Nalbinding With Handspun

Day 16: You might imagine that my home would be filled with handcrafts and examples of fiber arts, given the volume I produce, but you would be mistaken. Oh, there are towels in the cupboard and rugs on the floor, two quilts and the occasional piece of art, but for the most part, the things I create are given as gifts. That said, it's nice to be able to make something for yourself now and then instead of shopping for it, or maybe just because you think it would be fun. I don't really need another winter hat, but I've had nalbinding on my mind, so I decided it was time to use up some of my handspun. This greyish-brown (brownish-grey?) wool came from my ram. It was one of the few skeins I've spun at a bulky weight and consequently wouldn't match gauge with any other yarn in the cedar chest. Although there's enough to make more than one hat, a scarf would be out of the question unless I put another wool with it. I'm using the Oslo stitch, a relatively simple nalbinding stitch to make a typically Scandinavian-style "cat hat" with a turned-up brim, essentially a rectangle worked in the round. Two corners stick up as "ears" and may be worn positioned as such, but alternately, the points can be set on the head toward the front and back like a garrison cap.

Winter Hat

Day 67: First of all, let me apologize for the model. My new winter hat was too big for Tippy or any of my stuffies, so you're stuck with the little old lady who, in any event, is going to be the one wearing it. That said, it's not often that I find a new craft which I find as enjoyable as my usual fare of needlearts (knitting, weaving and crochet), but nalbinding has found a niche in my skills database which is likely to be visited fairly often. I love the look of the stitches, and even though their execution is repetitive and progresses slowly, the herringbones and plaits they create makes a dense yet light and flexible textile. If not as versatile as knit or crochet, nalbinding can be used to make sweaters, socks, mittens, bags, scarves, shawls and so on, and its unique look will have your needleworking friends asking, "What's that stitch? How did you do that?" The only equipment required is some yarn and a standard yarn needle, although specialized flat needles made of bone, horn or wood will make your stitching more uniform and easier. I used a 3.5" bone needle to stitch my hat, topped it with a crocheted "toorie" flower and added another one at the temple. You'll also notice that I made it plenty long to keep my ears warm! I decreased stitches in the last few rows to ensure a snug fit. Now I'm ready for some snow!

The Cat In The Hat

Day 290: When a friend called my attention to a book of knitting patterns called "Cats In Hats," the temptation was too much to resist. Tip is such a tractable child that I was certain he wouldn't mind modelling a winter chapeau. After looking through all the designs, I settled on a standard "bobble hat" which took less than half an hour to knit up. I don't think the style quite suits him, but his look of discontent has more to do with the discomfort of a book behind him and the camera in his face than the bow tied under his chin. Maybe a top hat would be more suitable?

Leftovers

Day 127: Sometimes you need to be a little creative in order to use up leftover yarn, and for me, PINK was a special challenge. I had purchased a space-dyed yarn called "Gumdrop," hoping to get more than one hat out of the skein. Unfortunately, I came up short for the second one by just under half an ounce. The yarn had a different finish and feel than those in my current scrap afghan, so I was reluctant to use it even though it was unlikely anyone would notice. I remembered I had leftovers from the "pussy hat" project, and decided to do some stranded knitting with both pinks and the ombre. I made the rib in dark pink (the colour I had the least of), and then experimented with a couple of different ideas for the body. I finally settled on a 2/3 stitch diagonal. After 30 rows, I'll break off the colour work and resume in dark pink or possibly bands of dark and light, depending on how far the remaining yardage will allow me to go.

Saved By The Ball

Day 45: It's the time of the year when my crafting thoughts turn from delicate lace and hand-sewing and lean instead toward the warm and cozy end of the spectrum, i.e., the bulkier work of socks, hats, mittens and gloves. I've turned out several afghans for the Park's Christmas auction and have gotten thoroughly tired of crochet, so I thought I'd knit a stocking cap. I grabbed a full skein of yarn from my stash without paying attention to the number of ounces in it. I mean, there was enough, more than enough, so why worry? I finished the hat and eyed the remaining ball. "Hmmmmm," sez I, "I wonder if there's enough in there for mittens?" Weighing it, it seemed like there might be, but there was definitely no "wiggle room." I reeled it all off into a pile in order to measure the yardage. Yeah, it would be close, but I still wasn't sure. The only option remaining was to make a "trial mitten." I marked the halfway point with a knot, in the knowledge that if I got to it before I got to the end of the mitten, I'd be unravelling a day's work .

After working the trial mitten up through the thumb gusset, I measured again this morning. It was looking a little scant. I cussed myself for making a wide turnback on the hat, hindsight being so much clearer than foresight. Another forty yards would have made the difference, just a few rows left off the hat. On the off chance that I might have a small ball of the same yarn tucked in with my "short balls" (leftovers from other projects), I went digging. Lo and behold, at the bottom of one of the plastic storage containers I found a WHOLE 'NOTHER SKEIN of the same yarn. You might say the impromptu mitten portion of this project was "saved by the ball."

Reversible Cloche

Day 130: The friend who has generously donated almost all of the yarn for my current projects asked me to post a photo of the "reversible" adaptation to my original cloche pattern published February 4. I've made several single-layered caps, and while working on them, went through assorted spatial manipulations in my mind to figure out the best way to double the thickness of the hat, but not the ribbing. Since the rib matched one of the colours in the variegated yarn, I made the solid-colour cap first. Then keeping it rightside-out, I folded the ribbing toward me and picked up the first complete row of "bumps" where the pattern changed to stockinette stitch. Be very careful to pick up stitches only in that row! It is easy to angle off into the stockinette row above it. I found it easier to pick up the "bumps" without knitting them. Once they were all on my circular needle, I attached the variegated yarn and completed the cap following the pattern from that point. To finish the cloche and keep the halves from shifting and bunching, take a tack stitch through the top to join the layers securely. NB: it might be a good idea to add two rows of stockinette to the original pattern before the decreases to accommodate the increase in thickness. This version covers the tips of my ears, but won't keep the wind from whistling through them.

Alpine Topper

Day 72: With Christmas crafting behind me, I took advantage of the last two days to knit myself a "head cozy" to keep myself warm while I'm out snowshoeing this winter. The Fair Isle construction of the "Alpine Topper" creates its own lining. In this instance, I've used wool/mohair roving (single ply) in shaded greens for the body of the hat and a softer, loftier rust-orange Merino "chain" yarn for the contrasting color. The Merino is carried on the back of the work, and is oh-so-soft against the ears! Even when wet, wool retains its insulating capability, so it's the perfect fiber for Pacific Northwest outdoor wear.

Talk To The Hat

Day 278: There's a story among those of us who have spent a good portion of our lives alone, and I first heard it related about a fence-rider in the Australian Outback. A new-chum happened upon him one day while he was holding forth an animated argument with his hat where it was jammed down on a post, and reported back to his mates at the bunkhouse that the poor old sod was going a bit barmy and might be due for a spell back among human companions. "Nah, 'e's orright," the new-chum was told. "Not to worry, so long as the 'at don't answer 'im back."

I haven't reached the point at which the hat responds in kind, although I do discuss the price of tea in China with various rocks, trees and small wildlife, and have been known to reproach a piece of barbed wire with an epithet and a demand to "Gimme back my sleeve, willya? I don't have all day to stand here waitin' for you to let go of me. I've got work to do." Brambles are often accosted in much the same manner, as are puncheon bridges which grab the point of a walking stick, refusing to give it up to allow me a normal walking pace. It sometimes seems that objects have minds of their own, particularly when met in Nature, but so far, none has expressed itself within my hearing.