Back from tour

Yeay! I am back from my orchestra tour, and I did some major shopping!

I found these bone crochet hooks in an antique shop; I can't wait to try them out...however, I have a suspicion they are for lace...which I am still afraid of trying...

There was this really fantastic yarn store called Yarns On First, where I picked up some Noro Silk Garden Light and some Manos del Uruguay.

I also got some Lana Grossa Soffice to make a chemo hat for my cousin. I finished it up on the bus.

I also made a crochetted baby hat that looks like a pumpkin, but I gave it to the mom before I took a pic. Pattern here.

I get nervous on flights, but find if I'm preoccupied concentrating on something, it helps. Here is a crochetted hat make with one skein of Noro Silk Garden that took me less than 2 hours to make. Another note on flights; I never had problems taking bamboo circulars before, but since they've been more strict at screenings, I didn't risk taking them. Instead, I took a set of cheap-o plastic Red Heart crochet hooks, and no one bothered me.

Maltese Fisherman's Hat

Maltese Fisherman's Hat from E.Z.'s Knitter's Almanac

side view:
This hat is actually for my bf, but I think it looks pretty good on Gina too! It was a fun and fast knit, and the ear flaps and the lengthened bit at the back of the neck will undoubtedly prove useful during the NE winter.

Mods: I wrapped the short row earflaps because I was getting gaps where the rows turned. I also knit more rounds to make the hat deeper.

Yarn: Morehouse Merino Bulky; less than one skein. It was one of those "sale" skeins, and I have no idea what the color is called; it's somewhere between dark plum and dark chocolate brown.

Round 2 of pics

Blogger has some limits on pics per post or something...so I split these up.

All the following are from "Knitting for Young America"

I nearly cried while laughing when I first saw this. Read the subtitle in parenthesis.
Can you imagine having one of those pigtails for every sweater you have?

The girl looks so serious in this pic...maybe she wanted pigtails too...

This set is kind of interesting...I've never seen a knitted umbrella cover before; there is probably a reason for that...like mildew...Does anyone know what that thing is on the upper right?

Again, didn't know what to make of this one...maybe it would be good for scrap yarn Xmas tree ornaments for kids to make.

I might post yet more pics a little later...these are some of the best, though.

Entertaining Eye Candy Friday

Okay, so you see this guy while you're taking a walk in the forest.
Do you...
a) run away
b) laugh hysterically
c) try to figure out the pattern on those socks
d) hit on him?
(this pic is from CM's "A Man's Handmades" by Viola Sylbert)

Okay, I don't quite know how to feel about this one. There is another pic with golf club covers in this mag too. (from Spinnerin "The Knitting Racket")

Well...I suppose this wouldn't totally give you hat head in the winter...

I just thought these guys were cute. I wonder if you could fill them with something heavy and use them as doorstops?
(the last 2 pics were Coats and Clarks patterns)

What I "inherited"

One of my co-workers, who is a crochetter, gave me her mother's knitting needle and pattern collection.
Some of these needles are bakelite, the rest are mostly metal or plastic. There are some singles, and check out that sz 15 yellow pair on the right where it must've broken and the person re-sharpened it. (p.s. if you want to know if it's bakelite: rub a spot with your thumb very fast until it heats up. Smell. It will give off a weird stinky chemical smell. You can also run it under hot water briefly for the same result.)

There are some really funky patterns within these pages. The ones from the 60s and 70s gave me a good laugh, but I liked the really old patterns the best. Check these out:
Amigurumi Ancestors or what?
I love these lounge socks! Total Xmas present material!

I think the look on this girl's face is priceless...

I might post more pics later of the weirder ones.