I've been working on lots of little things lately. There's a bigger item on the needles too, but I haven't had the time or mental fortitude to tackle it recently.
Firstly, the handsome one has been subtly hinting that he needs more hats. And by subtle, I mean he's been saying, "I need more hats." Leo wears beanies almost every day, and his favorites are soft, wool-free, and in a neutral colorways.
Worked in Frog Tree Pima/Silk [85% pima cotton/15% silk] this little beanie bears a striking resemblance to the Carlsbad hat, only worked in a larger gauge.
I need to get a shot of him actually wearing the hat. Right now, this dark, blurry shot of Leo (and the hat) watching me teach Madeline to salsa dance, is the best I can offer.
Hey, you celebrate your birthday, your way, I'll celebrate my birthday, my way!
And now that one hat is done, I've cast on another.
Beanie number two will be worked in solid black (same yarn) and entirely in 2x2 ribbing. This will be a variant of the Pismo hat.
I think Leo will really enjoy wearing these hats, because the yarn is so soft, but the fibers aren't as easy care as some of the other hats I've made, so I'll probably be casting on at least one more design, in 100% cotton.
My friend, Julia, was asking if I put elastic into my cotton hats. I never have and the hats don't seam to be any worse for the wear. Some negative ease seems to be enough for the hats to keep their shape.
On the tatting front, I feel like I'm really getting a grasp of the basic. I'm certainly no expert, yet, but it's all starting to make more sense.
These are the two types of thread I've been using.
The green is standard Pearl (or "perle") Cotton. It's size 5 and seems to come in a huge selection of colors.
The white is Pearl Cotton in size 8, which comes in little balls and is available in a much more limited color range. The craft stores have white, black and ecru, while a local needlepoint store had those and some primary colors.
The latter produces very delicate little lace pieces, while the former really shows off the texture of the tatted stitches. They almost look like little beads, to my eye.
I worked on this while riding the local public transportation and was really appreciating how portable it was. I was even able to work on it while standing, which I find harder to do with my bigger knitted pieces.
Passing fancy? New passion? Who knows, but it's fun so far.
Yay for beanies! I STILL need to knit a Pismo for B. I think it's right up his alley. Tatting looks like so much fun (and addictive)!
Pretty! What are you going to do with the tatting products?
Must tat.
If you want some ultra authentic 80 count tatting thread, I have lots. Personally it gets a bit small at that point.
I am glad that you are enjoying tatting. I love it. I made my wedding garter out of it. It took me 9 months but it is beautiful piece to pass down.
Hmm... that tatting thingy looks interesting. I mean, a piece of oblong looking thing can create such wonderful looking lace! Must show Mum. Oh oh, Mum's brother does Salsa too! He goes for competition apparently. But Mum's too lazy to learn Salsa, she's just too lazy to exercise. The only bit she does is yoga! Tsk tsk...
I just wanted to say that your love for your dogs has been one of the reasons I'm getting my first dog in a couple weeks. I am so terribly excited. Your sweet dogs just seem so perfect... Granted, mine is a Boston Terrier, but that's what makes me happy :) So thanks for sharing your life with your dogs...
And at some point I plan to make that dragon baby hoodie. So cute!
Your tatting is lovely! Good job. I love tatting with perle cotton because of the sheen it makes looks kind of silky when it is all tatted up. Some people don't like it because it fuzzes up if you have to unpick a lot or breaks easily if you are a tight tatter. I personally just love the way it looks when it is done!