Cable cast on

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFkYejFGwsI

I'm going to have to use this for my next scarf.

I-cord, you cord, we all cord

I have learned to i-cord.

I'm making the Official Kittyville Hat. It was supposed to be a Christmas gift for my sister in law but I didn't even start it until well after the holidays.

I'm working in red and black - the band, ear flaps, i-cord, and inner ears in red, the upper hat and outer ears in black. The pom poms will be in both red and black.

The yarn is gorgeous. I picked up some Cascade Cloud 9 at the Yarntopia after-the-holidays sale. As soon as I picked it up, I knew I had to buy the yarn. It's so very, very soft. Think kitten fur soft. I walked around the store petting it before I bought any. *blush* No project in mind. Then I decided it would be perfect for the planned Kittyville Hat for my beloved sis-in-law.

Of course, everything went wrong.

More ->

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.

More ->

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