We had an awesome time on our trip and we’re back home now.  I packed a knitting project with me, nothing big just a hat, thinking that I’ll have time to finish it.  Um… didn’t quite get around to pulling my knitting out of my suitcase!  However, between the loads of laundry that I had to tackle yesterday, I managed to cast on for my Renfrew hat and I’m pleased to say that I’m close to the crown decreases.  Yeah!!… Read more »

Windschief seems to be my go-to hat pattern for the guys in my life.  The first one I knit was for the Mister using Dream in Color Classy in a classic grey.  He’s worn that hat a TON and it still looks like it was knit yesterday.  Top marks for this yarn! After knitting the Ranger sweater for Prithvi, I had a bit of yarn leftover.  Although, he will never be caught wearing the matching sweater-hat combination, I knit him… Read more »

A quick drive-by post to point you in the direction of a lovely pattern that was recently published by my dear friend, Kelly. Test knitting is always fun!  It’s great to work alongside the designer as their pattern is tweaked and fine-tuned before making it ready for publishing.  When Kelly asked me to test knit her hat pattern, Stormont, I jumped at the opportunity. Stormont was a great pattern to knit. This pattern allowed me to indulge in the cable… Read more »

Fall is my favorite season.  This time of year is so fleeting yet so beautiful with the rich autumnal shades that surround us.  As temperatures dip, a cozy hat is perfect to keep the chilly winds at bay. Courtenay is a textured beret with a leaf motif that is perfect for fall.  I used a skein of SweetGeorgia Yarns for this pattern in the “Ginger” colorway and the color couldn’t be more perfectly autumnal!  This hat uses less than 150… Read more »

It has been a while since I knit anything for my son, Prithvi and when he mentioned this fact to me last week, I felt a humungoid pang of guilt!!  Determined to remedy this sad truth I cast on for a hat using some 100% alpaca yarn from Aslan Trends.  If you’re looking for a soft yarn, this is definitely cloud-soft!! I knew that garter stitch would be ideal and so I went on a Ravelry hat hunt.  I came across a pattern… Read more »

Mmmmalabrigo, Mmmmalabrigo!  That’s what I keep thinking over and over again when I’m knitting this squishy thing. Nope, this is not a sock on the needles :: I haven’t gotten back on the sock train (yet).  It’s another hat, a beanie this time.  The highly addictive stitch pattern makes me want to knit just one more round and then one more! Fortunately, my fidgety model with the strange eyes does not tolerate hats for more than 20 seconds.  So, this one’s for moi… you know, for… Read more »

We’re back to regular life here at Chez Rambling Roses with it being the first day of school today 🙂  I’ve been craving for some instant gratification knitting lately and so I decided to cast of for this hat a couple nights ago.  Instant gratification achieved since I finished it this morning. Right now, it is just a blob and I’m hoping that blocking will work its usual magic so that I’ll have a nice little beret in a few days.  It… Read more »

This year, the kids and I did handmade gifts for Father’s Day. Prithvi baked a chocolate cake from scratch and it was yum-o-delicious!  It was actually quite the feat for a first cake and I’m amazed at how fantastic it turned out.  Kiki made a card and a picture frame-esque thingy with a photograph of her and daddy.  The card was begun at preschool and she finished it off at home, with a whole bunch of squiggles which she said was her… Read more »

The Windschief Hat is probably the quickest knit I’ve done in a really long time.  The pattern is so addictive and has the perfect balance of mindless stockinette with some interesting bits thrown in, in the form of twisted rib stitches.  Yarn overs and decreases makes the ribbing twist all the way to the top :: clev-ER. This is a great pattern by designer Stephen West and definitely gets two thumbs up from me!  The only change I made to this hat was… Read more »

Stash!  Every knitter has a bit of yarn or boat loads of it.  Some knitters cram this stash into the deepest recess of their closets while others prefer to proudly display their piles-o-yarn for inspiration or…decor!  My stash is what I call, um…moderate 😉 and I try to keep it stuffed into the two large-ish bins in my closet.  Any overflow and I go into a state of panic.  You know the feeling… “Oh no, I spent all my money… Read more »