Hipster Hat and on the Trail with Simcha

Winter is a time to embrace the quiet that comes with the colder weather and shorter days.  Everything slows down after the holidays and winter takes hold.  There are also hot cups of coffee in the morning that taste better when it's cold outside; the getting bundled up for walks and returning to a warm cozy house; and the long evenings to spend reading or knitting. All of these activities lend themselves to quiet contemplation and being at peace with silence which is when we are best able to apprehend and know our true self.  And all these activities are even more fun when wearing a new hat!

In this post I'm wearing my new Ripley hat which is a cute hipster style hat designed by the very talented Ysolda.  Because I did not use the same gauge yarn that she did I had to modify the pattern to work with a worsted weight yarn (versus heavy worsted weight yarn) and smaller needles (US 8 versus US 10). I found the most challenging part of adjusting this pattern for a different weight yarn was figuring out how many stitches to work for the hat band because the hat band is knit length wise instead of the traditional in the round method.  To adjust the pattern what I did was find a hat that fits me the way I like it for my 21 inch noggin.  I then measured the hat band of that hat "relaxed" (i.e. laying on a flat surface) and found it was 9 inches across the base (i.e. 18 inches circumference).  I therefore proceeded to knit my band until it was 18 inches long without regard to how many slipped stitches there were.  Once I reached 18 inches in length I resumed following the pattern instructions and ended up with 85 stitches on my needles (after the (k1, kfb) round. The next round I increased (evenly) an extra 8 stitches with a M1 stitch for a total of 93 stitches on which to knit the hat body.
I also made other adjustments to make it a less slouchy hat style and I've explained those modifications below.

I'm really happy with this hat and it's a great example of how a simple but well thought out pattern with the right yarn will combine to make a very wearable accessory.

Project Particulars: Ripley from Whimsical Little Knits (Ysolda); US 8 needles; 2 skeins Road to China by The Fiber Company.  Due to using a different gauge yarn (worsted weight) I made the following modifications: I knit the band on 8 stitches versus 7; I knit the hat band as described above; I worked the first set of pleats over 16 stitches and the second set of pleats over 14 stitches and eliminated the final pleats; instead (after completing the second set of pleats) I worked the pattern instructions for the slouchier hat and then proceeded to the decreases; to account for my additional stitches my decreases were made every 15 stitches a total of 6 times (i.e. 15 x 6 = 90 stitches) (and I also on the first decreases used a K3TOG stitch (3 times) to reduce my stitches by an additional 3 stitches as I began with 93 stitches).       Previously I knit a toy elephant designed by Ysolda which is found in the post entitled Miss Elly, a Toy Elephant.

N. B. The above pictures are taken at the beach in San Clemente, California where we always spend a quiet week without TV or computers the week between Christmas and New Years.  It's one of the nicest times of the year for me.

Taking Pictures With Simcha ~

Over the past year photography has become an increasingly enjoyable hobby for me and the daily hikes I take with Simcha give me plenty of opportunities to practice taking pictures of nature and the wonderful scenery around us.  These pictures were taken in Topanga and are a few of my favorites from this past year.

The fun part of hiking with Simcha is that he is not just a fantastic model he's also a helpful photography assistant!  For example, I never would have caught these quail posed like this without his assistance.  He obligingly chased a covey of quail up onto a rock and then held their attention transfixed while I snapped away.  So helpful.  I really don't think I could have gotten this shot with out him. Incidentally, quail are California's state bird and we have a lot of them here in Topanga although I don't often see as many of the colorful males together as there were in this covey.

And finally a peaceful sunrise overlooking the Los Angeles basin before the morning fog lifts and floats away.

Until next time be well and love well and may these winter days bring a sense of peace, quiet and a better understanding of who you are and where you are going on your sojourn in this world. Hopefully wearing a new hat.

Harvest Shawlette and Other Easy Autumn Crafts ~

It's always important to learn new techniques and knit things that challenge you but sometimes it's also nice to just knit something familiar, easy and stress free.  And that's the inspiration for this Harvest Shawlette that I'm wearing which is my pattern for a single skein simple shawlette.  I can hardly claim much originality as it's more a compilation of my favorite shawl techniques learned from years of knitting shawls along with a bit of my own originality thrown in.  Nonetheless I have written the pattern out and provided a free pattern pdf download for those interested.

The pendulum does swing.  Recently I've knit a number of long skinny scarfs that are all the rage along with color block, stripes and modular shaped shawls, but I was feeling more in a traditional mood given that this is a time of year when one thinks of home and hearth.  So this shawl is a triangle shape as they have been knit through the ages.

And before I forget!!!  I really really love the yarn I used for this project and I have to thank Andi a fun blogger, prolific knitter, and great source for inspiration who writes the blog mysistersknitter because it was she who turned me on to Spinning Fates an indy yarn seller.  The yarn I used is called solar flare and has fun flecks of metallic threads that twinkle in the light adding a festive feel and although this colorway has a distinctly Halloween feel I think it can be worn through Thanksgiving.  That is if you don't mind being slightly off on your seasons, which I don't, and given my proclivity to wear Gothic style shawls can hardly be surprising.

Particulars: Harvest Shawlette free pattern download; 1 Skein Aurora (440 yrds) by Spinning Fates (colorway Solar Flare); US 5 circular needles.  This is an extremely simple pattern and is well suited to strongly variegated yarn but might also look nice with a solid color and contrasting border.  It is a true "shawlette" so please consider the finished size 46" x 16" (post blocking - merino wool will not hold a block well - and if you use a yarn that does hold a block it will result in a slightly larger version) when deciding whether 1 skein will be large enough or if you need to use two skeins and make a larger version.

Simple Autumn Craft

I always enjoy crafting at this time of year and it's an added bonus to create something that you can actually use.  This year I decided to do away with those annoying half used coffee bean packages.  My crafty solution was a mere $2.50 investment in a photographer's print (2.5" x 3.5") and an empty glass jar.  I simply glued the print on and sealed the surface using modge podge and was delighted with the result  And I was feeling very crafty and frugal until my Flickr buddy Michelle (who takes wonderful scenic photographs) pointed out that I could have used one of my own prints for a mere .41 cents.  Oh well!  I still would have chosen this cute Halloween witch that I purchased on Etsy from ElaineCoxArt!

Fun with Photography ~

Everyone has a camera these days and if you are looking for ideas to practice your photography look no further than your own back yard.  It takes patience but it's very relaxing to sit and watch for birds and with a little luck they will come and sit still long enough for you to take their picture.  This is a warbler which is a very common bird where I live in the Santa Monica Mountains.  There are some UCLA Professors who periodically come to my neighborhood to record the Warbler's song with the hope of learning their language. I told them that if the birds are saying anything unflattering about me to keep it to themselves.  

Until next time, be well and love well and remember this holiday season that it is the simple things such as sharing meals with family and friends that make this time of year so special.

A Cabled Scarf and Photography 101 ~

I am so happy to finally have this scarf off the needles!!!  While it's been a labor of love, and the yarn sinfully seductive to knit, the cabling did take forever.  We're talking years here.  Not full time, obviously.  Think more short but regular forced marches.  Ah, but what a scarf it is and well worth the effort!

Since this is a very straight forward cabling pattern I thought instead of discussing the pattern I would talk about another hobby related to blogging namely, photography.  When I began blogging back in 2007 I had no particular interest in photography and I took pictures solely for the purpose of documenting my knitting.  But over the years taking pictures has slowly evolved into more than just a means to an end.  While it is certainly related and complimentary to knitting, I am finding it enjoyable to take pictures of everything from landscapes to Simcha (my dog and favorite subject!).

I also believe that the ability to communicate through pictures is increasingly becoming a necessary skill in today's world.  Above and beyond documenting knitting (important as that is) everything from your profile picture to the images you upload are your "voice" in an Age of Photomedium.  Don't worry if you've not heard that term before.  I just made it up.  But don't miss my point.  It is important for everyone to become fluent and comfortable in expressing themselves with and through images just to keep up with the times.

If you are like me, you have probably come to the realization that taking a nice picture whether of your knitting or otherwise is more difficult than you expect.  But there are some basic rules and helpful tips that can greatly improve your pictures.  Recently I have come across several professional photographers who share helpful tips for amateurs and I recommend visiting Jeff Sullivan Photography and Rick Sammon Photography.  Not only are they amazing photographers they also really seem to care about helping others improve their photography.  I've added these links to my sidebar and as I come across others I will be adding them to a growing list of helpful photography sites.

As a first step to improving your photography skills I recommend that you try an exercise that I do myself and I think is an excellent way to understand the importance of lighting to pictures.  Choose a subject and photograph it several times throughout the day and/or in different locations but do not download any of the pictures until the end of the day.  When you download your pictures all together you can more easily compare the images and see how the different lighting effected the picture.  Understanding the importance of lighting is the first step to improving your photography skills.

It also helps to consider the composition of your picture and whenever possible avoid taking a picture on a wrinkled surface such as I have done in the picture below.  Whoops!  Alas, life and photographs are rarely perfect.   And that's my final point - don't be too hard on yourself - it's all in fun.

Particulars:  Cabled Cowl designed by Olga Buraya-Kefelian (blogs as Olga Jazzzy); 3 skeins Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino; US 7 needles.  My only modification was to knit this with the goal of wearing it as a scarf rather than a cowl.  It was too bulky to be comfortably worn as a cowl for our temperate Southern California winters. Block dimensions 56" x 8." 

N.B.   There are two distinct styles of photographs on this blog.  Steve takes all the pictures of me wearing my knitting and any picture without me in it is taken by me.  I am also proud to point out that the floral painting in the top picture is an original art work of Steve's and it makes me smile to see it every day bringing color and beauty into our home.

Summer DIY Crafting ~

Painting a bird feeder is a fun and quick craft project and a perfect way to welcome Spring and migratory birds.  For this project I simply bought an unfinished bird feeder at a craft store (Michael's) and after sealing it with Gesso I decorated it with acrylic paints and filled it with wild bird feed.

And look!  There's already an interested bird!!!  You might recognize this feathered friend from my post Blue Bird in Wool Felt.  Despite a near death experience in the jaws of Simcha this little bird hopped out just as chirpy as ever.

Until next time, be well and love well and embrace all changes that time brings from the changing seasons to the ways we interact with each other.