color stranding

I finally taught myself continental style knitting! I started a color stranded aviator hat for my brother and decided now was the time. I was so excited to finally learn the continental technique that I had to jump on here and blog about it! (I'm so lame). The hat is made from Patons Classic Wool Merino in "Dark Grey Mix" and the stripes are "Leaf Green" and "Natural Mix". I'm using size 8 circular needles.

If you've been following my projects you'll notice that I use alot of Patons Classic Wool Merino. There are several reasons for this. First, Michael's seems to have it on sale all the time. Second, the majority of my projects thus far are for Christmas gifts in which the recipients aren't concerned with fiber content. I am somewhat fiber conscious however, and prefer to work with natural fibers than acrylic. The Patons is one of the only 100% Wool yarn available at the craft store, so that is what I choose. The other wool that I'm aware of at Michael's is Lion Brand Wool, but I haven't caught it on sale. They do have some great colors, so I may find myself with some in the future. I have several projects lined up myself after the holidays, so I'll have to visit some local yarn shops for higher quality product. Hopefully I'll have some extra cash at Christmas, as there are alpaca and wool farms near my parents house that I may have to visit.

I finished my dad's fishermans watchcap. The size is perfect after I cast on the extra stitches. I've noticed that my new knitting technique has help with my gauge and my knitting isn't so tight anymore. I feel like I'm making progress :)