I've been meaning to tell you that Stranded Color Knitting (see how to order and more info on the right) has now made over $300 for rabbit rescue. How wonderful! Also, a couple of people have written and asked if they can purchase the book with a check. Yes, you can send a check to me for $13.99 and I'll have Cafepress send you your copy. Email at nanetteblanchard AT earthlink DOT net to set this up. If you're interested in knitting with more than one color or looking at photos that show many different ways to hold the yarns or getting two colorwork hat patterns, please check out the book.

  

 

CHASING RAINBOWS CAP













I've been wanting to do some rainbow projects. This hat is done with Nature Spun sport and size 4 circs and dpns. It uses 21 colors and I got the idea for the method from the rainbow socks in Socks, Socks, Socks. Then I read the PGR article in IK on intarsia in the round and she discusses it as well. Cut lengths of yarn for each color and when you get to that color, knit it, then drop the color. On the next row just grab the yarn when you get to where you knit it. As you can see from the reverse side, it looks like intarsia on the inside. No floats.



This method is also slow, has lots of tangled yarns all over the place, and the hat itself had over 60 ends to work in. It was also more difficult than I expected to arrange the colors in a rainbow progression and I'm not at all happy with the greens. Still, I like the finished hat very much. The cap has already gone to its new home to Melissa (mother of apple-cheeked Taylor who modeled the green toddler Aran) to pay her back for doing me a big favor this week. 

Lately I've had the strongest desire to start canning again. I love to make pickles and jellies and all that good stuff. In our house in Colorado I had this huge heavy wood shelf in the kitchen and I filled it with beautiful jars. When I was interviewed once for the local paper the reporter went on and on and on about all the jewel-colored glass jars on the shelf. I gave her some of my cranberry-orange jam just to shut her up.



When we moved here to NM I decided to not lug along all that glass. We probably have another move in our future so I can't buy more canning jars but I do get all moony-eyed when I stroll through the canning section at the store lately.



I do look forward to green chile season in about 3 weeks. They start shipping them up here from Hatch in mid to late August. This year we're going to get two bags (I think they are 25 lbs) as soon as they start selling them. I've heard the early crop is always better. They are sold and roasted here pretty much everywhere you go. The smell of roasting chiles is one of the best aromas on the planet. I just stick them whole in the freezer and then peel them before cooking. DH likes to stuff them with cream cheese and then top them with his red chile enchilada sauce. I may still break down and get some jars and make green chile jelly. Yum.



The photo below shows what I'm currently spinning. 1 more ounce for the rainbow project and some skeins of Easter-egg dyed merino. I plan to use the merino as energized singles somehow.



I started the Churro socks for DH. Tomorrow I will show you the Chasing Rainbows hat, project two in my "knitting without patterns" phase. It may be my favorite knitted project this year.

Here is the Red Bird Knits Sock of the Month for July. It is called Waterfalls and I'm going to cast on as soon as I translate the pattern into a chart.



I'm also working on a rainbow hat in 21 colors of Nature Spun sport - that should be ready to show here by Thursday.