Saturday 4 February 2017

One Plane, One Purl...

I was 45 before I flew in a plane. And I hate take-off. My first flight was pre 9/11, so I took needles and yarn and produced a pair of baby bootees on the flight to Paris, and on the way back.
Then airlines banned knitting needles.
I dislike tunnels, so I took plastic needles the one time I went on Eurostar - and was so tense I snapped one!
But just before leaving for Albania, a friend posted on Facebook that her cousin needs knitted baby hats to take out to Nepal. I checked with BA - needles are allowed again! I found a pair of plastic ones [which I could live without if they made me surrender them at check in] and a few leftover balls of yarn - some chunky-ish, some fluffier 4ply sock yarn.
And I knitted happily there and back - and even whilst in Albania. 
Dita laughed at me, and grabbed my needles. She was like a machine - her technique was so fast. 
"Tell her to stop!" I asked her daughter
"She say's she's helping you and the poor babies"
"No, she must stop knitting- she has reached the point where she needs to start decreasing!" Click this link >> Dita Super-Knitter
I shall be able to take 9 hats to Sophie at church tomorrow to pass on to her cousin.

And I am much less stressed by take-off now!
The pattern? 
5mm needles, and either use 2 strands of 4ply knitted together, or a lightweight chunky 

  • Cast on 60sts.
  • Knit 4 rows K2P2 rib
  • Knit 4" in stocking stitch, end with P row
  • decrease for crown...
  • [K4, K2tog] repeat to end [50sts]
  • purl one row
  • [[K3, K2tog] repeat [40sts]
  • purl one row
  • [K2, K2tog] repeat [30sts]
  • purl one row
  • [K1, K2tog] repeat [20sts]
  • purl one row
  • [k2tog] repeat [10 sts]
  • purl one row
  • [k2tog] repeat [5sts]

Cut yarn, leaving about 12" for sewing up. Thread yarn through remaining 5 sts and pull tight. Sew up back seam. They aren't all exactly the same size. But then, neither are babies heads!!

4 comments:

  1. When I looked at the video I couldn't believe how fast she was knitting!

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  2. I just removed the video clip because it didn't seem to be working - I shall try and put it back again!

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  3. Thanks so much for that pattern, I am just about to start a second hat for our second grandchild due in the next two weeks. Would you say double knitting is the same as 4 ply doubled or should it be something like Rowan Big Wool?

    Latest estimate of baby's weight is 8lb so don't want too small a hat!

    By the way the video worked very well, what speed.

    Thanks, Madeleine

    ReplyDelete
  4. The cream hat [middle row on right] was a thickish double knit, but as you see, it is sightly smaller. The coloured hats are all 2 strands of 4oly. The cream hat [middle, left] was some spare aran. I suspect Rowan Big wool might be a little too chunky to knit well on 5mm needles, perhaps bigger needles would work bigger and give you a bigger hat [in which case, I might cast on 50sts not 60] Congratulations on imminent arrival of Grandchild #2!

    ReplyDelete

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