Hat in Malabrigo Worsted: Knit vs. crochet

Hi, everyone, and sorry for disappearing – life has been crazy and hectic lately, but I’ve still carved out some time for my crochet hook and knitting needles.

Almost four years ago, I shared a lovely little hat I made in Malabrigo Worsted, a delightful single-ply 100% merino yarn. It was well-loved and -worn for years, until it finally got too small. My daughter liked the look and feel of it so much that she requested a new hat in the exact same yarn and color.

Being new to knitting, I thought it would be interesting to make a knit hat this time and see how it compares to crochet. This was my first project on circular needles (4mm).

Another point in favor of knitting was saving yarn. One 100-gram hank of Malabrigo Worsted is enough for a crochet hat, but barely, and only if I chose a yarn-economical stitch, no cables or front/back posts. My daughter asked for a hat with some room. So I could buy two hanks, use up about one and a third, and end up with leftover expensive yarn.

So, I bought just one hank and started knitting. I cast on 80 stitches, did ribbing, and continued knitting upward in stockinette. I made a slight decrease and then cinched the top with a large tapestry needle.

The comparison, in the end, was astonishing. It really drove home the point about crochet being a yarn-eater in solid fabrics. The crocheted hat (right) used up exactly one hank. The knitted (left) used slightly less, yet it’s much bigger. It’s long enough to fold the brim comfortably. It’s also a lot thinner, stretchier, and softer.

My daughter choose the same shade, Damask Rose, for both hats, but as you can see, there’s a substantial color difference. That’s the beauty of hand-dyed yarn – no batch is exactly the same. This goes to show that when you work on large projects in Malabrigo, you should buy all your yarn at once, because otherwise you’ll get hanks from different dye lots.

My inevitable conclusion is that worsted-weight yarn is probably a better candidate for knitting if you prefer less bulk and want to make your yardage go as long a way as possible.

Why do chickens sometimes lay funky eggs?

Eggs are surely the part you’ll most look forward to when getting chickens. If you raise chicks for the first time, you’ll peek excitedly into the nesting box every day. If you stick to natural light, you’ll count the days until spring while you make do without fresh eggs during your hens’ winter break.

Occasionally you’ll get surprises like an extra large double yolker, which makes you feel sorry for the hen who laid it. And sometimes you’ll find a teeny tiny egg, also known as a fairy or, less politely, fart egg.

When I found one of these eggs today, it was still warm, but I couldn’t pinpoint which of the girls laid it. I suspect it was one of those who are now going into molt. The coop floor looks like someone split an old-fashioned feather pillow there.

An occasional fairy egg is usually nothing to worry about, though it could point to a reproductive tract issue if this happens repeatedly. When I crack these odd little eggs I just see some egg white with no yolk.

Looking at my hens molt makes me doubly aware that the days are getting shorter and fall is ahead (although it can be hard to believe given the level of heat we’re having). The summer is going by too fast.

It’s chick season again!

Once again, we’re enjoying the process of letting a broody hatch her own chicks and care for them. She’s such a good mama, keeping the chicks warm, showing them how to forage, and protecting them.

Since we haven’t had a rooster for a while now (thanks to a neighbor who thinks late-night karaoke parties are all good, but occasional crowing is a big no-no), a friend gave us a few random eggs for hatching.

These are backyard mutts, so none of us really knew what to expect, and I freaked out a bit when I noticed one tiny chick had no feathers on the back of the neck. I suspected pecking, but soon realized we probably got a Naked Neck cross. I’m excited to see how it will turn out as it grows.

We have another broody right now, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for her.

How do you justify the cost of raising chickens?

While hanging out on Facebook, I came across this comment:

In my humble opinion, asking “Why should you keep chickens when you can just buy eggs in the supermarket?” is like asking “Why bother knitting a garment from hand-dyed merino yarn when you can just buy a cheap acrylic sweater on SHEIN?” or “Why buy a mug at an artisan fair when you can get a whole set of mass-produced crockery for the same price?”

It’s all about priorities. And perspective.

Sure, if you’re just calculating how many eggs you get per dollar, Walmart makes the most sense. But as any backyard chicken keeper will tell you, raising your own flock is so much more.

It’s the satisfaction of pulling a warm, fresh egg from the nesting box, then cracking it into a pan and seeing the firm, perfectly formed golden yolk.

It’s seeing your kids turn up their noses at an omelet from store-bought eggs because they can tell the difference.

It’s walking past empty egg shelves in the supermarket when supply chains get disrupted for some reason, and not being bothered because you have far superior eggs at home.

It’s the diversity of the eggs you gather, each one in a different shape, color, and size; and our favorite guessing game, “Who laid this?”

It’s the quiet joy of an afternoon cup of tea while you hang out with your clucking friends. Their antics never fail to entertain!

It’s never having to throw out leftovers again, because chickens eat practically everything.

It’s letting your birds loose and seeing cockroaches, crickets, centipedes, and other creepy-crawlies get demolished.

It’s the miracle of watching a tiny chick hatch in an incubator or peek from under its mama’s wing. (The little guys in the photo above are actually guinea keets, but they’re too cute to leave out!)

It’s becoming an informal learning hub for the neighbors’ kids, who get to watch a food chain they had previously thought very little about.

It’s a different kind of life. And when you love it, you stop counting eggs per dollar, and just live it and enjoy.

Wartime mitts in Malabrigo Arroyo

For a while now, I’ve wanted to crochet fingerless mitts similar to those I made in Malabrigo Silky Merino. These turned out to be a perfect little project to keep me calm and focused in the bomb shelter while we wait out Iranian missile strikes.

I worked with a 3mm hook and used about 50 grams (around 150 meters) of Malabrigo Arroyo in the color Cirrus Gray (845). This was my first time working with Arroyo; it behaves pretty much like its chunkier sibling Malabrigo Rios. For comparison, Rios contains 192 meters/210 yards per 100 grams, while Arroyo packs 306 meters/335 yards per 100 grams.

The ribbing for the wrist part is a rectangle made from single crochet in the back loop, then joined with slip stitch to form a tube. I then continued working the main part in this stitch:

Like other superwash Malabrigo yarns, Arroyo is smooth, uniform, and easy to work with. It comes in an array of vibrant colors and frogs easily if you need to go back and correct a mistake.

Crochet dress in merino-silk blend

This dress has been a long-standing project I’ve worked on, on and off, for almost a year. Sure, it took a while, but was so fun to make, and the result is just what I’d hoped for: a stretchy, drapey sweater dress, not too warm, light and airy, perfect for layering.

(Yes, I’m aware I still have ends to weave in, but I couldn’t wait to share this!)

I used Silk Merino Hand Dyed by Ice Yarns, a discontinued yarn. Side note: I will no longer recommend yarns from, or link directly to, the Ice Yarns store, as they have stopped shipping to Israel. But, since I already had this in my stash, I thought I might as well use it up.

This yarn is 80% merino and 20% silk and contains 361 yards/330 meters per 50 grams, which makes it lace weight/light fingering. I used 8 hanks, or 400 grams. A 2 mm hook for the collar and cuffs, and 2.5 mm for the body.

I adapted a Pinterest pattern and freehanded the ribbed cuffs and collar. The collar was the most time-consuming part by far!

Growing, harvesting, and using turmeric

Yesterday, I began harvesting some of the turmeric I had planted last year from rhizomes a friend had given me. I was thrilled to discover lovely, plump, fresh new rhizomes!

Rhizome is actually a thickened underground stem that the plant uses to store nutrients and propagate. To grow turmeric from rhizomes, look for “growth eyes” – little bumps/nodules on the surface of the rhizome. Each piece that includes an “eye” can grow into a whole new plant.

I had grown my turmeric in pots because of space constraints and also to protect the plants from chickens scratching around. Choose plump, firm rhizomes for planting.

Since it never freezes here, I planted when it was still winter. If you live in a colder climate, wait until after the last frost or start your plants indoors. Turmeric likes moist but well-draining soil and plenty of sun.

(Image from Pixabay, since I didn’t take a picture of my turmeric plants while they were fresh).

Turmeric needs a long growing season of 8-10 months. You must wait until the leaves turn yellow and begin to wither – that’s a sign of mature rhizomes. Save some of those for replanting and use the rest in cooking.

Peel and grate or thinly slice the fresh turmeric and add it to soups, stews, stir-fries, or any dish that calls for powdered turmeric. It will be less concentrated than turmeric powder, but I find that it adds a unique flavor.

If you have a bumper crop, you can freeze some sliced/grated turmeric for later use, or even dry and grind it into powder.