Shade
This has got to be the most unusual thing I have knit to date. (The nose-warmer I mentioned a few posts ago was a crochet attempt.) Any guesses about what it might be? It’s made from Cascade Fixation and took me a couple of hours. A welcome distraction from reading undergraduate research papers this weekend. It’s intended as a cover for a body part, of which we usually have two.
No, it’s not what you think. It’s an attempt to make a cotton eyeshade, to keep the light out when I sleep. They usually give these out in long haul flights. Well, at least the airlines that haven’t decided to avoid bankruptcy by saving big bucks on these extravagances, along with peanuts. I carefully save them, because while I can fall asleep anytime, anyday, anyplace, I need these shades to get it dark enough. But I keep losing the ones I have, and invariably after overhauling the bed linen I find one caked in dust bunnies under the bed and then can’t use it. The elastic for the last one I had snapped last night so I thought I’d try making one out of cotton-elastic yarn. The chevron stitch is to help the patch undulate naturally and lie flat. As you can tell, it still needs some coaxing with blocking.
Did you ever think taking a picture of yourself with a digital camera was annoying? Try it blindfolded. If I didn’t have some dignity, I’d have posted the strange angles of my room and face that my camera captured as I flapped my arms wildly with this thing over my eyes.
I cast on 50 stitches, and knit in the chevron pattern (repeated twice over 25 stitches each) for 22 rows, with 3 row garter bands at the bottom and top. Then I picked up 13 stitches along one edge on the RS, and knit till it went around, slightly stretched, across the back of my head. Then I bound off in rib and sewed it to the other RS edge. Done! Oh, yarn was Cascade Fixation.
Should *anyone* want to make this, let me know, I’ll write up the pattern, gauge and all! I’m off to take a nap. If it works, I am going to try another one, this time knit entirely sideways.
Also, thank you, thank you so much to all my readers for the wonderful feedback on the North Sea Shawl! I loved making it and sharing the pictures with everyone, and my hands are already itching to start a new lace project. I was looking at this Faroese beauty, for instance. But it’s going to have to wait, sigh.
So clever!
I can’t wait to see your version of the Gracie shawl.
Hey, I’ve been thinking of sewing one for my husband, after he said one made with yarn might be itchy. Yours looks good.
Hmm…it would make a nice gift for someone who is always saying “knit me something!”
what a neat idea! my hubby uses one of those all the time as he likes it pitch black when he sleeps….
I think it’s great! Fortunately for me though, I’m one of those people whose sleep is not interrupted by light. The DH gets up for work very early in the morning and turns on the bathroom and closet lights and very rarely do I wake to mumble “Have a good day”. I’ve also had many nice naps on the couch of our south-facing family room (it’s sunny most of the day).
Very Clever! I’m loving it!
This is a fabulously useful thing! I too cannot go to sleep if it is not dark enough, and I too save those freebies from airlines, but the elastic band creates a funny horizontal line across the hair. It seems like this won’t do that because it is knit, and these eyeshades looks so much prettier. Pity I am not a knitter.
Oh I love that eye mask. What a clever piece of knitting. I definitely need one of those, so if you have time to write up the pattern I’d definitely be interested.
The Gracie Shawl is gorgeous. Are you sure you can’t caston for it right away? I mean, multiple projects add joy to living!
Ooh, that’s genius! And Fixation is a good choice since it’s so sproingy…I’ll bet it stays on. Do post the pattern!
You leave such lovely comments on my blog, and I don’t have your email address to respond.
What a cool idea for that yarn, and the shaping is perfect!
OK, I was going to guess it was headband, I guess I wasn’t too far off (although a headband isn’t “unusual”). I think that’s a very clever idea–and it came out really well!
Hee! That’s awesome. I thought headband, too, at first.
Also, so you’re saying that we should save eyeshades for you? Will do!
And have fun with E! I’m seriously jealous!
Oh, I totally want that pattern! I wear an eyeshade even when the room is completely dark–somewhere along the line it became like a security blanket or something for me; I find it very soothing. And if I could have an eyeshade as pretty and durable as that one, well, I’d probably make several!
Great idea! (I came here via mrsfife’s blog.)
I was just talking to my daughter about knitting eyeshades. Please spare me the trouble and write a pattern! Thanks.
Very cool (and I think the word you were looking for was “strap”!).