Some Double Knitting

A lively discussion of some interesting double knitting techniques over on Ravelry AND Lucy Neatby's newest double knit hat final broke through my knitting miasma.

I love Lucy's new hat, Storm Mountain—and it's inspired me to make something similar—there is no pattern, or even a recipe for this hat—Read Lucy's blog, and if you understand her hat, you can understand my hat—Then you can knit something similar—making use of similar techniques. Something of your own--Cause isn't that just what knitters do? See and follow, and make changes along the way?

Outside 

Double knitting sometimes allows you to have twice the fun—and you can create some really interesting textures--Ms Neatby has been doing scads and scads of double knitting of late--and exploring different textures--via different stitches, and different yarns, and all sorts of ways.. And she is not the only one.. Double knitting techniques are very popular (Just 15 years ago, (those pre internet days!) it seems double knitting was less know, and not nearly as interesting!)

My hat (there isn't much of it) is Mountain Spring. The colors in the yarn inspired the part of the name, (the mountain part is taken from Lucy's hat) The colors of this long color stripe yarn—(Austermann's  Smaragd Classic Color)—are soft purples--(there are so many early flowers in pastel shades of purple—and this yarn has two) and yellow green (so many new bud are pale green) and splashes of pink—another spring color. The inside, is snowy white, punctuated  narrow bands of spring colors. Its done in stocking knit on both sides (vs Ms Neatby's reverse stocking knit)—and this one change makes a lot of other changes... So it looks very different—but much of the texture comes from her design. (But to be honest, the texture isn't all that obvious yet.) 

Inside

I'll get this hat done in a hop skip and a jump, and them return to the several projects project that have been languishing.

And I'll keep up with my sewing, too. Today is a beautiful day (as was yesterday) and even the threat of snow later this week doesn't have me down—but I am glad to have a finished (OK, so it is not really finished at this point, but since my machine does automated buttonholes, making them, and sewing on the buttons --(something I still always do by hand) take the smallest effort; It's as good as done).

The vest is a nice layer to add—to keep warm on lovely, sunny, clear (but cold and windy) days like today.   It's chilly even in my apartment—The wind does that—it works in cold air at every crack—and while things are general well sealed—I do leave a few windows open the merest crack for fresh air. Normal, you'd never notice--but when there are a few windy days in a row, things do tend to get cooler.  But that's March isn't? 

After the red vest, the denim one, and the denim skirt. My father teased me a few year ago, and commented I still dress as I did when I was a teenager—and that is largely true –and not just of me. He still dresses as he did when he was a young adult! Most of do. There have been studies done that show many of us establish a style in our late teens—and basically keep that style for most of our adult life.

When I was a teen, I wore mostly skirts. There was a dress code in NYC public schools that required girl to wear skirts—even culottes that looked like skirts were prohibitted—for most of my HS years. I tended to wear jeans, (and cords) after school and on weekends.. But not always-- I sometimes wore skirts all day on a Sunday. I still wear skirts. Not always denim blues—but the same colored twills that I favored then are still a staple in my wardrobe.