hat – Ink, Yarn & Beer

A Place to Hang My Hat

Today – well, let’s see. I have to head out to the Valley for an appointment, and then home. All tasks are caught up with, including the pile of shredding from the other day. This means there is no excuse to not “do” something. It seems fitting to do something a bit easy to do, namely, take a picture around the house. This ladder back chair sits in the foyer, and we use it to hang up bags and hats, as well as to sit upon to take off shoes and put on slippers. It is a really nice chair, and I feel rather bad about putting it to such utilitarian purposes, but it is also one of the most useful pieces of furniture we own!

I got a Nikon Z 50mm f2.8 macro lens from the esposo for Christmas, and it really takes great photos. I want to use it, of course, for macros, but the beauty of a macro lens is it also works very well as just an ordinary lens. This month it will be the (hahahaha) focal point of any images I make with the Z6ii, and black and white as well, for at least the month of January. Ideas are rolling around in my fuzzy head, so I probably should write them down . . .

Hung Up

Inktober 2019: #15 Legend

If you didn’t grow up in the 50s, the mask and hat may mean nothing to you. If you did, perhaps you remember the TV show The Lone Ranger. It was my favorite show when I was a kid. We all wore cowboy and cowgirl outfits, complete with masks and six-shooters filled with rolls of caps. Bang! Bang! We all imagined riding horses over the wild hills, chasing bandits. I found Tonto especially cool because he was an Indian, played by Jay Silverheels (even his name was great!). There were several people who played The Lone Ranger, but the one I remember is Clayton Moore.

Interestingly, I remember the actors’ names after all these years!

And if you want to ramble about PC-ness, go somewhere else . . .

Ready for Adventure

Skep – A New Hat!

This hat is a simple mosaic stitch pattern, with texture created using purl stitches along with knit and slipped stitches. Although mosaic knitting looks complicated, it really is not. The fact is, each knitted round (or round with purl stitches) is done in only one color. The slipped stitches pull the contrasting color up from the row below. The biggest challenge in writing up this pattern was actually in translating the written pattern into a charted design.

Besides the mosaic pattern, the foundation round of the hat is done in i-cord, invented or unvented by Elizabeth Zimmermann. This creates an edge that is tidy, but a bit stretchy. The result is a hat with a snug edge which helps the hat hold its shape. From the initial i-cord cast on, the first round increases the stitch count, and thence the pattern commences. You can purchase pattern on Ravelry – follow the link here, or else click on the pattern listing under my “page” column.

Although I did not make the pattern available in different sizes, it would be easy to modify the pattern for a very large head or a child, simply by adding or subtracting repeats.

What is a “Skep”?

A skep is an old word for a beehive, made of coiled straw or grass, and shaped into a conical formation. In the New World, there were no honey bees, and so when the Europeans settled, they brought their bees with them. The shape and texture of this hat made me think of a skep – thus its name!

Unfortunately, our honey bee population is being challenged by viruses or some other horrible illness, and their number is dwindling. Add to this, they are mating with African bees, which are known to be very aggressive. Neither is a good thing.

A Bee Artist

I would like to refer you to a site I really enjoy, Pencil and Leaf, which is the blog of an artist who does wonderful drawings and painting of bees and flowers. Buzz over to see her fine work.