The Ever Changing Project

My blanket plan didn't work out.  I'm not ambitious enough to really hunt down the rest of the yarn to complete it.  I did have a bit of inspiration the other day when the cat decided that my Wonder Woman pillow would make a good bed.  Madame Wicca needs her own pillow bed.

 This is the beginning of Madame's pillow bed.  It's black and primary red.  It really seems to glow in this pic.  It's not this harsh in real life and it goes well with the decor in the room.

As for my winter snugly, t.v. watching blanket for the cold months will have to be re-thought. Hmmm time for some Ravelry surfing. :)

My First Hat

I've been reading "Knitting Rules!" by Stephanie Pearl-Mc Phee and in it she has a chapter on the "No Pattern Hat."  I love it because she gives a basic set of guidelines to make hats, socks, shawls.  She also gives variations on a theme.  I'm not very good at following patterns. I get lost very easily especially if it's a repeat of more the 6 or 7 lines.  When I do try to follow a pattern I have to write it out myself to make sure I understand it. I get lost less frequently.

The yarn is Cascade Fixation, yet again.  This is a challenging yarn for me because of the elastic.  I'm starting to get really good with getting tension right and consistent.  I did the math based on the gauge but it still ended up small.  I compared it to a newborn hat and it was really small.  And so, dolly gets a new hat.  I knew this day would come. I think I need to work my way to knitting Barbie clothes though.  That is becoming my child's new obsession.

The next project is to re-do my black and red afgan. I was not very good at the tension in this crochet project and I got random loops sticking out.  It bothered the crap out of me.  I just finished frogging it and have started with a smaller hook and am using a single crochet instead of a half double.  I want something dense and warm for my lap in winter.  I've also changed the red yarn.  I went from Lion Brand Chenille which has a spicy brown kinda red to the Suede line which has a more primary red. I'm only using it as a small accent as the gauge is very differnet. It should be interesting as both have been discontinued. Time to start scouring the discount bins