The Winter That Just Won't Stop*

Ah, such a lovely March morning when you wake up and find FROST on the INSIDE of your windows! Weather Dude, enough already! I’m soooo over this whole winter thing.

But to make the most out of a chilly situation, more months to make winter gear, right?

Thanks for all your comments on my first project in the Great Hat Quest of ’07. I think Lone Knitter called it. The P-hat doesn’t necessarily look all that naughty, but once I got that image in my head there was no going back. I’ve tried to put it on around the house every now and then (and yes, my apartment is cold enough to warrant indoor hat wearing, see “frost inside” above), but I just can’t shake my initial call on this one. I’ve even tried adding some flower brooches like all the cool hats are wearing these days, but to my tainted eyes it just looks like a boy part with bling. So frog it is…

And to really make this quest epic, hat #2 isn’t looking so hot either. In the spirit of Knitting from the Stash and expanding my color choices in Project Spectrum (even though this hat isn’t anywhere near the current PS colors), I chose a skein of Noro Kureyon that really isn’t me and jumped in for the Fake Isle hat from Magknits. I used some leftover Plymouth Galway worsted wool that coordinated with the most dominant shades in the skein, alternating the lime green and magenta based on the Kureyon.

Some of the online reports said it turned out too shallow so I generally went with the numbers of rows for the larger size although I cast on for the smaller size. Not only is it too long, but too big around. This is entirely a knitter’s dilemma and not the pattern. I think I should have to take some sort of test before I sit down with anything remotely requiring thought or skill, just to be sure I haven’t run out of focus, energy and mental fortitude. I really think I’m only safe for garter stitch right now.

I considered a few remedies (felting, overdyeing) while I was knitting and not feeling the love, but now that I’ve finished the world’s ugliest hat, I know that it’s time to frog.

I’ve heard it said that we learn more from our failures than our successes and with this one, I’d have to agree. I learned that I do enjoy fair isle knitting, but I think I want to go at it in a smaller gauge and with smaller floats. I also learned that if you aren’t loving the colors when you start, you aren’t going to love them any more when you finish. Finally, and the thing I think I needed to learn right now, pay attention when your head says you want simple knitting. I loved every minute of the Clapotis (which I need to blog) because it was pretty mindless stockinette, and, well, yarn with silk content is yummmmy. I didn’t think this was too difficult, but the slightest bit of challenge made me sloppy and the finished product reflects this attitude.

Another one of those random sayings which seems apt: If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right. I usually use that one to chastise myself into working harder to do it “right,” but recently I’ve been thinking about turning it around. Perhaps if something isn’t worth doing “right,” it isn’t worth doing?

Anyway, I think a nice, simple London Beanie is going to be my next attempt for a head covering. I’m balking on starting it though in hopes that it will stay warm enough to warrant hat-less outings.

* To be truthful, it’s bright and sunny here today and we might just might hit 40 degrees. I started writing this a few days ago and just had to share the interior frost picture to get some sympathy from the folks at home in the sunny Midwest.