An update on my latest hat knitting project. This one is a very long hat called the Doublemassa.
The dark blue yarn skein is just about finished up. This morning was quite chilly for a March morning in Florida. I was bundled up in my newest Warm Up sweater, hat and mitts while I checked on the garden and filled the bird feeders. I decided to show my progress on the Doublemassa hat.
As you can see this is a very long hat! It looks huge, and I am hoping it will fit properly.
The colorwork designs are pretty cool, and I just finished up the birds rows. When looking at this hat finished, on Ravelry, the brim will fold up to either the birds or the hearts (which I have not even begun yet)!
Here is how the hat will fold: From the top of those snowflakes down, everything is tucked up inside. Then the snowflake brim part will be folded out and up. The snowflakes will cover most of those two colorwork sections above the snowflakes. This creates 4 layers of fabric at the brim. I’m not good at visualizing this and can’t wait to actually do it. (See my finished Doublemassa hat.)
Even though this hat is already quite long, I have many rows of colorwork left to knit. It’s been a very fun pattern, as I love doing Fair Isle. The Rauma yarn is quite awesome as well.
As I knit more, I will be attaching a new skein of blue, and will probably need more of the natural color eventually.
If you have knit the Musselburgh hat, the Doublemassa hat style is very similar. It is more involved because of all the colorwork, but begins at one end and makes a tube to the other end. The Musselburgh can be worn inside out, as if it were two hats, but this one is worn on one side only. It will have a tassel too!
Learning new things keeps the brain engaged and vitalized. Knitting can involve lots of learning opportunities. I suspect that this hobby is greatly helping my brain health.
My family has a recent history of dementia. For this reason, I especially pay attention to my brain’s health. In the beginning of my knitting journey, I didn’t know I’d encounter a continuous learning curve. What a wonderful surprise!
Staying healthy while aging can be a job all in itself. Becoming stagnant, and doing only what is familiar, can be detrimental to health. Illness, aches and pains can certainly sideline many to the armchair in front of the television. (Hey, I do watch TV a lot, but I’m knitting while I watch. And, I sit after I do my gardening, blogging and working. A little bit of lazy is okay. At my age, I have earned it.)
Health and Hobbies
Genes play a big part in our mind health. Some of us are simply born to be inquisitive and adventurous. Others prefer to be alone and sedentary. Studies have shown that, in general, we need to keep our brains active. Keep those synapses firing and making good connections for the thought process. I knit because I enjoy it, but I am always thinking that it is also good for my brain health.
How I Began Knitting
The knitting bug bit me when I lived in New Hampshire. With long, boring winters, and so many farms and creative people everywhere, how could I not begin to knit?
My projects consisted of weird scarves full of practice stitches, and funny looking hats. But it was all fun, and I was hooked on trying all the stitches. I took knitting lessons from an older woman in the back room of her farmhouse. She taught me to knit simple hats. This was in 2006.
Now, I still enjoy knitting hats, but I have branched out and learned how to knit colorwork and cables.
Then, I moved on to knitting sweaters. This meant learning a bunch of new things about necklines, cuffs, sleeves, and yokes. The variety really interests me.
Blueberry Vodka LemonadeRandom colorwork pullover
If you are a knitter, or want to be, the field is full of opportunities to expand knowledge. After a few years of constant knitting, I still have difficulty with certain stitches. I can ignore these challenges for now. Alternatively, I can try them whenever I feel ready for a challenge.
On my short list for learning is: Brioche and Steeking
Knitting in a Hot Climate
Now I live in Florida, and I am not too happy about it, but I make the best of it. Just because it is mostly sweltering, and ungodly humid, I have not stopped knitting. In fact, I knit all the time … with wool! I love wool. Yarn shops around here don’t even sell wool, I don’t think. Go figure!
Almost every project you read about on this blog happened in the last few years while I lived in Florida. I had given up the idea of knitting when I first moved south. Eventually I decided that I needed to continue. I still had a lot to learn – about everything! From yarn types, swatching, pattern reading, chart reading, shopping for yarn, and blogging about this hobby, there is never a dull moment. Oh, and of course, taking time to knit my projects and photograph them. Skittle and Fontana are a big help.
SkittleFontana
Get Off The Wrong Path
I absolutely believe the single largest problem with society is the food we eat. Without the correct fuel (food and drink), we lack initiative and energy. We become lethargic and get sick. We can’t help but decline without goodness going in. On top of that, the medical community insists that we – especially older adults – need medication. They make us believe we can’t make it through our golden years without it!
I began paying close attention to these things when my mother, at the age of 66 was diagnosed with Alzheimers. My sister recently died after having another form of dementia, and she is younger than I am. I simply refuse to let my brain break down. These things are not random.
Have Hobbies, Plural
I totally appreciate the time I have for myself. My hobbies are important to me and they keep me going. They do not cost me a lot of money, which is good because I don’t have much. I knit and I garden. I also enjoy cooking healthy food, and studying about herbal medicines.
Hobby definition: An activity done regularly in one’s leisure time for pleasure.
I raised children for over 40 years. My kids were widely spaced in age and I put them first (as good parents do) for many years. I now work from home and no longer get up to an alarm clock. Having leisure time for myself is wonderful. I can sleep in if I want to. Every day I appreciate that I made it to this time in my life, just so I can relax.
It was a very tough journey. I’m certainly not living the wonderful retired life I envisioned and worked for. But, I am able to do things now that I never had time for. I am at peace, and daily enjoy the little good things.
Besides knitting, I have become interested in growing my own food. I have a blog that has been turned into a “Gardening in Florida” site. I write mostly to remind myself of what I’ve grown and how it’s going. Growing vegetables in Zone 9B (East central Florida) is very different from growing in Zone 5B (southern New Hampshire) . I have a lot to learn about gardening – once again.
My small backyard garden space – Winter 2024
Blogging is a great hobby too. I’ve had to learn technology for my online business, and that has been a good thing! Besides working online, I run three blogs and regularly update them all. When we go boating, I update that blog with pictures from the water. After a camping trip, I write about that.
The point is, keep going. Don’t give up. Always question the way the world is working. Find something to do that makes you happy, but don’t stop there. Most of all, keep your brain thinking and in good working order. We can’t do anything without it.
I’ve begun knitting the Birthday61 sweater pattern in half-fisherman’s rib. Here is my review with advice and tips for beginning this knitting project.
The Birthday61 sweater is a one-color pullover that is knit in half-fisherman’s rib. The yarn suggestion is fine fingering. My swatch is done and I have begun the project.
I sometimes get questions from readers related to a pattern. So I want to supply as much information now as possible NOW when the pattern is fresh in my mind. Five years from now (or even 5 months), I will have forgotten what I did.
First I want to emphasize that Ankestrick has a forum at Ravelry that is especially for help knitting her patterns. That is where you should ask pattern questions! Begin on this page (sign into Ravelry to view) and search for your pattern alphabetically. Every pattern, by Ankestrick, is listed, so find the one you are working on, and ask the question there. I had a question about knitting the swatch, and I received a fast reply.
I am writing this blog post to help you knit this project. However, by the time you read this, I may have completed this sweater long ago. I will most likely not remember how to answer your question. Use the Ravelry forum for best results.
Also, Anke has a list of Special Techniques for her patterns. I watched her video for casting on and followed it without much of a problem. Although, the knits and purls tend to curl up and look bad, I managed to get through it.
Beginning the Pattern, the Cast On
I did Anke’s cast-on and row 1, which is the set up row, using a size 0 needle. (See her techniques link above.)
On Row 2, I switched to my main size 1 needle (16″ circular). I’m not sure this is necessary, and the designer does not suggest it. But the cast-on is like the Italian tubular where a smaller needle is used first. *Also, be sure that join looks good. It will be prominent in the middle front of the sweater neck.
Yoke markers and short rows could be confusing for some knitters. The directions are excellent. The designer provides a diagram for the placement of the stitch markers. This is very helpful for knitting the short rows.
To help keep things straight, I used various colored stitch markers. The colors designate a different section. The front (pink) and back (black) and sleeves (green-blue) – will get the increases. All of those sections are separated by a raglan section which will not be increased.
The color coding helped me a lot to visualize which part of the sweater I was knitting. Be sure the BOR marker is easy to see – make it different (I used a seahorse).
Marker placement – BEFORE the yarn break for Birthday61
To begin with, the beginning of the round is in the front. Then, later we move it to the back.
Dealing With Knitting Mistakes
I picked up the project to get a new picture for this post and found a BIG FAT MISTAKE! It was staring me in the face, and is very obvious. It is a few rows back and I will not be trying to fix it. It is in a raglan section and I knit the whole section incorrectly. But I occasionally have small mistakes to fix.
New BOR at backOh boy…
I can’t believe I already have a mistake, but it won’t be the last. I only hope that my goofs won’t be too noticeable once the sweater is complete.
Missed the Increase? Here’s what to do.
This brings me to another issue I had. How do I fix, or rip back, a half-fisherman’s rib stitch? It’s tricky. It is helpful to use a tiny crochet hook. When you un-knit the stitch, it will leave 2 strands on your needle. One must be pulled through under the other and put back onto the left needle.
Pay attention to the increase rows. It is easy to forget to make an increase, and then you must rip back to add the increase, or ignore it and add the increase later. I had to do this for a sleeve. Added 2 stitches later.
This happens to me when I am on an increase round and I forget to do the increase at the beginning, or end, of the section. I’ve already begun a new section when I remember I should have made the increase. I will only rip back a few stitches at most. If I am far ahead, I simply make up the increase later.
1. Ripping back Fisherman’s Rib – I’m not sure why she has 3 strands to deal with except that it’s not “half” fisherman’s rib. She is knitting the same rib on both sides of her work. We are knitting into the loop below on every other round for this sweater, which is called half fisherman’s rib. To fix a stitch we still have to pull a stitch under the other one.
2. Here is a video about fixing a mistake in half fisherman’s rib when the mistake is many rows back. It’s a little intimidating to me. Some of you may find it helpful.
*Be sure to count your stitches in each front, back and sleeve section and make sure they match up to the pattern. This helps point out missed increases.
Where I’m at on this Project Today
After many hours of knitting, I am still finishing the yoke. I have not separated for the sleeves yet. I’m measuring lengths to be sure the yoke does not get too long. For my size, the yoke length should be 9 inches and I’m nearly there.
Progress on Birthday61
And then this…
It is mid January and I have separated the body and sleeves. I added waste yarn the same way I always do – with two strands. It went fine.
I’ll have to add a few increases as I begin the body because my counts were off. The yoke was getting long and I skipped a few rounds before the separation. I have 115 for back and front. It should be 123 for my size. I need to add 8 stitches to each – front and back. I’m not worried about the missing 2 stitches for each sleeve.
Sleeves and body separated
I am loving the yarn. The light color makes knitting easy.
I have the yarn and will soon begin knitting the Birthday61 sweater pattern by Ankestrick. The yarn from Loop has arrived and it very nice. First time using this brand and ordering from this online shop.
I should not be starting a new knitting project. I’ve been in a bit of a knitting funk lately. This has caused me to jump from one project to another without finishing any of them! That is a bad habit to get into.
This new sweater pattern is by a designer I am familiar with – Ankestrick. She wrote the pattern for the Rebel Cardigan, which I have knit and successfully finished. The Birthday61 sweater is a textured pullover. It is knit in all one color using a fingering weight yarn. The pattern is the half-fisherman’s rib. Needle size is very small, between 0-1.5US size, depending on gauge.
Buying Yarn
The designer knit her sweater using Biches & Bûches cashmere and lambswool yarn. I bet it’s gorgeous. The yarn is quite expensive and hard to find in the US. So, I looked at the Biches & Bûches lambswool – no cashmere. It is the same weight and costs less. Also, it is easier to find.
Ravelry has a feature where a yarn page links to shops that sell the yarn. I use it a lot. It does not list every place the yarn is sold, but enough to give me an idea of pricing.
If others have an opinion on the yarn, they can leave comments.
To see what types of yarn have already been used for a project, go to the Birthday61 projects page and click the “yarn ideas” link at the top. When I do that for Birthday61, I see that Biches & Bûches La Petite Lambswool has been used for six of these sweaters already. I ended up ordering seven skeins from Loop Yarn. They offer free shipping for orders over $95. I chose color Beige.
I’ve read that Biches & Bûches is changing their skeins from hanks (that have to be wound) to skeins that don’t. When ordering, it seems you could get either type. On the Loop site they showed hanks on the ordering page. Here is what I got … & YAY – no winding required! I’m so happy.
I’ve already been knitting a sample of the Birthday61 sweater pattern. Mainly, I wanted to see if I could do it. Check out my page here. I’m not convinced that I will not mess this up. A light colored yarn is going to show all the goofs, but it will also be easier to see the stitches as I knit.
The Swatch on Needle Size 1 US (2.25mm)
Initially I had hoped that my sample piece would serve as a swatch, but the new Biches & Bûches yarn is thinner than the Rauma. I needed to knit a swatch. Swatch stitch amounts (for a 4×4 size – before and after blocking) are given but I wasn’t sure how to knit the swatch in the half-fisherman’s rib.
I ended up knitting a flat piece (using size US1 / 2.25mm needle) following directions for this on page 2. The wrong side is knit and the right side is done in the kbl, purl. I left 3 border stitches on each side of each row. I began and ended the swatch with 4 knit rows.
Before I got the swatch finished I could tell it would end up being too tall / long.
My gauge is really off on rounds. Width / stitch number in 4 inches is very close, but I should have 8 more rows. What this means to me is that my sweater will end up very long. I’ll have to watch the length as I knit.
This swatch should be 64 rounds that equal 4 inches. If I knit 64 rounds I get something like 6 inches. Knitters also say that this type of stitch stretches downward with washing.
I began to wonder if I knit the swatch incorrectly. So I asked on the Ankestrick designs forum at Ravelry (this is the place to ask pattern questions). I got a quick reply and found I had knit it correctly. So maybe I need a smaller needle. I ripped out this swatch and began again with the smaller needle.
Front
Back
However, my swatch with size 0 needles did not change much. My plan is to cast on with size 0 and switch to size 1 for the sweater. I am hoping that the cast on edge will look okay.
