hat.  Or rather the Tweedy Honeycomb"Toque" whatever that means.


Usually I select my knitting projects because there is something about the design that resonates with me.  With this hat the obvious appealing element is the honeycomb stitch and I do love my honeycomb.  Every morning I have a large slice of homemade bread toasted and slathered with honey and for a treat I'll splurge and add the actual honeycomb.  Not everyone likes to eat the honeycomb but I love it.  When I was a teenager my dad kept a hive and we all ate a ton of the honey and most of that was right  from the comb. He kept the hive on the side of our house and on a sunny afternoon when you stepped outside you could smell the warm honey wafting in the air.  I used to like watching the bees land and and trundle into the hive laden with pollen.  It was a sorry day for me when my Dad gave up keeping bees and although it was but a short time in my life the appeal of eating honey right from the comb has stuck.


Another reason that I look forward to fall is that the season awakens within me a desire to craft.  I think an apt analogy is "spring is to lovers as fall is to crafters." Snort.  Anyway, I always like to try different types of craft projects and this year I've been playing with watercolor paints.  I have no background whatsoever in painting or drawing which will be apparent.  But I've discovered that watercolors are a very forgiving medium and work well with stamping, drawing, and collages.  The small journal pictured below with my hat is made with watercolors used in combination with stamping.  I've actually found that my favorite medium is to sketch a picture and then paint it with watercolors and I'll be doing a lot of that in the coming months.  There's just an endless number of things that you can make and decorate with watercolor paints.


Particulars:  Tweedy Honeycomb Toque (free Ravelry pattern) by Kent Turman; US 6 and 9 needles; 2 skeins The Fiber Company - Terra; My only modifications were to a) increase the CO stitches to 88 (instead of just 80) b) twisted rib for 12 rounds; and c) I eliminated rows 24-27 of the chart because I prefer a more fitted toque.  Finished dimensions: 8.5" x 7."

For those interested in honeycomb, I've tried a variety of honeys and some are too sweet for my taste. If you don't like a super sweet honey you are best off with an organic honey or any local honey otherwise I suggest trying the sage honeycomb by Honey Pacifica that I find at Wholefoods. If you would like to decorate your own note journal I purchase small moleskine journals (sold in packs of 3) on Amazon.  Lastly, if you are interested in making your own bread, my post Easter SundayWrap has more about the recipe I follow.

  Simcha Hijinxs ~



Simcha looks so happy here because he is playing a game.  He has control over his ball which he thinks I want.  Therefore whenever I try and pick it up (to throw for him naturally) he will snatch it away at the last second.  He finds this game much more enjoyable than I do and he can play it endlessly.... 

Until next time be well and love well and enjoy an early start to your fall and all the crafts, colors and treats that go along with the season!

11 comments:

Tanya2 said...

You had me at Simcha hijinx :-) Your breakfast looks delicious and I hope to try an actual honeycomb someday. Love the hat - one of my favorite stitch patterns. Happy autumn!!!

Anonymous said...

Ooh, I love that toque, Claudia. Not sure if it's because of the honeycombs or the color pink! I think both. Thanks for ferreting out (this must be an animal post) a really good free one. And why is it that dogs ALWAYS want the game that is least interesting to humans. Luckily for Simcha, he is so handsome that he probably gets what he wants! (P.S. Was in your neck of the woods recently. I always hope one day I will run into you.) Chloe

Andi said...

Your Honeycomb hat is beautiful. Love your yarn selection.
Hah- Simcha is so fantastic!

Carolyn said...

I want to come to your house and eat all the lovely bread and honey ! Seriously though, another great post. love the hat

Claudia Bugh said...

Thanks you guys!!! I have the nicest readers. Yes, isn't it nice to find a great free pattern and this knits up super fast too as an extra bonus. Chloe you are so sweet to think of me. I've actually run into people in yarn shops that have recognized me and it really floors me lol Another time give me a little advance notice and maybe we can hook up some way :) Wishing you the best ~

SissySees said...

I like YOUR definition of fall! I'm ready to pack up my sleeveless stuff and sandals and pull out my sweaters and boots.

And maybe that hat is what I want to knit next?

I only eat local honey. My current favorite is very mild, and runny. I'm only slightly worried that I don't know the source... it's from a friend of the Knight's...

Mugsy liked Simcha's game too, as does Gretchen. She mostly plays it with the Knight and will "play nice" when I'm the human involved.

Anonymous said...

Oh, a yarn shop meeting would be great. Maybe next year, if I am able to get to L.A. again. Chloe

Claudia Bugh said...

Sounds wonderful Chloe! Let me know when you are in the area :)

Allie said...

Lovely new hat, Claudia! I think your watercolor looks amazing. Might have to try it myself, lol, although fabric is my favorite medium. Sounds like Simcha has you well-trained, lol!!!

Anonymous said...

Will do, Claudia! Chloe

Renee said...

How wonderful your father was a bee keeper for a time! We had a bee keeper around the block until recently and traded honey for plowing his snow. How I'm going to miss his honey that had a distinct apple blossom flavour from his small orchard.

Your toque is lovely! It's getting to be that time of year and I agree, with the harvest moon and change in the air the crafting mojo strikes strong. I'm going to the Knitters Fair in Kitchener this Saturday and hope to find some wonderful yarns and inspiration to start knitting again as well.

Hugs to you, Steve the awesome photographer of you and your knits, and of course handsome Mr. Simcha