Yarns under consideration for a new -- and colorful! -- beanie design.  All are chunky weight except for the yellow, which is super bulky.  The main color will be the plum, which does not look especially plum on my monitor, alas.  It's much more delicious in real life.

The yellow super bulky is for a statement pom-pom, and the other colors are for narrow stripes.

Anyway, that's the plan.  Could be terrific.  Could be eyeball-searing.  We'll see.
​

With temperatures hovering near 80 degrees, it's definitely time to put away winter accessories -- the hats, the gloves, the scarves.

This beautiful scarf was crocheted by Mary Martinez, my Secret Santa in the San Antonio Crochet Guild.  (I lived in Texas until 2017.) A lovely gift that got a lot of wear -- and compliments! -- this year.  So colorful!

Putting away winter woolies reminds me of my mother and her faith in mothballs.  Each fall when I was in elementary school, our wool clothes would come out of storage, reeking of naphthalene.  Then my mother would hang the garments outside on the clothesline to "air out." 

Did a whiff of mothballs follow me around the school playground? I'm not sure.  But it's true that moths never made a meal of my sweaters and skirts. 

Mothballs have fallen out of favor due to their toxicity.  I think that as long as the stored woolen items are clean, moths won't nibble on them. 

​What do you think?   

I guess I'm on a roll.  ; )

This is the second hat in a row that I've published with a rolled brim.  An easy-to-make rolled brim at that.

The roll in this pattern -- Pixie(ish) -- and in its recent predecessor -- Pop-Dots -- is created by using a crochet hook that's 1 mm bigger than the gauge hook.  In Pixie(ish), I used a 5mm hook for the hat body and a 6mm hook for the brim.

My friend Lois showed me this cool technique.  You can also create a rolled brim in crochet with front-post single crochet stitches for a slightly different look.

Just published, Pixie(ish) is available on Ravelry and Etsy with a 50 percent discount until Dec. 31.  On Ravelry, use the code PIXIE to get the discount.

This pattern was written and tested seven(!) years ago, and each holiday season, I'd think, "Now's a good time to publish Pop-Dots!"

But it never happened.  Holidays, right?

Until now.

I like to think that the delay was a good thing and that my timing is perfect.  I'm using a new photo editor, and my tutorial -- on how to attach the Pop-Dots as you crochet -- benefits greatly from the resulting crisp images.

So I ask, can procrastination be your friend? 
(a) Often. 
(b) Occasionally.
(c) Never. 
(d) Let me get back to you on that.

I'm working on new designs, and I'm eager to share them with you in the upcoming months. 

The beanie, above, illustrates a few of my new faves:

* Combining a strand of mohair/silk laceweight with a DK yarn to equal a worsted weight.  The mohair adds warmth as well as a gorgeous halo.

* Reversibility.  Hats with different textures on both sides.  The Not-So-Chunky Guy Beanie, left, published in 2022, is an example.  

* Short-ish hats. They go by many names: docker cap, fisherman hat, kufi, skull cap.  I think this length -- about 6 in./15 cm -- is really flattering, and the hats are quick to make. 

Here's to hats, health and happiness in the new year!

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!