FEBRUARY KAL UPDATE 4

It has been a really fun month of counting sheep, and sadly it is coming to a close soon.  Our KALers have commented on how much they have enjoyed learning new techniques and experimenting with colour combinations to create an array of these imaginative little hats.


Keep sending in your pics of finished Baa-ble Hats, each project that you complete counts as one entry into our month end draw.  The winner will be announced on March 1st.  There will be a second draw for most creative hat, so put your thinking cap on, there is still plenty of knitting time left.   


This week we focus on the perfect fluffy pom pom, to top off your Baa-ble Hat.  It is as simple as winding yarn around four fingers. 


Here is our step by step guide-


Step 1: Choose one, two, three or all four colours used in your Baa-ble Hat, line the balls up side by side. 

Step 2: Holding your chosen strands together, start wrapping the yarn around four fingers, not too tight.  Make sure you can still wiggle your fingers. 

Step 3: Wind the yarn until your fingers are full and the yarn thickness is well-cushioned.  If you are making two identical pom poms for a project be sure to count out the number of wraps to keep the sizing equal. 

Step 4: Cut the yarn strands.  Have a helper standing by for this part, it will be a whole lot easier.  Using a separate strand of yarn (make sure it passes the strength test), approx. twenty inches long, tie around centre of bundle VERY TIGHTLY!  This is important to ensure your pom pom does not fall apart. 

Step 5: Now that your pom pom resembles a bow tie, take a pair of sharp scissors and cut through the loops on each side of the centre tie. 

Step 6: Trim the ends to give your pom pom a nice rounded shape, making sure to leave the tied ends at centre untouched.  These will be used to tie the pom pom to top of hat.  Be careful not to over trim, it won't grow back!

Step 7: To make your pom pom extra fluffy, plug in a kettle and tie your pom pom loosely to the end of a wooden spoon.  Wait for the steam action to begin.  Dangle the pom pom over the steam from a safe distance for a minute or so.  This will give your pom pom a fuller appearance.  Roll in between your hands to soften the ends.  Attach to top of hat with one end through centre top stitch and one end pulled through approx. two stitches over.  Tie tightly to secure in position.

Did you know?

Australia, New Zealand and Scotland

have more sheep than people

FEBRUARY KAL UPDATE 3

It was a wild and woolly weekend, with our local temps dipsy-diving down to minus 40C but it didn't dampen the spirits of our Baa-blers who were out in full flock on Saturday for Week Two of our in-store KAL.  A big congratulations to any knitters who have finished their first Baa-ble hat and as expected are already casting on for a second or third one.


Remember the M-O-R-E sheepy hats you finish by the end of the month, the M-O-R-E chances you have to enter the grand prize draw. 

When those first tiny hooves begin to appear, the magic really happens!

Elizabeth finished her first Baa-ble hat in time for Valentines Day!


Week Three is all about getting through the field of sheep and heading up towards the evening sky.


Read through our list of helpful hints and tips-


Tip No. 1. When the sheep legs are finished, we suggest cutting the dark colour and rejoin it on the first round of their happy little faces.  This eliminates carrying up one colour and a source of tangles. 


Tip No. 2. Don't fret about the dark colour showing through the white (or sheep colour) as you carry it behind.  Once your hat is finished and has had a good sudsy soak in Eucalan Woolwash, this will plump up the wool fibres and fill in the spots nicely.


Tip No. 3. Onto blocking- soak your finished hat (minus the pom pom) in Eucalan Woolwash for twenty minutes (tepid water).  Squeeze out excess moisture, no rinsing required.  Roll the wet hat in a towel to squeeze out more excess water and lay the hat flat to dry. 


Next week it is all about the perfect pom pom!

Did you know?

Sheep are holistic and

can self-medicate

when sick

by eating specific plants

  

FEBRUARY KAL UPDATE 2

A warm and woolly welcome to all our fellow Baa-blers who have joined the flock for the February KAL.  We have knitters casting on in Nova Scotia, Florida, southern Ontario and all around Muskoka.

Already a few Baa-ble hats have been completed during the first week and (no surprise) because it is such a fun project, second ones are now in progress!!

Remember to email or post a pic of your finished Baa-ble hat(s) on our facebook page in order to be entered in our end of month draw for a chance to win one of two prizes.  You may enter as many times as you wish, each finished hat equals one entry ballot.  Prize One will be a random draw.  Prize Two will be for most creative Baa-ble hat.  We will try to post as many pics as possible of entries.  

 In-store KAL gets underway with the February flock 

Week Two is about beginning the fair isle work on the charted portion of the pattern.

Read through our list of helpful hints and tips below-

Tip No. 1: Sticky notes make excellent line minders, use them as shown in the image above to mark your place on the chart.


Tip No. 2: When stranding colours, the rule of thumb is no more than three stitches should be knit without catching and knitting in the 'floats' (yarn being carried across back of work).  Most of the background design on this Chart can be knit without catching the floats due to the short pattern repeats.  Beginning with the legs and throughout the body of the sheep, knitting in the floats will be required.

Tip No. 3:  This project is a great opportunity to try two-handed knitting, with one colour held in the left hand Continental-style and one colour held in the right hand English-style as shown in this video.

Tip No. 4:  Jogless Rounds!  This is a sweet little trick to avoid the unsightly steps that occur at the end of  a round when switching to a new colour on the next round.  See technique here.

Did you know?

The fleece from just one sheep can be spun 

into a 200 km long strand of wool. 

That is the distance from  

Muskoka Yarn Connection 

to the  

Toronto CN Tower 

FEBRUARY KAL UPDATE 1

If you have taken the leap onto the Baa-ble baa-nd wagon, you are in good company as we get ready to cast on for a fun month of knitting! This week is all about getting your stitches on the needles, working through the ribbing and planning the perfect colour scheme.  As you are sure to find out like so many others have, this pattern is highly addictive and will likely inspire more than one version.

Read through a list of helpful hints and tips below-  

Tip No. 1: Many Baa-ble knitters have stated that this hat fits quite big when knit on the suggested needles. For that reason, switch to 3.75 mm for the Ribbing and 4 mm for the Main Hat Section.

Tip No. 2:  If you choose to knit this hat for a child (shown in our purple/fuchsia sample posted below) cast on 80 stitches for Ribbing and increase to 90 stitches for Main Hat Section.  This will eliminate one repeat on the chart.  After Row 25 of the chart have been completed, jump to Row 30 to begin top shaping.   

Tip No. 3: When casting on with circular needles it is important to check before joining in the round to make sure no stitches have twisted over the needle.

Tip No. 4: To eliminate the opening that occurs between the first and last cast on stitch, you can sew the tail end across to smooth it out or try this handy little trick- Cast on one extra stitch, before joining in the round, slip the first stitch from left needle onto right needle, pass the extra stitch over this first stitch and slip it back to left needle. Tighten both yarn ends and proceed.

Stay tuned for our next update on Monday February 8th for tips on stranding, reading charts, and jogless rounds.  We have set up an EVENT page on Facebook here.  Feel free to check in and post your progress pics. 

Did You Know?  

Sheep can distinguish between the faces of up to 

fifty other sheep and remember them for 2 years, 

plus they have been known to 
recognize human faces.  

Always be kind to a sheep!