Endings and beginnings

It’s been a knitterly few days.

I re-charted the Monkey pattern chart to include one extra stitch on both sides. I also accomodated or an extra “widening” row so the pattern would be a bit larger, and would have 5 repeats instead of 6, and be just slightly shorter a sock. I’ll try it out after I unravel the first try, and if it works well, I’ll email it to Cookie A. for an optional size-up.

Last week, while recivering from the swollen mouth, I finally stitched on the straps for this:

Based on the Punk Rock Backpack in SnB, this was my very first knitting project. I knit all the blue pieces, every single one of them, and the two black straps. I had decided that an 8-bit black mage will adorn the front, no questions asked. That was to be it. Then I tried, as my second “project” ever, intarsia.

Oops.

I didn’t go back to working on this backpack until a few months ago, about four years after I had first taught myself to knit,  and… the intarsia worked. Still hard,of course, being intarsia, but… it worked. I had this lovely black mage panel ready to sew in to the backpack.

I’ve been puttering at sewing it ever since, and it’s finally done. I used it to haul some stuff to the warehouse I work at, and got some nice comments. So, first UFO has finally become an FO.

Yesterday I cast on for an altered Bunny Hat from SnB Nation, using Rowan Calmer in this lovely light green shade.

It shall not become a bunny, but it shall be awesome.

I don’t know if I like the short-row earflaps though. I think if I knit this again I’ll make my own earflap hat pattern. I’ve gotten rather good at it.

I need to purchase several skeins of Alafoss Lopi to make Jayne hats for some fellow Browncoats, that are long overdue. However, when I went to the yarn store the other day to pick up needles to knit Boogie out of the recycled yarn(yes, I’ve decided), I found this instead.

The colours were what caught my attention. I went all “ooo ahhh” and realized that I had to have this yarn, despite not having a project for it.

The yarn is by Naturally New Zealand Yarns, but is apparantly discontinued, “Fleece & Fur”, 70% merino wool, 30% possum.

The possum content sold me. I am weak.

Tomorrow: Potential vest cast-on.