Blog, I knit another hat - why? Because it's August!!

I knit this while listening to one of the two knitting podcasts I subscribe to. Most people listen to only zero knitting podcasts, whereas I am marooned on the tail end of a bell curve, and with TWO knitting podcasts. I've been tending toward talk radio more; a habit which I attribute to being prematurely welcomed into my mid-40s. KNITTING AND TALK RADIO IS A NICE WAY TO SPEND A SATURDAY.

So this hat is really cute and different from most hats. I did the crochet part before the part about the brim inside out so it really stands out from the seed stitch pattern, like horizontal ribbing almost. I repeated the brim a bunch of times, but I think if I had to do it over I would have also made it wider. I steamed the shit out of the brim, you should have seen me all with the iron. I also added this button detail. Why not, right?

Pattern Couvercle by Kira Dulaney, Summer 2008 Knitty.
Needles Size 8 bamboo DPNs, purchased at WEBS and I love them.
Yarn Berkshire Bulky in pink, undetermined amount.

Yeah this pose, cliche cliche, but it shows off the seed stitch pattern and that's what we're here for.

Senior portrait.

I can wear it to the side.

But I think I like wearing it backwards.

Hi I knit something. Knitting has been very emotionally difficult for me since Bears on Swings.* When I learned to knit at the end of 2005 it was during a time of my life that was unproductive and knitting was an exercise in being inspired and making things. Right now it's impossible for me to knit myself out of my problems and it's difficult to commit to large projects. I've been sketching some, and the next large project I undertake may be something that I designed (though to be honest, I do have a Snowdrop Shawl on the needles. I've knit ZERO REPEATS.)

So this is Urchin by Ysolda Teague. Ysolda is gorgeous and her patterns are whimsical. The yarn was a holiday gift from my roommate Ruchi; an organic hand-dyed bulky merino from the Union Square market. Its rustic quality made it a good candidate for this beret, and because I only had one skein of it, it was at the top of the list. As expected, I didn't get gauge, so I cast on 26 stitches (effectively, an XL) and I was able to easily modify as necessary (Just did everything recommended for the large size +1). Though I only did six repeats and reinforced the headband with elastic, I wish I had only done five repeats instead because then I would have gotten a more pronounced shape.

Pattern Urchin, by Ysolda Teague
Needles Size 11 Susan Bates Ones
Yarn Mystery organic hand-dyed bulky merino (indigo) from the Union Square Market.

As for my personal life, things are starting to come together, albeit on the wrong coast. I'm working on a large scale sculpture project; I talk about it all the time. It's like, thesis-worthy and there will likely be a written component to this when it's done. It's conceptual, it's physical; it's destructive, it's generative; it's archival and timeless, seriously, MFA programs are so weird, why would I want to wait two years and pay an institution for accredidation for doing something that I'm already doing? See how ridiculous MFA programs are??

* Speaking of Bears on Swings, I found these photos in June of some of the individual bears from the installation. I'd like to post them here. They were taken by angsty_otaku.