A new year of knitting

Yes I know I haven't really been blogging lately but several people have told me they check once in a while. It's not that I haven't thought of it but I just haven't been inspired and I don't want to bore you with mundane posts just for the sake of posting.

2008 has been an explosive year for my knitting hobby. I've really settled into the hobby. I met up with other knitters. I got on ravelry, about a year ago now, which has opened up a whole world of possibilities for projects, yarn and techniques.

I've also knit a whole bunch of gifts.

Thrummed booties (will possibly post how-to at some point) and soaker for Heather's baby, Meredith




A hat for Anna's baby, Eliza



Booties for Nathan and Carly's baby, John


Socks for my dad


A little bear named Bubby for my niece, Autumn Grace

and little mittens for charity

I feel like my knitting is at a place where I feel comfortable knitting for other people. I feel like my skill is good enough :)
I've had 3 sweater requests from three men in my life: my brother, my husband and my father-in-law. I'll keep you posted on progress but for now I have another short term goal.

I want to make a hat that will keep my ears warm in the bitter cold of Winnipeg winter. It's a lofty goal to be sure. Any of you who have experienced -35C with a northern windchill of -45C will know that a plain, single layered, ribbed hat does nothing to cut the cold. So I'm on a mission.

There are several things to keep in mind when knitting a hat.
- design
- material
- fabric thickness/windproofing

I posed the question of how to make a warm winter hat on Ravelry and got a huge response. Here is a summary of the advice people gave:

1. Use a warm fibre. Apparently quiviut (musk ox fibre) is the warmest there is, and following in second is cashmere. I'm not made of money so I'm going to rely on good old wool. Alpaca may be another choice. Those fibres are warm because they trap little pockets of warm air. Boucle or brushed yarn might do the trick.

2. Earflaps are the way to go. Yup stylish and warm. I agree and I'm going with the flaps.

3. Small gauge is better. There are fewer spaces for the wind to get through. This is especially good for an outer layer. Felting is even better.

4. Use layers. There are numerous ways to achieve this. Double knitting makes 2 layers at the same time. I might try this, we'll see. The other suggestion was lining with polar fleece. Fair isle or stranding patterns also create more layers.

So all these ideas have been swirling around and I think I've got the yarn I need for the two hats I want to make. I'm going to use a fair isle pattern, the norwegian star (classic!).

Hubby's hat will be Lopi bulky wool, knit on 3.75mm needles with a polar fleece lining. I'm casting on today!

You'll have to keep checking back to see what my hat will be!