Lindsey Finally Crosses Not One But TWO Finish Lines!

Alright folks, Late Lindsey here to say I'm catching up! The best part of catching up is that I actually have pictures of projects to share! I bound off and pseudo-blocked Damson on Monday.

For some reason I was really into the bubbles and purple water when I soaked Damson.

Like I said, I "pseudo-blocked". In my transient state, I don't really have all the proper equipment (and can't easily borrow it). For now I just laid flat to dry, but the edging could use some proper blocking.

Finished Damson! Sorry for the busy background and awkward perspective. If I haven't said it enough already, I LOVE this shawl in this yarn and colorway. LOVE!

After I finished up Damson I started right away on Ripley. I had a few issues (why do I own twenty-something inch size 10 circs?), but the pattern was great. Like everyone else, I didn't check gauge. When I got to the point in the lace band where I could just do the extra-small, the band fit around my head so I just got started on the body of the hat. I met up with Jess around the time I got to the second pleat, and she laughed at how small my little hat was (I have a tendency to make tiny hats out of lazyness). So, I ripped back to the lace band and added enough repeats for the medium. Luckily I was able to do almost the entire hat on the Jitney! Disclaimer: I don't recommend this, my wrist hurt so bad last night. Anyway, ends were woven in this morning! Sorry for the flat photo, I don't have Jess's awesome ability to take pictures of myself and there is no one here to take them for me. Oh right, I should probably mention that this is in Tosh 80/10/10 in Fig. The base is great and the color is nice for this hat (although it doesn't make me as excited as Flash Dance).

Joining the Ripley Bandwagon!

Claire here, checking in with another finished Ripley! It's true that the worsted weight yarn and larger needles make this a fast-finishing project - provided you read the directions correctly, of course! When a pattern has multiple sizes it's a good idea to go through and underline or highlight the size you are making. Well, not wanting to mark up my book I skipped this step, and as a result had to take out my pick up row three times! Once I got past that silly mistake it was smooth sailing. The pleats make it interesting, but not too complicated to follow while watching TV or hanging out with friends. And now, on to the pictures!



I chose to do the lacy edging, and a size in between the less and more slouchy by knitting 5 rows after the last pleat instead of the 1 or 10 specified in the pattern.



And I still have enough left for another hat! This would be a great project if you just have a little bit of a special handspun, or a more luxurious fiber blend. Just keep in mind that different fibers will drape differently, and try a swatch if you're not sure about it!

Excuse the shiny face - I don't have AC and it's extra warm with a wool hat on your head!

As cute as it is, I'm not sure it's quite my style. I'm going to give it to my sister and hope she enjoys it. Now I'm off to dig through my stash and find some good odds and ends for an adorable hedgehog!

Another Finished Ripley!

Jess here, and I'm happy to say that I breezed through Ripley. It's no surprise: the worsted weight yarn and larger needles really make this project fly by. While I was knitting, I noticed that my hat looked a bit small, despite the fact that I went up a needle size. Like Kendra, I rarely check my gauge when knitting hats (although we really should!), so I didn't worry too much about it. When I finished, I ended up with a very tight cap -- not exactly the slouchy hat I had desired. I solved this with some wet blocking, and now I have a hat that I love!

Pardon the silly look on my face. I have a hard time taking self-portraits seriously. I really love the way my Malabrigo Merino Worsted worked up. The kettle dyed semisolid added a rich depth of color, and the super soft merino really bloomed after blocking. This is definitely going to be one of my go-to hats in the fall! Best of all, I have enough yarn leftover to make another one.

Ripley: Getting Started

Jess here! Since Claire and I finished our Damsons (and Kendra finished her replacement Damson), we've decided to move onto the next project. Kendra and Lindsey are both on the road, so we decided to skip Smith and Wee Mushrooms; don't worry, we'll definitely come back to those projects! Instead, we've fast-forwarded to the collection's first hat, Ripley. This is an excellent stash-busting project, as it only requires about a skein of worsted weight yarn. We're all using this opportunity to clear out some lone skeins in our stash. Ironically, we're all using yarn from the same manufacturer without consulting each other (again)! I'm using Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Verde Esperanza, a fantastic teal shade. I selected this yarn for two reasons: it was readily available in my stash, and this pattern will look great in a single-ply merino wool. Claire and Kendra will both be using Malabrigo Rios, my Merino Worsted's plied cousin.

While Ripley looks like a simple hat, it really has a unique construction. The brim is worked sideways in one of two options: lace or garter stitch (which imitates a rib). From there, you pick up slip stitches and work upward. What's most interesting about the hat is its pleats. These pleats create a permanent scrunched look, perfect for slouchy hats. Here's an incredibly rough diagram that illustrates the construction:

For my hat, I'm knitting the medium size with the garter border. Here is my work in progress:

Here's an extreme close-up of what a single pleat looks like:

I'm hoping to get the hat finished up over the long Independence Day weekend. The pattern does give instructions for varying degrees of slouch, but I'm not sure what I'll go with yet. The advantage of bottom-up hats is that you can try them on as you go, so I'll decide on the fly. We'll see what happens!