knitting lemonade

Hello, lovely readers, you can now find me here.

Remember, to update any links, bookmarks, or subscriptions with this new address. Thank you so much! Hope to see you there!

There is something weird going on with my blog. It is not letting people post comments and saying that access is FORBIDDEN. (It just sounds so scary.) I am sorry the drama...ugh. Hopefully, I will find a solution soon. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Oh yes, I went and caught a case of the copycats in a bad way. It is a nasty virus. It strips you of all original thought and leaves you helpless to copy the uniqueness of others.

I first felt the copycats coming on when I saw Ashley's new scarf. And just like that, I was down for the count. Oh the colors! The purdy, rainbow-licious colors! How could I not be consumed? Little did I know, that Ashley was merely a carrier of the virus, and the origins of this epidemic could be pinpointed to Maritza of knotty bits. Genius, pure genius.

As the fever began to take over, I immediately scrambled for the only cure...Socks that Rock (namely in colorways Farmhouse and Watermelon Tourmaline). I e-mailed the fab people at Blue Moon Fiber Arts, and they were able to send my prescriptions immediately. In fact, JoAnn from Blue Moon had to ask what all the hullabaloo was about since she received several request for those two specific colorways. Sounds like the copycats are spreading...no knitter is safe.

The Chevron scarf pattern from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts

From the wit, Dorothy Parker.

Wisdom
This I say, and this I know:
Love has seen the last of me.
Love's a trodden lane to woe,
Love's a path to misery.

This I know, and knew before,
This I tell you, of my years:
Hide your heart, and lock your door.
Hell's afloat in lovers' tears.

Give your heart, and toss and moan;
What a pretty fool you look!
I am sage, who sit alone;
Here's my wool, and here's my book.

Look! A lad's a-waiting there,
Tall he is and bold, and gay.
What the devil do I care
What I know, and what I say?

I have a special gift. I happen to look really good in hats. It doesn't matter how ridiculous the hat, I will rock it. It is like my mutant power, or something. The call me, FEDORA, Crusader of Cloches, Heroine of Headresses! (Um...sorry, I got carried away there.) I hope this all doesn't sound conceited. That's not my intention at all.

So despite my superhuman ability, I was still nervous knitting the Brooklyn Cap. I mean, first of all, I was knitting with orange yarn. Orange, people?! Plus, there was going to be the felting. I have never, ever felted before. So the odds were stacked against me. How could a felted, orange trendy hat look any good?

I think it turned out, right? Is my title of "chic sporter of hats" still safe?

Here are the stats, real quick:
Pattern: Brooklyn Cap
Source: Interweave Knits, Summer 2006
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Worsted in Tiger Lily from Brown Sheep Co.
Size: Medium
Mods: I knitted with worsted yarn (from my stash, baby!) held double throughout.

And if y'all are interested, here's the life story of the Brooklyn Cap, or Cappy as I fondly call her.

Here is Cappy pre-felting. What a big girl she was...








Then we have the big drop into the washer. Never having felted before, this was a big deal for me. I grabbed some jeans and a old pillowcase and went to work. Wash cycle after wash cycle, I would check on Cappy. "Does she look any smaller? I just can't tell anymore." Oh, my poor nerves.



Eventually Cappy reached a more chic size. But I had to wait for her to dry--upside-down, stuffed with plastic bags from Target.






After a few days of drying...voila! Cappy was Pret-a-Porter.And thus ends the happy, and at times stressful, tale of Cappy. Hopefully, we will live happily ever after.

PS--I am thinking of maybe adding some embellishments (Buttons, Ribbons, etc.) to my Cappy. Any suggestions?