A Blue Hat...for Spring?

So, I started a new project, even though it defies all logic. It's a hat. In spring. (Although with this chilly spring we're having around here, it's not far off the mark to want to wear a hat.) I just couldn't help myself. I was taking a little break from my Inside Out socks, which I have since resumed, and was itching for something fun and new.

Here's what I've done so far:


It's the Coronet hat from Knitty.com. I really enjoyed the cable band, which is done first as its own entity (and which I should have taken a picture of...still getting used to this blogging thing). First you start with a provisional cast on, and then graft the two ends together to form a ring. Then you pick up stitches along one edge and begin to knit in the round for the rest of the hat. It's also designed to have the cabled band fold up to form a double layer over your ears. So far it's a really fun knit.

I am making it in leftover yarn from this scarf and mittens. Believe me, I know. The extreme matchyness will have to be evaluated. But I think it'll be a nice hat. And, that yarn is some of the softest wool I've ever found, and it knits up beautifully.

A Beaded Code

I recently purchased a DPN wallet in which to store my smallest sizes of DPNs, from 000 to 3. I love it. It has four pockets, and I have them organized as such: sizes 000, 00 and 0 all in the leftmost pocket, 1's in the next, then 2's and then 3's. Seemed logical enough to me. Except that I couldn't memorize my various color-coded size 0 needles. So this weekend I came up with this:

Beads! I stitched some beads on the little band (which was intended to hold stitch markers) so that I can see which needles are which...so, now I know that the blue ones are my 000's, the red/pink are the 00's and the yellow are 0's.

And I don't think it detracted at all from the prettiness of the needle case. It's just my little "note" to myself that tells me what I need to know. I like it.

Coming Soon...

I have decided to try and create a little "knitting glossary" page of terms for the benefit of my non-knitting/Muggle friend Jeanne, whom I know reads this blog. I know that I babble on about knitting things, which are nothing for other knitters to read, but which can sometimes stump my friend. So I am going to start a list, and see what happens. More on that later.