Last week, I stumbled upon a message somewhere (FB?) that directed me to Annie Modesitt's website, Knitting Heretic, where she has set up an online knitting class format. Now, I have read a few of Annie's books, and been in love with her romantic style for years. In fact, one of the first purchases I made when I went to work for Fibers was her Knitting Millinery book. I got excited about the concept at that point, having always loved making and wearing hats. In fact, I even bought some 2nd Time Cotton the next week I worked, and swatched for Carnivale(Rav link). However, I was intimidated by all the millinery techniques that would follow the knitting portion of the project, and never got around to making that hat.
Well, now must be the moment for me to launch into this new dimension of knitting, because I felt that old familiar race of excitement, and in the wee morning hours, immediately signed up for the class! I could hardly stand the wait until my sign-up had been processed and I could enter my class site! I have to say that my teacher is wonderful, patiently working out the technical bugs that came up in the platform, and by Friday morning I printed off the class pattern, Gone With the Wind (which appeared previously in Romantic Hand Knits), and read through the instructions, digging out my copy of Annie's millinery book. Happily for me, Annie has since gone into a new printing, and I will soon receive an updated copy of her book, and probably place the earlier version into our guild's library.
I made a trip to town on Friday morning to pick up dear granddaughter, who spent the night and went to the Bok Kai parade with grandpappy and grammie, and we also made a stop-off at my local crafts supply shop (now that the LYS is officially closed), where I found a terrific deal on SWTC's Terra yarn, a bamboo and cotton blend. It didn't hurt that the yarn was on close-out at $1.87 a ball!
After the baby fell asleep, I was swatching and steaming a gauge swatch and sailing on ahead to the cast on. The weekend has led to finishing the hatband (see photo below) and starting up the sideband (or the straight-knit head portion, for you non-milliners!).
There is a lacy bit at the tip (also called the crown) that incorporates the decreases, and then I will be done and awaiting my millinery wire shipment. I will be able to use Annie's class handout to turn out a 'faux head block' for blocking and am scrounging around amongst friends, acquaintances and Freecycle to see if I can locate a fabric steamer, but may have to resort to purchasing one.
While I endure the enforced waiting, I am going to go ahead and knit up Carnivale as well, so that I have two hats to practice steaming, blocking and wiring! This is so fun, and is reminding me that spring really IS right around the corner. A new hat wardrobe is probably just the thing to get me through the last of winter's stormy weather, though I better get to work finishing up my spring sweater, Fairwind, as well. What have you been up to?
