Friday, April 27, 2007

A 'Mo In A Mofo Of An FO

Well, it's done. My first FO! (Knitspeak for a Finished Object).

A simple beanie in Jo Sharp "Silkroad Aran Tweed" wool, silk, cashmere mix. Colour #117 "Potpourri". The colour is actually darker than it appears in the first couple of pics, it's a really dark purple with other coloured flecks.



I didn't need a pattern, just some basic maths of how many stitches and rows I would need to make it the size I wanted. Probably the hardest part was planning the decreases, and that wasn't that hard. I love the look of spiral decreases, and the amount of stitches I had divided neatly into 5 spirals. Star, starfish or pinwheel? You decide.



It fits! And you know what, it looks pretty good. I've never been a beanie wearer but I'll make an exception for it this winter. Oh, and as promised here is a beanie and beard pic.



Please excuse the bags under my eyes, this was taken at 6.45 this morning as the sun had just risen and the maid was being tardy with the Industrial Strength Eye Cream. Not my best time of the day. That expression is the look of someone trying to take their own picture; doing am I in the frame?, are my crow's feet showing?, how can I hide the double chin?, am I about to drop the camera?... all at the same time.

So, I'm happy with it. My first go at knitting with DPNs (double pointed needles, c'mon catch up) and it got a little hairy trying to juggle all these as it got to the very few stitches at the end. The yarn doesn't have a lot of stretch, and so the rib at the bottom isn't all that stretchy. It fits snugly though because I was careful with the sizing, so I don't think it will be a problem. I'm happy with it, and I have a whole second ball of the yarn left over to put towards something else...

21 comments:

Michael said...

Use the eye cream for the bags, but apply my adoration to that beanie, that face shrubbery and that punim. Oy, such a face! ::grabs it::

And the purple! ::stage faints::

The Other Andrew said...

Thanks sweetie! You always know how to lift a tired old queen's spirits. :) Oh, you can grab that face alright. Hands, thighs, whatever...

The purple is da bomb, right?

Mousicles said...

Very cool beanie. Love the spiral effect.

Well done. I want one now. I'd better find my knitting instruments.

Kenyo said...

Love the beanie. You did a great job. Is it to hide your dreads? If so you have done a fine job of it. There are no visible lumps.

By the way we here in the northern hemisphere are thrilled to have Holly and the Bondi 88 FM back online again. Rescued from those nasty hackers.

The Other Andrew said...

Mousicles, thanks. It's not too long a project, which is nice. I'm about a third of the way through the basketweave scarf I'm also knitting, and already I'm all are we there yet?

Kenyo, thanks. No no dreads, except maybe public speaking and calling out the wrong boyfriend's name. Har. Any lumps are the head, not the beanie.

I've never listened to Bondi 88 FM. Good?

Kris said...

Congrats and well done! A beanie is a hell of a first project, I have to say. (If the ribbing becomes too saggy, you could thread some thin elastic through it on the back side to pull it in a bit.)

The Other Andrew said...

Thanks Kris! Judy suggested the elastic too, and unless it gets stretched out further with use I should be able to do without it. Thanks for the suggestion!

A Table For Two said...

well done!!! hmmm..... how long did it take you to finish one beanie???
Can I get you to knit one for me? Ill pay you for it!! :P

The Other Andrew said...

Billy, I ripped it back a couple of times because I screwed up the decreasing. If I hadn't needed to do this then I probably could have done it in three or four evenings maybe. I'm not a very fast knitter yet. I appreciate the offer, but until I get faster and more experienced I'll probably avoid knitting for other people. Only because I want to try new things with each new project, so I can increase me skill level.

Anonymous said...

Excellent job! The color is great and your pattern is terrific. You should be very proud of yourself.

The Other Andrew said...

Thanks Paul, that's really sweet.

Mikey (TLE) said...

Ahhh, fixed the issue I was having with posting on blogger.

Great beanie, great colour, lovely "monochromatic psychedelia" descending spiral effect.

Beard looks good, too.

I'll join the queue for the hottest new winter accessories from the "TOA" label.

The Other Andrew said...

Yay, welcome back Mikey (TLE)! Unlike you to be the strong silent type, after all. Thanks for the props on the mad knitting skillz. Oh, and the beard!

Andreas said...

Nice job on the beanie and the beard TOA!

But... that beard is way too trimmed. Just let it allllll hang out man! Stop trimming! Go bush! It's very liberating.

The Other Andrew said...

It looks a bit paler and sort of gingery in the photo, but in the flesh it looks darker. Weird.

No bush for me! Yes, I know how that sounds.

worldpeace and a speedboat said...

TOA really doesn't suit the bush at all ;-P and I love the gingery beard, you can definitely see it IRL when the light hits it. a throwback to a spot of scandinavian heritage I'd say...

really lovely work my dear, I have knitting envy! the decrease is just fabulous. what does the mix feel like? sounds so luxurious.

M-H said...

You're natural, boy. That's one damn fine beanie.

Anonymous said...

That's my favorite yarn for hats, and I've used the salsa color and olive. Purple is next.
Check your email.

Anonymous said...

I like the cap - and love the beard! don't take off either!
Urs.
Urspo

Christopher said...

Wow -- that looks great!...I'm not a beanie wearer, as I've got a giant head, and I usually look like an a-hole in them, but it suits you.

also, I'm really loving the glasses, I've got an optometrist appointment coming up, and I may have to take this pic in, for visual reference.

The Other Andrew said...

Thanks for the positive comments everybody!

Dave, thanks for the pic!

Christopher, the 'eyewear' is Link brand (Italian) from my favourite lesbian optometrists here in Newtown. My previous frames were busted in a car accident (as was I) and I got these ones as part of my worker's compensation package. Score! Almost worth being in a head-on collision for. Not. :)