Introducing Sarah's Slouch

A very good friend of mine had a birthday recently, a special birthday. And knowing just how much she loves Hats, I decided to make one just for her. But I didn't just knit her a Hat, I designed with her in mind, in a style I thought she'd suit, and in colours that would cheer the dullest of days. And then I wrote the pattern for her Hat.

You know my friend as BabyLongLegs.

So, I said to BBL, "your Hat, your call - what should I do with it?" And so it's been published as a free pattern, which we both felt was the right way to go.

Doesn't it suit her? I love these photos she sent me... although they're a tad coy, the whole composition looks cosy and comfortable and right. BabyLongLegs is rockin' that Hat, I'd say. And I'm reliably told it's her Happy Hat :)

Before I sent it off, I grabbed a couple of photos of Alyx wearing the Hat... (it's a habit to get photos of Hats before they get sent anywhere in case they go amiss) and I had a bit of a job trying to get this Hat of Alyx's head, as she too was rather taken with it...

Two yarns are knitted together to create this effect - the base yarn was Semi~Precious 4ply (BabyLongLegs own yarn!) which is constant all the way through. It provides stability, in the colours and in drape, with it's 50/50 silk & merino blend. For the 2nd yarn I used a number of different DK/light worsted yarns, and used as many BabyLongLegs oddments as my stash would permit.

I liked the idea that the same yarns that had been hand dyed by my friend, then used in my patterns, would make their way into her present. Like they had a story to tell all of their own.

The pattern does include notes about the use of yarns, with links to any relevant tutorials. Use wool for the 2nd yarn, so they can spit splice nicely together to create continuity between the colours. It's how the yarns and colours are used that make this Hat special - each combination is entirely unique. You could use a single yarn that gives the same gauge if you prefer, though I do think it creates a deeper effect with the yarns held together. Why not try 3 fine yarns for really deep colour?

It makes me happy to see something I've made enjoyed, to see my friends happy too.

There's a few sizes included in the pattern, something for everyone, and we hope you enjoy it too. You can download Sarah's Slouch from it's own page.

Snow photos

All the media attention is focused on Rome yet none of the other regions get a mention, especially those that have far worse conditions, so here's what's going down in this part of town. Emilia Romagna was declared a state of emergency yesterday.

We're at 125cm (50 inches) of snow and it's still coming down.

Photos courtesy of Freddy Brett.

And not too far away in the hills....

(Freddy is over 6ft tall)

The weather has lost the plot. Big time.

Emergency measures

Thought I'd post to let family & friends know that we're managing OK under the extreme snow!

The total snowfall here since tuesday is just shy of a metre. It's been snowing constantly - it stopped briefly for an hour this morning but has started blizzarding again. The daft weather doesn't seem to care that this is Italy, not Siberia.

A state of emergency has been declared for the Emilia Romagna region, which is where we are. The military have been drafted in to dig folks out of their houses. This snow is no joke and I'm not gonna pretend that it's fun. This morning I lost it; having to fight the cold and wet each morning is exhausting. That said, we're better off than most are. We've had less snow than most of the region and we still have electricity. Heck, with the help of some boiling water we can still get in and out of the front door.

Several friends are stranded here, either because they can't drive home locally (houses are buried under 3m+ of snow) or because their flights have been cancelled. All the extra electric heaters we bought to make the winter comfier have been lent out to help make a few people less cold. It was only 4.5°C in here this morning but the woodburner stove warmed up pretty quickly. Our wood store should have seen us right through spring and it might now only last a few more weeks but at least we have it.

Up until last night we'd manage to keep one tap working, but that's frozen now too. Think everyone and everything on the Yard is frozen now! We're collecting the fresh snow, melting it & using it to defrost the toilet and the bus doors. We've butts of water for washing up and bottles of drinking water for cooking and cups of tea.

Tom was able to dig out the car yesterday and get off the Yard  - he found a laundrette open and bought milk and veggie supplies, so we're good for another week. Which is handy, as we've been forecast another 10 days or so of the snow and cold. And then we're looking at another week to thaw out.

Tom's also been a star, helping others to add extra support to their roofs and brush off the snow. Our roof is metal, it's coping under the weight but several folks here have had quite a bit of damage, and that's not fun.

Having read the forecast for the next couple of weeks, we're busy with extra insulation jobs. We've some spare carpet that Tom is laying as an extra layer, and I'll be pinning old blackets around doors to help kick those drafts out. Tom's even carpetting the windows in the cab, as that's the biggest source of the cold. From what I've read on Twitter we're keeping warmer in our bus than many friends across Europe are in their houses... although many may not have the deep snow, they are colder, and we've still got that extreme cold to come.

We've still a few leaks but we've given up on trying to fix them - we're using a rotation of old towels to soak up all the water and keep us dry. Bizzarely, the freezing weather is drying them out so we can use them again! Damp is a problem but keeping water usage to a minimum helps with that, and I'm wiping the windows and walls as they need it.

Jimmy the ginger cat is fine, he's safely snuggled in with us. We are a bit concerned about the ferrals who live under the bus, but we can't do much for them. We think they're surving on the birds. If they stay under the bus they'll probably be quite well insulated with all the drifts.

There's been no blackouts for a few days and the internet has been pretty stable, so I'm hoping to get a few emails sent today. Otherwise, work is on hold: keeping us warm and dry takes priority.

We're coping OK, and we should be good for another week or so. It would be nice to have a shower or not have to boil snow to flush the loo, but at least we're relatively warm and comfortable!

Snowed in

The heavy snow has pretty much cut us off today; getting in & out of the Yard is tricky as it's virtually impossible to drive. The local roads were ploughed yesterday, but after dropping to -5°C last night, and then further blizzarding, I doubt those roads will be very safe!

We've had some 8inches/20cm now, which is helping to keep the water pipes insulated so we're not without running water, though the washing machine is frozen solid (we thought the previous heavy frosts had killed it but after an extra few days of thawing, it miraculously started working again) We do though keep losing power - one power cut yesterday killed my printer - it trips out only for a short time before coming back on and these little and frequent power cuts cause more damage than those lasting a few hours. This morning Tom managed to get the internet back up and running after the heavy snow took our entire network down. Countries that deal with this sort of weather every winter are much better prepared; this area of Europe doesn't usually see this much snow, and isn't prepared at all. Friends of ours who live a short drive away in the hills are totally cut off, and their 87yo neighbour says she's never seen snow like this before.

I'm trying to keep up with all my emails but with frequent loss of power and/or network, it's getting difficult! Please bear with me while we battle through this freakish weather.

Aran, on the other hand, is thoroughly enjoying it all. This was him yesterday, contemplating venturing away from the cleared path. It's knee deep on him in most places.

We are warm though, and since Tom managed to fix the leaks, we're dry too. The snow on the roof isn't causing it to buckle, so we're leaving it there as insulation! This was the view from our bedroom window, taken with my phone's camera on wednesday evening, it's even deeper now.

We've plenty of food and water and fuel supplies, so we can survive through to next week comfortably. As I've mentioned above though, we keep getting cut off so I hope you understand if I'm not able to respond to an email or query straight away. I'm doing what I can when I can, but mostly I'm trying to not to get wet & cold by staying indoors! With any luck after the weekend it'll stop snowing and the sun will come out to start the long thaw.

Introducing Arkanoid

Arkanoid is published today!

Designed with BabyLongLegs luscious Semi~Precious 4ply, this Hat is soft and drapey and oh so comfy. The texured stitch pattern is interesting enough to knit without being too complex, and the subtle folded brim adds enough detail without making the pattern too complicated.

There are 6 sizes included, and as well as the instructions for the slouchy version, notes are included for a not so slouchy version. All in all, with it's unisex style, it's a Hat you can make for anyone - the size range covers babies (14in) through to large adults (24in)

The Semi~Precious is such a lovely yarn to knit with - the drape and softness and stitch definition is amazing, and let's not forget the colours that BBL achieves! That said, I know folks won't all be able to get their hands on a skein, so I've included a couple of suitable subsitutes on the pattern. If you can though, do try and grab yourself a skein of the Semi~Precious, I can assure you that you won't regret it!

Arkanoid is also the February KAL pattern over in the Ravelry group, and I know BBL is doing a special offer on purchases of the Semi~Precious, so there's plenty of incentive to join in ;)

Has the snow that's sweeping Europe been well received or is it wreaking havoc? We thought it might be quite fun, but it seems that the recent heavy frosts have damaged some of the rubber window seals, and under the heavy snow, we've sprung a few leaks. One of which made itself apparent by soaking our bed in the early hours. Thankfully most of it has dried and there's a good chance we'll be sleeping in our own bed tonight, but it wasn't the most welcome start to the morning! Or to the 2 weeks of similar weather we've been forecast... 

Enjoy Arkanoid, and stay warm!

PS/ the first commenter to tell me a) where the name came from and b) why that name gets a free copy of the pattern! (don't forget to leave your email addy in the relevant field, so I can gift it to you)