9th Day of DKA

On the ninth day of DKA my fav yarn store offered me...

Wonderland Yarns Mad Hatter 30% off!

Click here to see all the days deals!

Remember, these deals move fast and the deals are good while supplies last.

 

Mad Hatter

Yarns inspired by Alice in Wonderland? Yes please!

With fun color names like...'too much pepper', 'tinkling of tea', and 'clusterwink', you'll enjoy every stitch:)
 

100% Superwash Merino Wool
4oz 344 yards
20 - 24 sts = 4"
US 4 - 6
Sport Weight

Click here to see the colors available.

 

So, what to make out of a skein of Mad Hatter? 

How about the Rikke Hat?

This hat is a go to design at our shop. Simple garter stitch in the round (a row of knit and a row of purl) makes a super squishy, warm hat.

No promises, but you might just get 2 hats out of the skein if you are careful. You for sure can get an adult size and then modify a second one for a little person!

Needle sizes 16" US4 & 7. Of course adjusted to your own knitting technique.

Musings about patterns

If you've ever finished a project that just didn't turn out. Don't automatically blame the pattern. 

Now, I'm not saying that you should blame yourself either, but...

A pattern is simply a recipe. You might be someone that can't eat too much sodium, so you change the amount of salt in the dish. You may decide you like green peppers and not red peppers. You may have an oven that runs a few degrees warmer than a "normal" oven, so you have to adjust the time of cooking suggested. These little modifications happen when you cook more or try more recipies. You just learn what you like and what works best for your family, in your kitchen. Sometimes a recipe simply doesn't work for you so you try it again next time with less of something, or more of something. That's part of the fun of cooking right? You land on just the right dish that becomes a family favorite.

The same thing happens with a pattern. It's simply a recipe.

You may knit/crochet tighter than the pattern designer, so your item will be smaller, unless you go up a needle size. You may have a taller head than the pattern designer, so you'll need to add a repeat or another inch to a hat pattern. You may decide to make something out of an alpaca instead of a wool, so you may have to make modifications because the yarn is different. Like cooking from a recipe, the more you knit/crochet, the more you will learn what you need to do to make the pattern work for you. And yes, sometimes patterns don't work for you. Sometimes you'll rip it all out and start over. Sometimes you'll donate that too small hat instead. Sometimes you'll try it again, with a different yarn or needle or hook size. That's part of the fun of knitting and crochet right?

My point? Don't write off a pattern if it doesn't work for you the first time. Maybe you need to try again with a little more of this, or a little less of that. Who knows, it might become a family favorite.

Hey Christie, look at how young we were...behind your giant sweater:)

Velvet Ribbon

We FINALLY got these little beauties in the shop. Better late than never?

Wood spindles and spools holding crushed velvet ribbon. So pretty! The ones with the pointy tops SPIN!

Doesn't everyone need a spinning wood spindle full of velvet?

Click here for the spools.
Click here for the spindles.

 

Shipping

We can no longer guarantee your package will arrive by Christmas. 

I'm assuming you all know that, but...just in case. 

Odds are good that many of you are watching a few shipments make their way around the country like I am. Refreshing the tracking screen obsessively.

Our package to my mom in Colorado is FINALLY set to arrive to them today! Keep your eyes open for your mailperson Mom and don't open until Christmas:)