Crochet? Why Not?

Everyone who knows me a little bit also knows that the last person to need a new and unique hobby, is me. I am also a prolific knitter and crochet only under duress (when the edges of something fancy demand it). I had a terrible time learning it as a child and was not interested in the frustration. I could never get the gauge right. Imagine my trepidation when my niece wanted to learn over spring break. And then imagine my surprise when I was able to make a quick swatch using THIS video almost instantly.

My niece is six, and so I decided to focus on the chain stitch first. We kept attaching it to the swatch when it got too long and dangling. 

This girl has so much grit! After I showed here with my hands on hers a few minutes, she was ready to do it herself. But she was very tense, which slowed things down considerably. I think we sat together at least 30-45 minutes before her first break. 

It’s too early to see if the hobby will stick for her, but I may have started a hat…

We were also delighted to visit the baby farm animals on our visit. My brother and sister-in-law had recently welcomed four Saanen goat kids and one Nubian goat kid. We were happy to cuddle them and sample incredible dairy products. 

The Farmer may also have a new hobby goal??

In spite of a freak blizzard during our stay, it looks like spring weather is starting to return this coming week as I go back to school. Enjoy!

Hats... because it's April

Happy Yarn-Along Day! It's April, and basically Spring, but I have been on a tear to knit hats! I think it started with the airplane knitting on the way to a conference. I got a great start on this Wurm hat, and promptly ran out of yarn on the way home. I finally re-ordered some from The Whippletree in Woodstock, VT, because of course the skein was a souvenir. I am eagerly waiting for more!

Last Saturday, after a whole day of rain, we suddenly got two inches of snow that came down fast and furiously. It stuck beautifully, and did nothing if not inspire another hat! I've been using the Lopi spun alpaca from our lovely Dark Star. 

Coincidentally, we had to make a run for hay on Sunday and got this very appropriate U-Haul with which to carry it home! Who knew that prehistoric camels came into Canada to possibly be our alpaca's ancestors?!

I recently already knit an Elizabeth Zimmermann Spiral hat in Dark Star Lopi yarn, but it was too small for an adult. I used the instructions on Pg 96 of The Opinionated Knitter. My cast-on was not very loose, and honestly needed a few more stitches. It turned out pretty well, though the Suri alpaca yarn still loves to drape, in spite of its thickness. More Ravelry notes HERE.

 

So I set to work on a second hat that would be more comfortable on me. This time I used the instructions for the 5-spiral hat on pg. 94 of The Opinionated Knitter. It feels a little bit big, but I am excited that I could possibly add a tight beanie underneath to insulate it more for windy days. More Ravelry notes HERE.

 And here is the second hat on the model head! Just a TAD looser and larger!

Since it's also my Spring Break, I've been doing a fair amount of hiking and walking. I am obsessed with the Knobstone Trail, and was able to hike another section with a friend last Friday. I love the starkness of the bare trees contrasted with small spring flowers starting to emerge!

My neighbors set their Brahmin bulls out on the pasture while I was out on a walk yesterday. Magnificent animals!

 Hope you are all enjoying springtime. Check out all the other knits and reads at Ginny's Yarn Along HERE!

Spring Break Knitting

Spring Break started yesterday, and what better way to launch it but to start with a skein of yarn...

I got it into a massive snarl that took my a long time to translate into this ball of yarn. Once I was comfortably seated on the airplane, Totoro was helping me design my new hand warmers. Yup, it's April and I haven't given up on my dream of some warm mitts.

Salt pretzel with butter...

Wait, where are we here? Well... Let me show you around Munich for a while. 

Coming up on the "Magnificent Mile" shopping district equivalent of Munich. All the fancy pants stores you can imagine, beginning with Gucci on the corner. 

The cathedral lurking behind a park. Most of these pictures are taken out of a bus window, so they are a little sketchy on many fronts.

Part of our group in front of the Rathaus. 

The Center of Justice is housed in an amazing building.

An example of Greek architecture one of Bavaria's former rulers was obsessed with reproducing at home.

Lady Bavaria, a statue in the style of the Statue of Liberty. She was built first as a test model, and yes, you CAN climb into her head!

The Olympic tower and facility.

BMW headquarters and museum.

A view from our rest stop en route to Salzburg. "The hills are alive..." OK, I'll stop now. We listened to the Sound of Music soundtrack on the bus already. 

Chiemsee, a large lake in the region.

One of those iconic Bavarian churches with the onion tower.

After a delicious meal at the Imlauer Biergarten, (no beer for us chaperones-boohoo!) we are all super tired from traveling and socializing. Time to get some sleep. Zzzzz...

Tomorrow we will do a walking tour of Salzburg, most likely in the rain. Hooray for Spring Break knitting!