Kate's new hat

My knitting needles and I have a love/hate relationship at the moment.  I have three sweaters in progress and many little projects that I tote around with me, squeezing in knitting wherever I can.  Having no electricity for 8 days didn't stop the knitting - you certainly don't need power for that.  I want to knit so badly, but sadly my wrist/elbow/tendinitis just don't want me to make loops with sticks and yarn.  My body is betraying me and I don't like it one bit.

For awhile I was doing just fine, knitting in moderation.  It was going overboard that did me in.  I think Kate's new hat is the culprit.  I was a woman obsessed.  I went to the yarn store one afternoon and by the next afternoon, I had finished it.  That was knitting only in daylight hours.  And this was try number two.  The first one wasn't working for me - cute, but not exactly what I wanted.  So I started over.

I didn't use a pattern, per se.  Kristin, the owner of my lys, printed out the fair isle chart from this hat project at the Purl Bee.  I cast on 88 stitches in worsted weight yarn, using a size 8 needle.  My gauge is 4.5 sts per inch in the fairisle part.  The colors are all Nashua Creative Focus, which I had in my stash.  The gray is Lamb's Pride Worsted which I bought because it is the perfect match for Kate's new winter coat.  I knit 7 rounds of k2, p2 rib and then changed to stockinette stitch for 7 rounds.  I worked the chart and then worked 2 more rounds of st st in the green.  I started decreasing by k6, k2tog across the next round.  Then I knit one round and followed it by the next decrease, k5, k2tog.  I kept alternating the decrease round with a knit round until k1, k2tog.  After that one, I just kept k2 tog until I had about 9 stitches to pull my yarn tail through.  I added a little braid and a pom pon and that was that.

My fair isle is a bit sloppy in parts - could it be the two different yarns?  Regardless, the photos really don't do it justice.  I'm not sure why I thought putting a 6 year old in her winter coat and wool hat in 85 degree weather would work for a photo shoot.  Really.  What was I thinking?  I had about 3 minutes before the meltdown started.  Oh well.  She'll be happy come winter.

And me?  Well, I'm calling the physical therapist again.  And I am searching for an acupuncturist, too.  I need my body to work with my mind, not against it.  Just think of how productive I could be then.

Comments

[Regina]

I love her new hat! Thanks for the instructions as well. I still have a hard time trying to resize patterns. So glad your power is back. :)

[betsy]

I love it!!! The pom pon is perfect. I'm so sorry about the tendonitis, Erin -- so frustrating for you. I have high hopes for the acu though. xoxo

[Meeghan]

It is a lovely hat. I hope your wrist gets better so you can do all that you want to do. That must be very hard.

[Meg Evans]

You're a woman on fire! The hat is great. Sorry to hear about the wrist troubles again--I hope you'll be able to find a way to work with it.

[leslie]

it looks perfect, erin.
and adorable. and PERFECT with kate's new coat.

shoot. about your wrist. i really hope you can find comfort with it..........there is really so much to create! and really. you are so productive with the discomfort. i can't imagine what you will be whipping out!!

[julia]

it's beautiful erin!

i totally hear you on the body betraying you. i think i told you this when you first started having wrist troubles, but my mom got tendinitis in her elbow just from knitting about 9 years ago. now she's got arthritis in her right thumb and has to wear a hand brace that definitely does not allow for knitting. it's the worst. i will say that she's found that acupuncture has worked better than any other treatment. i hope you find something that works for you and you're back to full speed soon enough!

[Sarah]

Love the hat! I hope you start to feel better soon.

[emily]

love acupuncture. highly recommend. hope it works for you!

[Katie]

that is gorgeous! I hope your wrist starts feeling better :)

[tonya]

I love the colors - that hat is too darn cute. (And yay Kate for being patient enough for a photo shoot.) I hope the wrist feels better soon.

[brown robin]

That hat is fantastic! I'm sorry to hear about your wrist. I could so relate to you some time back in your frustration with your body and running. I am having all kinds of trouble with my hips which causes me to lay off for a while, start up again... you know the deal. I will send you some healing thoughts.

[melissa s.]

beautiful hat! sending healing vibes your way!

[kirsten]

oh, the photo shoots. blogger kids put up with a lot, eh?

and again, it's GORGEOUS. i'm jealous.

[beki]

I think it looks great! I'm sorry to hear that your wrists have been bothering you. That sucks!

[aditi]

Cute hat!
I had really bad Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Tennis elbow and a host of other repetitive stress injuries (ex-job related). After everything got better (thank you acupuncture!), I still feel vulnerable but I switched from "throwing" style knitting to holding the yarn in my left hand, and that made a HUGE difference to how much the knitting stressed my body (lots to none at all now - can knit for hours on end without noticing any pain - thanks to the smaller and fewer movements required). Sometimes I wear one of those "typing gloves"... I think Handeze is the brand? THat helps me a lot too. Though right in the middle of a flareup there is nothing to do but wait it out before picking up the needles again! Good luck!

[aNa]

It's PRETTY!

[Amy]

I'm sorry to hear about your pain! I understand how frustrating that is. Knitting stresses my neck and elbow really badly and I can only knit for short periods of time now. I've found that exercises for the upper back help a great deal. Hopefully your physical therapist can recommend something that will help you.

I've also had good luck with an acupuncturist and a really gentle chiropractor.

[anina]

I really need to get to the yarn store.
The hat is REALLY cute and I truly hope you find a cure for your wrist/elbow problems. Really!

[cathleen]

Very jauntily pretty.

[Kim D.]

Love the new hat. I've been planning lots of hat knitting too. Before I know it, it will be hat weather in the Northwoods and my kids (and myself) love hats.

[lucy]

So pretty Erin, just in time for the cool weather!

[Tracy]

I'm so sorry to hear the tendonitis is flaring up again. I really hope acupuncture will be the answer for you. I hate when the body doesn't want to work with you.

Cute hat. ;)

[katie]

so sweet. it turned out great!

[Sarah Castillo]

My insurance covered going to see acupuncturist so I was very lucky! I have the same problem that you do, but in my left wrist. I went to see her twice a week in the beginning and it was AMAZING!!! After a while only went once a week. I highly recommend, from experience, that you go to an acupuncturist as soon as you can.

I wish I knew how to knit! And looking at your great creations makes me want to even more. I would love to make scarves and hats for winter (even if i am in California) =)

[cloth.paper.string]

such a great hat, erin!

good luck with those wrists... i struggle with the a similar wrist thing when i go overboard on the repetitive motion stuff, but also when i eat too many junky foods - strange, and not so strange, that all is connected like that.

[polly]

love the hat...is it hard to learn how to knit doing the fair isle...I want to learn that. I am feeling confident in my knitting but debating between socks or fair isle class...suggestions?

[Qalballah]

Listen to your body and rest! Sending you healing vibes ((erin))

[Grace]

oh, hugs, erin. this is so sucky. i mean, the wrist thing, not the hat, of course. do try acupuncture -- i have had really good luck with it in the past. but seriously, i can feel your frustration and discouragement as this goes on and on. i'm so sorry. it makes my broken ankle-preventing-me-from-sewing thing feel like nothing!! hugs.

xoxox

[Grace]

PS: the hat is so freaking cute.

[Amy]

The hat is fantastic. It's actually hat weather here today and Quinn doesn't have one. I just took him for a walk with a sweatshirt hood pulled tight around his chubby face. I think you've inspired me to go start one.

I'm sorry about your hands. I've had much trouble with mine over the past five years and, for me, after trying many things (including accupuncture), the only thing that works every time is cortisone. I'm a huge fan. Good luck.

[LisaQ]

the hat is great! I'm sure she'll be all smiles this winter. I hope you find some relief for your wrist. Such a bummer...sounds like some sewing is in order till your wrist settles down.

[amandajean]

kate's new hat is darling. sorry to hear that your body is working against you.

[Frogdancer]

When you said you added a pom pom I assumed it'd be on top of the hat. Love the jauntiness of the positioning you chose.

[Julie @ Letter9]

When you get that wrist fixed, you can make a hat like that for me, 'kay?

: )

[tricia]

That is an adorable hat:) Bless the little trooper for modeling in such conditions:)

[Kristin]

Great hat! I was so excited when I followed the link to Nashua Creative Focus...I live 15 min.s from there! I am looking forward to when they post their classes so I can finally learn to knit :), so thank you! Best of luck with finding a way to heal your wrist!

[Kelly H]

Yeah, knitting with wrist issues is a no-go. I've had tendinitis for a long time and when I tried to learn knitting...sheesh.

You are so awesomely creative that I bet you can find something crafty that doesn't hurt you. And I also wish you a speedy recovery :)

[Sonya]

Such a lovely hat! But I truly feel for you and your body mechanic woes. I can knit, but hand sewing? Forget it. My fingers just cannot tolerate being in that position for any length of time. I wish you well. And that you find a wonderful acupuncturist.

[dorie]

your hat is lovely. The tendonitis sucks. I feel ya. I wish I knew a secret cure to tell you. Maybe a quilted fabric brace would make it feel better? It would be like a scooby-do band-aid for people who are crafty like us.

[Carrie]

Lovely hat! When I'm doing fair isle I always have to constantly remind myself to do the opposite of the usual pulling tight after every stitch, otherwise things pucker. A good blocking usually straightens things out though :)

[charlotte]

hey erin, I keep on thinking, and you must have these already, but have you tried knitting with addi circulars? you probably already do, but just in case, the little voice in my head has been telling me to ask you.

[charlotte]

ah! yes! you own some. just been back to check for evidence. oh drats - I was hoping they'd save the wrist.

I wonder then maybe also to investigate osteopathy while you're on the acupuncture trail. Wrist things often connect up to the neck.

[Beth]

What a great hat! Thanks for sharing your pattern notes too. Very helpful for those of us that would like to make something similar.

I hear you about your wrist/elbow problems. I think that I have carpal tunnel from knitting (and typing) in my right elbow. I wear a simple brace when I start to go overboard with the knitting/writing and that seems to keep things under control enough that I can keep going. I might give accupuncture a try in the future if it worsens. Waking up in the middle of the night with a hand that's numb is no fun! Best of luck to you.

[tiennie]

That really is a cute hat!

[Mama Urchin]

Stefan had a lot of luck with acupuncture when he had severe sinus issues. My dad also found it to be the only way he could quit smoking ages ago. I bet it will bring you some relief.