Handspun Single Skein September Wrap Up

So many misfires!
This year Single Skein September was not my friend. I detailed a few of the oops moments from the first two weeks in this post. Then, woof, it kept going downhill.
I made this fun garter hat. No issues there. Came out great and used every last bit of the yarn. A win.

Then I decided to just cast on a bunch of stitches and knit a reversible pattern for a cowl. I used a chevron stitch chart from Up, Down, All-Around Stitch Dictionary. Except I twisted the cast on and didn't realize it until I was about halfway done. I decided to just keep knitting. The final product isn't terrible but I would have preferred it without the twist.

I then started the Swan Maiden Mitts but eventually had to admit that they were coming out much too large and I frogged my first mitt.

Last, I started a pair of Helix Mitts. I had many, many missteps from carelessness. The pattern is almost too simple. My brain would shut off and then I'd start knitting in stockinette or work my join incorrectly. I have only finished the first mitt. It's not bad but it was hard won. And I can't decide if I want the seam on the inside or outside. Leaning toward the outside.

Now that September is over I'm not sure what to work on next. Back to knitting Helix Hats in the meantime.

Single Skein September 2015

This year I decided to give Single Skein September a little twist (no pun intended) by using only handspun yarn. This past spring I made a good effort to spin all my little bits and bobs of fiber in my stash and that's left me with lots of small skeins of handspun.
It's been a bit of a challenge to find things to knit with such small quantities of yarn. What do you make with 15 yards of bulky handspun?


A coffee cozy?

I tried a headband next.



Then I ran out of yarn.Twice.



I knit a cowl from some very bulky 2-ply Corriedale that I dyed.


It's based on Jane Richmond's Mustard Scarf except my yarn is much bigger and I had to keep ripping it out to use fewer stitches. And then right at the halfway point I accidentally skipped a row in the pattern so it reversed the sides. The placement makes it look intentional. I think?

And I knit Excess by Anat Rodan.



My one regret is not knitting it slightly longer to use up all the yarn.

So Single Skein September is not off to the very best start.

And Even More Hats (Plus Mittens)!

Amperes. This hat such intriguing instructions. It's three triangles, two small, one large, that end up connected at their bases and then the ribbing is knit down in the round. Then you fold down the large triangle and seam its sides to the small ones'. However I suspected that it wouldn't be a great fitting hat and I was right. I may tear this out and reuse the yarn which is the Palette I plied together this spring. I love the yarn and think it deserves a better hat.


42. More Cascade 128 knit up in cables. I love the look of this yarn for cables.


Improvised striped baby hat. I wanted to use up the 42 leftovers and leftover red from a plain hat that is too boring to share.


Dabbler. I continue to absolutely love Head to Toe: Kids' Knit Accessories. I thought when I first got it that I would knit every pattern in it and I'm well on my way. I had a skein of Stampato Extra from a stash swap (that's where most of these partial skeins and oddballs came from). It's a really weird yarn. It's 100% superwash merino with many plies and each ply is a different color. It makes an interesting color effect but the plies don't hold together at all. It just wants to collapse and unravel. (I know this photo makes it look like the mittens are completely different sizes. I assure you that's just a trick of perspective. They are exactly the same size.)


Amstel. Interweave just came out with a new magazine called Make It! Knits. (This should be available at your LYS that carries IK. I urge you to purchase it locally.) It's entirely previously published patterns repackaged. It's aimed at beginners with several technique articles for new knitters. Plus new knitters won't care that some of these patterns were published several years ago,  I was immediately in love with the Amstel Hat which is featured on the cover. I already had the issue of IK with the pattern (Fall 2012). I grabbed a ball of Malabrigo Worsted and cast on. Halfway through I went to enter the project in my Notebook on Ravelry. Which is when I discovered that I already knit this hat. Two years ago for Single Skein September. My only defense is that I knit a lot that month and them donated it all so I didn't remember it at all.

Hats, Hats and More Hats!

My September hat parade marches on. While I sit on my butt.


Declan's Hat. I made this in Shelter, the yarn called for in the pattern. I was worried about having enough yarn and might have cheated a bit on the ribbing. I really regret that since the yarn has no spring to it at all and the ribbing isn't all that deep it flares out.


Magic Coffee Baby Hat, This is leftover bits of Malabrigo Worsted. It's so cute and soft!


Barley. This is a little leftover ball of Malabrigo Rios.It's a great, free pattern. I realized when I went to take the picture that I threw in one round of stockinette in the garter section. Oops!


Slouchy Bubbles. Another nice freebie on Ravelry. I used Cascade 128 Superwash. I was craving cables. Mine doesn't slouch. I had to cut the pattern short so I wouldn't run out of yarn. Always the problem when using leftovers.


Noro One-Skein Spiral Hat. This pattern has been on and off my queue since the start of Ravelry. It's a super-simple knit that makes everyone ooh and ahh. I used a partial skein of Spud & Chloe Sweater. It's very nice yarn but hands do not enjoy knitting with cotton even in a blend.

Plantar Fasciitis + Single Skein September = Hugely Productive Month

As you've probably noticed from some of the photos I've been sharing from my Instagram, I've been making a lot of stuff. I've been benched after a doctor confirmed that I have plantar fasciitis in my right foot. I've been told to severely limit my time spent on my feet. Since I work in retail that pretty much means I am spending all of my time outside of work on my butt. Add to that a determination to really hit do up Single Skein September and a stash sale/swap at Purlygirls where I was given a lot of oddballs and partial skeins for charity knitting and you've got yourself a recipe for productive knitting.

Items I've knit include Coldstream and Wylam from Head to Toe: Kids' Knit Accessories both made in Ultra Alpaca.





I love, love, love this book. I've knit several hats from it now and it's just a great little book for charity knitting and knitting for kids in that often overlooked group (pattern-wise) who are between toddler and adult. The patterns are nicely unisex too. Love!



This is the Garter Ear Flap Hat from Purl Bee in a single skein of Frog Tree Merino. I made the second size but ran out of yarn so I ripped back took out some of the plain rows near the end of the decreases. It's a really soft, squishy hat. Great little pattern.


Yet another helix stripe scrap hat. I still love knitting these. Watching the colors and textures mix in new ways each time keeps them interesting.



Here is the Elven Cloche from Romi Hill's The Great Oddments Knitdown. This is a very fast and entertaining knit. I am particularly pleased with it because I kind of made the yarn. I used three skeins of Knit Picks Palette (another friend's destash) and overspun them then plied them together. Then over-dyed them. Made a meaty, round yarn in a deep, complex color. This is a fun idea if you're a spinner and have some commercial yarn that leaves you cold.



The Fairy Snowcap is also from Romi's book. Here's a view from the top. I knit it in Fleece Artist BFL Aran. I left off the pompom because I have just enough yarn left to knit a second hat.

That's a pretty good first week, I think.