Inventory... and A Hat for Bryan

In an attempt to prove how nerdy I am, today I made an Excel spreadsheet listing my current knitting WIPs along with projects I intend to start. It has columns where I can mark whether it has been started, whether I have materials, the approximate cost of materials, and any notes associated with that project.

First on the list is the Sophia Babydoll: I have to crochet the straps and sew on the feather trim.

Next are the Diagonal Rib Socks: finish Sock 1, knit Sock 2.

Third is A Hat for Bryan. He requested a UA knit beanie. I'm going to adapt the Elann Esprit Reversible knit cap in appropriate colors. This is partially because Elann Esprit is the only yarn I've found in the right color. Plus, it stretches, so exact sizing isn't crucial. I wanted to make it in something nice and soft, like merino or alpaca, but although I've scoured both my LYS and the internet, I can't find a nice wool that comes in red, white and blue. And I'm not using acrylic. So, cotton it is.

image from the UA website; hopefully they don't mind me reproducing it here.

The next step is to map out my pattern chart with the UA logo... easier said than done. I did this for NC State, which has a straightforward logo that is easily charted. But UA is full of points and diagonals... I've done cross-stitch since I could hold a needle, and I know that trying to x-stitch diagonals is no picnic... same goes for knitting. So I traced the A onto graph paper and took the slope of the blue outline (m=8/3, in case you're interested). I drew a long line of y=mx and then manually pixellated it (read: drew boxes matching the line as closely as possible). Then I started drawing the blue outline, making it two squares thick. After that, I realized that the A I had drawn was about 3 times too large, and if it had to turn a 2x2 corner at that size, when I shrunk it down to the correct size, the pattern would no longer work. So I scrapped it and decided I could always knit the hat and embroider the A. Problem solved!