By Vintage Grrl, on January 30th, 2009%
I’m going to the Opera in the Domain on Saturday, and a few friends and I will be there from about lunch time so I needed a hat. Now, I have a bit of a large noggin (59cm), and on a woman, that’s not too easy to find a pretty sun hat in that size. So the hunt for the pattern began. And it was pretty easy to find. Butterick 4532 was perfect. AND it had pretty baggies that could coordinate.
So I scoured the stash for fabrics and I found 2 of the 3 I needed. A lovely tan drill and a pretty floral were in teh stash, and I just needed something a little more solid in one of the tones of the floral to pull it together. It’s not a HARD pattern to make, but it is a little fiddly.
The bag, however is very fiddly, but awesome! It can get very bulky in places, so I don’t recommend using a cotton drill for it. Quilting cotton that is interfaced would be more than sufficient.
Overall, I enjoyed making them both, and will do it again 
By Vintage Grrl, on January 27th, 2009%
I’m on a bit of a snood making frenzy at the moment. I’ve decided they’re one of the best things I can use to keep my hair out of my face, that won’t end in a headache.
Here is one I whipped up over the weekend.
Made with Spotlight’s Yarn Bee Bamboo ribbon yarn in “Blue Java” colourway. It’s light, drapey and very comfortable.
Using a worsted weight yarn (or a tape/chain yarn), 6mm needles and a 5mm crochet hook.
Here’s the pattern:-
Cast on 20 stitches using long tail cast on
Purl row
Knit row, wrapping yarn around needle twice before pulling back through (all knit rows will be knit in this way)
Purl row, increasing at each end with Pbf, and allowing wrapped stitches to elongate (all purl rows will allow stitches to elongate)
Knit row
Purl row, increasing at each end with Pfb
*Knit row
Purl row*
Repeat between *’s 17 times
Knit Row, decreasing at each end with a k2tog (22 stitches)
Purl row
Knit Row, decreasing at each end with 2 k2togs(18 stitches)
Purl row
Knit Row, decreasing at each end with 2 k2togs(14 stitches)
Purl row
Knit Row, decreasing at each end with 2 k2togs(10 stitches)
Bind off using crochet bind off.
Continuing with the crochet, add a round of single crochet around the entire piece, being careful not to draw it in too much (I did 2 sc’s per knit row around the top, and 1 around the base). Joining with a slip stitch, cut yarn and weave in.
Figure out the points that will end just behind the tops of your ears and mark on both sides. With the right side out, work fanfare stitch row starting at one mark, then working over the top of the piece to the other mark. Continuing on, holding some hat elastic, work single crochet around base catching the elastic within the stitch around base to the first mark. Then work second row of fanfare stitch back around top of snood. Cut yarn and weave in end.
Adjust elastic as needed and tie off both ends.
Enjoy!
By Vintage Grrl, on January 22nd, 2009%
I don’t like making New Years Resolutions. They’re inevitably not kept. I would, however, like to make a wishlist for myself for 2009. Things that I would like to accomplish, or at least I would like to work towards.
I want to move more. Not just exercise, but generally. I’m back into dancing this week, and I’m hoping to get back on our exercise bike next weekend (it needs a vacuum out). I want to get back into swimming again too.
I want to create more. I want to knit garments for myself. I want to sew a wardrobe full of clothes for myself. I want to bake more too. It will be a challenge with Roh’s dietary restrictions.
I want to laugh more. I didn’t laugh enough in 2008.
I want to socialise more. I lose touch with people too easily in this ratrace we live in.
I want to slow down. There IS time for everything, we just have to capture the opportunities.
So there’s my wishlist for this year.
And because of this wishlist, I’ve also decided not to knit ‘garments’ for myself this year. I will be knitting accessories and ’sizeless’ things like shawls/wraps, but I’m not going to spend time knitting things for myself that won’t fit me in 6 months.
So on we go!
