Days 8 and 9 and Beginnings of a Musselburgh Hat

 I finished Days 8 and 9 -  the heel on my Advent Christmas Stocking.

It's a short row heel. Day 8  featured the decreases and today involved the increases back to the 18 sts per pattern or 36 sts per needle on Magic loop. I re-oriented the work so the round starts at the middle of the heel and I'm ready for Day 10s colourwork. Judging from the size of the foot, the finished stocking will be quite large. The pattern is free for now from their blog but once the stocking has been completed it will become a paid pattern on December 26. 

Now that I've got the increases done on my Musselburg hat, I'm ripping along on the 'tube'. It's easy knitting, round and round. 

I'm loving the self-striping yarn. I think it's going to be very spiffy when I'm done. Fingers are crossed I'll have enough yarn to complete it. If not, I'll substitute something and put that end as the interior.

As Knitty Natty said in her YouTube video, the crown looks deceptively small but once the increases are done, the tube is quite a bit larger. Again, this hat should be knit with 3 - 4" of negative ease so it is snug enough around the ears. 

Some knitters knit ribbing in the centre part that will be folded up for the extra thickness of the brim. The YouTubers provide various opinions and formulas on this. I think some of my handspun skeins would be good candidates for one of these hats.

Today I went on an outing with 4 of my regular gang. We ventured up to the greater Beaverton area to Border Creek Station's Christmas Open House at the Farmer's Wife Retreat House. I love how all the bedrooms have quilts on the beds with the patterns and in some cases, the kits, ready for purchase. That is the event where, in September 2022,  I became enthralled with English Paper Piecing. The same woman demonstrating it was there again. There weren't any new patterns that intrigued me beyond what I already had so I didn't add to my EPP stash. 

Then we drove to Uxbridge to Quilter's Cupboard to check out what they had for us. I was reminded that I have a couple of ugly Christmas sweater wool felt appliqué kits kicking around here someplace that I really should locate and make. I also have a terrific book of Christmas themed patterns for wool felt appliqué that I need to have a look through.

Honestly, I have the materials for so many projects as well as projects in various stages of completion. I must tackle some more of them before I purchase anything new.