I am obsessed with this hat

So, last night, my dear friend Richelle sent me a message stating that the hat that Mary J. Blige is wearing on the cover of her Reflections album is "FIRE"...and I do agree, it is off the chain. Take a peek.

So, I stayed up till about 2:00 AM scouring the internet for any information that I can find. Well, I found the hat at an online boutique, it is made out of Alpaca, and it costs $200. What???? Well, a skein of Misti Alpaca Chunky or Cascade Magnum is around $20 at my LYS.

Paying 10% of the cost of a super trendy, celebrity-inspired hat in a color that noone else in the world has is priceless. And since I have Cascade Magnum already in my stash....you already know what I am going to do.

Now, let's get back to Richelle. I have known her since I was twelve. She is a dear friend of mine that I care for very much. I consider her part of my family. But her exact words in her text message were "Girl, I don't think you can make that". My response "Are you trying to challenge me??? That sounds like a dare". Does she know who I am??? I can knit anything! I am a Certified Instructor... and I even knit half asleep. Of course, I can make that hat.

So, my lovely knitting peeps, I am going to put my design /deciphering skills to the test. I have already worked out the cable pattern into a chart, and I just have to figure out the decreases. I will keep you posted on the progress.

Now, I am not trying to infringe on the original designer's copyright. I will not sell the pattern to anyone. I am just using it as inspiration. If I happen to make it as an exact match, then I am a genius and a knitwear company should hire me ASAP, and pay me a great rate, with benefits and vacation. LOL!! But seriously, I am a person who is trying to stick to a budget and doesn't need a hat that costs more than her monthly car insurance payment.

Yes, I know that everyone has missed me. It seems like forever since my last post. I have been knitting though. I will post pics as soon as I can. Right now, I have some serious deadline knitting to do for a gift, and I haven't even completed 50% of it. Pictures before the week is up, I promise.

I made a cream and silver Sparkly Hat to replace one that I lost, but it is too big, and has to be frogged. So, no pictures just yet. Sorry. My problem was that I did it fron the top down, using a slightly thicker yarn than the original hat. I made one increase too many. I absolutely hate the way it looks on my head. This new yarn is Berocco Pure Merino, and the reason I got it was that it was Superwash.

But, I still have confidence that I am a fabulous hat maker. I completed my Beret. Here is a pic.

I am also making cat Bordhi's Mobius Cowl to go along with it. More updates on that later.

Oh, and those earrings in the picture. A Shameka original. Sterling Silver and glass beads.

Happy Knitting Everyone!!!

Knitted Beret...Complete..I think...

I was so excited to have finished my hat in 2 days.

Here are the modifications that I made.

1. I added a 2X2 ribbing to the band, using a size 6 needle, because 2X2 ribbing is the stretchiest, and you get the best results when you go down 2 needle sizes.

2. The pattern called for 4 inches of stitches before the decreases. I decided to do 5 inches, because I wanted to make sure my ears were covered.

Now, my question for you is, does it look too big? I feel like I need to have some dreadlocks with this hat on. It just feels so big to me. Should I frog the top, and reduce it back to 4 inches before the decreases? Be honest. I will love you for it.

Go Where the Wind Takes You

This morning I went outside to a dreary rain-filled day. So, it just started off bad. So, to make matters worse, my hat that I am used to wearing with my fall jacket somehow got attacked over the summer and has holes in it. So, it was sent straight to the trashbin. Cold day + Rain = Shameka's ears freezing and upset that she is cold. This may sound drastic, but I felt like the wind was rattling my bones. I am not a happy camper when I don't have a hat.

So, what is a knitter to do? Make one, of course. I was on a mission today. After work, I went to Downtown Yarns for the first time, and had my sights on a Manos del Uraguay yarn in the Mulled Wine colorway. Much to my dismay, there was no Mulled Wine to be had. I had plans to make the R&R Beret that my good friend/Rhinebeck buddy Sauniell designed. She wore it during Rhinebeck, and everyone was super excited about her hat. She had even gotten her yarn at Downtown Yarns as well.

So, there I was a little heartbroken that I could not have the Mulled Wine, and the nice saleslady was telling me that she could order it in a few weeks. A few weeks?? Woman, it's cold outside...I need my hat NOW!!! She really was nice. I was just being extra-crabby today, and wanted to have my way.

So, I continued to look around until I saw this.

And then I thought to myself that it could do this.So, I bought it. I am going to make the TAOS Beret using Misti Alpaca Worsted. I have always wanted to use Alpaca, so here is my first try. Wish me luck. I need to finish this hat ASAP, before my ears fall off.