Knitpicks Beinn Hat

I used some of the leftover yarn from my 2nd No Frills Cardigan to knit the free Beinn Hat pattern from Knitpicks.  I've always wanted a squishy, slouchy hat.  I knit and crochet so many hats as gifts, I thought it would nice to knit one to match my favorite cardi.

I did knit another hat in this exact pattern with different yarn to give as a gift but I won't post about it until it's already been gifted.

This is a great cabling pattern for beginners.  I used size 5, 16" circulars and DPNs only on the last couple rows.  I am a total sucker for symmetry and I love the origami style shaping of this hat.

In other news, slowly but surely I've been trying to add some of my FO's to Ravelry.  I can't decide if I want to retroactively keep track of every project I've already completed on there since I've already kept detailed notes about everything here.  It feels more like work than joy.  Ultimately, I think I will try to keep track of my future projects that follow an online pattern on Ravelry yet continue to keep more detailed notes on here.  I don't really hang out on or frequent Ravelry like many other fiber artists do, nor do I keep track of my stash and all of my patterns on there, since I started crocheting in the 80s before the internetz even existed.  I still print out paper versions of all of my patterns.  I still buy pattern books and magazines.  I prefer the tangibility of physical patterns.  I tried using the Knit Companion app but ATM, it's not for me.  I actually prefer to avoid constant interaction with digital devices and usually only refer to a digital version of a pattern on my phone if I'm out and about and it's any "emergency".  I know I'm quite antiquated in this fashion but this is what suits me best.

I finally just finished crocheting a chevron blanket for Xena's bed that I have been working on FOREVER and I am still waiting for it to finish blocking.  Hopefully it will finally be dry by tomorrow.  I can't wait to show it off!  

I always like to have some mindless crochet project going so I just started (another) scrappy afghan.  

I have crocheted more giant granny afghans than I can even count.  Most have been given away as gifts.  Previously, I never even kept track of their progress or took F.O. photos so I thought it would be fun to keep track of my progress on this one.  

My plan is to work on at least a few rows/night, usually after Matt and Xena have gone to bed and I can sit peacefully in the living room, with a mug of Sleepytime Exxtra tea and an audiobook.  I have a ton of random leftover yarn that I've accumulated over the years and I am making a point to bust through as much of this old stash as possible to make room for new yarn.  After all of the other knitting projects I've been working on lately, it's so comforting to just sit back an crochet a little.