Thursday update

Well, I finished all the knitting and weaving in the ends on my CCM Hat.  Sorry no picture as I finished it last evening and the lighting was not good.  I will take before felting and after felting pictures so you can experience the transformation with me.

I had just enough yarn for the hat with less than two yarns left from each skein.  I worked on it feverishly Tuesday evening only to discover I was going to run out of yarn before completing the hat.  So I ripped it back to the row before I started the decreases and ended up with enough yarn.

Then I’ll need to decide what I want to embroider on it and find some suitable color/yarn. I think I want an all-around design.

Second update: I thought I only had a few more squares to knit on my sister’s Garter Stitch bag and I knit four squares while taking a break from knitting the hat.  I still have a few more squares to knit.  I miscounted.  A lot.  Then the i-cord edging.  I’m not sure if I will use the leather handles I bought for my bag but were too large or if I will knit the strap like I did for mine.  The bag will be larger than my bag so the leather straps might work out OK for this one.

I’ll be lining this bag with the same lime green I used for mine.  If you’ve made one of these bags and tried to line it, you will know it’s a PITA.  A Royal PITA.

Third update:  Last but not least I am gearing up (mentally) to start my own iPad cover.  This one just doesn’t work.  It’s my first attempt at Mr. Aitch’s tablet cover.

I have a few ideas and they are all very different from each other.  Some are subtle, some are bold, some are just not going to happen.

My CCM hat

When my brother and I went to the League of  New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair in Sunapee last August, I fell in love with the felted hats made by Carrie Cahill Mulligan.  So I bought myself a belated birthday present last November: A Felted Pillbox Hat pattern and yarn kit from Carrie Cahill Mulligan.

I had other knitting to do and kept putting off the hat knitting.

Until Saturday.

Nothing like waiting until Spring to knit a wool hat.  But considering we didn’t really have a winter here, I’m still enjoying this quick knit.

The colors I’m using are Bronzed Metal (bluish) and Sycamore (greenish).

The kit came with two skeins of Classic Elite Montera yarn in my choice of color, the pattern and coordinating satin ribbon to sew on inside the brim for comfort and stability.  This is the first time using this llama and wool blend and it is heavenly.

I usually start out on double point needles as I find it easier to keep my stitches from twisting for the first 2-3 rounds then I switch to circular needles.

As of right now I am almost half way done.  The blue Bronzed Metal is almost used up and I have about 4-5 rows done with the green Sycamore.  If I would have remembered to bring my knitting bag home with me today, I’d be working on it now and have a better photo of my progress.

Developmental changes

Last Sunday when we lost an hour of sleep but gained an hour or daylight, Mr. Aitch and I decided we should get outside and take a much needed walk around our neighborhood.  It was either that or we would have both taken a nap. We noticed some unusual changes.
A little background info: When our development began in 1992, we were a rural delivery route and our address was RD 2 Box 153-D or something like that. Our mailbox was on one of the busiest roads in this end of the county and we risked life and limb to get our mail. A couple of members in our homeowners association worked some magic and got cluster boxes placed within our development the following year.  In so doing we had to submit street names. There could not be a duplicate name of any street within the entire county so it was quite an undertaking but it was done and approved by the post office.  We took it upon ourselves to have street signs made placed within the development.  The county does not maintain or plow our roads since our roads do not connect one county road to another county road so they did not provide street signs.
Until now.
We had noticed some new street signs that we assumed were planted by the county.  Our street signs are the wooden  ones and the county signs are the green metal ones.
Hilltop Drive became Hilton Drive.  Close but not the same.
South Ridge Road became Tumble Ridge Drive.  What?
For 19 years these names were fine but now they’ve changed.   The people who live on those two streets have to change their address. What a pain.  Fortunately our street name not change.

Reconsidering

Remember when I made the first tablet cover for Mr. Aitch and it was too small?

Well, I’ve been using it as a temporary-but-too-small cover for my iPad.

Several people commented about knitting and felting my own cover but the sting of the failed attempt was still too new to consider that.  I was going to sew one as it would be a much quicker process.

Have I sewn one yet?

No.

I love the feel and protection of the felted cover and am reconsidering making my own.  But it has to be something more than blue and gold.

Mr. Aitch’s tablet and my iPad are almost the same size so I can use the same stitch and row counts for the second cover.  I just have to decide on colors and possible color work.

Any suggestions?