Knitted wits

cubahat2

I’m very pleased with how Cuba Street Hat turned out in Knitted Wit’s Victory DK. I am a bit chastened though because I was a complete sourpuss while knitting it. Cuba Street is designed by Nikki Jones for sportweight. I bought the Knitted Wit kit for this hat pattern (which doesn’t include the pattern, by the way) expecting that I’d have the correct yarn for the pattern. Think again. OK. There I go with the sourpuss thing.

Cuba Street Hat is supposed to be knit at 27 stitches to 4 inches and the pattern suggests size 1 for the ribbing and 3 for the body.  I used size 2 and 4. The hat doesn’t quite stand up on its own, but Victory DK (the gray) and the little “Double Bubble” skeins are beefy DK. I thought “no way.” And knitting this at such a tight gauge made my hands hurt. Sourpuss again.

Obviously, this…

knittedwit_doublebubble

turned into this:

cubahat4

So, in the end, no complaints. No complaints.

My only modification was to knit (not K1, P1) one round of purple and then one round of gray before starting the gray ribbing. It made what I think is a nice clean demarcation between the two colors. I like it and will probably keep it for me.

I’ve been on a bit of a Knitted Wit binge lately. First, it was the Amazing Technicolor Dream Cowl in Knitted Wit Gumball, a fingering weight. Then came the Cuba Street Hat in DK. I decided I’d try a worsted weight Knitted Wit kit in Gobstopper.

knittedwit_gobstopper

This time the kit suggests Kira Dulaney’s Kaleidoscopic Cowl. Game on! I enjoy slip stitch and a worsted weight cowl doesn’t cut it for springtime, but winter will be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tale. In fact, we have about a foot of snow at Long Lake right now.

kalidoscope3

Glass Head declares this a success. It needed an aggressive block. But it’s holding it nicely. If you decide to give this pattern a try, I suggest knitting more than the two rows of ribbing at the top and the bottom that Dulaney calls for. Four rows of ribbing and you won’t have to fret about the edges rolling.

Here’s a closer look. 10.5 by 10.5 inches. I like close-fitting cowls. But you may want to cast on for a few more repeats of the pattern. I had 61 grams left from the kit, which would have been plenty for a wider cowl.

I liked working with Gobstopper. A little less shading in the colorway might have worked better for this pattern though.

kalidoscope2