A few more...

Keeping up with a theme, today's post will show off a few hats that I knit recently.  And from these two knits, I've realized that adding cables to a hat provides added thickness and warmth making 'em that much cozier.

The most recent hat I finished was a test knit for Breean Elyse.  And since knitting it, I've fallen in love with cabled hats.  I can't stop looking at them or for them.  This one was a special treat because it was for me.  Zinc is one of my favorite Malabrigo colorways.  And the hint of taupe really helped make the cables pop!

Obstacles Hat by Breean Elyse

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn - Twist

Color: Zinc - 613

Ravelry

Now this hat was knit on a whim.  This was for a friend's mother that recently had brain surgery and as a result needed hats to help protect her from the cold Minnesota winter.  I wasn't even looking to knit a hat but when I saw the pattern and noticed it called for some yarn in my stash, I cast on!  I didn't do the best job paying attention to the plain knit rounds so it isn't as slouchy as the pattern called for but I'm not so sure that's a bad thing.  Because of the chunky yarn and the cables, the hat ended up being fairly heavy so a slouchy hat may have resulted in a hat that wouldn't stay on the head (at least that's what I'm tellin' myself).  :-)  I hope this does the trick and helps keep her head warm!

Slouchy Braid Hat by Cheryl Beckerich

Yarn: Berroco - Vintage Chunky

Color: Lilacs - 6183

Ravelry

Some lace...

I've recently finished some lace projects...not to be confused with lace weight.  I love lace patterns because they are so forgiving.  Lace stitch patterns tend to hide changes in my tension much better than garter stitch and and even more so than stockinette stitch.

I was fortunate enough to do another test knit for Kirsten Kapur of Through the Loops.  The Snow Drops & Snap Peas patterns can be purchased individually or as an e-book set.  This set is a great gift giving knit because they're such quick and easy patterns.  I finished each mitt in one evening and the hat only took a few more.  I will be donating this set to the Salinas High School 20 year reunion's auction to benefit the Mr. Getris Scholarship Memorial Fund.

Snow Drops & Snap Peas Slouch by Kirsten Kapur

Yarn: Dream in Color - Classy

Color: Blue Lagoon - VM160 

Ravelry

Snow Drops & Snap Peas Mitts by Kirsten Kapur

Yarn: Dream in Color - Classy

Color: Blue Lagoon - VM160  
Ravelry

This next lace pattern was just something fun for me.  After a summer of test and sample knitting, I wanted to knit something just because and just for me.  This vest is perfect!  It will still be warm for more than a month so I'll get to enjoy it without long sleeves for a little longer and it will help keep me warm in the cold office at my new job!  :-)  Oh...and have I mentioned how wonderfully soft this madelinetosh yarn is...heavenly!  

(Yes...another crummy self portrait, but look at that sky and those Rocky Mountains!)

Crystal by Mel Clark 

Yarn: madelinetosh - pashmina

Color: Rose
Ravelry 

Malabrigo March: FO #8 & #9

After I finished the shawl I was going through Malabrigo March withdrawals.  I needed a Mal March project on the needles.  With three more days left I had to knit something!

I had been planning to knit another Phoebe Hat and had yarn for it but I just wasn't sure about the colorway.  In my moment of need I caved...wound the yarn and started knitting.  This is The Phoebe Hat by Terri Kruse using Malabrigo Worsted in the Noviembre colorway.  Here's a picture as knitted.  This hat is shallow so I think I'm going to frog down to below the first garter section and add one more four row bee stitch pattern repeat to each section.

My next project came out of sheer desperation to have Mal March project on the needles.  I decided to browse my Ravelry favorites and found Sweaters for Purse Sized Tissue Packets by kmkat.  This is a really quick project and uses up all those sock yarn remnants.  I knitted mine from leftover Malabrigo Sock yarn that I had from my War of the Roses Shawl.  And...I think I may have enough to knit a second one!

My Shalom is done and I think it's big.  ::sigh::  I do still need to find buttons for it.  I think I'm just gonna sew on buttons and suck it up.

Shroom

Mmmmm...what's better than knitting with one skein of Malabrigo - Worsted at one time?   Knitting with three skeins of Malabrigo - Worsted at one time!

I have, for so long, been searching for a hat pattern.  I vowed to myself, at the new year, that I would make myself one hat this winter and be happy about it.  This was tough for me because I've never felt like I look good in hats.  I don't know why...sometimes I think it's because I'm Korean/Asian though I think other Asians look perfectly fine in hats.  Those in the Boulder Knitting Collective (Snb) know that I've tried on many and ask for many opinions.  Well - yesterday I finally committed and finished my first hat for me.  This is the Shroom by Lee Wood Juvan from the Winter 2009 issue of Knitty.  I decided to triple strand with Malabrigo - Worsted (color - Marron oscuro) because I just couldn't find the right yarn that I felt had a similar weight as the Spud & Chloe - Outer...without cotton.  Here's the hat (no pics of me in it...remember...I don't like how I look in them).