Monthly Archives: July 2016

Avanyu hat update

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I made the chart for the hat and knit a swatch to see how the little guy would look.

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I decided to make him bigger and to add a couple of rows before and after the avanyu. Originally, I tried to stretch him so he would wrap all the way around the hat, but I was having trouble getting his curves evenly space. I decided I would just knit him twice. I have 108 stitches in the hat and he fit really well into 54 stitches. The tail will stop just in front of the mouth on each serpent.

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Charting the fatter Avanyu.

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I started the 2 x 2 ribbing

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Pattern notes.  I hope the wings come out looking okay. I’m afraid they’re going to look like little legs.

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I added the two gray rows before starting the chart. It doesn’t look like there is going to be enough difference to see the avanyu, but the test swatch of colors looked okay so I’m going to forge along. If I have to, then I’ll make another hat with the superwash wool that had the lighter gray colorway. What translates well on a shiny pot may not look as spiffy on a wool hat.

Avanyu Hat

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My family doesn’t often ask for anything knitted. Since they live in Texas this isn’t surprising. Other than the One Shawl of Doom and my mother’s addiction to hand knit dishcloths, they don’t often ask for knitted things. Oh, they’ve received knitted things, there’s been a Harry Potter scarf and a few hats, but again… Texas. They’re just not going to be worn.

Except for Daddy’s hat. I don’t know if he usually wears it during his morning walks in the winter, but he was wearing it when we visited it at Christmas. It was a simple roll brim hat in Hufflepuff colors that I gave him a couple of years ago. He asked me why I gave him a hat in Pittsburgh Steelers colors.  Muggles.

They were here for a visit in June and Daddy had a knitting request. He wondered if a hat that looked the pottery that he and Mom collect could be made. I said that I thought I probably could and pulled up a few pictures.

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The winged serpent is called an avanyu. The pottery is black on black so the actual knitting is going to be a little tricky. It’s a good thing I’m already almost blind, otherwise I’d worry about losing my eyesight on this one.

I sketched a few pictures and then transferred one to graph paper. Why do sketches look better the next day? I really didn’t like it the night I drew it. I’ve noticed that happens with tole painting, too. Maybe the crafting fairies come during the night and make things look better.

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I swatched (IKR??) with two sets of colors to see what would give me the look I was going for. The wool  The yarn is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Coal and the camera made the colors look a lot lighter than they really are. I’m going to have to knit in bright light.

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All because Daddy asked me for a hat.

We had a great time during Mom and Dad’s visit.

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Yarn barf and a birthday

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How can I have yarn barf at a time like this? It was my birthday. It’s supposed to be a yarn barfless day.

I think the Universe is trying to keep me humble after this happened:

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See all those little tails sticking out? This almost NEVER happens. At least not to me. But the Knitting Goddess of the Universe must have balance and alas, I’ve probably used up a lot of good will with that batch of yarn.

Yarn barf notwithstanding, it was a very good birthday. David made a fabulous breakfast, took me to lunch, and made an incredible dinner.  It was a lovely day.

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