Fiber Arts Friday: Dutrieu Hat, part 6

 At the end of Part 5, we were here...

While doing some unpacking/organizing/looking-for-something-else I found this Needle-Felted Flower that I made in a class several years ago, when we were new to alpacas.  It needs to be finished a bit, but I think this might be a good way to complete this hat.

So after weaving in the ends, I pinned the flower in place and tried the hat on multiple ways, to settle on its final location...

  

and I don't love it.

So I decided to go ahead with crocheting a brim-edge.  I like this a lot better, but I still don't care fore the dark red "v" at the front.

  

So I wove in the ends and fastened down the flap with the minty yarn, while aligning the dark-red section.

  

I like this a lot(!) better.

I am still debating whether to add a small embellishment to the peak of the flap, but for now I am of the mind that less is more.

So I will live with it for a while and call this one good, finally.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Dutrieu Hat, part 5

Part 5?  Who would have thought that such a simple pattern would have so many things to talk about?  Not me... but here I am, with Part 5.  :-)

As a reminder.... I was contemplating accents at the end of the last post.

I knit a couple of rows with the gold and decided I didn't like it.  Then I knit the remainder out with the dark red-wine color (because it has matching blue flecks in it) but did not bind-off or join, because I was still not certain I liked it.

I sat with it for a few days and shared the above photo with a friend... and the more I looked at it, the less I liked it.  So I set it aside.

This is why color can be so challenging for me and why I generally prefer to work with un-dyed fibers!!

After letting it sit for several weeks, and growing impatient with the number of nearly-complete projects I had, I decided to bind-off with the wine-colored yarn over the Independence Day Holiday.

At this point, I don't hate it.  But I don't love it either.

The pattern calls for a button to hold the flap in place and, of course, the ends still need to be woven in.  

My current plan is to crochet a brim-edge in the wine-color and then likely add other embellishments.

So, clearly there will be at least a part 6 to this project.  Stay tuned.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Modified Sandbank, part 3

As I mentioned in my plan last time,  the first thing I did was move this project to two 60-inch circular needles.

The first needle was a bit grabby with the yarn, so I wiped down the second prior to using it and both are running smoothly, after the first couple of rounds.

I finally finished the first skein about 3/4 into the 5th Repeat.

It is interesting that Repeat #5 used the same weight of yarn as Repeat #4 (14g each).  I can only assume that one of my weights was not measured accurately, since I have a habit of using my scale where ever I happen to be.  I'm curious to see what happens in Repeat #6.

In thinking about it further, I suspect that the finish weight for Round #3 was incorrect, which means the delta that gave me 27% increase was also incorrect.  This is a good reminder that each and every step matters when it comes to an accurate predictive analysis.

Finally more than a month later, and earlier this week, I finished Repeat #6.  The yarn used was 21% more than Repeat #5 and I'm still in Skein #2.

The wrap is starting to show it's Kidney Bean shape, and is still on a pair of 60-inch needles.

If the 21% increase in yarn per Repeat continues, then I should be able to get 11 total repeats out of the yarn I have.

I am continuing to work on this project primarily during the mornings.  Each Round is now taking more than 2 hours over several days, and each Repeat has 13 Rounds.  Which means that my forecasted end date is continuing to move out.  ;-)  Currently I'm hoping to be complete in early March 2024.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Dutrieu Hat, part 4

Since last time, I have been contemplating what to do with the last inch of my Dutrieu Hat....

I went thru my stash of wool yarns and pulled out the close-to-sport weight.  Then kept out the few yarns that appeared to coordinate with the hat...

with undyed Targhee

with the white used for the
Provisional Cast-on

with unknown wool - gold and wine

While the hat sat with the potential stash members, I also took a snip of the yarn with me to the Estes Park Wool Market and happened to find an interesting coordinating yarn from ModeKnit Yarn, of Saint Paul, Minnesota.

So now, I have four-ish options that are marinating...

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Dutrieu Hat, part 3

So, last time I was just beginning the last panel of this six-panel hat and expecting to play a game of Yarn Chicken.

Soon after writing that post, I found the few grams remaining from my Minty Mitts...

While I am feeling a little better about my supply, I'm not confident that I have enough of this Possum-blend yarn to complete this hat.

I got ~25% into the last panel with the remainder of the first skein...

And another ~50% with the remainder of the Minty Mitts Skein.

Which means I have ~25% or 10 rows plus the bind off and join remaining to complete this hat.... AND that I lost at Yarn Chicken twice!  ;-)

So my mind has been turning toward my stash, wondering if there's something suitable to compliment the end of this project.

The ending stripe will be about 1-inch wide.

Do I go with white and drive a summery feeling?  Do I go with a natural, undyed color for a more cozy feeling?  Or something completely different?

I'll be pondering these questions for a while...

In the meantime, I hope you are having lovely weather and Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Dutrieu Hat, part 2

Last time I was just beyond 50% complete and now after a couple of  Dog Shows, this project is nearly complete...  I have just begun the last panel, and it looks likely that a game of Yarn Chicken is in my near future...

Stay Tuned and Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Camo Socks

When I was attempting to make a pair of socks for the first time, I used this yarn.  It didn't go well.  

Now that I have more experience, and am better at counting... ;-), I decided to try this yarn again.. Having been reminded that this yarn is camouflage-like when knit up, I offered to make a pair of socks for Hubba and his hunting trips.

I cast on in mid-May (5/11/23) with the intent of having the toes complete and set up for travel at the end of June.

This trip would involve airplanes and airports... and therefore a lot of waiting in uncomfortable spaces.  Which meant my Sandbank would not be as appropriate as I had hoped... Then it turned out that I was further along on this project than I expected at the time of my trip, so I brought something else.

I primarily use two longer circulars and occasionally a set of double-pointed needles on socks or hand-related projects.  So this will be different... especially since the needle portion is much smaller on these short, 9-inch circulars.  Therefore holding them feels a lot different.

But there were able to hold everything, including the heels while in progress.

I finished these up several days after my trip concluded.

As much as I am enjoying making socks, I am having a hard time understanding how much negative ease is the right amount.  So these are still a bit big for Hubba.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!