#Hat Knitting

[isthisknit]

finished some projects lately

[365knitsocks]

Craft Notes 12/18

Greetings! I’m getting so close to finishing this project!

[sarahdawnsdesigns]

Well, it's time for Free Pattern Friday - the Tributary Hat pattern is free over in Knotions Magazine!

This aran-weight cabled hat has the cable band knit first, followed by the top of the hat, and then the ribbing. And, needing only one skein of aran-weight yarn, it comes together pretty quickly, making it a great quick knit gift (or, just an emergency knit to keep your ears warm!)

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

my toxic hat knitting trait is never using the smaller needle size for the band

[ub-sessed]

Just finished knitting my first hat!!

I made the two braids different to see which one I like better. Gonna wear it for a while before I decide. Probably also going to make the tassel shorter.

I was hoping the weight of the braids would keep the earflaps from curling up, but they're still curling. Maybe after it's washed they'll relax a bit.

Yarn is Bernat Forever Fleece in Coal, Rose Hip and Patchouli. Pattern is Hecla by Brenda York, with an altered stitch count and decrease rate because I'm using chubbier yarn and I wanted a pointier hat. I also used YO increases in the first row of the earflaps to give myself holes to put the braids through. Not sure that was necessary. Instead of M1s, I used lifted purl increases because I find them prettier in this context.

Right now because I have just finished making it, I'm hyper-aware of everything that's wrong with it, but it's VERY soft, and very warm, and I love the colours, and it's pretty damn good for a first hat.

I'm going to make another one (in different colours) for my daughter for Christmas, and I'm thinking of going up a needle size. This is pretty snug and the fabric is a bit stiffer than I'd like. I'll see after it's washed. I might also make the earflaps a bit bigger.

The decreases are k2togs. I find that to keep them from creating a big oversized stitch, I have to work them on the very tips of my needles. Which was very difficult with the very slippery, fairly blunt Knitter's Pride Nova Platinas I was using, which were otherwise perfect for this project because the yarn (100% polyester, almost a roving) is quite grippy and splitty. Would it be ridiculous to switch to my Knit Picks Sunstruck tips (wood, extremely pointy, long tapers) just for the decrease rounds?

[onionkingy]

[randomknittingravenclaw]

Knitted both of the cuffs for the mantelet from TheJaneVictoria on Etsy the other day. I'm so excited to work on this project, but have to wait to get the second pair of knitting needles. I have all the yarn, six skeins of wool ease in the color forest heather. Such a beautiful color, and the moss stitch looks so pretty! I might be able to go get the needles today, but otherwise have to wait until Saturday afternoon.

Both of my cuffs waiting for the needles.

I started a hat project to keep me busy while I wait, because I can't not work on something. So when I get the needles for the mantelet, I'll probably have to put the hat in my car so I'll actually remember to work on it.

[brownbuttercookies]

i also started my first test knit!

i made friends with someone who designs and writes and sells some patterns (and she also knits and sells her hats of her own designs, she’s amazing) and she has a really popular pattern right now that she’s trying to expand sizes for. and i knit at a smaller size usually and i have a ton of yarn on hand and i usually have to rewrite patterns to match my gauge because i knit super tightly and love sweaters so i am really good with pattern math (for garments) and i am just so pumped to do this. so yeah. lace progress and test knitting and i’m rolling after finishing my socks that i left from last year. i don’t think i even posted those, they were such an obligation to finish ugh. i only wanna show you guys stuff i’m pumped about.

oh YEAH and i live rural but not the way americans are so county fairs and shit are rare here. anyway i heard there will be one near me in the fall that accepts entries and i think i’m gonna submit the rainbow scarf. i’m really proud of it and it did the rounds here on tumblr and i think it would be fun to enter it lol.

[countthelions]

Hat complete!!

[picturehealer]

Machine knit a cozy hood (hoodie, neck warmer) on the LK150

[letissierdesigns]

Due Process

[isthisknit]

I have had next to no free time lately but finished this musselburgh and will hopefully be able to gift it tomorrow (sadly without blocking but I don’t have my stuff here)

[365knitsocks]

CRAFT NOTES 12/17

Greetings! I have made some good progress on my hat. I’m still hoping to finish it before the end of the week.

[sarahdawnsdesigns]

This Free Pattern Friday is thanks to the wonderful folks at KNITMuch! They pointed me in the direction of the Gallinule Hat (and the saga of knitting this hat will be up on the KnitMuch blog in October!)

The designer's notes for this pattern call it a 'classic ribbed hat', and I'd absolutely agree. But, it has the nice little design feature of having the crown decreases in pattern, so they don't disrupt the lines of the ribbing (not all designers make this effort!) And since it comes in sizes from 'baby' to 'adult large' you can knit one for everyone in your family!

[applesforhela]

Crafty updates 1/14

Finished up the fuzzy lilac hat for my daughter just before we went on a trip to see some of the grandparents. Just what she needed for those cold days.

Slowly but surely managed to finish up the buttercup socks today on the air plane back home. Glad to have them all done even if they're slightly big. Should be good for wearing over a regular pair of socks for extra warmth.

[ub-sessed]

I'm knitting my first hat!

The pattern is Hecla by Brenda York, though I simplified the colourwork from four colours down to three. It calls for a super bulky yarn but not one that's nearly as super bulky as the Bernat Forever Fleece that I wanted to use, so I had to eliminate a pattern repeat to get the right size/stitch count, and I think now it's maybe a tiny bit too small. My colourwork is kind of a mess but this hat is going to be WARM (which is why I wanted stranded colourwork over the ears) and SOFT.

Because I had to change the stitch count I knit up a little miniature tree-topper version first to check the proportions:

Yarn is Red Heart Comfort in Red (Shimmer).

I decided I want my hat longer and pointier, so I'm not going to increase the decrease rate the way the pattern does.

If my daughter likes it I'm going to make her one for Christmas, which will give me a chance to tweak anything I think could be better.