Tag Archives: DMC Top This

Happy knitterly holidays

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This is Steve’s photo of the 40 Mile Point Lighthouse near Rogers City, Michigan. The friends of the lighthouse have done a great job of restoring it, inside and out. It’s our bicycle-season destination at the end of the great path that runs from Rogers City, along the shores of Lake Huron. Happy holidays!

I don’t usually mix knitting posts and “up north” posts, but tonight is a night for an exception.

Happy Hanukkah! Evelyn will look so cute celebrating in her Dreidel hat.

Yep, it’s another DMC Top This kit. These kits are finish-in-an-evening hats, with lots of wow factor for the little ones.

Pine trees don’t necessarily shout Christmas, especially if they’re knit into coasters in non-Christmas colors.

Oh, well. Even non-traditional tree coasters shout Christmas if a miniature Santa sweater is included. (No, that’s not a hand-knit.)

And how did Susan Weir’s Knitted Tomten sneak in among these non-traditional tree coasters? As explained here, he’s ferociously provokable on some rather odd points of etiquette.

These DK-weight coasters are Amy Marie Vold’s new slip stitch pattern: Tree Coasters. I knit the set my Tomten is eyeing in Drops Muscat.

They are quite addicting to knit. Here’s my Knit Picks Cotlin set, a 70% cotton, 30% linen DK weight.

Whatever’s your reason to celebrate, including hopefully the University of Michigan at the Orange Bowll, best wishes to you.

Hats for all heads

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Bun_hat

All right. I could have started this with something that would catch your eye in a different way. This may not be your cup of tea.It may not be my cup of tea either, though it was quick and fun to knit. But consider that nearly 180 Ravelers have knit this BUN Hat designed by Andi OldTrout. Andi is from Harstine Island in the state of Washington. My guess is that Andi knows folks with cold ears and cold necks. I do too. Her BUN hat (bottom up neck-flap) is perfect for heads that need such attentions.

Here’s another view.

bun_hat_top

Nice crown. I knit my BUN in Lamb’s Pride Bulky on size US size 10 needles. I chose a nice manly brown shade, thinking I knew someone who would think this was just the ticket. I won’t name names, but I was right. I’m confident it’s been keeping one set of ears quite warm this winter.

This one suits a different head.

orangeontop5

The head this will best suit needs to be walking in the woods before dawn hoping to bag a big buck. No one will mistake her for a deer, not when she’s wearing this hat. There’s no blaze orange as blazey as 100% acrylic. This is Deborah Norville’s Everyday Soft Worsted, by Premier Yarn.

Here’s a view of the great crown decreases. I am confident my niece will be wearing this one next deer season.

orangeontop6

This excellent pattern is Elena Nodel’s Cherry on Top. OK. The original was red and meant for Nodel’s daughter for Valentine’s Day. I repurposed it some. The hat would have a very different drape in the Malabrigo Rios that Nodel designed it for. But I am quite satisfied by the Deborah Norville that I picked up discounted at Meijer’s.

I liked the pattern so much, and considering I paid $5 for it, that I quickly decided to knit another. This time I used WATERshed by Harrisville Design, in the mallard colorway. Harrisville Design describes the yarn as a “soft-spun, minimally processed, cushy super-heathered woolen yarn.” It is all those things, provided you don’t expect soft-spun to mean soft.

greenontop5

So far we have brave cold heads with no fashion sense that need hats. And we have heads with a need to be warm and not be mistaken for deer. This next one is for little children who need to put a chuckle on mom’s and dad’s face.

topthia_elephant2

Yep, another DMC “Top This” hat. I’ve knit the monkey, the giraffe and the sunflower. Click here. An elephant now joins my menagerie. If these kits take you even two hours to knit you probably snuck a nap in mid-knit.