Baa-Ble Hat and Slip Slidding Along the Trail with Simcha

I'm late to the party but better late than never!  This is the Baa-ble hat that has become an iconic pattern for the online knitting community.  It's been many many years since I last saw a pattern that captured the hearts of so many knitters.  The last time that I recall this happening was in 2009 with the still and ever popular bakkus scarf, a pattern that I attribute to single handedly spawning a whole industry shift to the humble bumble garter stitch after knitters saw how amazing hand painted yarns looked in this stitch.  If you recall prior to the bakkus most shawls were knit in a lace pattern on a stockinette background.

But back to the Baa-ble hat! This is a very fun design with easy color work that works up quickly in a worsted yarn. Whether you are an experienced knitter or a novice with color work this is a pattern that you will enjoy knitting.  And with the cute sheep ringing the hat it will appeal to all age groups.

Many knitters have found this hat knits up very large and as I have a smallish noggin I decided to follow the downsize modifications recommended by Susan B. Anderson.  Except and only that I knit my hat brim differently.  Because not only it is important to me how a hat fits but also how it looks on.  I'm shallow that way.

If you live in an ultra cold environs you probably won't want to make my modification.  Unless you too care how your hat looks on. What I am referring to is the extra bulk that a hat brim adds that can be less than flattering when worn. Or maybe it's just not flattering on me.  In any event my modification for a less bulky hat brim is as follows:

Knit hat brim in a twisted double rib (i.e. k tbl, k tbl, p,p) for 1.5 inches or desired length and then knit the same length in plain stockinette instead of more ribbing.  You are now set up to begin following the regular pattern instructions.

This modification allows you to have a hat brim to keep your ears cozy without the additional bulk from a double layer of ribbing.  And I love love love how mine came out!

Particulars:  Baa-ble Hat (Ravelry download only), designed by Donna Smith and the official pattern for Shetland Wool Week (2015); US 7 and 8 needles; my yarn came in a kit purchased from Dyed in the Wool Yarn Co (worsted weight); 1 skein Thunder (50g); Cranky Crock (50g) bonehead (50g) and black (25g).  I followed the downsized instructions here as graciously provided by the amazing and very popular blogger Donna B. Anderson, with the addition of my hat brim modification as discussed above.  I also completed all the charted decreases as I wanted a bit of a slouch to my hat. This is a wonderful pattern and super fun hat to wear!  FYI the official pattern for Shetland Wool Week (2016) is the Crofthoose Hat (as of yet still a free pattern) by Ella Gordon (blogs as Textile Maker).

Other color work projects I have blogged include: Osbury Rock (scarf) and Hebe (hat) both of which are very wearable pieces and favorites of mine.

Incidentally I knit the Gaucho Vest that I am wearing in these pictures.  I am quite possibly the only person who ever knit this pattern which is a shame because it has been an amazing wardrobe piece (so easy to dress up or down) and I wear it all the time!

Slip Sliding Along the Trail with Simcha

I often talk about my hikes with Simcha but I rarely take you along with us.  So for a change here's a few pictures from a cold, wet and muddy day. In other words a perfect day for wearing a warm woolly Baa-ble Hat!

The sunrises in Topanga, California are gorgeous in the winter months when the air is clear from all the wind and rain. The sun rises over the city of Los Angeles and looks different every morning as sometimes the city buildings are standing tall in the distance and other times obscured by a layer of fog and clouds.

Even though we live relatively close to the city we are in a very rural environment and the hiking is beautiful.  But you have to know where you are going because the trails are extremely muddy during the winter and Simcha and I have discovered that only too often!

But sometimes it's good for the soul to hike in the mud and just get down and dirty and frankly just can't be avoided. Simcha and I have been on trails where my shoes have been so heavily caked in mud that my feet practical come out of my shoes with each step.  When that happens I just clump clump along until I come to a rock where I can scrape some off some of the mud.  Other times the trail can be so slick with mud I just hope that I don't skid off the trail and land splat on my butt.

Simcha on the other hand is never troubled by the mud. That is until he hears the word bath.

Until next time be well and love well and get out and experience this wonderful wet winter season!  Perhaps in your own Baa-ble Hat.

Amstel Hat and Hiking in Topanga

This is the Amstel Hat from the Fall 2012 Interweave Knits magazine.  I love it and it's going to be perfect for all the outdoor hikes that I go on.  I have to be honest and say that might not have chosen to knit this hat if I hadn't seen it in person in a LYS.  Some projects are like that.  They don't look all that wonderful in a magazine picture but are fabulous in person, probably because in a picture you can't really see the great texture or experience the tactile appeal.  As I don't have much to say about this project (other than I love it) instead I'm going to share a little about the hikes that Simcha and I take here in Topanga, California which is one reason why I need all the hats, mittens, and shawls that I'm constantly knitting.  

Particulars:  Amstel Hat designed by Kelbourne Woolens and published in (Interweave Knits Fall 2012); 2 skeins Road to China (The Fiber Company);  I made the following modifications to the pattern: 1)  I used the disappearing loop CO from techKnitting; 2) I used a twisted K rib for the brim; 3) I completed the pattern design twice and eliminated the final rows of pattern; 4) After completing the final row of patterning I purled a round and made the recommended decreases on that round with P2Together stitch; and 5) I used Jenny’s Surprisingly Stretchy BO from Knitty.  Love this hat!!!!

The Misadventures of Claudia and Simcha ~

I think I've mentioned before that Simcha and I go out on a hike every morning and sometimes again in the afternoons as well.   We both love being outdoors and we have tons of great trails all around us that we mostly have to ourselves.  Mostly.  We do share them with the local wildlife and that is primarily coyotes, deer and an occasional skunk.  

And, as can happen, the other evening when Simcha and I were out hiking I heard in the distance a pack of coyotes going crazy and yapping loudly.  I knew instantly that this was going to be too strong a temptation for Simcha to resist chase after them, which I obviously did not want him to do.  So I came up with a new command.  I call it the "Wait for Me" command and basically what you do is run after your dog calling out "Waaaaait for Meeee."  This should be interspersed with an occasional "I'mmmm Coming Tooooo."  Hopping up and down as if you have twisted your ankle adds a nice effect if combined with a sharp cry of pain for attention.  Thankfully the years of training and discipline have paid off because in the distance I could see Simcha turn his head to look back over his shoulder at me and then slow his pace as he waited for me to catch up.  Once I had his attention I picked up a stick and threw it for him to chase and thereby successfully diverted his attention away from the coyotes.  

I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to have a dog that is responsive to commands and is such a great hiking buddy.  He's been primarily trained to follow hand signals and I think that has fostered a strong bond that allows us the freedom to take the type of hikes that we do.  Which isn't saying that we don't have the occasional misadventure along the way. 

A Sweet Treat ~ Pumpkin Poppers

These fragrant pumpkin poppers are moist and spicy ~ a perfect Fall treat to enjoy with your coffee or tea.  I used the recipe from Domestically Speaking and modified it by using dark brown organic sugar (versus light brown) and whole milk versus low-fat.  I had tons of cinnamon sugar left over even when making less than the recipe called for.  I made my cinnamon sugar mix using 1/2 cup white sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.  As you can see in the picture I made some "poppers" and some small muffins.  If you don't have a mini muffin tin making small cupcake sized muffins is a great alternative you simply need to increase the cooking time.  I cooked my muffins approximately 22 minutes.  Instead of rolling mine in gobs of butter I melted 2 tablespoons of butter and applied that with a pastry brush and then liberally sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

Simcha really enjoyed these, judging from the four (4) muffins missing from my kitchen counter (paper included).  Other sweet pumpkin treats I've shared in the past are a pumpkin bread and a pumpkin chocolate  chip cake ~ both very yummy.

Until next time be well and love well and enjoy the colors, texture, and flavors of this season as we are fast approaching Winter!