FO: Military Barbie Beret...

Pattern: Nancy Drew/Speckled Beret by Kate Gilbert (Interweave Knits Winter 2005)
Start/Finish: Mar. 9, 2006-Mar. 14, 2006 (had to restart)
Yarn: Louisa Harding Kimono Angora (color 4); one 25g ball (124yds/112m)
Needles: Addi Turbo DPNs size US1-sh/2.5mm
Modifications: Unspeckled; used a different type of tubular cast on than called for; renamed Miltary Barbie upon seeing the pink camo patterning

More notes plus progress pics below the flip.

The pattern uses a tubular cast on described here, which, if I understand it correctly, leaves live stitches. The impression I get is that you run elastic through the cast on edge, but the pattern in IK doesn't say anything about that.

I neither wanted to use elastic nor wanted worry about how solid the brim was, so I restarted the beret (rather than frogging completely, I just started from the other end of the ball of yarn and frogged and knitted at the same time) using the tubular cast on that Anna posted a tutorial on. Only made a slight alteration for working in the round, which was to purl for four rows in the beginning before picking up and knitting stitches.

Admittedly I omitted a row here and there for this particular beret. Since the yarn broke a few times--I later figured that the breakage was because the yarn was worn from being worked and reworked--I would not have had enough to finish without joining another ball by a little more than ten inches. I didn't really want to join new yarn for just a few, short rounds so I just worked a few rounds less. Didn't affect the overall result as far as I can tell but that did show me that one ball of Kimono Angora is *just* enough for a hat.

I'll conclude with one final image and a thought:



Does this make remind anyone of those paint stands at the fair where you have a frisbee or piece of cardboard spinning on a wheel while you squirt paint on it?

Spring is still not coming along...

And neither is the (un)Speckled Beret. I decided to unpick the waste yarn to see if the tubular cast on was actually done correctly, and the stitches on the cast on edge are live. I'm pretty sure I followed the pattern for the brim exactly, but I won't be able to double-check for at least another week (I let one of the ladies in my knitting group borrow the magazine for a look). All I have are some brief notes I scribbled down on where to make increases/decreases for the hat.

At any rate, I still get to frog angora. Fun times ahead! I'll probably end up referring to tubular cast on tutorials online and then working the beret pattern from there. Just to avoid another mishap.

In other news, I just realized that it seems like I'm on an Interweave kick what with all the projects from their magazines. In a way, I am. It's partly because all my knitting books are back home on the other side of the pond (magazines being much easier to transport) and partly because of the knitting resources I *do* have access to at the moment, Interweave is most likely to have things I'll actually wear.

However, I will be broadening my horizons soon. I've already cast on for a twist front top (my own pattern), which will be nice for spring. I will also be home for Easter holiday all of April, which is code for "I finally get to stock up on my stash and knit patterns from my collection at home." Along these lines, I'm sending my mom on a yarn hunt when she goes on her trip soon. I gave her a list with three yarn shops (could have chosen more but I decided to be nice) and types of yarn I'm looking for.

Waiting for spring...

With something pink:



This is the beginning of the (un)Speckled Beret from the Winter 2005 issue of Interweave, which my Project Spectrum. I originally bought the Kimono Angora with the intent of making socks. Then I realized that I probably couldn't bring myself to wear angora socks so it is now on its way to becoming my first knit hat (took me long enough =P). The yarn is absolutely lovely to knit with--soft and doesn't shed--but it is on the delicate side. It has broken on my twice already and I'm even knitting looser than usual.

The beret pattern is a nice change from all the sweaters I've been knitting, as well. I am a little worried about the tubular cast on, though. I remember reading the tubular cast on tutorial on Amelia Raitte and the instructions given in the pattern do not really match up at all. So far, I can't really tell how the cast on edge stays intact once I remove the waste yarn on the hat.