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Hello and thanks for visiting my blog. I have been knitting on and off for 50 years and I recently learned to crochet. I love looking for wool bargains and making them into something useful. I mainly knit for charity. I occasionally knit for myself and family members if I find a really good pattern or if they ask nicely!!

Saturday, 22 June 2019

A hat for me...possibly!



Well, I finally finished the Northmoor Watchcap. Midsummer is a good time for knitting hats, don't you think? The link takes you to the pattern and I can definitely recommend it. There is even a good chance that I will wear it if we ever have a severe winter. 

I really like the way it turned out. I ploughed on with the 120 stitches per round because nobody on Ravelry commented about that part of the pattern. It was monotonous; but sometimes that is just what I need. It also used up a lot of yarn; but that has made a very warm hat and means I am nearer my goal of using up all my Aran yarn. Win, win.

Some knitters, however, commented that they started the crown shaping one inch earlier than specified in the pattern. I tried it on (very carefully) when I reached that stage, and that was the right size for me as well. So I started the shaping. Like the brim, it was a little more complicated than some hat patterns. But it has made a very neat crown. It doesn't show up in the photo. But I like to think that whoever sits behind me on the bus will think "what a lovely hat"! In fact the whole hat looks quite professional.

On a different topic, some bloggers occasionally tell me that they can't add comments to my blog. Never fear; I discovered some comments awaiting moderation yesterday. It seems that the comments are reaching me; but I don't always receive a notification. That is probably what is being blocked. I have no idea why. I have checked my Blogger settings and everything seems ok. It remains a mystery. But please keep commenting. I always see and read them eventually.

PS: having written that, I just checked my settings again because I was no longer able to reply to comments. I have now changed one setting and that should make it easier for everyone. Phew!



Saturday, 1 June 2019

Busy, busy, busy...


Thanks to everyone who left comments on my last blog post and apologies that I haven't found time to answer them. But, rest assured that I read and appreciate every comment. 

However, only comments relating to my blog reach the publication stage. The increasing amount of spam that I receive about restaurants, cleaning materials and other highly irrelevant topics is deleted immediately. I don't even open the links (I'm not daft!!), so whoever is wasting their time sending spam really is wasting their time. Rant over!

I love this time of year. But it is really busy as I make the most of  the good light. If I'm not in the garden, I'm up a ladder with a paint brush in my hand.

I have just found time to start this hat:


The pattern is called Northmoor Watchcaps by Luise O'Neill and is available on Ravelry. I love the way there is a choice of brims. I am knitting the fancy brim which you can just about see in the photo. It has a very clever cable effect that does not need fiddly cable needles. The whole hat is knit on a circular needle. Unusually for Aran yarn it uses a size 4mm needle. The advantage is a more professional finish. The disadvantage is the 120 stitches on each row!

With impeccable timing, I am knitting this on our hottest day of the year so far. As this hat is for me, it will probably be the coldest day of the year before I actually wear it. I generally don't like hats. That's why I am knitting the cable brim for a bit of extra je ne sais quoi.