Another Hat

Boy has it turned cold! And it was super windy yesterday; I was out riding my bike and it was not fun riding into the wind! It's supposed to be cold but not so much wind today.
I finally got the Fair Isle hat finished. I unravelled it once and redid it using a different yarn for the pattern. The ribbing looks ruffled but I think that's because the grey yarn I used was a bit thicker than the blue and because Fair Isle knitting just ends up a bit tighter. It's a little too small for me. If I make it again I'm going to use yarn that's all the same and a needle that's a bit bigger for the body of the hat. I used a size 6 this time. Next time I'll use a 6 circular for the ribbing and a 7 or 8 for the rest of the hat.
I also finished a scarf which I'm not posting pics of because it's a gift. And Sio brought me two more balls of the Classic Worsted Tapestry yarn from the yarn store in Dekalb. I'm not sure what I'm going to make yet; maybe some arm warmers or mittens.

Cabled Hat

This hat was pretty easy and looks nice. I used Naturally Nazareth yarn that i had bought a year ago at Wool and Co. in Geneva and the pattern is here http://www.headhuggers.org/patterns/kpatt11.htm. I can say that cables are not nearly as intimidating as I thought they were. I think I will make this hat again; it only took a couple of days and it looks really nice. I think I'm going to try a Fair Isle hat next. I also found another pattern I want to try. It's a ribbed hat made with chunky yarn and some of the yarns that were used by people on Ravelry have some really nice colors. I just unraveled a 100% chunky cream colored wool sweater and I'm going to dye 100 yards of the yarn today. I'll have to buy a 10.5 16 inch circular though cause I don't have one.

Knitted Hat! and Other Stuff

I went to visit Siobhan in Dekalb on Saturday. I took the train into Elburn and she picked me up and we drove back to Dekalb. It was a really nice afternoon, and I really like the yarn store. It's a lot less foofy than Wool and Co. in Geneva, and the prices are less than Wool and Co.'s too. They have lots of good, basic, usable yarns and everything is sorted by weight and easy to find. Carla bought me some yarn at a shop in Evanston a couple of years ago that was really nice to work with. Have Ewe Any Wool in Elmhurst used to carry it, but they closed and I had to order it online if I wanted any. Well, they carry it in Dekalb. They also carry a really nice acrylic/wool blend by Universal Yarn; it called Classic Worsted Tapestry and I bought a skein for a knit hat. I started it in Dekalb at a park where Sio and I stopped and finished it yesterday; it came out so nice! I have not quite a half ball left.
I also started hooking the pillow, I got the roof of the house done and I'm probably going to work on it today. I am still kind of reorganizing the basement a bit, too. I got half the wool washed, but I think I'm going to leave it for today and go back to it tomorrow. I realized i had never posted a pic of the finished striped scrap mat, so here's one. Sio is getting this one, she really likes it.
John and I went out to Blackwell yesterday and Chris met us out there. I caught a nice 16 inch bass, and a 21 or 22 inch northern. The pics are on my new phone and I haven't figured how to get them off yet. As soon as I do I'll post them.

House and Boat Rug

Ok, this is another Deanne Fitzpatrick design. It's small, about 12x 14 inches, so will make a nice pillow. I am going to look through my wools and plan colors today, and then see if I'll have to dye anything.
I also got 2 big bags of unwashed, straight from the sheep, fleece which I am going to start washing today. I picked through some of it yesterday and got the sticks and grass out. I looked up the Fine Line in St. Charles yesterday to see if they have any spinning classes, but they don't. They do sell Louet wheels, but I still haven't found a better deal than the Ashford Kiwi I was looking at yet. I think I'll probably end up with that wheel. I can buy add ons to spin fine or chunky yarn so it will last me a long time. I need to find some place that I can get to easily where there are classes though, because I really want to take one.

Nathan Rogers Northwest Passage

I just found this video over on youtube. Anyone who has heard Stan Rogers sing, close your eyes and listen to his son. It's amazing how much they sound alike! Sorry about the clip, it's not the whole song.



Such a great singer/songwriter/teller of stories was lost to Canada and the rest of the world in Stan Rogers. It's good to see this.