First? Maybe?

Love the colors on that hat!

I am definitely gonna make me one or six of those. and contemplate buying that program, too. Christmas is just around the corner....hmmmm.....

I think this means that I've come in at a pretty good second. Damn. Oh well. It's still rather good. I think so at least.

I seriously need to learn cables... 9wanders off to work, muttering under her breath about messy-arsed kids)

The hat lovely, in both colors. Matching Mittens?

BTW Leticia is up on Blue Moon's website today.

OOOhh - I love that purple one. I think that Malabrigo or Manos doubled would work as well.

Again...great hat & thanks for the stiches per inch info. I'm glad you've got some down time for the mind to wander, refresh and work out the few odd connections. Once that happens the down time usually evaporates pretty quickly!!

Oh, the color, the color! Here's me going off to find it...

And here's me back, moderately frustrated that www.mountaingift.com, home of the lovely colorway above, is updating their site. Sigh.

Hmmm...do I see The Unoriginal Hat now being made up for Christmas presents so you aren't knitting at dawn-thirty Christmas morning???

Love the hat - have the wool, however I'm having a problem printing the directions. The chart prints luverly, but the line-by-line is not so luverly, it stops after about row 4. Any way to turn this into a PDF on the side-bar? I can do charts with lots of concentration and want to get better at them, but right now I need the comfort of words. And I need a quick knit that's a little different from Ken's dulaan hat (although I still giggle at so few stitches and rows!). Thanks!

Sometimes a new pattern or idea grabs you and you just have to make more than one. The first one is the thrill of discovery, the second is revelling in the accomplishment.

I'm with you, I got nothin either... Still plodding along on the WIPs though.

Love, love, love your hat! Thank you for 'splaining the no stitch thing; I was boggled!

Ach, I can't fault you with your lack of blog fodder. I resorted to blogging about my household chores! It isn't pretty.

Another question for you though, the link you provided regarding the line up at the border was to an article that referred to the "loonie" twice. What the heck is a loonie and why is it high?

I like the second unoriginal hat. Very cute!

I LOVE THE COLORS!!! That hat is gorgeous!
I hope, tomorrow at least, the CAT will stay still for a photo...mine doesn't run, but she screws up her face and squints her eyes at the flash. Either way, it doesn't make for good blog photos...
*wink*
(((hugs)))

Loving the hat! Time to toss the stash...er maybe I should organize it first since it's a real mess from the last 5-6 tosses :)

ooooh those Blue Moon ladies know how to strike when the iron is hot...they have tons of Leticia up on their website. Love it!

Good for you on the software. Sock Wizard has also come out for Mac. I haven't bought yet, but....

Love the way the hat looks and I'm on a total hat knitting kick right now but that pattern is just beyond my current skill level. If I print it out now and try to save it I just know I'll lose it - so I second the motion for a pdf of the pattern on the sidebar!

I seem to remember someone telling me that there was a Chinese (?) curse that went something like "May you have an interesting life." The details may be untrue but the concept has merit. Too much interesting can break a soul, if it happens just so.

I'm all for "nothin'" and "unoriginal" every once in a while. The idea of a pajamas-all-day kind of day off keeps me going on hard weeks, though I almost never let myself do it.

I've had anything but nothin' this week.. today I got a block of 4 hours of silence before work. That is the first real alone time I've had since two Sundays ago.

A friend needs help and I'm able/willing to do it. I'm thanking my lucky stars it's not me needing the help at this point. But, hey... the brain can overload without a little quiet.

I vote for nothin' today. You go, grrl!

I'm sure I'd have something to say, but ummm, I gotta go get some yran before the whole world tres for some.

Finally. She's human. ;) It's nice to know that even the Yarn Harlot has boring knitting days. Thanks for the question and answer. Now a question of my own...

I know that you buy yarn, but you are gifted a lot of yarn also. Do indie dyers ever just send you yarn in hopes that you will knit it and blog about it? (hint hint).

Love the hat. Love the purple/blue yarn (can't ya just tell (giggles)).

Oooh yeah. Like it even better in this colorway! Of course, that makes it more dangerous, thanks *ever* so much, dear Harlot. With luck, no disasters, and god willin', the crick don't rise, I'll be going out to the Blue Moon sale in Scappoose this Saturday...and lord knows, I don't need to *buy* 80 yards of bulky yarn, I can just spin it!!

::slinks off, muttering something about willpower::

yummy hats

Yum! Love both hats!

My mom held a furnace war every year - it was her staunch belief that, even though we lived in Maine, there was no reason to turn on the heat prior to Nov. 1st, and sometimes not even then. Also, she sleeps with a window cracked almost year round.

I used to thing this was completely ridiculous behavior - but now I'm a knitter, so it's all good. I just stuff a bunch of wool around me and we're good to go!

The hat is just as cute in the second yarn. In fact, the more subtle colorway shows off the cables better.

NOTHING??!?

OK, here's a strongly-wished-for suggestion from an outer fringe of the Blog: what about a photoshoot of the Kauni cardigan???!?

I know that, in the rush of life today's gripping drama becomes so part of normal pretty quickly but: have mercy on those of us who were not there in person at the debut of the cardigan and show us your triumph! Expound upon buttonhole solutions! Girl, we shall NOT ever believe that you really got nothin'... =)

Some asked what the "loonie" was. The loonie is the Canadian nickname for it's dollar. (We have a dollar coin and there is a loon on one side and the queen on the other. We call our two dollar a toonie, despite the fact there is a polar bear or two on one side and the queen on the other.)

The loonie or dollar is high because Canada has a lot of lovely resources that are in high demand, in particular oil. Also, some of the strength of the Canadian dollar isn't because it's doing so great, but rather because we compare it to the American dollar which is pretty weak these days.

Knitting? huh, I've got nothing but a shrug that needs cuffs and someone to tell me why the back looks way too small.

For Laurie at 1:42 p.m. - a loonie is the Canadian dollar coin. Named because of the engraving of loons on the coin. I believe Stephanie provided a wikipedia link a while back that gives more detail (use the search on the blog). Also, because you might ask about this too, we Canadians have a 2 dollar coin - a "toonie" - althought it does not have toons on it, it has polar bears and is a bi-metal coin. We're rather inventive up here, it's probably the long cold winter nights, (or at least that's what we'd like you to think).

Knowing that a loonie is money will probably answer the question "why is it high". The effects of this could be debated till the yarn runs out, but we won't start on that here.
Hope that was helpful.

I get the lack of blog fodder feeling today. It must be going around. I'm cold. I'm grumpy. And this BLF I'm spinning feels like it will never EVER get done.

How's about a report on your work in progress? You've got so many things going I can't keep up with what has been left undone. . .

Unoriginality saves Christmas! I've decided to make my sister an unoriginal hat out of Catalina Painted Lady (109 yds/100m per 150g). Hooray!

Dude, I came HERE for inspiration. Must be Wednesdays in general. And, um, LAUNDRY in general.

But that hat is really lovely.

Barb

Ooooo... pretty purples... the hat is great!

You do pretty darn good at posting something out of nothing. It must be one of those plucky Canadian things.

P.S. I haven't heard from Martha Stewart's lawyers yet...maybe I'm safe. If not, be prepared to post bail.

I like what one of the previous commenters said, that there is a Chinese curse, May you have an interesting life. No kidding! I revel in a boring day, because it's such a rarity, and I bet it's the same for the Harlot, yes? Relax and take some deep breaths!

I love that--the things we're really passionate about, knitting and writing, the things that get our blood flowing and that make us the proudest look to the rest of the world like... uhm, boring people, staring into space. *sigh* Yeah. If only my life could be more boring.

I love the hat. Possibly that's influenced by the fact that I love chunky yarns AND I love varigated yarns. Also, I'm left wondering if the purple one is modeled by you. In which case, how in the world do you take a picture of the back of your head?

Nothing to blog about? It's OK. You can always come to my house... we're preparing to build our "real house" next spring, and so right now we're working on the cellar hole (mostly excavated at this point), but we need to clear all the crevices in the ledge -- which means we are currently HAND-DIGGING a portion of the cellar hole. There's also moving large quantities of lumber to make way for the concrete trucks, the on-going saga of finding storage for everything (where do you put a dishwasher, fridge, and stove when you're furnace is already living in your horse's former stall and the living room is piled with lighting fixtures??)

I love the nothing blogs. Means that at some point, I will enjoy nothing myself. ;)

(Tonight I will be tearing out some of a sock... decreased where I shouldn't have...)

Unoriginal Hat + Flaky = TLA

I recently moved (under protest) to a climate that can best be described as "tundra-lite" & am freezing my noonies (no relationship to loonies or toonies) off already. I am planning to put the hat on my project list only somehow adapt it to more of a ski-mask style. Or, if I can find enough yarn, just keep on going for a full body suit.

Stephanie, thank you SO MUCH for explaining that no stitch thing. Now I understand why some charts drive me bonkers (I'm trying to knit the no stitch). As for lack of blog fodder, I wish I could help, but none of my cats would hold still, either.

omg. that yarn. the purpleybluey yarn and the Blue Moon link.

I heart your hat pattern. I don't wear hats but I want to knit some.

Oooohhhh.... love the colour of the new hat. I want it!!

I don't think a second hat in the same pattern is boring blog fodder. I didn't see any of that yarn on Blue Moon's website yesterday after reading your post from yesterday (I see they've rectified that now) so I did have questions about what other yarns you could use with that pattern. Two strands of worsted held together?? So I'm glad to see another hat of the same pattern with a different yarn.
In fact, seeing how many hats from the same pattern you can knit from different yarns in your stash over the next week or so would be very interesting blog fodder....
How well received is that hat in your house? Do all three daughters want one??? Will we see a third one posted tomorrow? Oooooh, I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

HOW do you do it?? Just like yesterday's, today's hat is superb.

It's terrific news that it works on the Mac. I might have to upgrade (again *shudder*) to get this program. Even if I never do more than play around, it might be the kick in the pants to get some of the ideas in a more workable state.

Thanks!

Ooh, those colors are beautiful! I'm so jealous that you can finish a hat in one night! =)

Too bad Canada didn't anticipate the line up at the border--they might have decided to forgo that new passport requirement so that we could just all flow in smoothly! LOL

It is a pretty hat. You're pretty good at this having nothing stuff.

Oh my --my favourite colours, blue silver and mauve= loverly. Did you ever wonder how many knitters also have cats ? It boggles my mind when I go to the knitting blogs and it seems that a very high percentage of them do have cats as pets. Don't they get into the yarn and pull on it when you are knitting ? My little poodle used to do that so cats must be worse. Makes me wonder .

Glory! I totally GET IT!!! I think that perhaps Joe should check into finding a "used" trophy at the trophy shop (they often have them, and they often give them away!) and perhaps he could swap out the figurine on the top for something "furnace like." Wouldn't it be nice if there were a traveling trophy that could be proudly displayed in your home each time your family comes calling???!!!

Just sayin'!
*wink*

So, is the software for personal use only? Or will you be publishing some cool new patterns in the future?

I got nuthing either. I'm at work with expense reports staring at me. laundry sounds far more exciting. If I were home, I'd knit socks. (and do laundry)

OMIGOD! that purple yarn is just so divinely luscious!

Looks like I'm not the only one who had the hat bug last night. I cast on an Unoriginal Hat last night too. I blame you!! :)

While waiting for a no-show appointment today I knitted one of your "unoriginal" hats. Very satisfying and a definate addition to my knitting library. Thank you! To se my hat (not that it looks all that different from yours, it's just headless)go to www.heideho.wordpress.com.

Hallo, i left a comment about a month ago with regards to using knitters for a statistics experiment. I sent back a reply with what i was roughly hoping to do but i'm afraid it got lost in the avalanche of adoring fans :D or perhaps it got lost in the spam filter?

I love the names of the colourways in the Leticia yarn:)

Well, if you want something new to think about (and hopefully not freak you out too much!), check out the Yarn Harlot Crossword, which I wrote for our 'Harlot Happening' here in Canberra in March :D

Hmmm, I don't seem to be able to get a link to work in HTML, so this is the URL :
http://www.sutherland-studios.com.au/crosswords/yarnharlot.html

Love the hat. Totaly cool colors!! Its good to have a day to do nothing. They come far and few between. Enjoy!!!

that software...it's unbelievable.

Thanks for explaining the whole 'no stitch' thing -- since I'm going to make two of these hats for holiday gifts, understanding the chart is probably, well, required.

If you have nothing to do, Steph, you could help me -- I'm writing for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month -- www.nanowrimo.org -- and currently I am, ah, about 6,000 words behind the target, which is writing a 50,000 word novel in one month!

I love that hat! Too cute!! I might try to make it, but I have yet to try any cable work. This might be a good start for me.

Crazy shopping delays at the border!!! Can't you just go shopping in the US then run to a UPS store and mail the stuff to yourself and avoid the taxes all together?????

I was in such a rush to go look at the yarn, I forgot how to spell. Sorry about that.

All I am saying is please leave some Letitia for me, ok?

So what does it mean in knitblogland if you do a q&a session *with* a cat?

Ever since receiving my copy of Charmed Knits, I've been in love with cabled hats, so thanks a ton for this pattern.

And to make you feel good: last night I lost my muggle husband for a little while and when I went to find him he was stretched out on our bed, tears running down his face, laughing at the copy of Casts Off that I had by my side.

"It's so you, honey," he kept saying. "And here I thought you were the only one who was this nuts."

Thank you so much for making that moment possible.

Love it.

Want it.

Printed it.

I liked the Q and A section today, Stephanie! So what if you felt boring today? I once read something about people starting boring blogs that were about nothing but blabber. The writer described these blogs as "cheese sandwich" blogs-as in, "Today I ate a cheese sandwich." You so do not have a cheese sandwich blog. I am afraid I have a cheese sandwich blabber blog, but I hope to have elevated the blabber to new heights!

Last time I had nothing to say I went outside and took pictures of beetles. The hat is better. Love those blues and purples. (This comes as a shock, I know.)

Fun pattern. Made it tonight with a skein of Fat Sheep Yarn. Thanks for sharing!

ooohhh that yarn is just gorgeous- sweet temptation the yarn closet's FULL!! But the hat does look beautiful in both of those yarns- nice pattern.

I wish I were family to your clan, I may have matched you: 6:00 PM on November 6, I finally said "enough" and turned on the heat here. Granted, I'm further south than Toronto, but it is really pretty cold here all of a sudden. Maybe next week it will get warm enough to turn it off again?

If you're still unsinspired tomorrow, let me just say something that get your juices going: Christmas knitting. And isn't there some giant gray gansey that really ought to be finished up before your next annivrsary?

You really ought to be in panic mode right about now, you know.

love the hats, that is a major bulky gauge on that yarn - enjoyed the Q&A even though you say you are boring! there is always SOMETHING one can learn! have a great week!

Um, thanks to you I not only ordered a skein of Leticia, but two, yes TWO skeins of STR Mediumweight so I can make a scarf that will coordinate with my soon to be unoriginal hat. Because I simultaneously *need* and yet don't need more yarn, I don't know whether to be thrilled or shamed by my complete lack of restraint.

Did you use all the yarn? It seems improbably that a whole hat would take this little yarn, but I found a similar weight yarn that only has 41 m per skein, and I'm wondering if I would need 2 of those. I'm thinking probably yes?

PS I'm relatively new to the blog and I love love love it! I've started procrastinating studying (I'm a college student) by reading the archives... I'm up to July 2005, hehehe!

Well thanks a lot! I was all set to go to the Blue Moon sale this coming Saturday and buy nothing but superwash roving and then to come away feeling all smug that I didn't actually buy yarn. Then you come up with that hat pattern just when I've got a "cable thing" going on.

Actually, I love the pattern and plan on making a bunch for Christmas presents!

Cool! Your blog got mentioned in Bloglines News: http://www.bloglines.com/about/news#148

Love this hat's colors! The design is so much more visible in this yarn, IMHO.

BTW, Knit Foundry makes Mac-compatible software, all right, but the _demo_ is Windoze only .

Mac users, unite-- write Knit Foundry and politely ask for a MAC demo to download .

So why is it that Harlot's nuthin' looks so much better - not to mention productive - than my nuthin'? My nuthin' looks like... well... nuthin'. (This may have something to do with my wordcount for National Novel Writing Month far outpacing my stitchcount for any knitting I'm doing - but what's my excuse for non-November months? Huh? Huh? Answers, I want answers!)

Lovely lovely hat and pattern; thank you for posting them. Will probably make 2 or 5 or 25 for Christmas. And will probably try to make them in the wee hours of 12/25 (followed closely by making 2 or 5 or 25 IOU cards, since I'm a confirmed start-aholic.)

-Meg

How about some mittens that match the hat!!!

What's the latest on the Sunrise Circle jacket?

Coming to the Royal on sunday would be great blog.
You can stay away from the fleece,I'll help.
Just buy fudge and blog about our Royal Winter Fair.

Bring my Sam. Just 1/2 a day.

The blog NEEDS it.

Ummm... did you know that it's NOVEMBER and I am already starting my making for Christmas panic mode??

WHERE IS THE CHRISTMAS SUPPORT GROUP???

((breathe in... breathe out...))

Chris S: Try printing it on 8 1/2 x 14 (legal size) paper. That worked for me.

Wait, wait....in what world is hand-dyed Merino boring? How is that 'nothing' to talk about?

Did the Furnace Wars freeze your brain? You've got *yarn* woman! Tell us about the yarn!

In other topics...I've realized you're directly responsible for the word 'dude' creeping into my vocabulary. No one else I read or talk to uses it - except for me now. Over the past few days, I've said such gems as:

"Dude, that yarn so doesn't match my triceratops" (I am making capes for all my model dinosaurs. Shut up. I'm a geologist and I knit, and I've already made rock cozies for my best rocks)

"Dinner is burning! Dude, pay attention to your cooking!"

and,

"Catdude, I fed you already. Go eat a bug."

You're also responsible for my taking up lace knitting, so we're even. I guess. Dude.

(In other, other topics, 'go eat a bug' may possibly be the best dismissal in the world)

I'm happy to admit that I haven't turned on my furnace yet and right now it's 35 F. Granted I live in a townhouse so we kind of steal heat from our neighbors and we bake whenever we get too cold. I've never made a hat, only scarves and a patchwork blanket that I've been working on for two years now but I'm going to attempt it today after work. Do hats have to be made on circular needles? Or can they just be one big piece that's sewn up to make a tube? BTW, I'm definetly a knitter not a Knitter.

Hey Stephanie,
I think you should change the name to the "infinity hat". After all, that large cable is really a big infinity symbol standing up, and what is knitting if not full of infinite possibilities?
Cheers and glad your nose isn't cold in the morning anymore.
--Claudia

Anne at 10:50 a.m. - wouldn't work on legal, but today I had a minute to play and got it to print on 11x17. Now I'll cut and paste and put it all together as neatly as possible, then run it through the scanner and turn it into a PDF. If anyone wants the PDF, e-mail me with "unoriginal" in the subject line.

I add my vote for a PDF version of the pattern. We chart-challenged need the line-by-line. Pretty please?!

Congrats on the Furnace Wars! Of course helping the planet is great, but nothing tops one-upping a sibling. :D

Thank you for clarifying those "no stitch" squares. I thought you ignored them, but having never actually used a chart, I was mildy confused when I looked at them. :) I love that purple yarn.

PS I like it when you do Q&A blogs.

I bought 2 skeins of Leticia! I CAN'T wait for it to arrive :) Must. Make. Hat. NOW.

Thanks for the pattern! I love it, no matter how unoriginal!

Jess of Pittsburgh? Steph's been responsible for 'dude' creeping into my vocabulary as well. And by extension, into my 6 yo son's vocabulary, best evidenced last week when to indicate he had completed his pre-bedtime routine and was waiting for me to come and read him a story he shouted indignantly from the top of the stairs, "Dude, I've already had my pee!"

I think this entry proves that nothin' can be something...you turned on a bunch of people to some beautiful yarn, Stephanie!

************
NOTHING??!?

OK, here's a strongly-wished-for suggestion from an outer fringe of the Blog: what about a photoshoot of the Kauni cardigan???!?

I know that, in the rush of life today's gripping drama becomes so part of normal pretty quickly but: have mercy on those of us who were not there in person at the debut of the cardigan and show us your triumph! Expound upon buttonhole solutions! Girl, we shall NOT ever believe that you really got nothin'... =)
Posted by: Christine at November 7, 2007 2:14 PM
***********

Alright, I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one anxious to see a photo shoot on the Kauni cardigan. Please indulge us... Please!

Oh I LOVE that color! Woof! Thanks for letting us know about it!

Well, Chris S., I'm glad you got it to work on 11 x 17. More than one way to skin a weasel!

Now to knit that hat!

I'm so totally okay with seeing the "same" hat 2 days in a row. I was wondering how it would look in a less varigated color--and I got my wish! Both are so cute--and my college-aged daughter thinks so, too. That solves at least one Christmas gift :) Wish me luck trying cables for the first time!!

Errata? OK- have done the hat twice---- but on the final row- I'm short one stitch in each repeat.... I just ignored it;) but am wondering- is it me?

(Actually- I'm assuming it IS me.... but am double checking;)

turned out cute- nice hat- nice pattern- can't beat a hat in a day! (well- not ALL day.. but don't tell my family that;)

I'm late to the party, but did you blog Rhinebeck yet, or did I miss it? Where's your picture of 'captain tight pants'?

Darn you, Woman!!! (Or maybe it should be bless you, woman!) You inspired me to attempt cables for the first time...and I LOVE them! But I have a problem. My knitting gauge is generally a bit on the loose side, causing me to go down by 1 or 2 needle sizes usually...however, I have attempted the hat 3 times now, and apparently I *cable* really tightly. My last attempt, on US size 10.5 (6.5mm) is too small for my 5 year old's head, but really tall. Know any coneheads? If not, I rip! :-)

Can you tell me what your row gauge is? I am wondering if I should adjust the pattern to make it a bit shorter. I have already figured out a way to do so!

Are you going to put your pattern for the unoriginal hat over in the little free pattern section of your blog? In 3 years when I finally get around to kinitting it, it's going to take an awful lot of scrolling backwards to find it.
Thanks for hanging in there with the bad technology--we all appreciate it. Get some very very soft good wool to put in the drawer to pull out and work on when your server explodes. Something very special that you're only allowed to work on in such a situation--then you can look forward to tech meltdowns!

Finally cold enough to get back to reading blogs again....Well, I had given them up for the summer for some stupid reason. I'm back and just read all of November. It is so good to hear about your adventures. Thanks for writing!