Piece o' Pi

I finished the first of 4 Pi Topper caps that I will knit with Fixation and then dye, because the nubby texture just cries for color.

I used size 3 needles, but I will try 4s for the next cap, as this one is very dense - not a bad thing, but a smidge more drape and size will be a better thing.

I'll probably do one cap in seed stitch, and perhaps use another 6-row pattern for the third and fourth. Using a 6-row pattern makes this hat super easy, as the increases occur after 3, 6, 12, and 24 rounds.

Percy progresses again

I'm back to the Percy shawl, and so happy. I was a little rusty after the relatively large gauge chemo hats, but now the lace knitting is moving along smoothly. I refer to the chart less, find counting less annoying, and can see the lace pattern as I begin the third repeat of chart B.

This picture makes ol' Percy look huge, but it's not. Contorting the shawl along my arm, it looks like it's still quite a bit smaller than my wingspan. I'm 5'11", so I have quite a wingspan, but I think even blocked this would still be a smallish shawl.

Cobweb weight yarn: not for an impatient knitter.

According to my scale, I had knit through exactly half the ball after repeat 3; the second repeat of chart B took almost exactly 5 grams. It should take slightly more to knit repeat 3, as the shawl is ever expanding. I hope to finish repeat 3, do a final pattern repeat through row 27, then begin the 35 row chart C edging.

I will definitely measure at row 27 of repeat 3, though, just in case!


I was in Rochester over the weekend for a Sandman event, and visited a couple local yarn stores. Kristen's Knits was great. Tons of Noro, lots of skeins in most colorways, but I fell in love with a single: soft greys and greens and blues, like a misty spring day near a lake - not the usual electric purples, pinks, blues and reds I usually go for. I bought it to knit Dianna, a leafy entrelac shawl I found on Ravelry. The Noro ball is slightly less than the 500 m required, but the other Noros just didn't call to me the way Color No. S150 Lot A did.

I also found four balls of white Fixation on sale. Hurray! Hand-dyed cotton chemo caps! I also bought a bandless ball of lovely red bamboo. This makes it two weekends in a row that I have broken my yarn diet, but the Fixation was a great find - I would have bought it anywhere. Being on vacation makes the other two alright - no dieting on a road trip!

Long time no blog

Was it the post-Olympics let down? Maybe... or maybe just nothin' fun enough to blog about!

I did finish the Merino Lace socks. They are nice and long and lacy, and I love the color.

I've knit two chemo caps, with very acrylic yarn. I'm not a yarn snob for general wear, but I'm not really happy with these hats. They are cute, but I just don't think they will be comfy caps for bald heads. It's tempting to stow the acrylic - for scarves perhaps - and just buy a ha' dozen balls of Esprit and knit Pi caps for the cancer patients, so I know the hats will be 100% wearable.

While I consider breaking my yarn diet for a good cause, I will knit up the extra ball of deep purple cotton left over from my first chemo cap, for my former boss. I didn't snap a picture of that hat, which is fine because it was huge. He wore it anyway, almost every day during his chemo - he just turned up the ribbing and a good inch or two of hat. Thank goodness it was a reversible pattern! He looked very Jacques Cousteau, actually.

Sandman is modeling my new hats, as I am hoping his hairy preteen head equals one bald adult head. I told him I wouldn't show his face, but I couldn't resist including his baby blues.

Because I missed it, I have picked up my Percy shawl again and added a couple rows tonight. It's so very lovely. I truly have no idea how big it will be. The cobweb lace looks like nothing, but I know it's going to block into something spectacular.

Finally, I dropped off Abigail at her forever home tonight. A nice couple met her at the Meet & Greet last Saturday and fell in love. I think she will keep her name, because she totally looks like an Abigail and the new family liked it because it wasn't a typical dog name. She will have roommates to play with and there were already toys and new kennel waiting for her. Good luck, goofy girl!

We have entered into a nopuppy zone - new pups arrive Friday, but I will not be bringing any home for a while. My boys need some lovin', although Harley looks plenty happy.