Slouchy beanie ta da and how to😊

 

Slouchy BLO beanie - a super simple make - fancy trying it?

Ever used the BLO stitch ? (Back Loop Only) This stitch gives this hat that ribbed look with added stretch and warmth. 

Ok - if you've never tried it - here goes a (hopefully) simple explanation.

BLO stitch

Once you have set up your foundation chain, (with an additional chain to turn) work a row of single crochet along the foundation chain, chain one, turn.

Look at your row, see the V shape made in the chains? Insert your hook through the BACK of the chain, hook the yarn, pull through and work the same stitch to the end of your row, plus one for turning.  If you are still unsure of how to do it - have a look on line - just type in 'BLO crochet stitch' and there are lots of videos and photos for both left and right hand work😊

Ok, so for the hat.....

Shorter version - I cast on 50 plus 1 (finished length 24 - 26 cm)

Taller version - I cast on 55 plus 1 (finished length 28 - 30cm)

I was using up stash yarn so it does give slightly different finished lengths but with the nature of the hat - it doesn't matter!)

Notions: I used DK (double knit) for all versions

Size 4mm hook

Tapestry needle

Scissors

BLO slouchy beanie hat

FDR : Cast the foundation row, chain 1 and turn

Row 1 :Single crochet to end, chain 1 and turn

Row 2 : *BLO to end, chain 1 and turn*, repeat** until you have crocheted sufficient width to go around head - it needs to be comfortably snug as this stitch relaxes. 

Do periodically count your stitches - I forgot and somehow lost five (??!!) and had to frog back several rows (sigh)...

Tie off and stitch the long edge together.

Using a tapestry needle, run a double thread of yarn round the top end of your hat and pull tight, weaving in all ends. I have been stitching on a badge partly for fun and partly to remind me which way round the back is 😁

To wear, I pull on until it is comfortably covering my ears and forehead then tuck the back of the hat into itself to make that lovely slouch. 

I have made three so far - mostly for work - especially as the weather starts to cool, I will use them probably most days. I did have two which I 'lived' in through January til March/April,  and they certainly got rather grubby. This time I would like to have a fresh beanie for each day.

And if you are not a beanie fan, the longer version has enough length for a generous fold up to keep that pesky chilly air out of your ears 😄

Hope you give it a try and if you do - let me know (and if you find a mistake - just shout!)

S'no joke - the 'how to do' episode

Belinda from Mad Englishwoman and Dog asked for a reminder how to make paper snowflakes and while I was knitting and sipping coffee, I hatched a plan to do a quick tutorial once I'd cast off from the sleeve I had nearly finished. 

Here goes!

• You'll need paper (I just used plain white A4, however there is no reason why you can't use metallic or patterned paper here - I would advise against using too thick a paper as it gets harder to cut once it is folded 12 times.
• Ruler
• Scissors * - small sharp pointed ones are best for cutting delicate detail
• And/or a craft knife *(I use a medical grade scalpel handle and non surgical size 10 scalpel blades*
• Cutting board
• Pencil/pen

* the usual T&Cs - be careful with sharp pointy things etc 

To make six sided star or flake, you will need to make your A4 paper into a perfect square. 

Fold a top corner across until the edge is perfectly lined up with the diagonally opposite edge 

and flatten the fold firmly down.

Draw lightly (I've used a marker pen to make sure is visible) where the lower edge of the square is above the excess paper.

Cut off the surplus paper and save it for later.

Refold your square back into a triangle, 

then fold again into quarters.

Once again, firm down the fold to make a sharp crease.

Now here comes (in my opinion) the fiddliest part of the process.  

Turn your folded paper point down (the 90° corner)

 you need to fold the triangle into three from this point. 

I found the best way was to crease the very tip of the bottom point with my finger nail 

to help the paper bend at this point. 

Then curl the paper as if making a cone. 

Once it appears that the cone is equally curled to create three sections, 

flatten it, again making sure all sections are equally folded

and the folds pressed down as firmly as possible.

Turn your now flattened cone until the two upward pointed corners are at the back

and the flat edge is facing you. You need to cut off the pointed corners to match that edge.

Now the fun part, 

turn your triangle sideways so that the single fold is along the base 

and the double folds are at the top.

Grab your pencil and sketch out a profile - you don't need to colour in the sections to be removed, 

I did at first and it made it easier to plan, 

I have done it here to make it show more clearly.

Cut away the 'negative space' leaving your flake.

Which when opened will reveal your pattern! Voila!

You can go as complicated or as simple as you fancy - this one is a pretty simple shape, 

some I made became so intricate that I had to resort to refilling my coffee mug and falling upon a ginger and lemon shortbread to give me strength!

Oh yes ... remember that discarded and stashed for later piece of paper?

Well, just fold in half lengthways, then, as before, fold over the top corner to make a square. 

Keeping the folded edge as the centre of the star/flake (see pointed arrow)

sketch out a shape to make the top triangle as the centre of the flake 

and keep the folded edge of the long piece in the centre of the tail.

I just free cut with the scalpel blade - which is always a little risky as I can never predict the design - as it just 'happens' .

So, there you have it - this snow flake is less winter-wonderland and more snow sprite - perfect :D

Hope this helps, and if you need further inspiration and certainly better instructions and more traditional finished snowflakes - have a look HERE and HERE and HERE!

Oh well, now to start the second sleeve, excuse my while I put the kettle on, 

clear up the snow storm and cast on :)

Slouching

 I like hats.

Fortunately hats seem to like me, so we certainly go together!

As the weather started to cool and I was ruffling through my knitted and crocheted beanies and bobble hats, I realised that one style I did not have and do really like - a slouchy beanie, the type that slump comfortably without scrunching upwards pulling hair or slipping forward on to your face or even worse - go on admit it - we have all worn knitted or crochet hats that pinch upwards giving you that garden gnome look!

I can and do knit, but it is a slow process - and even though I am working on my slow-sew as a form of mindfulness, I reverted to my 'instant gratification' need thanks to a speedy crochet make.  A couple of evenings buried into the settee with the fire, mug of tea and usually a cat, I made myself a soft grey slouchy.

Happy?

Of course!

I will start another, this time in a darker grey or navy blue - I want it for working and having grubby hands does nothing for a soft grey colour!

Pattern?  I used THIS one - simples :)

PS - I hadn't realised how long my hair had grown ..... it is usually tied up and out of the way :D

Ta da!

Yesterday's knit and natter was a pleasant catch up, a bit of crafting and lots of talking,

I suspect that (sshhhh don't let the secret out) the get together should be renamed ...

Chatter and Nibble (oh and bring knitting if you fancy!) 

I did start (between chatting and nibbling) a cover for my wooden stool 

Which, after everyone went home, I continued a little longer,

finishing it off in the evening after we'd eaten.

Quite like the end result.

Happy.

Was also quite happy with the cake,

A moist and succulent ginger cake,

my only comment?

Needed a lot more ginger, so when I make it again 

I will 'up the heat'.

Right, if you excuse me, I have a friend about to land

and we are off walking and sketching,

hope you have a lovely

Wednesday xxxx

Ta-da(rt) garden style :)

I don't normally dedicate a post just to my painterly activities here, I usually waffle about art and coffee on my 'by kate...kjsutcliffe artist' blog but seeing it is connected to my weekly fix of volunteering in the walled garden, I thought ...  well why not!?

The garden I volunteer in has a long history of being a quite a productive little kitchen garden in it's hey day. The house itself was built in circ.1780s with later extensions and alterations in the early and mid 1800s. The garden, although I can not find a definite date of construction, could potentially have been soon after the house.

It was designed with three definite separate but conjoining areas. The first section (a) is an open three sided large square plot where potatoes were planted and grown (in the days before understanding the importance of crop rotation).  This area now acts as a sheep shelter on rough and windy days.

(Image from internet with my extra annotations in yellow)

The middle section (b) is now the allotment style vegetable garden growing traditional crops which have to be tough to survive living and growing on this rather wild moorside hill. I have anecdotal evidence that this is the highest productive walled garden in the UK, there are others in much wilder and wetter places but at a lower altitude.

I must admit not being fired up by rows of vegetables (especially when swamped by cheerfully rampant weeds) but can see a form of functional beauty in the order (or rather the potential of order - this is still work in progress!) I do find it a rather 'sterile' art form.

I am more in to the making of compost, planting in circles, square foot gardening, three sisters planting, potager, mandala and permaculture gardening. Free flowing shapes, flowers and herbs filling a space in joyous celebration of life and growing and flowering.

The top section, also fully walled, (c), used to be a fruiting area - not specifically an orchard from what I can gather but now has a row or two of stunted oak (kept due to their rarity in the locality) a couple of young apple, a recently planted meddler and a variety of herbs in planters. And weeds.

I love this area, it has a more vibrant feel to it - it is untidy and wild and optimistic and has so much potential.  I suspect that despite this part being earmarked as a base for learning and safe play for groups - there hasn't been the woman power to do anything more than keep on top of mowing the pathways and pulling up ragwort.

Hence the link to my art - I decided to leave the weeding to the other volunteers who are 'allotmenteers' and are happy to harrow in straight rows. So, with any passing help I began to tackle the 'sensory garden' (last week I had Eldest, the head ranger and his helper, and this week I had Eldest and Moss!)

What better way than to give the space credence than to give it a physical name.

I'm no sign writer - but I think that harkens back to my aversion to straight lines!

Ta-da(rt!)

Happy? Of course silly!

Gentle reminder (to myself as much as any) that the Photo Scavenger Hunt challenge is coming up fast and is only a little over a week away (Am I the only one still not sorted??)


1. Crane

2. Ring

3. Set

4. Light

5. Bow

6. Spring

7. Open

8. Grand

9. Park

10. My own choice

A photograph inspired by a word,

words inspired by the photograph.

Remember to think laterally and interpret at YOU fancy,

be it a current photo or one from your archives! Enjoy :)

If you want to join in, please do - we'd love you too :) details HERE.  I promise promise promise knitting news next time, I have been a little busy but I do want to share my shawl with you - coz I love it and I hope you will too!

Did any one notice?

Did you?

Did you notice that I was quiet for a few days .. just a few?

Did you miss me? I hope so, coz in the honest truth - I kinda missed you lot too!

Firstly, thank you everyone who came along for the ride through June, for all your comments and responses - they made my heart squeeze.

As much as I love the great outdoors, the meadows, the sky, walking, photographing, camping, cloud watching, star spotting, mini-beast hunting (the list goes on and on...) I actually found it hard going 'reporting' daily my #30DaysWild. This was my third year of doing and for some reason the hardest.

So, those comments were just the boost I needed - thank you :)

Now, as promised - normal transmission has resumed. Here is the knitting news.


Early June I was gifted by my brother and fav-sis-in-law two balls of the yummiest, scrummiest, cuddliest, snuggliest balls of delicious yarn of Sirdar Aura in colours that sang of the sea. Sang of the sky and holidays on Scottish islands - I could not wait to start knitting.

Silly me, in my excitement I forgot to take a suitably posed picture of my yarn and needles but I managed to find an image on the net (thanks ebay).

Any hoo, I just wanted a simple asymmetrical shawl that I could wrap on my shoulders for a cooler summer evening.



I researched all my usual resources and patterns and found I was not inspired at all. Until I remembered a simple design I had used for a couple of hats that consisted of a repeated four row arrangement with alternative purl and plain giving a deep and squoshy feeling. Then by increasing by two and decreasing by one, a wing shaped shawl began to grow.

As the rows fell off the needles, it became obvious that the colour changes in the yarn

just by happy lucky chance, changed exactly on the rows.

The ridges and furrows began to develop delicious stripes of their own.

I could not have been more delighted! 

Every time I was a passenger in the car, or while sitting on the settee in the evenings,

I would knit.

Every walk we did, I would shove my knitting into my day-bag and at every stop,

the knitting would appear and I would knit a row or two. 

At our weekly knit and natter, I would knit ... no! that is a lie,

we tend to chat....eat...chat....sip tea....chat....eat cake....

I would occasionally knit a stitch or two.

Then on Saturday, while out collecting keys for Eldest's new Uni digs,

I finally completed and cast off the shawl on the return journey.

We'd planned a picnic lunch along the way and as Himself pulled off the small road

and parked beneath a hawthorn tree, I snipped the last thread.

With a small handful of remaining yarn left, I made a tassel whilst sitting in the sunshine.

Then, lunch forgotten and camera thrust at Eldest,

my new shawl and I 

twirled and posed.

We frolicked in the cool sunshine (we've had a lot of rain recently so I may have gone a little a la-la)

and we just plain showed off!

Now, at home, 

we have both calmed down and are quietly sitting together.

My new shawl and me.

Happy smile :)

PS - I do have more knitting news, but that can wait.