January in Instagrams

I want to try to do a better job this year of documenting our months in Instagrams. I really really like looking back on these little snippets! So even though it's a little late (aka almost the end of February) I'm going to go back to January for a "month in review". Here we go, clockwise from top left...

1. I'm kind of obsessed with the Bachelor / Bachelorette. I know, I know. It's not the best quality TV ever. But I swear it's the only reality TV I watch! There's just something about it. I find it ridiculously entertaining. Especially when watched with friends, commentary, and booze. I went to my friend Lauren's for the premier this season, and she made these fancy schmancy mocktails! Don't worry there were also cans of Rainier.

2. I picked up these perfect little cobalt blue pumps at the thrift store, brought them home, and then had the realization that I have amassed an alarming amount of vintage Liz Claiborne stuff. Of the 80's variety. No problems here.

3. Tapes are back folks! I had been looking for a Walkman to listen to some mixtapes that our friend Scott made, and Kevin found this one from his youth and brought it back for me from Wisconsin. And then a sweet work friend brought me a bunch of mixtapes that her dad had made years ago. They're full of Roy Orbison, Patsy Kline, Elvis....and the Eagles.

4. This has been one of my favorite breakfasts for awhile now. Scrambled eggs on rice with Sriracha and toasted sesame seeds. So good.

1. I like to amuse myself at work by pulling out the pretty paperclips I find during the day and photographing them. Look at this pretty rose gold spirally one!

2. Late night breakfast!!! So good after a show. On this night it was Randy's after seeing The Wimps and Mommy Long Legs. 24 hour diners forever!!!!!!!!!!!

3. This is a typical once-a-week occurrence. Watching TV at Scott's house while knitting with a Shooby on my lap. From this picture you might conclude that he likes me. He probably thinks I'm alright. I mean, sometimes I feed him. But really I'm just sitting in his chair.

4. The days are getting longer and sunnier! It's a bit too early to think about *summer*, but regardless, I was pretty excited to see the sun out and beautiful after work one day. I snapped this quick just as I got out and am looking forward to more evening sunshine!

1. Here's a little progress shot on my Pine Bough cowl. It's a big 'ole tube scarf...so kind of a ton of knitting. But it went surprisingly fast! It was three quarters of the way done when this picture was taken, and now it's 100% finished and is being happily worn.

2. Game night! This is another weekly occurrence with some of our Seattle friends and we love it! On this particular night I was dominating as the killer Mantis in Kings of New York. I don't usually "dominate", so of course I had to capture it.

3. A pile of baby knitwear right before being packed up and shipped off to a friend. It's that stage of life right now were lots of folks are having kiddos, so my needles have been busy with lots of wee little projects. All of these are favorite patterns by now that I'll probably be making many more times.

FO: Charlie Hat

A new hat just for meeeeeeeee! And it just may be the best hat I've ever made for myself. Sure, the small gauge and folded brim detail meant it wasn't super super quick to knit, but sometimes putting in the extra time and effort really pays off. In this case it definitely did. I love love love it so so so much. Plus that pom pom. Oh my goodness, so good.

Let's jump right into details: 

Pattern: Charlie by Andi Satterlund

Yarn: Spincycle Dyed in the Wool + Brooklyn Tweed Loft

Needles: Size US 3

I bought this yarn in December 2014 at Urban Craft Uprising from the rad ladies at Spincycle Yarns. The colorway is called Tangled Up in Blue and it is just so fantastic. Very vibrant and - in my opinion - perfect for colorwork. I love how the subtle color variegation looks when paired with a lighter neutral. So good! In terms of yarn pairing, I think these two played very nicely together. Although Loft is a fingering compared to Dyed in the Wool's sport weight, it's so eh-hem lofty that they actually match up quite well. In fact, I'm so in love with this pairing that I'm planning on using it again to make myself a super special Ursula cardigan.

This was my first time doing a folded brim, and it was pretty magical. Plus SOOOOPER warm. Definitely worth the little bit of extra knitting work and semi-laborious joining row. As always, I loved knitting the colorwork and despite the small gauge it seemed like it worked up pretty quickly. I was originally planning on making a pom pom with the Spincycle, but then had the idea to make a HUGE bright flame orange one instead. I tell ya, I just can't get away from using this orange yarn! It's just so vibrant and fresh! I used the larger of my Clover pom pom makers, which I absolutely LOVE. I spent way too many years stubbornly making pom poms using a piece of cardboard. Seriously, they come out so much nice with the pom pom maker. I like to think this pom pom makes people smile on the dreary streets in the winter every time they see it. How could you see it and not smile?!?