Thankfully Thorpelicious

I am thankful for many things this holiday season. In a time when many in our country are experiencing troubling financial situations, I am thankful for our jobs, and the fact that we were able to afford a home. In a world where some use their religious beliefs as justification for violence, I am thankful for my faith, and a grace-filled God that forgives and loves no matter how glaring my imperfections. I am thankful for my marriage, which, while far from perfect, has been the most fulfilling and worthwhile venture of my life. And I am thankful for my family, all of whom I enjoyed spending time with over delicious food and libations.

Of course, there are other things, numerous other things that I am grateful for, but seeing as how this has become more and more of a "knitting blog" the last few months, I will share that I am also thankful for Kirsten Kapur's free hat pattern, Thorpe. What do you get when you mix a small, sleepy mountain town, chunky yarn, an endless supply of delicious food, and three days off from work? A hat or two....or three.

 

This was the first: Thorpe 1.0. Malabrigo Chunky Merino, colorway is Brillante, the edging is done in some shade of Manos Del Uraguay that I had lying around. All of these were knit on 10.5 needles.

 

Here's the second: Thorpe 2.0. Malabrigo Chunky Merino, colorway is Vaa. The edging is done in Malabrigo Merino Worsted, colorway Verdes. 1.0 & 2.0 will be gifted to a very special couple.

Here's Little Niece modeling Thorpe 3.0, before I was able to crochet the edging. Can you believe how much she's grown from her last hat modeling photo shoot? And goodness, just check out those baby blues...

 

Here's 3.0--the finished product. Malabrigo Chunky Merino, colorway is Burgundy. Mom was kind enough to swap me this skein for some Malabrigo Worsted (indigo) that I had brought home with me. She's hoping to get a beret and cowl out of it. I was happy with my hat. The edging is Malabrigo Merino Worsted, colorway, Oro Y Vino. While the previous two were size large, I made this one a size small, for my nephew. I was happy to experiment with the sizes, as I have now discovered that I am definitely a medium.   

 

The Knitwitch taught me how to double crochet with her video on YouTube.

It was a fun (and productive!) holiday. Some highlights were a sunset walk in the park with the entire family (Avery got her first "roller coaster" stroller experience with her auntie Lala); a delicious steak dinner on Friday night with lots of laughter; saving a ton-buttload of money by purchasing our paint for the new house at the tiny local hardware store (contractor's discount--woohoo!); and of course, a lot of knitting. Here are some pics from the aforementioned walk.

 

The boys with their canine children.

 

And lastly, the full ensemble. There is another one on the needles as we speak--a Christmas gift for my sister. Amy really looked good in this style hat, and I am excited to see her wear her own--the numerous shades of blue in the colorway (Whales Road) will compliment her blonde hair and blue eyes.

 

Knitting these also gave me an idea for what to do with all of the scraps of Malabrigo I have leftover from numerous projects. I love the yardage of this yarn, but after a while I get tired of making items out of the same colorways. I recently purchased Knitalong, and have really enjoyed it. I love the Barn-Raising Quilt in the back, and was thinking that the same could be done in worsted wool yarn. Why not, right? It will be warmer, cheaper, and will knit up quicker...just will have to be dry-cleaned as opposed to the convenience of superwash sock yarn. Any thoughts? And, more excitingly, in the spirit of the pattern--would anyone be interested in helping knit some of the squares?

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, full of laughter and fond memories. I'm off to enjoy some leftovers!

Comments

[mick]

Such pretty hats! I love that pattern, too. I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving!

[martin]

There might be a difference with the worsted, besides the washing issue -- but it'd be pretty easy to test before you make a whole blanket. One very pleasurable thing about this blanket when you use it (say, for reading a book or watching tv) is that it's really springy and stretchy, which I believe could be the result of the relative smoothness and slipperyness of the superwash yarn. Rougher worsted wool might not stretch the same way once it's knitted up. But you could do one square of each type and pull on them to test the effect. Happy holidays!