Dashing Mouse Designs — EZsAlmanac RSS



Knitting the Almanac - June Hat #3

My Hat, It Has Three Corners The third and final hat for the month is a triangular tam.  Because I've had such a very excellent track record of running out of yarn at the end, and because I was planning on knitting this hat from scraps, I decided to begin the hat with a very small amount of turquoise, then finish it in a large amount of brown.  Thus, I would have planned to make the hat two colors from the beginning, and this hat would not have an odd splotch in the middle of it. So I swatched, cast on, and knit the hat.  I must say, it did  make a hat-shaped object.  And it is triangular.  However, upon closer...

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Knitting the Almanac - June Hat #2

First Dwarves, Now Gnomes Note:  This article was originally posted on the Skein Shop News feed due to a touch of user error.  My apologies. Next up is the Ganomy hat, whose name is obviously a play on a literal pronunciation of "gnome".  I've made this hat before, and it is a real winner.  The shaping is elegant, functional, and warm.  I think it results in a totally adorable hat, but I've found that the other adults around me tend to find the shape rather childish.  Their loss. So I set out to use up some stash.  Can you see where this is going already?  Of course I chose a discontinued yarn.  Of course I ran short.  The good news...

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Knitting the Almanac - June Hat #1

Diggy Diggy Hole   This hat is genius.  It is quick, simple, and, to quote Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way.  The thick yarn knits up quickly and will be warm in the winter, the shaping at the back of the neck curves the earflaps down elegantly, and the tassel adds a bit of whimsy.  The only possible modification I would make on future versions would be to put a buttonhole in the corner of one earflap so they could be buttoned securely under the chin. However, true to form I ran short of yarn.  I was testing a skein of Kraemer Perfection Super Bulky, and there was just not quite enough.  If I had made the neck flap a...

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Knitting the Almanac - Norwegian May Mittens

Stranding Along Note:  I thought I published this on Friday 27 May 2016.  Rather than backdating, I'm just posting it now...Apologies :) I must say, I have never done so much stranded knitting at once in my life.  It started with the March sweater (still on the needles, sadly), then I designed the Left Stranded hat, then a no-pattern stranded yoke sweater, now these mittens.  While I'm not opposed to stranded colorwork (clearly), I think I've had enough of it for a while.  Unfortunately, Mr. Mouse is after me to show some progress on that March sweater, so I don't think it's had enough of me. EZ calls for the mittens to be started with either an i-cord edging or...

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Knitting the Almanac - Mitered Mittens

Mother, May I Miter? These mitered mittens are way fun.  I've made a couple of pairs before because they're fairly mindless to crank away on, and you don't have to decide where you want the thumb until the bitter end.  Thus, it was with joy in my heart that I found 100g of stash yarn and cast on these mittens.  What you must understand is that I have a sizeable stash.  This should come as a surprise to no one, and yet, allow me to take you down a bit of a tangent. I have a very good friend who has recently taken up knitting.  She does not have much if any stash because she has way more self-control than...

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