Hats, Trains and Grafitti Lanes

You may have noticed the slight hat obsession at the moment... Since March, I have knitted (wait I'm counting on my fingers - 4 wurm beanies, Barnaby the cloche, a hat for Louise, plus four more) - 10 hats! You'll be pleased to know I have stopped for a while turning my energies instead to cardigans and aran jumpers.

However, the hats are being persistently noisy little creatures when they gather together in packs and have been nagging for a chance to show off in public. They're pretty good at sneaking their way into photos too.

So enjoy a sunny Sunday afternoon watching a steam train on the railway line that runs out the front of our house and a glimpse into the gorgeous gratified laneways of Melbourne (For more try a Google image search on Melbourne Laneways. They are a never ending changing canvas of colourful graffiti imagery, as well as cool cafes and restaurants and awesome coffee - coffee is sort of the lifeblood of Melbourne). Oh and keep your eye out for photo-bombing hats.

The Graeme Street Beanie (favourite hat of the boy).
Pattern: Graham by Jennifer Adams (a free pattern)
Needles: A set each of 4 mm and 4.5 mm dpns
Wool: Brownish red 8 ply (DK) tweed courtesy of the op shop again.

Get out of my shot!

Twisted Silver

Pattern: Lina by Johanna of Joko Knits

Needles: my favourite set of size 8 (4mm) antique Aero jumper length dpns

Wool: Grey recycled 8 ply pure wool from the op shop.

Junkyard Pumpkin

If clothing had feelings, this poor cardigan would be complaining that it was being bullied or racially vilified for its skin colour.

Recently I had a short holiday. Not that I went away anywhere. I just wasn't at work all the time. Over a couple of weeks I juggled the final marking of this semester's batch of exams and the attendant meetings to ensure consistency and compliance with regulations with some serious couch potato knitting time. And so I cast on for a new work cardigan. I'm definitely a cardigan rather than a blazer girl when it comes to my professional work clothes.

I have copped more flack on this poor project in the knitting process than anything else I have knitted. None of my male acquaintances have had anything flattering to say about this while I was knitting this. “You really gonna wear that thing? It looks like a giant pumpkin!” (Cue gratuitous Charlie Brown picture. It made me think of Linus and the Great Pumpkin, though at least no one was denying my cardigan's existence, just its wearability).

I love the colour, after all that's why I bought the wool, but the menfolk had to be convinced. The first day I wore it work it got three compliments including the ultimate, “Where did you buy it?” I feel vindicated.

When I saw the beautiful Yui cardigan in The Knitter Issue 55, I initially thought that this simple and elegant cardigan would fit beautifully in future Doctor daughter's wardrobe. But then I thought, I'm the Queen of Cardigans, why not make it for me?

Pattern: Yui cardigan The Knitter Issue 55
Designer: Kyoko Nakayoshi
Needles: 3.75 mm set of dpns for the sleeve cuffs, 4 mm straight needles for the beginning of the collar, 4mm 80 cm long round needle for the body and my favourite jumper length set of antique size 8 (4 mm) Aero needles for the sleeves.
Yarn: Pure wool up-cycled wool from an op shop. I suspect that this is old Bendigo Woolen mills machine wash. 14 balls ranging from 110 to 180 g.

The wool is up-cycled pure wool from my favourite op shop. I love the invisible little old ladies who unravel unwanted knitted garments into balls of yarn and put them in cool see through bags in big tubs at bargain prices. It lets me indulge my love of quality natural yarn without breaking the budget. Real wool is made to last and I love the fact it’s almost resurrection and re-invention of a well loved garment.

This was such a fun knit. Its my first top down seamless cardigan but it won’t be the last. I love the simple elegance of Kyoko’s pattern. The knotted cable detail make it sit beautifully across the front and still swing. I would have liked it a little longer but the perils of recycled yarn is you can only use what you’ve got. I have about 1 meter left….

I'd like to acknowledge the boy for his willingness  to track into the perils of mud, muck, slime filled ditches and coal dust and help me take photos in the old workshop area near one of our local power stations. I used to work here when I was first married before it was all privatized. It's sort of sad to see what was once such a bustling work area wearing a air of forlorn neglect and dereliction. But it makes for an interesting backdrop.

Intricately knotted cables

Happy birthday Louise - I made you a hat!

My blog has a lot to thank Louise for. She is, in a way, responsible for its very existence. Louise's own blogs first introduced me to the delights of blogging and she patiently held my hand and guided my initial tentative baby steps into the Wide World of Blogging. It's hard to believe that was two years ago already. And darn it, I've realized that I missed my second blogiversary which was about a fortnight ago.

Louise is an awesome photographer. Louise sees her photography as capturing moments. She loves to convey stories and memories through her photographs. Have a look at her current blog: Louise Barbara or her Photo Diary.

So last night was Louise's 21st birthday party and I was honoured to be invited. Louise and my middle daughter Mel are off on the European adventure of a life time in late November this year. So it seemed appropriate to make Louise her own unique accessory appropriate for the depths of a European winter and fashionable enough that she would be proud to wear it. So when Louise was here a few weeks ago baking salted caramel macaroons with Mel and doing the next installment of trip planning, I got her to try on some of the kid's hats, did some measuring and subtly probed for appropriate wardrobe color choices.

Louise and Mel made salted caramel macaroons. They were awesome!

I had a plan. I knew a long soft slouchy beanie with a softly draping crown would suit Louise the best. But none of the patterns I had were quite right. I wanted something structured and cabled by with a feminine twist. I wanted to create a hat that would set off her long loose curls.

Cat and a hat. This is a common sight. I quite frequently find Cara the cat curled up on or around my current knitting project. She has a second sense of avoiding pointy things whilst still snuggling up to soft cuddly things.

On the front of Issue 55 of The Knitter is a beautiful soft pink cable and lace cowl jumper by Martin Storey called Winterbloom. Whilst it has a lot of things about it that I dislike enough that I would never make it (it's pink and has a cowl and it's 4 ply so would take forever) there was still something about it that called to me. I love how from a distance that delicate cable and lace pattern formed a checkerboard with strong diagonals that draw the eyes  across and up. I realized I wanted to use that stitch pattern but not as a jumper. Alright I thought, why not recreate it as Louise's hat?

U

Pattern: Adapted stitch pattern from Winterbloom Jumper by Martin Storey
Source: The Knitter Issue 55
Needles: 4mm set of 4 jumper length Antique Aero needles
Yarn:  Upcycled 8 ply (DK) op shop wool. Creamish brown blend. It has a really soft fuzz and light halo and blocks up with a light soft squishy feel and drape.

So this is my first go at making my own hat without a pattern. I've made enough of them now though using patterns to have an idea of what I was doing and I know my gauge with various needle and yarn weight combinations. I cast on 100 stitches on 4 mm dpns and completed 15 rows of single rib. Then I increased 10 stitches evenly around the next round of rib giving me 110 stitches. The pattern repeat from Winterbloom is 22 stitches and 24 rows. So I set up 5 repeats around the beanie and completed five repeats of the pattern overall giving a long deep slouch before the crown shaping. Then I decreased down to 10 stitches over the next 12 rows. I wanted to maintain the pattern whilst I was doing this so I began by decreasing the purl strips between pattern elements, then gently decreased the width of the cables whilst still being able to complete the cable rows and finally decreased the lace stitches. I decreased 5, 10, 15 or 20 stitches roughly every second row depending on which pattern element I was decreasing. I am really proud of how this turned out.

I'm now looking forward to numerous gorgeous pictures of this hat on its trip through Europe with Louise.

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).

Project 365: Weeks 23 and 24

These are weeks of mourning and extreme crankiness. No, nobody died or anything that dramatic. On Tuesday the 4th June at approximately 8.35 am in the morning a crazy out of control P plate driver in a big four wheel drive complete with excessive bull bar tried to take a corner on two wheels in the wet and slammed into my poor unsuspecting car and effectively ended its life. I'm emotionally attached to my car. I'll admit it. I knew the old dear was coming to the end of its life but it didn't deserve to be finished off so ignominiously, consigned to the scrap heap for an accident that wasn't even its fault. The cranky bit comes from ending up extremely out of pocket for an accident that was in no way my fault. It still makes my ears steam just thinking about the unfairness of it all (and yes everyone was properly insured).

So these two weeks were all about inconvenience, dealing with insurance companies and wreckers and the  budgeting for the gap between what the old car was deemed to be worth and what it was going to cost to replace it. I had to go to car yards and buy a new car which involved have to deal with a dreaded used car salesman. I do like my new car though. I has been christened the Tardis by the boy and I (both Doctor Who fans) as it is both blue and bigger on the inside (see the next weeks post for photos of it).

Day 152: The car is dead. I know this doesn't look like enough damage to say put it down but it is. There's more panel damage all down the driver's side. Photographs don't do true justice to the sheer amount of damage and lot of it is structural and underneath. It's not fair that you can be minding your own business and driving sensibly and get wiped out by an idiot who can drive safely and has only had his license for 6 months or so. I wasn't injured but it was shaky day.

Day 156: The Melbourne Museum. An extreme display of the art of taxidermy. When I was kid I remember all these specimens being displayed in glass cases. Now they are in a tiered room arranged by continent with giant touch screens so you can find about each animal. It's awesome and surreal.

Day 157: Stealing the hubby's car. At least he's not working this week and doesn't need it. I have to remember how to drive a manual though. I didn't stall too often though. I also borrowed the middle daughter's little pink Hyundai. That makes me feel like I'm 18 all over again.

Day 158: I think I'm breaking the rules of this whole photo a day thing here. This was taken on my camera but I didn't take it. My sister did. I needed new "action" shots of me a work for various official websites. So here I am in the middle of a mock stats lecture. You should see the outtakes. They are hilarious. I didn't realise just how many silly faces I pull when I'm teaching. I do think I look like I'm enjoying myself here though.

Day 163: Home made chicken, spinach and ricotta ravioli. The sauce was spectacular - creamy mushroom and wine. The bench was horrendous to clean. Dried on flour sets like cement. Every so often, I give myself a massive pat on the back for having the foresight to marry a professional chef (except when I get to clean up after him). When he's really bored he cooks for entertainment.

Day 164: My first batch of students that I instructed all by themselves graded two weeks ago. Today I got to hand out a pile on new yellow belts. I took a serious group photo but I'm mindful of their right to privacy. Here's the boy goofing around in his new black belt.

Day 165: The eldest daughter after a life time of classical dance, jazz and hip hop has decided that being a cheerleader is a perfectly legitimate way to keep fit. Her first comp is at the end of June and here she is showing off the uniform. We're all having a little bit of trouble taking the concept seriously.

Project 365: Weeks 21 and 22

The tail end of May and the beginning of June. The last two weeks of May were clearly not memorable. I only have two photos! The beginning of June is the beginning of  Winter here in the Southern hemisphere and nature delivered right on cue. Cold, crispy frosty weather with a side order of rain. We don't get snow where I live except for exceptional once of twice in a lifetime events but it can get quite cold (tops of 7 or 8 degrees Celsius only). Maybe that's why there's very few photos. I didn't want to immortalize the rain.

Day 142: In the night garden.There are lights under that blue glass. When twilight hits, they come on and glow softly. This just means I am at work too late if the lights are coming on!

Day 151: Bling compass. The middle daughter made this for one of the girls she is working with. The story is that this girl forgets to take her compass off when she goes into the supermarket after she has been out on field work all day. She then feels that people stare at her and judge her for needing a compass to navigate around the supermarket. Hence, bling compass was born, a still functional fashion statement that you wouldn't feel embarrassed to be caught wearing in public.

Day 152: The boys black belt grading. It's only taken 11 years of training! Our discipline doesn't have junior black belts. You have to be at least 16 and physically and mentally capable of all the techniques required to be a black belt. I'm so proud of him. He's now the third black belt in my family (and the other two of us are just one belt off). This is a successful elbow strike through two 12mm pine boards.

Day 153: Future Doctor daughter playing radiant hat model. When we went to the Sunday market at Camberwell a few weeks ago, she was wearing one of my knitted hats and looking at what was on sale suggested I knit some more to sell at her friend's clothing stall and hence turn my slight knitting obsession into some useful cash. So I have been turning my needles to creating a supply of marketable hats for sale. This is Barnaby the cloche who will go to new home some day soon

Project 365: Weeks 19 and 20

OK. It's the second last day of June in actuality and I am posting about the beginning of May. The wheels have sort of fallen off this photo a day gig in fairly spectacular fashion. Why? I think its a combination of the pressures of work and the overwhelming sameness of my life at this time of year! I have my standards. I could take a photo a day of the ending state of messiness that is my desk. I could capture the piles of marking or the computer screen opened to my uninteresting but overflowing email inbox, a riveting Excel spreadsheet or some esoteric stats program. I don't know how well that would go down. It wouldn't photograph well I think. I do see at least one cool thing I'd like to capture an image of each day but an application  of Murphy's law usually means I am: (a) driving and it would be dangerous to take said photo, (b) without my camera, (c) so immersed in the moment I only remember it would have been cool to photograph after it is gone (not necessarily a bad thing) or (d) I try to take the photo and it ends up a wonky blurry unidentifiable blob of pixels.

So I'll post the photos I have taken over the last few months in batches of a fortnight at a time till I catch back up.

Week 19. It was Mother's day. It was pleasant lazy hazy Sunday with  good food and good company. I even got a handmade Mother's card complete with cut out magazine pictures from my 22 year old. I also got the traditional mother's day dressing gown, and I was thrilled. There may have also been a book involved. My kids know me too well. Week 20 finished up with a spirited family outing to the local 10 pin bowling alley.

Day 127: Let me out! Let me out! Let me out! The morning chook chorus.

Day 128: It's an octagon. In a circle. And red poles! Now with added plants! And mulch.

Day 130: A random belated birthday present from my sister. I'm going to crochet this little amigurumi owl just as soon as all the marking is done for the semester. I had to resist this all day at work. Giving me a full kit including yarn and a crochet hook and the pattern at the beginning of a work day was a subtle form of torture. I keep eying it off and thinking, I could just open it up and maybe crochet just a little bit instead of this pile of boring marking. Be proud of me. I resisted.

Day 131: Sunrise. The beginning of a beautiful autumn Saturday

Day 132: Mother's lunch at The Courthouse. Good food, great ambiance and pleasant company.  Touching base with my Mum after she'd been interstate for a week and lucky enough to have the eldest daughter home from her hard work in the Big City hospital for the weekend.

Day 134: The addition of a "sculptural element" to the garden outside my office window. This is a circular ring hanging in the the middle of an ovoid spheroid. The shape of the outer sphere changes depending on the angle you view it from. Here it's looking like a ball or a globe. From different angles, it looks more egg like. This has been an impressive exercise in recycling too with both the red poles and the blue glass re-purposed for the the previous iteration of this garden space.

Day 136: A colorful cyclamen. This is in another of the garden spaces that brighten up our wing of the University. This one is almost like a giant outdoor terrarium, sandwiched between the walls of the building and giant glass windows. It is filled with flourishing tree ferns, bromealiads and a giant fossilized trunk of a tern fern that probably lived in the age of the dinosaurs dug up from one of our local open cut brown coal mines. You can see the end of this in the top right of the picture.

Day 137: Evening rush hour in the big city. Waiting at the Super Stop for the tram outside Melbourne's iconic Finder's Street Station. A day of meetings discussing the intricacies of marking 300+ literature reviews with about a dozen different markers consistently and with a tight two week turn around. Anticipating the pleasurable rush and well earned pain of a taekwondo training session with our Master. Meeting my better half and the boy for training in preparation for his impending black belt grading followed by a meal out in Chapel Street.

Day 138: Bowling shoes. Are they in fact the ugliest shoes in existence? Saturday afternoon ten pin bowling. I lost. This is not unusual. I can't bowl consistently. Its all or nothing - gutter balls or strikes. The head of the household won - also not surprising. He's the only one who does look like he knows how to bowl properly. It was a fun afternoon. Thanks to the middle daughter for making us go.

Day 139: Handmade pasta. The middle daughter making homemade lasagna from scratch to take to her friend's house as she disappears for a few day's sleepover. The lasagna was a work of art.