Norwegian Knits-Along: Week 6

This site is called Cute Overload! ;). Don't say I didn't warn you.

A few people are doing holiday knitting, others trying to catch up with old projects, yet others keeping the fixation on colorwork and going along with it. Ready for the latest? Here we go:

Sweaters & Vests
◊ Rebekkah talks about almost succumbing to mindless purchasing! (Like it hasn't struck *you* before.) She wisely settled on color cards instead.
◊ Jill has been busy with her Christmas knitting; drop by and ask her about the KAL, will you?
◊ Sydney is almost done with Danger, woohoo! This was also her first foray into steeking.
◊ Julia will be moving to hats now; she'll be knitting Adrian's Pirates hat for her teenager.
◊ Catherine will also be moving to hats, since she'll be making Traditional.
◊ Beth has posted some photos of her Poetry in Stitches kit! Such colors, what a great pattern!

Socks & Stockings
◊ Jess has a sneak peek of stocking #1. Halfway there!
◊ Kate has paused (and I hope temporarily) at the heel of stocking #1. Kate, don't give up!

Mittens
◊ Nanette of Knitting In Color will be knitting Selbu from Sheila McGregor's Traditional Scandinavian Knitting. She's added her own twist, knitting little people on the cuff! Also... Nanette has written a book on stranded knitting, for anyone interested in even more colorwork!
◊ Terri has been busy, but she's given us a sneak peek of her mitten!
◊ Carie in her December 5 entry has more progress pictures of Selbu.
◊ Katie has finished one Frostrosen mitten! She overcame those pesky gauge issues and did a fabulous job, didn't she?
◊ My birthday buddy Véronique has posted a tip on knitting from charts. Quite a logical one, don't you think?

Hats & Headbands
◊ Prolific Sarah has finished yet another hat, the Triple Patterned Watch Cap, this time in so-relevant-for-holidays red and white! Check out those floats, they are sooo neat.
◊ Jessica has the first sighting of a Pirate on her blog! Looks good in black and white, Jessica! (And I have a feeling your son may like this, too!)
◊ Your host has reached the decrease rows of her Let It Snow! hat. Stranded knitting and decreases at the same time, how exciting!

Here's a closeup of the lining, whose edge was knitted to the hat. Here's how I did it: I used a crochet provisional cast-on and knit my 2.5" of cotton lining. I threaded my live stitches onto a length of worsted. Then as I undid the crochet loops I picked up the resulting live stitches and started knitting the pattern.

It must be noted that however many rows you did with the smaller needle for the lining *does not* mean you should knit the same number rows with the larger needle for the hat itself. It's a matter of measuring every now and then. When I thought the lining and the hat where about the same length, I went ahead and knit one more row of hat. The next row, I knit both the hat and the lining together, stitch for stitch, continuing in pattern. I picked up the lining stitch from back to front (that is, if you're facing the hat/wool side and the lining/cotton side is inside).

This method seems to work just as well as sewing the lining after completing the hat. I'll wait until I've finished and blocked it, though, before I give my final opinion. I have one more--Ufserud--to go!