A Boyfriend's Hat

Hi everyone!

Lessee, since my last post I have actually gotten some knitting done! I finished my green beret/slouchy hat, and I love it. I was unsure if I could pull off the slouchy style, but it seems like I can. With great gusto. I like it because it keeps my hair in check (the wind whips it around something fierce) and my head warm. I didn't expect it to be a particularly warm hat, but it is! My guess is that the extra space in the hat traps heat from my head and makes a little warm pocket. Whatever the case, I hope that the slouchy hat trend is here to stay for a while. It's flattering, warm, and exceedingly fun to knit and block.

And a silly one. I was playing around with photoshop (Paint.net, actually) and this happened:

Pattern: Meret by Woolly Wormhead.
Gauge: About 5 spi
Yarn: Ella Rae Classic Superwash, colorway 21
Needle size: 7
Notes: Cast on the large size to compensate for tighter gauge. The ribbing could have been tighter, so I'd probably use a smaller needle for it next time. For the slouchy part, followed the instructions for the medium size with one extra repeat for slouch, not two extra repeats for extra slouch. Fantastic pattern, I loved it.

I also started and finished a hat for the ever-knitworthy Boyfriend. Actually, while we're on the subject, quick aside to say that on the 3rd, we celebrated two years together! We didn't do anything because we're both  dead tired and swamped with work during the week more often than not. That and broke. So, anyway, bless him for gracefully handling my transition from normal person to crazy knitting lady. He deserves all the handknit hats in the world! (Not a sweater, because we know how that always ends.) More after the jump:



I finally got him to break out of the world of plain beanies in dark neutrals by offering up a hat with a simple colorwork band. He decided that he wanted the secondary color to be tan, so we wandered around Loop for a long time looking for the perfect main color. I chose Malabrigo because the other hat I made him out of Paton's Classic itches him. If Malabrigo itches, well, then there's probably no hope for you wearing wool. Also, selfishly, I love love love knitting with it. I sound like a commercial, but it really makes every stitch a pleasure to knit. So have a gander at my handsome man:

 

Pattern: David's Hat by Kenny Chua
Gauge: Didn't think to check. Naughty, I know.
Yarn: Malabrigo yarn Merino Worsted, colorway Burgundy, Ella Rae Classic Superwash, colorway 13
Needle size: 7
Notes: Cast on 100 because 110 seemed absurdly big. Forgot that there's a liner knit on 5's on the inside, so the hat was tight at first. However, it grew with blocking and fits well now. Chart was lovely and the pattern was nicely written. My first time doing a provisional cast-on; hate it. Accidentally knit 1.25 inches after colorwork band instead of 1 inch, so halved the amount of knit rows during decreases. Grafted the top; got the idea from the ever inventive Techknitter.

I really, really like this hat. The construction is really interesting. You knit 3 inches on fives or sixes, do a purl row, then knit another 3 inches on your normal needle size. Then you undo your provisional cast on, fold the hat in half horizontally along the purl bumps, and k2tog all around. It was an interesting technique and it certainly worked well.I have a feeling it would have worked better if this wasn't my first go at a provisional cast-on, but any ugliness is hidden on the inside, luckily for me! I like the way the purl bumps look as the bottom edge of the hat; I might have to adapt this technique to some other hats. It takes longer, but it makes a warm, wind resistant hat with a nice and neat edge.

Boyfriend adores the hat. Straight up adores it. When I pulled the WIP out of my bag to show him how it was coming, he went "wow." It's difficult to capture the richness of the dye of the Malabrigo in photo, but it is a gorgeous color, the two colors go fantastically together, and the colorwork pattern compliments them tremendously. It's one of those projects where it all goes right. It blocked out beautifully, too. I'm a big propponent of blocking hats on the head they're meant to fit, and have put various recipients through the "wear this damp hat on your head, no, really, it helps, just do it, damnit" rigmarole, and it works every time. Boyfriend didn't mind at all, even though the hat was still sheepy smelling on his head. In fact, he started baa-ing here and there and was talking about his sheepy head; it was pretty hilarious, actually.

I have a few things floating around in my head at the moment re: what to knit next. I promised my little brother a pair of gloves, as well as Boyfriend, but I'm thinking of doing another quick hat for me first. Hats really are my favorite thing to knit, I think. I have this idea floating around for a hat in the Orchid Malabrigo with some colorworky bits in the leftover burgundy. It's a gothic wrought iron sort of design in my head. I think that pink-purple and brown can go two ways: preppy chic or fading wallpaper Victorian. Or something like that. Point is, I want to avoid preppy this time, with these exact colors, and go the other way. I haven't found a pattern to my liking, so I might hybridize some. I also want to try something in argyle, and have found a hat pattern that seems uitable. I think that St. James is going to be semester break knitting.

I have no yarn giveaways to share, but I did want to share a recent post by Techknitter. She artculates part of what I love about knitting. An excerpt:


Further, the knitter also remembers where the sock was knit--sitting on the sofa at home, perhaps, or on a splendid vacation, or maybe at the sick-bed of a beloved relative. Each stitch captures the tick of the clock while the curtains stirred the breeze, the vista of mountains unscrolling through the train window, the love and concern for the person in the bed. Process and product combine again: the knitted object as connection to personal history.

It's so true, isn't it? Go and read the whole post: you won't regret it.