Mail Call!

I was hoping to be better organized than it all worked out, but I won’t fret about that now.  So many of my friends on Ravelry are expecting little ones. It’s amazing and fun to hear all the news and see pictures of all the little babies. It also makes me anxious to meet our little girl.

With that said, my friend, Melissa, from Knitting A Baby, just welcomed her little girl into the world this July.  And now that the Canadian postal strike is over, I could send these items on their merry way to Canada. The weather is a bit warm for knitwear, but I sure hope Mamma and Baby can put this stuff to good use!

For her little girl, I knit Kate Oates’ Plaid Hatter.  Hold on to your hats, folks!  This was my first true attempt at stranded knitting and boy was I intimidated!  So what’s the best remedy? Close your eyes and dive head first into the project. Don’t look back.  This has served me well in learning new things so I just keep doing it!  (Turns out, stranded work isn’t so bad afterall.)

I used my own worsted weight, hand-dyed superwash wool in Raspberry Truffle (you may recognize it from this sweater, these socks and this bag) and Cascade 220 Superwash Wool in Cordovan.  Again, my instincts proved accurate and they were lovely together.  I wasn’t sure if a variegated yarn would mesh well with this plaid pattern (that whole stripes and plaid combo, you know?)  But to me, it couldn’t be more perfect (Yes, I’m tooting my own horn, Readers.)

I had finished the brim and about 2” of stranding when I noticed I forgot to change to larger needles AND my floats were too tight.  Oh bugger…  I ripped back to the brim and began again. Much better on the second go-around. My floats still felt a bit tight, but with a healthy blocking, that problem was resolved.

The pattern calls for the pom-pom to be made with the same color as the brim, but I used both.  I was also using worsted weight instead of sport weight as called for, meaning I adjusted my stitch count and hoped for the best.

This little girl is a beautiful 9 pound bundle, so I hope the hat fits come the fall weather.  If not, maybe Melissa can pass it on to someone who will love it just as much.

I wanted to make something else but couldn’t decide on a pattern (indecision seems to be stalking me through this pregnancy…).  Finally, I arrived at the Cabled Keyhole Scarf by Anne Hanson.  Knit on US 7s using Patons Angora Bamboo in Low Tide I cast on and finished this little scarf in just a few days.

I did frog my first attempt, knit with Berocco Ultra Alpaca Light in Blueberry Mix (DK weight), it seemed to light so I switched to worsted.

The scarf is small, with a little keyhole on one side to pull the opposite end through and secure in place. A perfect size for under a coat or when the weather gets chilly. Obviously, this knit is for Melissa, not baby.  Moms need to be pampered, too, right?!

I knit 4 extra repeats of chart B so it wouldn’t be too snug around the neck.  I opted for the large size because other knitters noted how little the smallest size was – “child-sized” was the term frequently used. 

Melissa, I hope you like these knits, and I hope they work for the upcoming colder weather!  I really enjoyed knitting these for the two of you!