At my library, I'm #68 on the wait list for Michelle Obama's new book, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times.

I'm glad I didn't wait until today to request the book: There are now more than 100 people on the list!

One of the topics in the book is the former first lady's new hobby that was a source of joy and comfort during the pandemic: Knitting.

This week I've enjoyed seeing some of her knitting WIPs and FOs (works-in-progress and finished objects) that she's shared during TV interviews on her book.

​Inspiring!

My Red Heart Super Saver Neon Stripes yarn was working up
with overly broad stripes ​of black
​in this beret.

​I've been adding alt text to the photos in my patterns.

Alt text -- short for alternative text -- are written descriptions of a digital image.  It appears when the image is missing, for instance.  Alt text can also be read aloud on devices by blind and low-vision readers, so it's a way to improve accessibility.

Until recently, I'd been counting on the computer-generated alt text to do the job.  Typical alt text for images in my patterns would read, "Person in a hat."  Or "Hat, headdress, head covering."

At first, I thought these alt texts were OK, though awfully nonspecific.  Then I realized that I could -- and should -- do better, adding the details that would give a fuller description of what's in the photo.

The necessity of writing my own alt text was brought home to me last week when I read the computer-generated alt text for the above photo.  It read, "A hedgehog wrapped in a green blanket."

And underneath, this disclosure: "Description automatically generated with low confidence,"

This week, I made a new hat from my You've Got to Be Ribbin' beanie pattern, and I thought it looked a little . . . well, lumpy.

The stitches weren't as even as I would like.

So, a nice soak and laying out flat to the rescue.  

What a difference!  I wash the hats that I sell in my Etsy shop, but I usually don't block the sample knit hats that illustrate my patterns.

But I will from now on . . .

By the way, the yarn in this beanie is Premier Yarns Stitch Please, a 100 percent wool chunky yarn.  I found it very nice to work with.  The colors -- and there are many gorgeous ones to choose -- have cute (punny) names.  This camel color is called Thanks a Latte.

I have a tutorial on checking the fit of crocheted hats midway, but how about knit ones?

Much of the fit of a beanie depends on its brim, or the bottom edge.

If you're knitting a hat in the round, you can put half the stitches on another circular needle and check the fit after working the ribbing.  Some people use a separate length of yarn to hold the stitches.

If the ribbing is too loose, change to a smaller needle or smaller size.  If too tight, change to a larger needle or larger size.

Best to check before getting too far into the knitting!

I just published my e-book, The Here and Wow, in my Etsy store, www.HatsByElvee.etsy.com.

The book combines little sculptures of faces I made from salt-and-flour dough and short-short stories I wrote about these characters.

It's a magical mix, if I do say so myself.

The characters include old people with wrinkled faces, an Elvis impersonator, a family of women with big hair, aliens from another planet and a cat named Fred.

Part of the fun of the book is that when I started making the faces, I read that as you age, your nose and ears get bigger.  So, some of the characters, as they go from babyhood to old age, have dramatically growing noses and ears -- approaching Dumbo-size.

The book is available as a PDF, in two sizes of type, for reading on any electronic device.

​

I've had a "teensy" hiatus from publishing new designs.  My last pattern tests were in January!

But now I'm back.  Hat season is around the corner, and I've got a cloche pattern that's being tested this month.  It's based on the hat, above, which I sold in my Etsy shop a couple of years ago.

This hat's ruffled brim seems to be yarn-specific.  I couldn't get the brim to ruffle in other yarns that I tried recently, so the new design will have a gentle flare in its brim.  Still lovely, though.

This is my second installment of photos from Vogue Knitting magazines published in the 1960s.

These photos are from the Fall-Winter 1966 issue.  I love the Twiggy haircut on some of the models.  

In the photo above, both tops are crocheted.  The one on the left is crocheted in a shell stitch pattern, and the one on the right is single crochet in fingering-weight yarn at a gauge of 5 sc = 1 inch.

It's interesting to note that all of my '60s VK magazines (I have eight issues) contain a good selection of crochet fashions.

For more photos, click "Read More," below.

I've decided to sell my small, much-loved collection of 1960s Vogue Knitting magazines.  I began listing them this week in my Provisions by Elvee shop on Etsy..

(UPDATE: I've closed my Provisions shop, so the link won't work.)  

I purchased the magazines about five years ago, one by one from vintage sellers.  

They're a lot of fun to pore over -- the photography!  the designs!  the hair! -- but it's time for me to let them go.  Even though sometimes I wished I could make everything in every issue, I no longer have a VK lifestyle.  (If I ever did....)  

Before they're gone, I want to share photos of my favorite designs.   All of the designs in this post are from the Spring-Summer 1968 issue.  As you can see, 1960s' VK had many crocheted designs, such as the amazing suit, above photo, not just knitting.  Click "Read More" for additional photos.

​

I have to admit that when I lived in San Antonio, Texas, I just didn't get cowls.  

But, here in Providence, where the "feels like" temperature was in the teens today, I finally got it.

I wore this cowl today when I was out, and I didn't mind the cold at all.  (I was also wearing two pairs of pants, hand-knit wool socks, sneakers, a long-sleeved T and a puffer coat with a faux-fur-trimmed hood.  Toasty!)
​
The cowl is 21 inches around and 8 inches tall.  I knit it in the lovely feather and fan stitch until I ran out of my second ball of YarnArt's Harmony, a self-striping wool-blend yarn.