Mikknit

I finished the hat for the future brother-in-law yesterday. After a wash in Eucalan and an additional lanolin treatment, it’s a fair bit softer and less dehydrated-feeling, but still a little scratchy. I’ll get Chris to test it for me tonight and see if it passes the bald-head test.

It’s handspun wool of indeterminate breed, rather unevenly spun (the plied yarn ranges between super-thin and heavy worsted) but it averages out to around 5 stitches/inch and knit up nicely on a size 6 needle. No real pattern, I just guessed at a head measurement and cast on an appropriate number of stitches, did 2×2 rib for a bit, then switched to stockinette. I did a few random decreases in the body of the hat to make it a little snugger, then did 7 decreases every other round down to 28 stitches, then did my decreases every round. That made the crown of the hat nicely rounded, which is good because I have this tendency to make the tops of my hats rather pointed.

I enjoyed working with my handspun and this has enouraged me to break into my stash of handspun wool and whip up some more things. Unfortunately, most of it’s rough enough that it’s going to mostly be suitable for hats and other outerwear. Good thing everyone I knit for has a head!

I’m procrastinating on the wool food (of course) and did some work on Vine Sock #2 last night, about a full repeat of the pattern. I’m not sure if I have 1 or 2 more repeats after this one, but the sock should be done soon enough. Like I need more socks, I know, but I can’t stop knitting them. I think I’ll break into the alleged machine-washable sock yarn next. I think it’s time I took another stab at knitting socks for Chris. I should make him a new hat, too - a couple winters ago, he dropped his hat in the middle of a busy street while on his way to work. He recovered it later, still usable but rather banged up. I started knitting him a new one but stalled when I ran out of yarn. I purchased more but I’ll be damned if I know where the yarn or the hat-in-progress is. It wasn’t in the front closet, which seems to be the UFO repository, and it wasn’t in the myriad of UFO-holding cloth bags that I cleaned off the coatrack, either. I have no clue. I suppose I could just start a new one, but it’d also be nice to know where the hat-in-progress is, since it’s got one of my beloved Addi Turbos in it, probably a size 9. I would like to have my needles all together again one day.

I suppose I should get this crying child dressed and go wipe the other one’s butt. Whoopee.