Dutch Hat (A Remiss FO)

I finished this hat a month ago, just before heading to that big rabbit show with my mom.  It is a beautiful double knit hat with a Dutch rabbit on it.  This is the breed of rabbit that I raise and I had been dreaming of making a hat to match the scarf.  It was a lovely little hat, simple enough (in stockinette) for me to feel pleased knitting it.  I also managed to work knit 1, purl 1 ribbing in double knitting.  You may recall my short post about that earlier this year.  I’m still very pleased with that point.

I also reversed my work after a certain point so that the knits would lie nicely in the purl ribs and vice versa when the brim was turned up.  Also fairly pleased with that bit of intuition.  The rabbit isn’t quite as cute as I thought it would be, though I used the same chart as for the scarf.  Still, I am pleased with the overall construction.  This will be a gift to match the scarf at some point when I deem the recipient worthy again (or when he finally shows up at a show).  I’m not sure why he thought it necessary to have a wool hat and scarf in CA though. . .

Stats:
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Heritage Sock in Black and White, 437 yards, though I used about half of each so there is the potential for some Dutch fingerless mitts
Needle: US 1 Hiya Hiya Circular (magic looped)
Pattern: My own

All I Can Manage

Right now I am a bit busy with the job, the rabbits, the garden, and classes. It doesn’t leave much time for knitting and honestly, I’m feeling a bit “meh” about knitting right now too. Oh, I still enjoy the process, and I love complex finished objects, but taking the necessary time to set them up? Not so much. So, I’ve turned to simpler projects for the time being. I will return to my lovely lace at some point.

That being said, there is something imminently satisfying about churning out these little tufts of color.

Yes, what you see below is the total of my knitting for the last few weeks. Some bright little washcloths. My standard pattern right now is cast on 25 stitches, knit every row until it looks square-ish, bind off. I can squeeze almost 4 washcloths from  a ball of yarn.  I’m supplementing with some coned orange and white variegated yarn to finish the last one.  It just gives them visual interest.  :)

They do brighten up my day considerably. Plus they are easy to pick-up, put-down, and return to when ready. I pop off a few rows each night while I talk to Avi. Those rows add up to squares o’ fun pretty quickly. And no, I have no intention for these washcloths. I suppose I will distribute them amongst the sinks in my house at some point. Or give them as gifts. I may have had a little fall-down in the dishcloth yarn area. ahem

And the Garden Starts

Even if it was trying to kill me.  I managed to thwart its attempts and finally plant the thing.

Before

Plants

After

Hopefully in a few weeks we will have some significant growth from the peas, cilantro, basil, and parsley.

Now to find a spot for the rest of the herbs . . .

Hershey

When we traveled to one of my big rabbit shows this April, Mom and I stopped in Hershey, PA. Yes, we did. We even went to the Hershey’s Chocolate Museum and Chocolate World. First we went to the Chocolate Museum.

Then we went to Chocolate World.

Where we went around the free tour twice because we enjoyed it so much. It is a little motorized musical tour and while a bit silly and fake, it was still fun.

I might have been extra amused by the cows. (“It’s the milk chocolate!)

The Garden is Trying to Kill Me

I bought too many plants. Then I bought a tiller and the wheels fell off. So they exchanged it for another one. We spent 2 hours working the garden up again and breaking a little new ground. Then we rechecked our space. I still have too many plants.

Still Kicking Around

I have so many things to tell you about, but I just can’t seem to sit still long enough to write a coherent post. One day soon I will put fingers to keys and tell you of all of the adventures I have been having. They have been expensive. Car repairs and tooth repairs are not cheap.

Blankies

Seem to have become a necessity around here.  Abbie loved her blankies when she was a pup, but soon grew into the habit of tearing them into pieces.  This resulted in the destruction of several very nice blankies and the littering of my floor with threads, bits, and bobs of blanket debris.  It also meant that she was no longer allowed to have a blankie.

After several months had passed I decided to try giving her a blanket again.  Maybe she would be less enthusiastic about tearing one apart and more interested in scrunching it up to sleep on.  I was partially correct.

She still attempted to tear this blanket into little pieces at first, but some gentle reminders soon set her on the path to happy blankie-hood.  Now she drags it around, munches treats on it, scrunches it up to sleep on it, takes her toys and plays on top of it, chews her bones on top of it, in essence it has become her “Blankie” as much as any child’s.  Sometimes I still catch her sucking on the corner and trying to chew on it though.  sigh