I’ve made a new hat that includes an inner lining. This makes a really warm hat. And it’s comfortable too.
Grannies Dancing Hat.
It features the Grannys Dancing motif used in many Scandanavian knitted items. And here’s the Grannies Dancing Pattern for you.
A friend of mine sent me a text this morning that made my day. Here it is:
“Do you know the children’s book the mitten tree? My son had it read to him in preschool. About an older woman who sees a cold boy at the bus stop so she knits and hangs mittens in a tree for him. She continues to do it. My son said his teacher started crying reading the book. I told my kids I actually know someone like that. They thought what you do is so cool…I was grateful to be able to tell them it was NOT just a story.”
Thank you for inspiring and enlightening our children!
Here’s the book she’s talking about:
So, it’s really cold tonight. Right now, according to my phone, it’s 15 F and -6 wind chill. My fingers hurt. A very good night to visit trees.
Here are some of the gorgeous and warm hats that my friend Amy Lynn made. Gorgeous. And up went the beautiful wool felted and hand-dyed scarves and cute hats
Around the Wedge, people are always about. So I can’t really go out without people seeing me. But tonight a woman approached me and asked if I was the one who did this every year. She loved it. Made me feel wonderful. Thank you for making it happen!
On Thursday, Lila & Claudine’s posted a picture on Facebook of the beautiful African baskets. In the corner I spied our Hat Tree basket filled with stuff. Decided I had to make a trip there on Friday!
What was there? A wonderful woman had felted old wool blankets and dyed the result with swirly, tonal colors. They were cut into scarves and made into hats. Love them!
And tons of other stuff. Here’s Kirsten modeling and presenting the warm goodies to a huge group of hilarious knitters. Had the time of my life! Not only that, Kirsten regaled us with stories of how knitting created community in Norway.
Honestly, I don’t know what was so funny in the other stories, but we all laughed so hard we had difficulty controlling bodily functions. Thanks everyone!
During the RavOlympics the year I moved to Minneapolis, I decided to do some sort of Guerilla knitting. I’d seen lots of inspirational and cool knitting. I thought to dress the Mary Tyler Moore statue down the street from work or knit and plant flowers in the snow and ice. But so many people were cold, knitting for statues, trees, and poles seemed a waste of warm wool and alpaca. That’s how I decided to hang hats on trees.
A few years later I had put off knitting and hanging warmth. Then a fantastic article appeared on Facebook about a man who brought his sewing machine out onto the street to mend people’s clothing and sleeping bags. People would come every month with their clothes and he listened to their stories and thoughts. Other sewers would bring their machines out to help with the workload. I’d love to be able to knit for people while they sat with me. Maybe that’ll be my next plan.
Dang. Saturday night a couple of friends (Amy and Ron) and I drove to a couple of places to hang (get this!) about 40 hats, mittens, scarves, and cowls on trees that you al suggested we visit. I even made the signs neat with stencils and marking pens that kids use. (They have indeed improved on the coolness factor since my long ago pre-school days).
So I took pictures, but when I looked at them I realized they look exactly like all the other “hats hanging on trees” photos. It’s time to develop my creativity and figure out how to take and share more delightful pictures.
Have to say, lots of the hats were gorgeous! That’s what you need to see pictures of! But I’ll bore you one more time with hats on trees.
The first place we went to was the park: Assisi on Ninth. Several statues of the Saint with little animals and birds around him. There are a few pictures on the Internet of it, but me being a librarian and all, I thought I better not post them here. It’s pretty cool, so here are links:
http://demolishun.deviantart.com/art/Assisi-on-Ninth-209034682
http://www.berryvox.com/2011_10_01_archive.html (scroll down a bit to it)
And then we went out to Mahtomedi to the townhouses behind Donatelli’s and hung a bunch of stuff there.
Hope some people are a little warmer tonight. Next time — more creativity.
| I’ll be knitting at Lila and Claudine’s for several hours 11am-3pm.
Want help in deciding how to make really warm knits? I’m happy to help you with fair isle, thrummed, woven-in roving, and double knitting or anything else you’d like to do. Just ask! I’ll also be hanging objects on trees in Mahtomedi over the weekend, so bring in your goodies! Thanks! |
A couple of years ago, some Canadian knitters lamented that Ravelry posted so few hats and mittens that were warm enough to wear in Canada. Probably, those of you in the colder parts of the world have found that you don’t wear knitted mittens during January. The wind blows through your fingers; it’s freezing. Folks around here, if they’re wearing a knit hat, usually wear it under a down hoodie.
When I moved to upstate New York from San Diego, my mom would say, everyday during the winter, “I just wish you’d dress in layers.” Even after 5 years.
So that’s the way. Build layers into your knitted goods, variations of double-lined stuff.
Hats:
Fair Isle Knitting (the strands of yarn carried through the back trap warmth.)
Double Knitting. You’re knitting 2 layers at once.
Thrums. Knit in short bits of roving (wool before it’s spun into yarn. This will capture more heat than if it’s twisted).
Double-rolled Knitting. (hold wool while you’re knitting and weave it in as you would Fair Isle)
Lined Knit 2 hats that are attached at the bottom. For hats, you can knit one from the top down. When you’re finished, use the last row at the bottom as the first row for the second hat. Fold them into each other.
Also:
Try to use wool or alpaca (or wool- or alpaca- blend. Alpaaca is much warmer even than wool.
Super bulky wool works well, especially if it’s lightly spun so it can trap as much warm air as possible.
At Lila And Claudine’s
This weekend I received tons of hats from folks who hang at Lila and Claudine’s, a member of my knitting group, Holly, mittens from Sally, and cowl/hats from my mom. It’s just now getting cold here, so it was the perfect time to hang them on trees in the Twin Cities.
It was funny. Other times I’ve done this, I tried very hard to go out at night when nobody was around. At these locations people are always around, including police. I was slightly paranoid that people were laughing at me. And that the police would stop me. Goofy. (I’m giving away hats. Is that against the law?)
Someone has mentioned that I might need a permit or permission from the city. Does anyone know about that? I’m planning to look into it.
Next week, I’ll be hanging items in Mahtomedi, nearer my own home, and anywhere you suggest we should place them. Thank you everyone for all the loving work you’ve done!
 Chicago & Franklin |
 Nicollet & 22nd St. |
My very favorite knitting shop, Lila and Claudine’s, has graciously offered to give us space and yarn to make items for Hat Trees in the Twin Cities. How wonderful are they! Thank you so much, Kirsten and Polly!
Meet with other knitters and crocheters to make warm stuff on Saturdays, 10am – 12noon at
86 Mahtomedi Ave St Paul, MN 55115
(651) 429-9551
Lila and Claudine — Polly and Kirsten’s grandmothers
If you’ve never visited their store, are you lucky! The first time you visit this store is an experience never forgotten! Fantastic, interesting, creative, kind, and hilarious people are there to meet you. Oh, and they have amazing yarns too! It’s a comfortable, inspiring place to play with your fiber arts.
The Hat Tree 
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