Monday, October 13, 2008

Three days, three hats

Back in Vermont. What a great weekend away! Our day in Vail was fun - it brought back memories of skiing there when I was in high school. We had a great time walking around Vail Village.The scenery was just amazing. How can you beat this?
Saturday morning we woke up and looked out the window... brilliant blue skies and sun to the left, and clouds and wind and snow flurries to the right. They were calling for 3-9 inches of wet stuff that evening - rain and snow, so we left Breckenridge early and headed over Loveland Pass into Denver while the weather was still decent. We stepped out of the car at the top of Loveland Pass - who knew they had a spa at the top? Well, not really, but I did get a free facial with dermabrasion while posing for this picture. The temperature was in the mid 30s and the wind was about 40mph. So the blowing snow felt sort of like dermabrasion... or what I would imagine it would feel like. Those white blurs on the picture are the fast moving snowflakes. It was cold!

Down in Denver the weather was foggy, gray and wet but we managed to have fun anyway. I went to ANOTHER 3 yarn shops! I was able to get quite a bit of knitting done in the car, as we were in and out of it for the better part of the day.

We flew back on Sunday, and even got to see Niagara Falls from the plane! It's certainly spectacular in person, but even from high above it was incredible. See the spray from the falls?
The Adirondaks in New York were breathtakingly beautiful: As was Malletts Bay, just north of Burlington, Vermont:Even from high above, it's easy to see why Vermont is special. I think this weekend was absolutely PEAK foliage. What a great weekend everyone had here in Vermont - all the visitors enjoyed 60 degree temperatures, sun and brilliant leaves.

After unpacking last night, I sat down and finished up the last of the three hats I knit while I was away. Hats are perfect for quick trips... obviously so are socks, but I'm more of a hat gal. The family kindly modelled my hats this morning as I was scrambling out the door.
Helen sported the Odessa Hat, in Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend Multis. What a fun pattern! I like it in the variegated, but am eager to make it in a solid as well. This yarn is a perfect weight for me. Not too hot, just right. And the pattern - a one row pattern - was super simple to memorize.

The second hat I made (modelled by Marc in group shot above) is one of my favorites. I used Loop-d-Loop Moss for the band, double stranded. Then I used Nashua Handknits Sitar, single stranded, for the top. These two yarns really work well together. The Moss is unbelievably soft, perfect for the band. And the Sitar is gorgeous - so many of the Sitar colors work with the Moss. It will be fun to kit this up for the website tomorrow.

The last hat - worn by Sophie - was quick and fun, and I think it's really cute. I grabbed a skein of Ester Bitran Socos and whipped up a quick hat - on size 10.5 US needles. It took no time at all, and fits really well. I alternated vertical bands of stockinette and rib. I know some people like their hats longer, and I did have enough yarn left to make it about 1" longer, so the option is there. This took just one skein of Socos!

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