I’m going to say something completely out of character now. Mom, you better be sitting down for this one.
This finishing thing… it’s kinda fun.
I’ll give you a moment to recover.
I’ve got several more finished objects waiting in the wings but I had to bump this one to talk about today. I finally have a successful hat, just in time for our latest round of snow.
Pattern: Irish Hiking Hat (online pattern) modification of the Basic Cable from Stitch n’ Bitch Nation
Needles: Sz. 8 dpn
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease… I know, I know, I’m hip like that.
Dates: Gulp, years and years… My foggy old-lady memory recalls working on this set in my former apartment (doesn’t everyone mark time by which apartment they were calling home?) so it had to sit around for at least two years. I remember running out of yarn and wanting the needles for something else so I stuck the hat on stitch holders and tossed it aside. Bought the yarn, finished whatever I was using my sz. 8 double points on and totally forgot about the hat. The sad thing is that it took me one evening to actually finish it. I put it off for years and addressed it in one night. That’s something to add to that unfinished post about finishing issues…
Notes: Out of all my fancy pants knitting, guess what scarf gets the most play? And now that I’ve got a full set… I could be sporting the Wool-Ease on a daily basis. My inner snob is cringing at the thought, but you gotta love acrylic. I can wear it after the gym and toss it in the machine when it starts to stink. If it snags on something, which inevitably it will, eh, no biggee. I really have no idea how many skeins it took for the scarf, wrist warmers and hat, but at the most I imagine I’ve got around $10-$15 invested here. Well, hours and hours of my time, but who is counting that, right?
And just to justify my snob, the yarn doesn’t feel the greatest. It’s not extremely itchy or stiff, but it ain’t no Aurora 8 merino. Hmm… I do have a good stash of Aurora 8 though… repeat performance?
Big factor is warmth. This will be a fine hat for some days, but I’m going to need wool for those special Buffalo storms. I suppose the only thing the weather is good for is justifying more yarn purchases!
This is the boring stuff, but I wanted to record it for future hat designs. The quest for the perfect hat continues, after all. This may be the perfect hat for a spring day, but I will not rest until I’m ready for all the crap that the sky throws down on us here.
Unstretched, the hat measures 8” across, the ribbing is 3” deep, the first decrease is 5” from the top of the ribbing. There are approx. 13 rows after the first decrease, with decreasing on rows 1, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 13. Rows 1 and 8 have multiple decreases to really draw it in quickly.
Ribbing is 2x1 which makes for a nicer look when folded up. The wide brim also allows me to wear it fully folded up in the front but pulled down a bit in the back to cover my ears and part of my neck. (This may not be the best look, but I think I’d look even worse without ears after a severe case of frostbite.)
Hope everyone is in the midst of a wonderful weekend. I'm off to teach a friend to knit. When searching for something to do this afternoon, she politely asked if I would mind teaching her to knit, if it wasn't too much trouble. Little does she know that the cult loves to bring in new members. If only I could find a good yarn store open on Sundays...
This finishing thing… it’s kinda fun.
I’ll give you a moment to recover.
I’ve got several more finished objects waiting in the wings but I had to bump this one to talk about today. I finally have a successful hat, just in time for our latest round of snow.
Pattern: Irish Hiking Hat (online pattern) modification of the Basic Cable from Stitch n’ Bitch NationNeedles: Sz. 8 dpn
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease… I know, I know, I’m hip like that.
Dates: Gulp, years and years… My foggy old-lady memory recalls working on this set in my former apartment (doesn’t everyone mark time by which apartment they were calling home?) so it had to sit around for at least two years. I remember running out of yarn and wanting the needles for something else so I stuck the hat on stitch holders and tossed it aside. Bought the yarn, finished whatever I was using my sz. 8 double points on and totally forgot about the hat. The sad thing is that it took me one evening to actually finish it. I put it off for years and addressed it in one night. That’s something to add to that unfinished post about finishing issues…
Notes: Out of all my fancy pants knitting, guess what scarf gets the most play? And now that I’ve got a full set… I could be sporting the Wool-Ease on a daily basis. My inner snob is cringing at the thought, but you gotta love acrylic. I can wear it after the gym and toss it in the machine when it starts to stink. If it snags on something, which inevitably it will, eh, no biggee. I really have no idea how many skeins it took for the scarf, wrist warmers and hat, but at the most I imagine I’ve got around $10-$15 invested here. Well, hours and hours of my time, but who is counting that, right?
And just to justify my snob, the yarn doesn’t feel the greatest. It’s not extremely itchy or stiff, but it ain’t no Aurora 8 merino. Hmm… I do have a good stash of Aurora 8 though… repeat performance?Big factor is warmth. This will be a fine hat for some days, but I’m going to need wool for those special Buffalo storms. I suppose the only thing the weather is good for is justifying more yarn purchases!
This is the boring stuff, but I wanted to record it for future hat designs. The quest for the perfect hat continues, after all. This may be the perfect hat for a spring day, but I will not rest until I’m ready for all the crap that the sky throws down on us here.
Unstretched, the hat measures 8” across, the ribbing is 3” deep, the first decrease is 5” from the top of the ribbing. There are approx. 13 rows after the first decrease, with decreasing on rows 1, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 13. Rows 1 and 8 have multiple decreases to really draw it in quickly.
Ribbing is 2x1 which makes for a nicer look when folded up. The wide brim also allows me to wear it fully folded up in the front but pulled down a bit in the back to cover my ears and part of my neck. (This may not be the best look, but I think I’d look even worse without ears after a severe case of frostbite.)
Hope everyone is in the midst of a wonderful weekend. I'm off to teach a friend to knit. When searching for something to do this afternoon, she politely asked if I would mind teaching her to knit, if it wasn't too much trouble. Little does she know that the cult loves to bring in new members. If only I could find a good yarn store open on Sundays...
As we all know too well, Etsy is open on Sundays and if you're in the market for sock yarn, check out the Lone Knitter's new line. Poetry and pretties, who could ask for anything more?
4 comments:
Nice hat and don't worry about the snob factor even Rowan uses acrylic. I even made a Starmore out of Wool-ease because I was knitting for a nine year old. The important thing is warmth, especially when this weather of ours changes from one day to the next.
Have fun with the knitting lessons, I'm glad you're not off drinking green beer today.
I think your Wool Ease knits look great. They make me want to go out and get some Wool Ease and knit myself a set. Doesn't it feel great when you finish something that you've put off for a long, long time? Maybe finishing my prospectus will feel that great. Thanks for plugging my store. You're awesome!
You did such a nice job! Those are great.
Hey, there. I wanted to let you know that I mailed your package today, I was also going to enclose a little extra special something, but forgot to pack it with me. :(. I guess that gives me an excuse to mail you a package in the near future or give it to you at a certain conference in a certain sunny state this summer--I'll send you details in an email soon.
Post a Comment