Hi. I’m Mateo.
We have been doing so much stuff this week. The Mother of Cats has been winterizing the house and we have been helping her out with every single task! She put insulation on all of the windows (it’s some type of funky plastic film that Hannah and I think is just amazing to play with…) and foam stripping around the doors. She fixed the toilet. She took the car to get its oil changed (and she didn’t take us!) and took all of the presents that have been coming in boxes to the house out to be mailed off for Christmas presents. Whew! Just exhausting, right?
When the Mother of Cats has been sitting down these days she mostly is knitting. Some of the stuff that we made with her got mailed away this week and it is a secret, but here is what we can show you.
Now there are two Alpine Bloom hats. One of the Alpine Blooms got mailed away to a cousin, and the Mother of Cats knitted a new hat that will be for her to wear. They can be twins!! The hat that the Mother of Cats made for herself is a little smaller, and it fits her head better. Hannah still likes to use it as a pillow, but the Mother of Cats said NO and put it away. No fun, that Mother of Cats. She also has been busy knitting on her new sweater, and we have both been sleeping on her legs while she works; I’m hoping to chase some yarn while she isn’t looking, and Hannah is secretly hoping to get in a chomp or two, but so far, we haven’t had that many chances to have close encounters with wool fun.
There are three more colors of yarn to be used in this La Prairie, but so far, the Mother of Cats hasn’t taken them out of the bin because of … chomps. Seriously, I just want to roll the balls of yarn around, but she won’t let me do that either.
Hey, the laser light toy just turned on. I have to go chase it… Laters!!
This is the CoalBear, signing off.
Notes from the Mother of Cats:
I knitted the new Alpine Bloom hat with the same yarn but went down a needle size to get a slightly smaller hat. The finished product is about 1-2 inches less in circumference and fits better. The new, more tightly knit fabric didn’t block out quite as nicely, but I’m happy with the hat. I’m planning on trying another one with fingering yarn (because, why not, right?) just to see how it comes out since the stitch count and needle sizes for the hat is the same as another hat that fits me well (Barley Light) and maybe it will work great, right?
Yarn, Books & Roses 
That yarn will look lovely as an Alpine Bloom – and the two you’ve already made are gorgeous 😊
Thank you. These hats are pretty addictive, and it is a fun way to sample how different yarns behave in the pattern. I have my eye on the long-sleeved version of the sweater, but I don’t want to invest a lot of money into something that will be disappointing.
Hello friends! Yes, that combination will be gorgeous! How do you like all the baubles in the cardigan? They aren’t druving you nuts? It will be beautiful when it’s done.
Oh, well… those baubles are a somewhat annoying. The first row I knit with them was like over an hour and I was totally over the whole experience. Now I am much faster at them and they are proof of progress each time I come to them on the chart.
That’s a great way to look at it!
Love the finished hats and think your yarn choices would be a beautiful combo!
Thank you. I think that I’ll be winding the yarn up today. 🙂
You’re welcome ☺️
I do love that hat! I’m a sucker for outdoorsy type patterns, and that color is simply delicious.
It is such a great pattern, and a fun knit as the floats aren’t very long. I just love those colors too.
As always, I’m over here loving all the purples you’ve been working with! I have been trying to figure out the best way to set my sewing machine back up that my Hannah won’t be quite such a big help with all the moving parts.
I really like purples and rose pink colors. The work perfectly with my mostly black and shades of grey wardrobe, and besides… purple!
When I first set up the machine Hannah would jump on top of it to watch the moving parts. Kind of stressful!! Now she just ignores the machine. I have learned to keep all the sewing stuff tucked away while I’m away from the machine because… Hannah! She just loves that pin cushion! I have a little plastic box with a locking lid near the machine, and I just sweep everything into it when I finish for the day and unplug the machine.
That’s a good suggestion. The tiny white paws are just into EVERYTHING!
Yes they are!!
All that purple looks great. Lots of beautiful, special gifts.
Happy colors, right. 🙂 I am totally keeping the new purple hat for myself!
You keep yourself busier than most of us fit people, Marilyn !!
Oh, it is a little bit every day but I’m making progress. I wrote out a list of things that needed to get done at the start of the week, and then I knocked off one or two things every day. I did one window a day until they were done. It is pretty cheesy, but it works and I have a sense of accomplishment by the end of the week.
Gorgeous hats and gorgeous yarns and gorgeous cats…these caturday posts make me miss my cats so much, maybe one day we will join you in the cat chaos if I can persuade my husband.
It is a lot of fun to raise a kitten. 🙂
Zauberball yarns look good in anything! 😉 I’m currently wearing socks made out of either that exact colorway, or one so similar as to make no difference. It’s great yarn!
Now I’m wondering which yarn to carry in which hand since the Zauberball seems to be a tiny bit heavier than the other one.
I’m sure it will look good either way! I just hope you find the way that works best for your knitting style.
Mateo, you are such a handsome boy! MoC is so lucky to have you and Hannah to help her with cleaning and knitting. Get that laser!!
MoC – your hats are so beautiful and cheerful. And that is also a lovely sweater pattern – love the yarn you are using for it 🙂
Mateo: I am excessively handsome! I don’t understand why the bunnies don’t want to play with me…
Thank you. That hat pattern (Alpine Bloom) continues to dominate on my stranded knits facebook feed. It is a wonderful pattern that is fun to knit and just looks great. I started another last night in fingering yarn and I’m really taken with the way it is knitting up. Hannah will show it off on Caturday.