Half Dome

Well, I couldn't see any problem myself about doing Half Dome from summer 2006 Knitty in the round, but I just wanted a little bit of affirmation because I don't have time for avoidable blunders at this time of year!
Thanks for your thoughts.
If any of you decide to do it in the round I would recommend doing ALL of the decreases one stitch in from the marker. The pattern factors in the loss of a half stitch or full stitch on each side of the seam when sewing up your backstitch or mattress stitch and places the first and last dec two stitches in.
An easy enjoyable knit in Jaeger 100% merino aran, which was a pleasant change after wasting loads of time and money on Friday and Saturday on some DB Alpaca Silk which tangled, frayed, knotted, shed and stained my support gloves with dye loss. It has been rewound into a million tiny balls now, so no way of taking it back. Just FYI I was trying out centre square from the new Knitty in the DB.
Oh well, now I have a nice smart, seam-free, natural fibre hat for my friend in plenty of time (ha ha) for Santa.Thank you! x K

Advice please...

Urgent Santa query-


Can anyone foresee any problem at all with me knitting this pattern in the round?

Any comments gratefully received.

Thank you my dears. x K

Norovember - last gasp - Fake Isle hat

Not another hat?
I just made it.
I'm able to show you another finished item for Norovember just before the calendar flips over.
Blocking and human-modelled shots will just have to wait or I'll miss the deadline - we'll have to do with these shots posed over our Gleneagles Crystal Rose Bowl, which may I say, did an excellent job.
As if you didn't know this is the Fake Isle hat from Amy King, as seen over at MagKnits .

Since Rowan Tapestry came out I've been trying to concoct something like this, which takes advantage of the changing tones in the background colour to mimic those complex fair isle which require a gross of yarns of different colours. Well, in the meantime, this will do the trick, this is just the kind of effect I was looking for, and give my ideas a little longer to ferment. Even better, a friend admired it so much he has got himself a Christmas present. Two-and-a-half done, and counting.

The main shade is Noro Kureyon shade 154, left over from the Siesta blanket from earlier in the month, and the contrast is Kilcarra Donegal Tweed. Unfortunately I had a little less of that than I thought, so I had to omit the lovely "stained glass" section at the top. Next time.

If you scroll down you will see a few more photos, including a big stack of Kureyon to keep on working with long after Norovember has gone.

I must admit that the thing I have enjoyed most about the Norovember knitalong is that I have seen so many things knitted up in the different colourways, so I have a much better idea about the colour choices and gradations. Very informative. Now, where's the credit card?

Norovember Flickr Show

As seen from above. I didn't think I had enough of the Donegal Tweed to do the upper fair isle section of the hat, so I just did the decreases with the Kureyon and reintroduced the blue again at the end.

For the detail-obsessed -who knitters?- the inside view.

None-too-sharp detail shot.

Trip to Port Mary wearing a new hat.

Okay, first the historical bit-In May 1568, after sojourning at Dundrennan , Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots sailed from a natural harbour in the parish of Revwick, thereafter known as PORT MARY over to Cumbria to a landing bay which was known thereafter as MARYPORT. (Not too far from Woolfest, for the non-historically inclined.)
Now fast forward 438 years to when Kathleen and Jonathan went for a lovely, bracing walk there on one of the blusteriest days of the year.

I was nice and cosy however because I was wearing my lovely (IMHO) hat made from Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk Aran . (About as self-explanatory as Port Mary and Maryport.) It was made to the Rambler pattern, from the pattern support book for the yarn, and I used #17, Vintage Red, same as the book. It's the one where the girl is wearing a blue knotty cabled jumper and a cowboy hat. I got the yarn in a newish yarn shop in Dumfries with the weird and wonderful name of Drop in 4 a Yarn when I was down there for the October week. It has been a lovely yarn to work with.

I don't think this hat is a million miles away from the look of Odessa , but it is just based on k3 p3 moving along to the left every right side row, and then some well-thought out decreases to keep the look on the crown.

Here are a few photos to keep you going. As usual, all photos can be enlarged by clicking.

A travelling knit 3 purl 3 pattern in a sumptuous yarn.

I love the swirly decreases, I look like one of those sea urchin things, which is always a good look, I feel.