Odessa

I've been getting antsy and so frustrated with this blanket (not the project itself, but how LONG it takes to knit a blanket) that I decided to break up the monotony by knitting myself a hat.

I have had some Jaeger Matchmaker dk yarn in my stash for a while; one skein was left over after I made these socks. I didn't know what to do with the third skein for a while, but I had always kind of allocated it to make Grumperina's Odessa hat. This was...almost two years ago. I finally bought beads on Tuesday, then sat down to make this hat. It took three days from my blanket, but I was grateful for the distraction and the (finally) satisfaction of starting and completing a project, without feeling like it will never. end.

I'm not a big fan of this style of hat, actually. I prefer newsboy caps...but I always seem to lose my cute hats, and wind up using these knitted hats, anyway. So they may as well be cute. With beads.

Norwegian Star Earflap Hat

Pattern: Tiennie's Norwegian Star Earflap Hat
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in Pink and White
Needles: size 7 Addi Turbos

Mods: I did a mockup with some old Cascade 220, knitting the earflaps first then casting on for the hat, and I thought the brim would curl - even the way tiennie wrote the pattern. For one thing, I'm not so great with the backwards loop. It looks easy enough, but I was getting an uneven, curly brim. My solution?

I used this cable cast on that I learned from Romi when I started Muir, and crocheted two sets of 21 stitches each. Then, I cast on for the brim, knitting the crocheted stitches (instead of picking up the earflaps) as I came to them. There were some holes, and I might have still benefited from the backward loop cast on...oh well. I used the yarn ends from the flaps to weave those holes shut.

I knit a 2x2 rib brim, because I like the look of a 2x2 brim on a hat, and it had already worked really well when I knit this hat up for my sister. I followed the rest of the pattern as it was written, although I wish I had made the top of my hat taller, and had knit less rows between the brim and the pattern - the yarn I used on my sister's hat was a little bit thicker, and it made for a taller, albeit slightly tighter hat. Also, I loved one mod I saw on ravelry with some added stripes. I may just be using that idea when I knit this hat for Jason.

After I pulled the yarn through the crown and finished the hat portion of the hat, I unzipped the crocheted yarn at the brim, and started knitting the earflaps. I have to say that although the other way seems just fine, this way makes more sense to me, since after I've decreased down to 3 stitches, it's so much easier to just keep on going with the i-cord.

I finished this hat yesterday just as we got to Revere Beach. I thought it was warm enough to leave the hat (whose ends were still hanging all about since I had forgotten scissors), but I had to put it on when we got back to the car, because I think the cold had come in through my ears and frozen my brain. Thank goodness I have it now for the blizzard. It's such a warm hat.

One Dollar Hat

When I was in Minnesota for Thanksgiving, I managed to knit a hat. I have so many projects swimming in my head right now (for Christmas, for me...) that it's hard to sit down and focus. This hat wasn't even on the list of "necessary" knitting, but it had to be done. Besides, the yarn? It cost me $1. That's right. One dollar hat:

Pattern: Natty Hat from Knit and Tonic
Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in color 140 (Dusty Rose)
Needles: Size 8 clover dpns for the rim, 16" size 11 circular needle for the cap

Mods: I was kind of at a loss here because I only had size 8 dpns on me, even though it called for size 9 needles to cast on, and I didn't have gauge). So instead of 60 stitches, I cast on 66 with the size 8's. Hi, I don't swatch. I just guessed here, but it worked out perfectly (it fits just snugly enough without leaving obscene hat marks for the rest of the day).

I knit a 2x2 rib for the brim instead of a 1x1 rib, just out of personal preference (even though the 1x1 would have "worked better" with the hat pattern, I had already cast on six extra stitches, so this was moot, anyway).

While I did use the size 11 circs for the hat, and it fits nicely, I think that I would rather have a tighter cap (using a size 10 needle rather than the 11s), or use a more substantial yarn, even though the point is to have a cap that's not really winter wear. However loosely knit this hat is, though, I think it's lovely, and you really can't beat that price!