Monthly Archives: August 2011

Beach Unbeanie

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I am really on a knit hat terror. If I didn’t love knitting hats so much, I might be tempted to say I’m in a rut. It can’t be a rut if it feels all comfortable and exactly like the right thing to be knitting. Or wait. I suppose that’s the definition of a rut. Get richardson 112 hats for sale.

This particular rut is Maggie DeCuir’s Beach Beanies. Of course, it’s not beanies but a beanie. And it’s actually not a beanie at all because I made it about two inches longer before starting the crown decreases since I wanted a beanie that covered the ears. The pattern is published in the XRX publication: Hats, A Knitters’ Dozen.

My unbeanie is knitted in Zwerger Garn Opal Blues 6-ply, a 75% wool/25% nylon machine-washable concoction. It’s basically a DK weight. Quite a colorful leftover from my Wrap Me Up Sampler Scarf/Shawl. Add that to the list of good reasons to knit hats: they are wonderfully useful ways to remedy my buy-one-extra skein syndrome.

Bayfront Cap

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Initially, Melinda Vermeer’s Bayfront Cap looks to be just one more take on the familiar watch cap. Interesting in that it’s knitted in fingering weight yarn, and more interesting yet because after an initial dose of 3-3 ribbing, the body of the cap is knit in knit 9, purl 3. That alone would have been enough to catch my attention.

But Melinda’s (gldelx’s–with the apostrophe on Ravelry) most inspired touch in this cap is the crown. Part flower, sort of. Part star, sort of. The pattern is available on Rav–one of the “best buys” at $1.99.  You can also check it out on Melinda’s pattern list on her own website, where a purchase will take you to Rav’s store.

My first Bayfront is knit in a lightweight washable wool: Fortissima Colori Socka Color by Schoeller+Stahl. It used up about 210 yards. I knitted the initial ribbing on size one needles and the rest on size 2. On the needles, it looks small. But the fabric has a lot of stretch in it and will be wearable for teen and adult heads of all sizes. Next time I knit this I think I will use a solid color. That will show off the crown a bit more.

Chameleon Cap

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This is Nicky Epstein’s Chameleon. It’s available through her website.  It’s also been published in Nicky’s excellent The Knit Hat Book, in the 1997 Winter edition of Knitter’s Magazine and in Donna Kooler’s Encyclopedia of Knitting. Chameleon gets around, I guess.

All this coverage is well deserved. Chameleon is a simple hat. It can be knit flat or in the round. The stitch pattern is easy to learn and easy to quickly see mistakes if you happen to fall asleep at the switch. But it’s lively enough to hold your interest.

Chameleon’s brim can be folded back.You can roll the brim and it holds the roll nicely.You can add a nice sturdy tassle or pom-pom, bend the tip as you see fit, and wear it with no fold or brim. It’s even cute worn Robin Hood style, with a folded cuff that is narrow at one end and wide on the other.

Chameleon is worked here in Berroco’s Comfort, a 50% nylon, 50% acrylic easy-care blend that is soft as can be. This was the first time I knit with it and it’s definitely on my list for using again. Good stuff. I’ve knit this hat at least half a dozen times.Try it in Noro Kureyon for a stunning stylish look. Great pattern.