On the bucket hat I have passed the part where the provisional cast-on stitches are knit together with the other live stitches to make the fold-up brim. You can see how that looks here.
I ended up having to finesse it some, since my stitch count was not what it should have been. But I don't think it shows up in the (on its way to being) finished project. So the Better Bucket is good.
As for the Odessa, I had ample time this last week to wander around both a large thrift store (not the Sally Ann, as I first thought, but something to do with Bible Missions) and the big Len's Mill (not our smaller local one).
The thrift store was a treasure trove of discarded knitting supplies, knitting needles going back to the 1940s or even earlier it seemed. The yarn was mostly old acrylic, but there were some nice cottons in among them. I came home with some Hayfield Ibiza, a DK weight 50% acrylic blended with cotton and flax. This is what I'll make the Odessa hat out of, as the yarn is an off-white colour.
I also brought home all the decent-quality circular needles they had. At 75 cents a piece, it doesn't matter if I end up with a lot of repeats. They are mostly Aero I think -- although that's only a guess, because they aren't marked, even to print the size.
At Len's Mill I bought some beads. I thought I might like white ones as the Odessa pattern calls for, but they seem too bland with the off-white yarn, so I think I will instead try some irridescent coloured beads that I bought at the same time.
Actually, I couldn't wait, so I cast on.* I can see that these heavy glass beads are going to be a liability. As is the strange texture of this yarn. But the worst liability of all is fixable only by spending money on Addis.
At the same time as I bought the beads, I made the mistake of picking up some inexpensive circulars at Len's Mill. (At the thrift store, they only have the sizes that people happen to have donated, so for specific sizes I needed a proper store). So one of the needles I got at Len's Mill was a "Unique" brand 40cm size 4 for the ribbing of the Odessa hat.
Oh. My. God. What a BAD idea.
See that bump at the top of the needle? It stops the stitches from sliding easily from the cable to the needle. Also, the needle does not have a glossy finish, so once you wrestle the stitches over the bump, they still stick, all along the needle.
Addi Turbos are different. They are designed to keep your knitting moving. The narrow end at the cable join allows the stitches to slide onto the needle easily, and the shiny finish of the needle does not hinder stitches from moving. Also, the cable is made of a flexible material, rather than hard plastic.
I need more Addis.
* Knit one round, and then ripped it out. Couldn't work with the inferior needles.
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