Making Continuous Hats

I've finished up all but a couple of those fluffy balls I had in a box. The box is going into the recycling and those couple of balls are in a bag, ready for me to make some hats for May's Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - which we are having at Epping club, and as I was making the last ones for Lyn's clinic I've taken some photos to show continuous hat making. The pattern is Sandy's Chemo Hats

Cast on EON 60-63 stitches T4

Use the ruler to bring up the needles to transfer

 bring up the other needles inbetween,

T8 knit 4 rows,

T9 knit till the yarn is still on the floor - 40ish rows.










Transfer needles for 2tog,
T4 knit 2 rows

good thing, leave everything where is it

knit a couple of rows of waste yarn

Add weight to WY and knit another hat

I like to put the hats directly into a plastic garbage bag

Really keeps all this mess together until I'm ready to separate them.

on the last one knitted, pick up the stitches and run a darning needle through them and leave it until all the hats below are separated

Then go to the first one knitted and I separate my way back up the hats. Run a thin circular needle through the live stitches, cut the last stitch on the opposite side to the thread, run the darning needle through the live stitches, throw the waste yarn into a rubbish bag and the newly separated hats into a pile until I sew them up later.

I cut the first stitch of the WY after I pick up the live stitches and pull it to remove the hat from the one above.

I like to have all the cut up waste yarn in a separate rubbish bag and the ready to sew in a pile.

and then I sew them up. Voila continuously knitted strips into Chemo Hats.

KX350 + 1 panel = 176 needles ready to go = Fraank

I bought a new top for my knitting table - A Plaank for Fraank

I have a new piece of 44 needles to put into Fraank

Turn him over and remove the last plate and end

And snap the new section into place - it has a slot

And put the end piece on and put the plates back and screw back into place

I removed the centre screw and relocated the clamp to the end

New needles and sponge, it's plastic is discoloured, but it works a charm.

Some Zoomy Vests

My stash on Rav 6 Mar 2012

I've been working on getting rid of my old WIPs (works in progress). I decided to start finishing them this year, starting with the nearest to finished. Well I finished the body and started on the sleeves. The more I did the less I wanted to finish it, wear it or have anything to do with it. So I decided to NOT finish it, and undo/frog it. So that makes two things I've put back into balls.

 But what started this epiphany, was... I need to make another blue/black vest or three. The ones from last year have suffered from "wearing them all the time".  I have one redish tone one that I can walk out the door, and I machined and hand knit - green! Two green vests. Great! I don't know what I was thinking, just getting them done. Which brings me to my Zoomy. Lauren and her Dad brought me back two packets of 10 Zoomys in different blues from their road trip home from Melbourne, in Dec 2010. Sadly my old Zoomy vest - well I don't think even the needy will want to wear it. It's rubbish. But backtracking to my WIP hand knit problem, I really didn't want to start another handknit until I made them go away. Problem solved, it's no more, it's back into balls.

My Shalom Vest with elledot (Leila's) buttons

So onto the Zoomy. I really need vests, so I made a replacement Shalom for the one that I threw away, and have started a Heather Hoodie on the other packet.

Heather hoodie in progress

And now I'm back to machine knitting. I'll finish off my second Lana Vest this week, then I'll think about whether I pack up Yoko and do something else one of the other machines. Maybe I'll make another Shawl Collared Cardi on it before I do.

Lana Sweater in progress - only sleeves to do

And I went to Spotties and bought some cotton jersey to make some long body/sleeve tees for this winter. I'd like to get them done next week, ready for the cool weather, which I don't think is too far away. I got some nice easy to wear ones from Primark, three plain cotton jersey ones from Lauren's trip to London, year before last and the three I brought back from my trip to London. I must admit I like the 100% cotton ones better and I'm so sick of stuff that is too short. So this year, I'm getting rid of all the too short stuff.


That's enough to be getting on with now I think!