WIP-ping up a hat – Episode 3

I’ve had to slow down with this project, as I’m lacking the 6mm DPNs needed at the end.   I’m now working the decreases anyway, so the end draws close.

Smocked Tam – WIP-3a

Smocked Tam – WIP-3b

This project has gone very smoothly so far.  I just hope that it continues like that!

WIP-ping up a hat – Episode 2

I love this pattern!  It knits up so quickly!  I’m galloping (for me) and am already nearly half way.  I’m beginning to wish I hadn’t dodged knitting in the round!

Smocked Tam - WIP-2

I’m now on the second increase round.  And here I have to say what a pleasure it is to not be confronted with “dec x sts evenly across the row”!  That kind of pattern instruction annoys me so much…

WIP-ping up a hat

As I had 300g of the Stylecraft Life Chunky (Mixtures Cranberry) yarn left over from making the belted tunic, Jenny asked for a Tam (or similar) to go with it.  After some searching and reading, Jenny’s preferred design was Blackberry Surprise, by Thea Colman.  I’ve started on it today, finally daring to knit a piece using circular needles!

Smocked Tam - WIP-1

Not only does this mean using circular needles from scratch (there’s also some DPN work towards the end), knitting-in-the-round, but I’ll also be learning to “smock”.  Should be interesting!

Expanding To DPNs

As a continuation of my adventure in knitting, I’ve started using double-pointed needles (DPNs) to “knit in the round” for the first time. This always terrified me – all those needles, with nothing to stop stitches falling off the ends, and still only two hands to manipulate them with! What could be more frightening? I won’t pretend that my first attempt has produced perfect results – far from it. Getting the tension right at each junction of the needles has been very difficult for me, and so the fabric has definite faults in it, but I’ll admit that perhaps it’s not as impossible as I thought it would be. I may have to do some “repairs” to close some gaps here and there in the finished project, but in general I’m happy with how things have gone. I doubt that I’ll become a DPN or “knitting in the round” addict, but I do now know that I can do it if I want to.