home of the Player

Oh, it had to happen. There was just no way I was going to not go thrashing through the stash after that last post in search of Orange et Navy!

And what to my wondering eyes should appear? Not one, but 2 skeins of Cascade 220 in the colors I was lusting after! HA! The navy is #9449 (tagged for a bucket hat); the orange, gifted to me awhile back by my favorite muse, Edie, and is Color #Unknown. It’s just been biding its time because it is a luscious shade!

Mission: make a fine little hat that I can wear every day until February 5th! I have been eating, sleeping chasing da Bears on ye olde Day Job and wouldn’t it be just cheerful to fly those team colors?! I figured socks would take me forever – still might do it just for luck – and would actually not be visible AT ALL to celebrate in public the way a hat can…

I give you the Player:

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Size: Medium (fits Women’s 21-22″)

Yarn: 110 yds each of two colors (C1 & C2) worsted weight yarn (220 yds total – yarn held double throughout)

Gauge: 14 sts / 18 rows over 4″ St st

Needles: #10.5/6.5mm 16″ or 20″ circular needles & Double Pts

Stripe Sequence: 6 rounds of each color 7 times.
[C1, C2, C1, C2, C1, C2, C1]

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Using C1 held double, cast on 76 sts and join to knit in the round. (Yarn is held doubled throughout.)

Round 1: [K3, P1] around.

Repeat this pattern, observing your stripe counts until 4 stripe sequences are completed. Work 2 rounds with C1.

Next Round: K2TOG; [K15, place marker] repeat around.

Decrease Round: [K to within 2 sts of marker, K2TOG] repeat around.

While continuing to observe your stripe count, repeat the above DEC round every round until 5 sts are left. (Switch to Dbl. Pts when uncomfortable to continue with Circs.)

Break yarn and weave through remaining sts. Weave in all ends.

GO BEARS!!!

…action shots coming soon…

is it wrong to wish your team’s colors were L.I.M.E.
instead of, hmmm, navy & orange??

Then it would be as easy as shooting ducks in a barrel – I’d already have one sock done and would not be tempted by this – Laura K writes: “By the way, have you seen the Bears colorway by Lorna’s Laces? It’s a fun self-striping blue orange combo–I saw it at Arcadia last week.”

How cool is knitting a sock during the game? Well, maybe not as cool as Jodee who wrote: “I knit an orange and blue hat during the game to keep me from biting my nails!!”

I will have to call. Becasue. I. Have. NO. Willpower. And I am not afraid of being the fan who’s a little bit of a wan**er if that’s what it takes to get a championship trophy! If you recall, something really good happened the night I was knitting a black’n'white sock awhile back…

Meanwhile, Sock #1 of 56 St 56 Row Pair is done, washed and being admired. I have a chair across from the chair I usually sit’n'knit and it is the Gallery Chair. I find I’ve been draping new FOs over it when they’re done so I can admire them for a spell before I put them in the sweater cupboard. (Yes, one perfect little reason to slack off housework.)

This pattern is just so easy and fun – but it disappeared from the web awhile back. Its author, the wonderful Nancy T McGLynn, gave me permission to publish it again online here on Chic Knits for you to enjoy…

CLICK HERE for the Pattern…

(good for any medium weight sock yarn that knits to a gauge of 7 sts / 10 rows per 1″ – makes a Women’s Size M sock)

Now I’m all about Tools but not all Tools.
I’m all about Tools that work for me.

1. Circular Needles (easy to use on public transportation – don’t POKEMON the neighbor – less dropped stitches when quickly putting in and out of bag moving at high speed – less stress on the wristlets)

2. Really Sharp Scissors – my small pair are razor-ish professional, surgical

3. A Clickable Row Counter – I tend not to trust my measuring tape alone, but am a dedicated row counter to match sleeve lengths, armholes, etc.

4. A 2″ darning needle – why we’re sold needles longer than this I do not know unless everyone is suddenly making all their sweaters out of 2 st/inch yarn ;p

5. A Needle Sizer – who the heck is Susan Bates????

And Drumroll Please…

6. Stitch Holders.

Plural.

I have a whole bunch of standard metal ones that I acquired on eBay from an auction of vintage tools. I can only wonder who had these, but they filed down the pointy edge to pin-like sharpness. I use them to *baste* seams together to try things on – but I RARELY use them as stitch holders.

Instead?

Here you see my favorite Stitch Holder of all – Scrap Yarn. It is simply threaded through the stitches that need to go to the sideline for awhile and knotted on the ends.

Finally.

Make an Honest Yarn out of all that Acrylic in your stash!

My Ribby Shell has one the Right Front done and is waiting to jump back on the needles for the Left Front finishing…