Running a bit behind this week while taking advantage of our 3-day weekend here in the States, but here’s my update for the week.
I started and finished Vanessa Smith’s Stars Hollow hat using a skein of DK-weight handspun. The original roving was from Funky Carolina (a BFL wool) and dyed in the colorway Eowyn. I used size 6 seed beads I had in stash from The Beadwrangler and applied them with a small crochet hook. For the pattern itself, I knit the larger size, but this one is VERY stretchy so I think it would fit a wide variety of hair/head combos. It has a deep ribbing, so you can style it as a slouch or more as a beanie with the brim folded up. The stitch pattern is a fun slipped stitch/ribbing pattern making pretty little starbursts with the beads at the centers where the yarn crosses over. I did wind up omitting one final round of beads where you’ve decreased down to just a few stitches as I felt they were going to be kind of squished together if I did that. I used a total of 175 yards for this version. (I’m thinking that I may start crocheting blanket squares from my handspun using a single strand of sport/DK or doubling up the fingering weight. I almost always have leftovers and seems a shame to just toss them.)
I’ve also been working on socks this week. I finished the first sock of a pair of self-striping ones using yarn from Desert Vista Dyeworks in the “Puffins” colorway (although it’s very Halloween looking to me) and using CC Almon’s Espresso Macchiato Socks pattern, which is written to specifically utilize self-striping yarn and adds a fun little eyelet pattern to a specific stripe color. I also cast on a pair of Brighton socks for my Socks A to Z personal challenge. This pattern is by Rachel Coopey and I’m using 3 colors of West Yorkshire Spinners 4-ply (Dusty Miller, Amethyst and Blackcurrant Bomb). I’m working on the colorwork patterning on the leg on sock one right now.
In spinning, I’ve started my next spin, but not much to show on it. I’ve got two 140-g gradient packs from Hilltop Fibers in the colorway “Moonriver”. I’ll be spinning the singles from each and then plying them together to get a gradient yarn set. The fiber is a mix of wools and silk, in grays with some hints of purpley-red throughout. I’m spinning this up in a fingering weight and will probably use it for a shawl.
Finally, more progress on Desert Mandala. I finished the bottom borders, right to left, and I’m now going to concentrate on working the borders up the left-hand side to get those totally complete.
That’s it for me this week, YOP’ers!
Knit One, Spin Too 
Thank you for sharing your sock patterns since I also knit lots of socks. Just love the idea of making one or more of the stripes a different pattern. You are right, Puffins is definitely also a Halloween colorway. That was true for the variegated yarn I used in my Autumn cowl that was inspired by the Black Hills but certainly fits Halloween. That hat pattern is indeed great and I think it would make a good sock pattern as well. Love the purples and grey of your Brighton socks. Oh, that purple and grey spun yarn is going to be gorgeous! Wow, lots of fun projects. Your needlework is just so beautiful. I have enough trouble piecing my fingers with Size 0 knitting needles, no way could I do needle work without lots of blood.
All the little details in a pattern make it look very complex – although sometimes without a lot of work involved (my favorite). LOL – I do wear a thimble which helps with longer stitching sections, but having a stab/poke method with 2-handed stitching does also help keep the pricked fingers at a minimum.
I chuckled when you said “that’s all for me this week”. That was a lot of crafting! The hat is great and the beads add so much to it. Love the self striping socks. How clever to place that pattern on a Stripe. It really adds to the sock. Your colorwork sock is gorgeous. Love the colors of it. Yourbfiber is. Going to be so pretty after spinning. But then, purple is my all time favorite color. How long have you been working on that cross stitch? To have the border completed will be a huge feat. That thing is gonna be gorgeous.
I love how one simple design element can really shine when done right! I think I started it in 2018? But that said, there were several years in there where I only worked on it maybe one month out of the year. It is for sure a year-long project….. if I had just focused on it solely. It’s still epic, no matter what. 🙂
I can see I’m going to have to relearn how to knit socks. I’m liking the results of yours way too much to keep pretending I don’t knit socks.
I am delighted to be your gateway to sock knitting 😉
I love the desert mandala designs!
I still can’t get over how much detail there is in this one!
I love the heathery tones in your hat yarn…and that is the same for the fibre you are spinning.
Thank you! I do love how handspun works up 🙂
Oh, I love that fiber! It looks so soft, and the color is beautiful. I can’t wait to see what you decide to do with it!
I have a similar problem with leftover yarn. Someday I’ll figure out the best method of dealing with yarn scraps in the heavier weight yarns.
I’m leaning towards a big shawl but we’ll see what yardage looks like when it’s all spun up.
I have been trying to be better about just tossing scraps, but my organizer brain wants to know what a “scrap” is. Less than 10 yards? 20 yards? 100 yards? And so I keep all of it. 😛
Love following along your sock challenge! The DVD Puffins colorway also reminds me of Halloween.
Doesn’t it look like candy corn? Some great fall colors in those stripes 😀