The need to doodle snuck up on me this week. I felt like drawing while at work and started sketching on yellow post-its every now and then, ridiculous nonsensical things. I sat down after breakfast with my coffee this morning to see what would happen if I stuck with it longer and this is the result.

It isn't knitting, but there is yarn, with a bonus rhino. 




I hope to have a few other animals done in the next few weeks, just for fun mostly, although maybe also for greeting cards for friends and family? I think he's pretty cute in yellow and pink too:



Saturday Sketches

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Lorsque j'ai partagé le patron pour mon béret Triangles Tam j'avais pris pour acquis que le modèle donnerait le même résultat pour tout le monde, c'est à dire une tuque texturisée décontractée pour les têtes de taille "normales". Cependant je deux des Triangles Tam tricotés sur Ravelry été rapporté comme étant trop grands et j'ai commencé à me douter. Alors j'en ai tricoté un troisième (celui-ci est pour moi finalement). Je suis soulagé qu'il me fait tout comme les deux premiers, mais je me suis rendue compte à quel point il est ample. C’est vrai, le modèle pas pas mal grand et j’aurais dû en tricoter plusieurs échantillons avant de partager le patron.
Aussi, il est important de ne pas trop étirer le rebord lors du blocage, un tâche particulièrement difficile cette fois-ci avec le taux de coton dans cette laine.

When I shared my Triangles Tam pattern I had basically optimistically assumed that the hat would turn out the same for others, a slouchy textured had that fits the average sized adult female head. However when knitter who has knit the hat *twice* had hers turn out too large both times I panicked that I'd set up friendly, unsuspecting knitters for certain disappointment!  I put aside my other projects and cast on for my third tam right away last week (this one is for me, I finally have one of my own :) I'm relieved that that this tam fits quite a bit like my first 2, but I have to admit it is a rather large hat, as seen in the pictures below. It could definitely benefit from being knit in sport weight yarn with a smaller needle. My next one will be knit in sport weight yarn with a US 5 needle.I was also reminded of how important it is to avoid stretching the ribbing at the brim during blocking, which was hard to do when trying to stretch my mostly-cotton hat over the brim of my mixing bowl. I might stick to wool yarns for this hat, or use another blocking method, or even carry an elastic thread along with my yarn for the ribbing portion.





Avec les températures record cet hiver, je tricote des tuques depuis décembre. En plus de mon béret j'ai aussi terminé deux chapeaux d'allure un peu plus sportive, à porter dehors mais aussi à l'intérieur dans l'espoir de limiter nos factures de chauffage. Le Wasatch Backcountry Hat et la tuque Jacques Cousteau était tous deux des projets rapides et très facile, par contre les deux ont bénéficiés de diminutions additionnelles à la couronne afin de produire une chapeau plus plat que pointu.  Ce qui a été décevant par contre est la laine noire, le Cascade 220 Superwash... Douce et spongieuse pendant le tricot, celle-ci a perdu toute élasticité après le blocage et après moins de deux semaines d'usage régulier elle est déjà pleine de bouloches. On dirait une vieille guenille sans forme! J'aurais dû consulter les comptes rendus de la laine sur Ravelry avant d'acheter... Une précieuse leçon (sinon coûteuse)!

As cold temperatures have been record breaking this winter, I've been knitting hats since December. In addition to the tam I've also knit two sportier, beanie style hats to wear outside, but also inside the house to keep heating bills reasonable. Both the Wasatch Backcountry Hat and the Jacques Cousteau Hat were fast, easy knits, although both did well with more aggressive decreasers near the top to keep it flat rather than pointy. What was disappointing was the Cascade 220 Superwash. Although it was soft and spongy during the knitting, wet-blocking it robbed it of any elasticity and after just two weeks of wear has pilled more than any other yarn I've used. A pilly, shapeless rag in two weeks? Turn out others have had similar experiences and I should have taken the time the time to read the yarn reviews on Ravelry before buying two skeins!

Wasatch Backcountry Hat:



Jacques Cousteau:





Hat Weather and a Triangles Tam Update

Sunday, March 16, 2014

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