Mum, I need this!

In September I went to conference in Sydney. I took the head of the household and he holidayed while I worked and middle child, Melissa, minded house back home. On the last morning as I sitting savoring a cup of tea before the first session, I get a panicked phone call from Mel saying the gate to backyard had blown open in a storm and her hand reared extremely beloved pet chicken Pesto (+ the other chook) were missing. We discussed strategy for finding said chook and she went to work very agitated.

Later that same day whilst waiting for my flight at Sydney Airport, the head of household and I made extremely good use of free airport internet and had a long Facebook enabled conversation  with Melissa. She made her Dad tell her a nonsense story (an excruciatingly slow process when he is a two finger typist). He stirred her unmercifully about her poor chicken sitting skills and she peppered me with pictures of random knitted hats from Etsy with the plea - "Mum, I need this!" During her giant European tour earlier this year, she became a ‘hat’ person, returning with three tres chic felt numbers, a number of new knitted ones and an insatiable appetite for all things hat. When she got to this one, I immediately recognized it. I had the magazine (Knitscene Winter 2012) and it was one of the patterns that made me buy the magazine in the first place. So, I said sure. We debated colours and settled on cream with a mustard band - things I knew we’d be able to find without purchasing new yarn.

The chicken demonstrated immense homing chicken skills with Pesto back in the backyard when Mel got home from work. The other chicken (Nutty, short for Nutmeg) was never seen again.

When I arrived home, we shopped the stash and dug out this Cleckheaton Country naturals in cream and gold. I love Country Naturals - gorgeously soft to knit, it washes like a dream and has this delicious tweediness. I knitted her a hat that very weekend. We cuddled the chicken but it refused to divulge its adventures.

Pattern: Lucy by Carina Spencer from Knitscene, Winter 2012
Needles: 4mm (Those antique jumper length Aeros that I love so much again).
Yarn: Cleckheaton Country naturals 8ply in cream and gold.

Postscript: Unfortunately in mid November, Pesto had her last adventure. Something feral that really wanted a chicken dinner dug a hole under our fence and we awoke to a yard full of feathers and no chicken. We miss Pesto, the chook who loved a selfie, ate chips and bacon rind from your hand, helped me hang the washing by stealing clothes and pegs and occasionally flew onto the washing line but required help to get down and lived to terrorise the cat. You were the best pet chicken a family could have.

An appropriate last picture to be taken of Pesto... She did love selfies. Rest in peace chicken puppy.

Meet Barnaby - an unclaimed hat!

Today I would like to introduce you to Barnaby. Barnaby is a hat without a home - an owner-less hat so to speak. But don't feel sorry for Barnaby. It's just that he hasn't met the right person who is willing to love him, possibly pay money for him and take him home and wear him and appreciate his awesomeness.

So why am I knitting owner-less hats. Well it's all the eldest daughter's fault (she's the gorgeous hat model above demonstrating Barnaby's finest points). About a month a ago, we went and met her at her house in Melbourne and spent a chilly Sunday morning wandering around an eclectic Sunday Market whose chief specialty is second hand and vintage clothing. We were looking at what was on sale and what the young hispters were wearing and she turned to me and said, "Hats! You should knit some hats and we'll come here, get a stall and sell them. Your hats are so much cooler that ones around for sale here. My housemates keep trying to borrow mine and would pay for you to make some for them". And so the seed of an idea was born. I'd knit a stockpile of hats and we'd sell them (somehow).

So here is the first of the stockpile. I've long wanted to knit this one. It was a chance to try a new starting technique for knitting in the round. This hat is knitted top down beginning with an i-cord 'stalk'. It was a really interesting exercise in hat construction. It's not really either of my daughter's thing though. However, the 1920's is in in a big way, Baz Luhrmanns The Great Gatsby has just been released and I figure Barnaby's time has come. It's time for him to be both  fashionable and warm.

Pattern: Lee by Ysolda Teague
Needles: 4mm set of 4 jumper length Antique Aero needles, a 4mm medium length circular for the brim
Yarn: Cleckheaton Country Naturals (85% pure wool, 10% acrylic and 5% viscose), colours Coal and Burnt red - fully machine washable on a delicate cycle.
Details: Double layer brim lined in red, decorative raised stitch detail offset to one side in red.

So why is this hat called Barnaby? I was adding it to my completed projects on Ravelry and I was stumped for a name to call it. So I asked the middle daughter. "Barnaby!", she yells randomly from the depths of her couch huddle of blankie and computer. As so Barnaby the cloche was duly christened.

Detail of the back showing the starting stalk and lace eyelet shaping.

Side detail

So if Barnaby has caught your eye and you're dying to own him, drop us a comment and we'll discuss price. Otherwise he gets to hang for a while until he has enough mates to make this a worthwhile venture. (This may take a while as the kids keep falling in love which the various hats I am making for the stockpile and acquiring them for their own wardrobes).