Take it easy crafting

Happy Valentine’s Day!
I made my husband a hat and finished sewing it up just now. Everything has been a go slow this week with illness. I have managed to work on using up my odd balls of acrylic DK yarn.

This hat took a little less than 100g of dk acrylic.
Using 3 1/4mm needles I cast on 116 stitches. Stocking stitch for 8cm. (Rolled up brim.)
Change to 4mm needles and stocking stitch until work measures 27cm.
Cast off 16 stitches, knit 26, cast off 32, knit 26, and cast off the final 16 stitches.
I now had 2 groups of 26 stitches.
Dealing with one at a time exactly the same as one another:
purl a row.
Stocking stitch 45 rows, decreasing one stitch at either end of the row in 5th and every following 8th rows. You will end up with 14 stitches.
Work 8 rows decreasing at each end of every knit row.
You now have 6 stitches.
Work 3 rows and cast off.
Fold the ears in half and sew the seam. sew across the top of the head. The final seam is the back of the head. Don't forget to reverse which side the seam is on, when sewing up the brim.
Knot the ears. I used "figure of 8" knots.
The brim will naturally roll.
And that is how I made a Valentine's Day hat.

The black acrylic dk yarn was finished off by making this black granny triangle shawl. There wasn't quite enough plain black, so I ended up using a ball of the sparkly metallic thread black. Originally I had only planned to use it for the trim. 
Trims for the shawl and this charity Christmas themed granny square can be found here. 
These dog neckerchiefs are also for charity. 
Now let me share some new things with you!
I am excited to try to begin the ancient art of Nalbinding. It is older than crochet or knitting. The bone needle is a Medieval replica. The other 2 wooden items are a shuttle for yarn, and tablets so I can try Tablet Weaving. There are books on Amazon, videos on You Tube, and equipment on Etsy, if anyone else would like to join in. 
Now let me introduce you to Kit Marlowe. He was born on the 30th December, so is 6.5 weeks old. 
This is his brother Edward Lear. They will be living here in about half an hours time. Daughter has 2 of their brothers named Badger and Oggie. Will take pics to share later.
I leave you with a Valentine sunrise. Have a loving time with your dear ones. 



Comments

Terri said…
Good knits! I've never heard of Nalbinding. Looking forward to see what it is.
Hugs
Thanks! There is a very short video here to give you a taste Terri: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N7Y9zFKN1oY The effect gives you a herringbone sort of spiral to make garments with. They can then be felted if you like. You might find this post and pics interesting: https://celticweaving.com/2016/04/26/nalbinding-learning-to-knit-like-a-viking/


Tracy said…
HAPPY HEARTS & LOVE to you & yours, my friend! So sorry you've been under the weather... My goodness though, how much you've made even while sick! The Valentine Hat is so cute! I love the knotted "ears"! The shawl and the blanket are both so lovely. VERY exciting with your weaving supplies and the nalbinding! I'm waiting on my supplies order, and can't wait to try along with you! Sooo sweet are the new additions to your family and look forward to hearing about your adventures with them! :))) ((HUGS))

Jeanie said…
Nalbinding is new to me and I will be eager to see what it looks like and what all you do with it! I have to say when I first saw the Valentine hat I thought it might be a tank top or bustier! It's much better as a hat -- really cute and I love the ears. But I do hope you are fully back in gear soon, feeling well and happy and having all the energy in the world for fun stitching and new pets!
annemariesquilt said…
I love your Valentine gift to your husband <3... I have never done nalbinding but it looks like a lot of fun. Take care and get well soon !
Ulla said…
Cute and funny hat for your husband, but doesn't beat the one you gave your uncle for Christmas! Your nalbinding and tablet weaving tools are beautiful. It will be fun to start learning together.
Cute hat for your Valentine :) I have seen nalbinding, but I have never had a go. I did do a bit of tablet weaving though - years and years ago. I remember I made a veeeery long belt :)
Love KIt Marlowe - after reading Dorothy Harkness' books I knew he was a rat, but your Kit is sweet:) not familiar with Edward Lear though?
Hope you are all keeping warm, it is cold here as well, but we are maybe more prepared for it.
Kit Marlowe and Edward Lear are such fun characters. Kit Marlowe is more outgoing than Edward Lear but Edward Lear is more affectionate. They sit on my shoulders to go on adventures picking fresh herbs for them, or fridge treats. The shawl is almost a go-to on a cold morning. I can clean wearing it without worrying about cuffs and bleach and silly things like that which usually happen to me. The green blanket went to charity to help Cyprus dogs. Nalebinding is tricky but I need to practice more.
Hi Jeanie, Kit Marlowe and Edward Lear are such distractions. They sit by the door when they want an adventure then climb onto my shoulders. They are big fans of frozen peas in their water bowl. They then bob as if they are apples or use their hands. They get so excited with that game. The hat was fun! I’m finding nalebinding tricky, but it is because I don’t practice often enough.
Thanks Anne Marie. I’ve begun by trying to learn the Oslo stitch with nalebinding. My tension is not consistent yet, but I need to practice more. I’m Spring Cleaning at the moment and decluttering the tatty stuff.
Thanks Ulla for all the nalebinding support. Oh la my Uncle’s “hat” ought to serve as a warning to label what I send as Christmas presents!
Hi Anne-Lise, ooo how did you find tablet weaving? I’m still getting my head around nalebinding so I’ve not started weaving yet. I haven’t read Dorothy Harkness! Sounds interesting. I chose Kit Marlowe’s name as he is an adventurous rat who is keen to explore, like Shakespeare’s rival playwright. Edward Lear is a quiet thoughtful rat who does silly things so he was named after the poet who wrote the Book of Nonsense full of little limerick poems. I loved that book as a child.

We survived the second snow fine. The local shops hadn’t restocked properly after the first snow, but our freezer was well stocked. We’d organised for another cord of wood to be delivered weeks before so it arrived before the second snow. We were prepared in case power lines came down, but were fine. I even had enough wild bird food to help them out.

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