HAT JAG

I'm on a hat jag. The ideas keep coming... what if I try this pattern with that yarn? The results are so rewarding because the projects are portable, I can finish a hat in less than a week, and unlike socks or mittens I only have to make one! It doesn't bother me in the least that I can't possibly wear all of these hats in my lifetime- I am happy to give them away!

Both of these hats are from one of my favorite pattern books, "Hats On!" by Charlene Schurch, available HERE. I made mittens based on this pattern a long time ago, and have had my eye on the hat pattern for years. I just couldn't see making it with the fine yarn and tiny needles recommended in the pattern, so I substituted thicker yarn ("Mini Mochi" by Crystal Palace) and scaled things down to compensate. The yarn does all the color tricks by itself! The Ravelry link is HERE.


Here is another hat made with a similar color-changing yarn, Knitpicks "Chroma". The sideways cable is made first, joined together, and then stitches are picked up and knit for the hat body and crown. I love the way the colors stripe, but didn't care much for the dull and blotchy colors of this particular colorway. I also discovered that the cable I chose doesn't stretch much, which is NOT a good thing for a hat! I guess the person who gets this hat will have to meet very precise head measurement specifications. Ravelry link HERE.

Still on the needles: a hat knit at such a tight gauge that not only is it thick and warm, I think it will be bulletproof too! Perhaps I should see if I can market it to the Canadian military.

CLICK HERE TO SHOP

BABY HATS WITH WAVY LINES

There are two adorable new baby girls in our church, and they looked like they had cold heads, so I resolved to make them hats. But I forgot, and now the winter is half over. So they will get toddler hats to fit them next winter. That's the joy of knitting for children: they grow in, they outgrow. As long as you make something bigger than they are at present, it will fit them eventually. For a while. And hopefully they won't grow in and out during warm weather.

The hat above is a classic lace pattern called "Feather and Fan", free pattern available HERE. It is an easy knit, and constructed from brim to crown, in the classic way. I made it in the round, so it would be seamless, and changed to the white yarn for Rows (Rounds) 5 and 6 to emphasize the wavy lines.

Now, what to do for the second hat... wavy lines are cool. I like wavy lines. I ran across this enchanting pattern for the "Bon-bon Bowler" hat by Susan Z. Douglas, published in Tops with a Twist, book available HERE. The construction of this hat is completely different. It is made one section at a time, kind of like a pie, and grafted together. The wavy lines are made as cables (crossed stitches). This seemed like a fun challenge, and I tried to make the cables stand out with contrasting yarn.


Of course I had to use thinner yarn and smaller needles to scale it down to baby size. Then I ran into problems because the scaling-down process didn't work quite right, and the shape turned out really wacky: way too big in circumference (17") and too short in the crown (4.5"). I should have added at least two more inches to the crown. I compensated for the weird fit by not hemming the brim, and adding ties so it would have a chance of staying on a toddler's head. Maybe it will work. You never know with toddlers. Mine were notorious for ripping off whatever clothing they could- socks, shoes, hats, mittens- and throwing them in inconvenient places. You can always try.

CLICK HERE TO SHOP