More bonnets

Now that I'm on the topic of bonnets. I can't remember where I got instructions for this one; I only remember I applied them quite freely. You knit two and purl two so that stripes formed move to right all the time. I was so happy when making the bobble that I didn't realize that if I use more than 100 grams of yarn, the bobble will weight more than 100 grams. But it's still nice, huh?

The red one I crocheted on a plane just a few days ago. I love it that I can take my crochet needle to a plane—and I've taken it dozens of times—but they get all cranky about French cheese, because it's too gel-like. At least the Swiss security did. Anyways, I was thinking of a Japanese summer hat I had years ago which was approximately of same model, and I think I was also hoping to look more adult. Apparently that's not possible, though.

I started from the top and used ordinary crochet as long as I was increasing, then changing to this woven stitch I found in Betty Barnden's The Crochet Stitch Bible. Basically it goes: one crochet, one chain stitch, so that you always crochet on the chain stitch on the row below. I love the texture. Yarn is untwisted sheep wool from Estonia.

Finnish ski bonnet

I have an enormous collection of bonnets. When my friends see an animal-shaped bonnet they want to buy but don't want to wear, they give it to me. Last spring two brothers I know were travelling to different destinations - one to Peru and one to China - and somehow they both managed to bring me a bonnet. The one from Peru was owl-shaped; the one from China, panda.

Most of my bonnets, however, are versions of a Finnish ski bonnet. It's simple, it's cute, and I love it.

Basic ski bonnet made with thick, untwisted yarn.
Crochet laces to tie under a child's chin.

Basic model with stripes and really thick alpaca.

This is slightly more complicated, although not very.
Instead of knitting every row, you knit two rows and purl two,
changing the yarn so that the colorful rows show knitted and
purled white on the outside.

Instructions. (I link guidance to basic stitches for those of my friends whose first knitting I know this to be; if you know what you are doing, no need to check them. Gosh, some of them have terrible music playing.)

First, you need to cast on a necessary amount of stitches. If you are knitting for an adult, the width should be approximately 18 cm; for a 3 years old something like 12 cm and for a one year old baby something like 10 cm. This also depends on the thickness of the yarn you use: you need more width if your yarn is very thick.

Knit the first row. On the second row, knit one, then decrease one by knitting two stitches together. Knit until you have two stitches left. Do a lifted increase - that is, knit one stitch of the stitch on the row below and then knit the second last stitch normally. Knit the last one and all the way back. Repeat the increase and decrease on every other row until you have one fifth of the desired length when you slightly stretch your knitting. (Desired length is the head circumference of the person you are knitting for. For example, my head is 56 cm, so I should now have some 11 cm done.) Your knitting should be kind of leaning to right.

Now you change: you knit one, increase one (by lifting), knit until you have three stitches left, decrease by knitting two together, knit one. And then knit all the way back. Repeat until you have two fifths of the desired length when slightly stretching your knitting (in my case, 22 cm). The second part should be leaning to left.

Then you change again, following the instructions for the first part, except that now you only continue until half of your the desired length is done (in my case 28 cm).

Change again, following the instructions for the second part, until you have three fifths done (in my case 36 cm). Change again, following the instructions for the first part until you have four fifths (in my case 45 cm) and then follow the instructions for the second part until you have the whole length. Cast off.

It should look like this:

Now all you need is to sew it together. Sew A to A, B to B and so on.

And it's ready.

Fifty-three to go

 

Seventy-one patches done. Fifty-three to go. Although I think I miscounted and need actually a total 128 - in that case, fifty-seven to go. Plus of course the outermost ring to each one. And the sewing.

I think I gotta do something else for a while. Something I can complete sooner. Something like this, perhaps, to use as a purse when flying.

Macramé

Temping as a substitute teacher of arts and crafts some time ago, I was to teach a bead workshop. I know nothing about beads, but fortunately the kids knew what they were doing. So while they were doing whatever they were doing with tiny seedbeads (for which I would have not had patience), I was skimming through some books about the subject. And there it was, what I had tried some years ago in a craftshop in Estonia and then forgotten: macramé. The book said it's "ethno-spirited but can look nice when used right". (Nice and right meaning, cheap.) After my first, succesful try, I came home and started to check macramé patterns in web. Probably should have tried this with something else than alpaca.

Neverending patches

My eternal problem seems to be that I buy more yarn that I can possibly use. Sometimes I go on strike: no more yarn until at least some of the old is finished! And then I stare at my yarn collection (and believe me, it's huge) wondering what to make. For example, what to make of the odd collection of alpaca?

Inspired by this, I started my own crochet quilt. Unlike this beautiful tulip quilt, my patches won't be so flower-like: just rounds surrounded by either a hexagon or octagon. The color for the outermost ring isn't decided yet either, as I thought I'd finish all the yarn I already have before choosing the binding color.

I counted that I would need some 124 patches for a blanket - that is, if there's enough yarn. Still 83 to go.

Vuodenvaihteen mietteitä

Tänä vuonna olen

1. vetänyt kovasti rajoja. Se on ollut välillä kovasti rankkaa ja välillä kovasti palkitsevaa, mutta menetyksistä ja muutoksista huolimatta ehdottomasti sen arvoista.
2. aloittanut vuoden samanlaisessa mustan tähtisumun kaikkeuden tuntemuksessa kuin tunnun sen lopettavankin.
3. kokenut ekan kerran bhangan ja myöhemmin, monien meditatiivisten vaiheiden kautta, saapunut vahvistuneen ja luonnollisesti päivittäisen meditaation tilaan.
4. kellunut asunnottomuudessa ja tuntenut Oranssin virtauksen läsnäolon. (Tämä ei viittaa mihinkään mystiseen.)
5. rakastunut.

Kuluneella viikolla olen

1. tutustunut viehättävään autistineitiin ja naurattanut sitä kerran niin paljon, että pissasi housuunsa.
2. tehnyt isoja päätöksiä! Noin esimerkiksi muutan kevääksi yksiöön.
3. toivottavasti alkanut hyväksyä maailman kaaoksellisuuden.

Tänään olen

1. kuullut eniten minun tyyliseni Pokemonin olevan Xatu.
2. ihastunut uuteen kotiini ja pakannut melkein kaikki tavarani. Niitä ei ollut paljon.
3. siristellyt silmiäni kuin murmeli, koska nukuin viime yönä liikaa.

Pian aion

1. hoikistua. Mutta en halua uutta kilpirauhasen vajaatoimintaa, joten olen mieluummin iloinen läski kuin masentunut laihimus. Siksi taidan vain liikkua ja syödä fiksusti, mutta olla vilkaisemattakaan vaakaan.
2. mennä töihin. Tai no, ainakin tehdä töitä. Sellaisia palkallisia. Ns. kunnollisia.
3. ottaa kissavanhukseni hoitoon. Oikukkaan kissaotuksen totuttaminen beluga-apinan pieneen kuutioon ei kyllä välttämättä ole helppoa.

Asioita, joista ei sittenkään tullut kovin mielenkiintoisia

Tämä lista on jostakin FB:ssa kiertäneestä muistelopohjasta.

10 vuotta sitten minä...
1. pelasin melkein koko ajan Super Mario Bros 3:sta
2. söin vaaleanpunaisia bentsodiatsepiineja
3. aloitin yliopiston

5 vuotta sitten minä...
1. asuin temppelissä metsän keskellä lähellä Malesian rajaa
2. ystävystyin kissojen ja etanoiden kanssa
3. en kaivannut ketään

3 vuotta sitten minä...
1. ajoin työkseni rikasta lasta taitoluisteluharjoituksiin mustalla mersulla
2. en tiennyt onko vatsassani ameeba
3. olin niin rakastunut elämään, että pysähtelin tuijottamaan mykkänä onnesta muun muassa kaupan leipähyllyä

1 vuosi sitten minä...
1. kirjoitin romaania
2. haaveilin vapaudesta
3. opettelin virkkaamaan selälläni, koska olin sairauden takia niin väsynyt

Tähän asti tänä vuonna minä olen...
1. tehnyt liikaa asioita ja huomannut, ettei niin voi jatkua
2. ajanut tuhansia kilometrejä raihnaisella pakulla ympäri Eurooppaa
3. tavannut Tärkeän Ihmisen jonka kanssa oleminen tuntuu samalta kuin ilma Lissabonin yllä maaliskuussa

Eilen minä...
1. pidin viimeisen japanintuntini
2. sain Punnitse ja Säästästä vessapaperia tukoksi verta vuotavaan nenääni ja vetäisin ensimmäisen kunnon paniikin pitkään aikaan
3. hoidin kolmea kissaa, kahta koiraa ja yhtä tanukia

Tänään minä...
1. olen ollut väsynyt mutta hirmuisen onnellinen
2. olen päästänyt puolisokean koiran vapauteen, jota se ei käyttänyt
3. aion Neuloa ja Nukkua Omassa Sängyssä

Huomenna...
1. hoidan kahta lasta toivottavasti Oktonautteja katsellen
2. juoksen
3. aion Neuloa ja Nukkua Omassa Sängyssä