A Stash-Busting Hat

I came across a pattern the other day via Wendy Johnson's blog and liked the look of it.  It's the Starving Artist hat by Laura Linneman as is knitted in chunky/bulky weight yarn.  The pattern states US 10.5 needles, which is 6.5mm, but I decided to use 6mm instead to make it a bit smaller and so more child-sized.  I had some Sirdar Click Chunky left over from making my Shalom cardigan last year, so cast on at knitting group yesterday morning and spent another hour and a half when I got home finishing it off, just in time to collect DD1 from school (not something I usually do, but she was hit on the nose by a hockey stick during a PE lesson on Weds and is a bit battered, bruised and feeling slightly fragile, hence me walking with her to and from school).  Anyway, here are pics of the hat.  Not particularly good photos as I couldn't think of anything to model it on (although thinking about it, a plate might have done.

 

I'll probably make another of these as I've got some chunky-weight handspun I made from some purple and gold merino yarn and then plied together and I think the simple ribbing of this pattern will work with the yarn.  If I could find the notebook where I write down details of the yarn I've spun, I'd know if I've got enough.  In any case, if I make this again, I'll make it a bit longer (I guesstimated this time round) before starting the decrease rounds.

 

On the subject of knitting groups, I go to two.  On a Monday, I got to one in a village just outside Colchester, which is held in a local pub.  On a Friday (although not every Friday - it depends on what I've got going on that week) I go to a group held in Dedham, a village a few miles from my house, which is (again) held in a pub!

Anyway, last Friday I stopped the car as I had my camera with me and took a photo of the view as I drive down the valley into Dedham.  Pretty, isn't it.  On the other side of the road are fields.  Lots of fields!  It's not a bad place to live!

Anyway, it's back to knitting on the Burridge Lake Aran Afghan.  I had a bit of a glitch with it the other day when I realised that I'd been a bit over-ambitious in trying to knit cables (following three separate charts) while watching TV and getting distracted by one husband, two children and two dogs and had made a mistake about 18 rows further back, which led to me firmly telling everyone that interruptions would NOT be appreciated while I ripped back and picked up the stitches again.  I'm just about up to the point where I realised the mistake and after another eight rows, I'll be halfway through the centre panel (hurrah!).  I'm trying to knit at least eight rows a day on this otherwise it'll get put back upstairs and forgotten about for another few months and I really do want to get this finished by the autumn.

That's about it really.  Nothing of particular note, or excitement, except that I'm now counting down the days until we get our new car.  We've currently got a silver Fiesta which is coming to the end of its lease (hubby's company has a very good car scheme which means we're able to change cars every couple of years) and on 10 March, we should take delivery of a shiny new white Nissan Juke.  It's a car that, when I first saw it advertised on TV, I thought "I'd  like one of those" and my lovely hubby ordered one, even though it's not really a manly type of car (but he has his Renault Kangoo van to drive anyway!).  I went off with the girls a few Tuesdays ago to DD1's swimming lesson thinking that hubby was going to be ordering another Fiesta, but white and when we got home, he told me he'd changed his mind and ordered a Juke instead.  It's moments like these that remind me why I married him!