Teaching myself how to use DPNs, or Rowan Big Wool Red Hat

I started the hat on April 1st, 2009, making me an April Fool I guess.  It took a few tries to get the hang of DPNs.  I was working with Rowan Big Wool for the first time, trying to teach myself how to use double pointed needles (DPNs).  I started out using Size 17 DPNs, thinking bigger was better.  I'd already learned the lesson that I can not accurately do a bottom-up hat (my gauging never quite works out somehow), so I started my hat with six cast on stitches, split them between two sticks to knit in the round, and gradually added a stick as the stitches I had on started to slip off the ends.  It worked, more or less - I bound off way too tightly, so while the beanie-like hat fits, it's a little tight across the brow.  When I figured out what I was doing (how many to cast on, when to increase), I redid it on a US 15 circular.

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Yarn sale!

Yarntopia is having a sale this weekend.

The After The Holidays
Knit/Crochet Something For YOU
SALE
Sat - Sun Jan 9th & 10th!!!

STOREWIDE SALE!!!!
EVERYTHING (yarn, needles, notions, books) will be at least 10% OFF
Many yarns will be up to 25% OFF
Spend over $50 in yarn for a project in any book and that book will be 15% OFF

 

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Seed stitch hat and scarf

For the past couple of weeks, I've been working on the seed stitch hat and seed stitch scarf from Alison Barlow's Fashionable Projects for the New Knitter.  I got the hat finished in time for Christmas but had barely cast on the scarf by the 25th.  (I was working on it after I recovered from the holiday meal-induced food coma.)  I won't include the pattern here, so as to not undercut the author copyright and income source.  She - Alison Barlow - has some patterns on Ravelry.com, though I didn't check to see if she has any free patterns available there.

My first attempt at the hat didn’t quite work out.

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I've forgotton how to magic loop!

I have bizarrely forgotten how to magic loop. I've been working on tiny things lately, mittens for small hands and slippers, and have consequently been using double pointed needles. I didn't realized I'd been so very focused on DPNs until I tried to make something a bit larger just recently (Kitty/ Devil hat from Stitch and Bitch Nation) and found I didn't remember how to do it!

After reviewing the videos I understand that I wasn't pulling the right (as in correct) needle through. I split the stitches onto the two separate needles but then I guess I didn't push the knit-from needle all the way through; I couldn't figure out how to do it. Couldn't remember how to do it, since I've done it successfully before. So, new attempts. No success yet.

Useful videos

Stitches

• Cast on (Google)
  
• Magic Cast On (YouTube)
  
• Magic Loop Knitting (KnittingHelp.com)
  
• Knitted Cast On (VidoeMo)
  

Resource Sites

• KnittingHelp.com
  
• KnitPicks.com how-to channel on YouTube