I finished Amy's ear flap hat that I started on the way down to CA while I was there, in the evenings. It was a really quick knit because I had only an hour or two at night to work on it and I still got it all done except the finishing. I had her try it on last night and it is too big. So I'm going to rip back and do it again. I may go all the way to the cast on because I don't like the hole at the top. I know I can close it up with a needle, but I'm thinking of using the same Magic-Cast On I use for toe-up socks.
On the way to the airport in Burbank from Oxnard where I was working, I stopped at two yarn stores. The first one was Stitch Cafe. They had some merino wool yarn with sterling silver in it that I almost bought but at $24 a skein, I decided it was just a little to pricey, especially since I didn't know what I would do with it.
The other store I stopped at was Unwind on Hollywood Way literally 5 minutes from the airport. Stephenie has a nice sized store with lots of great yarns. I just enjoyed walking around the store and looking at everything. I asked Stephanie about an easy one skein project I could knit on the plane. She showed me a couple of scarfs but they would have required me to think more then I had wanted to on the plane.
So she showed me a project called Beech Wood, a neck warmer, that takes two skeins of Manos Silk Blend . She gave me the pattern (which is no longer available on the Ilga Leja site directly but is available, without pictures, on the web archive site here) and a stitch marker.
She also let me use her ball winder. Here it is after it was wound. Stephanie showed me a trick on how to undo the knots/wraps on the Manos skeins so that you don't lose any yarn.
This is a really lovely yarn. The colors are great and I love the sheen that the silk gives the wool. It knits up pretty too.
I started the neckwarmer in the store on size 5 needles and it was way too small. So I traded in those neeedles for a size 8. I think it is a better size but they are 16" length (I meant to get the 24"... but this will be better for hats) and I can't really tell. I may move it onto my Denise needles so I can get a better look at it.
I got about 3/4th through the first repeat which is a 32 row pattern stitch while waiting in the terminal and on the plane.
Now, I've got 5 WIPs (a first for me I think!) and I need to get back to my Mr. Greenjean for my sweater along too!
I started working on an Earflap Hat for Amy on the airplane trip down to California today. She said she wanted a Jayne Hat (for Jayne Cobb on FireFly) but when I showed her the pattern she said she wanted it in blue. Well, what's a Jayne hat if it isn't orange, red, and yellow?
So no Jayne hat for Amy. But I am knitting her an earflap hat instead. This one is from the Fall/Winter 2005 issue of Knit Scene. And it is available for free, as a pdf.
I found the pattern through the niffy pattern feature in Ravelry.
I was going to bring my socks that I'm knitting on the plane but I was worried I wouldn't be able to knit them. It is a little much working two socks on two cables at the same time. I need a little bit more room then an airplane seat can accommodate.
This is knitting up quick so I should have it done by the time I get home and I can surprise Amy. She keeps asking me when I'm going to knit her something every time I cast on something for me. I'm feeling a little guilty. Especially, every time she tells me her ears are cold (hint, hint). :)
