Hats off to Oscar

Did anyone catch the 2nd celebrity between Martin Lawrence and Albert Brooks during Chris Rock's "Magic Johnson Theatre" skit? I know there was somebody else famous in there. It's just that I was too busy knitting to look up.

And Beyonce is so fired. I mean really, if you sing 3 out of the 5 nominated songs, aren't the odds pretty good that one of those will win? I'm just sayin'.


The "Oscar" scarf & hat

I finally figured out how to work the flat pattern from my scarf (at left) into the matching hat, which I'm knitting in the round. Somewhere along the way I read that when you convert a flat pattern to circular needles, you need to eliminate the two stitches taken up by the seam. The only other complication (besides that this was a 6-stitch pattern repeat, and I had to figure out how to turn it into a 4-stitch repeat -- at least the cast-on was an even number) was the whole concept of "just keep knitting and you'll get stockinette without ever having to purl."

What I finally figured out (after only having to frog twice -- and only 3 rows back, at the most) is that this original pattern:

Cast on 102 stitches. (K2P2 ribbing for 4 inches)
Row 1: Knit.
Row 2: Purl.
Row 3: P1 *(K1P1) rep from *
Row 4: K1 (*P1K1) rep from *

Turns into this on circular needles:

Cast on 100 stitches. (K2P2 ribbing for 4 inches)
Rows1 and 2: Knit.
Rows 3 and 4: P1K1, rep

Go figure. And I figured this out all while being totally distracted by the Oscars. Thus, the project has now been christened my "Oscar hat" (and scarf, by default).

Now to figure out the decrease (when I get there...)!


Velvet Touch yarn & pattern

Here's the yarn I bought in Florida. The pattern goes up to 6-7 years of age (26 inch chest), so I will be making it to fit Tess next winter. As soon as I figure out how to measure her without her squirming and giggling!

I think my photo shows the brightness of "fushia fizz" much better than the Wendy website. Don't you?

Oh, and I was happy to help a Punta Gorda knit shop get back into business with this $40 purchase, after their original storefront was destroyed during Hurricane Charley ("Try explaining to an insurance adjuster that there really are skeins of yarn that sell for $15 and more," said one of the owners). Especially one run by the outrageously nice folks of Knit Wit (it's on Taylor, east of the railroad tracks now -- Yahoo maps hasn't yet updated their directions).

I'm feeling a little giddy after helping a fellow knitter (hi Eric!) find just enough Adrafil Jumping to finish his sweater through my Jumping connection, Yarns to Go in Alpena. It's where I get my Jumping fix when visiting my folks (when they're not in Florida). I can't wait to see pictures of Eric's finished sweater! Share, share!