New year: more hats

This is Not Cabled, by Claudia Eisenkolb. You’ve seen it here before.  This time I knit it in Plymouth Yarn Worsted Merino Superwash. This superwash is a favorite yarn of mine especially when stitch definition will really matter. My only modification was to use my regular long-tail cast-on rather than the recommended tubular cast-on. I knit all the rounds the pattern calls for in a large size and my gauge was true.

Here’s GlassHead modeling it:

One reason why I am likely this hat, a lot, is that it puts great texture on a head without squashing whatever hairdo is underneath. Many slouches look like they’d do that but turn out to be more like beanies with a rippled puff on top.

This next Not Cabled is knit in Jones Street Worsted by The Copper Corgi Fiber Studio. It’s 60% merino, 30% alpaca, and 10% silk. Jones Street is a beefy Aran weight, with good stitch definition, and a wonderfully soft feel. It’s another one of those budget-busting yarns that I reserve for special one-skein projects. I was confident Not Cabled would work well.

My stitch gauge was off a bit and my row gauge was off too. I liked the feel of the material at this gauge and, rather than move to a smaller needle, I figured following the pattern would basically work. All I did to modify the pattern was trim 6 rounds from the hat, moving from round 13 to round 20 on the second pattern repeat. To keep the not-cables lined up, I needed to adjust the end of round. I knit more stitches in round 13, beyond the end of row marker, so that the pattern would line up and still start round 20 with a purl 6, knit 2. It was a bit of trial and error–enough so that I can’t tell you exactly what I did– but it got sorted out. This version of Not Cabled has a snood quality to it. I like it!

Here’s a view of the nicely organized crown decreases.

Next up is the Ravelry freebie Koko Bean Hat by JudithMarieknits. I worked it in my trusty fav Plymouth Yarn Worsted Merino Superwash, this time in the Primavera colorway. There are many versions of this hat, copycatting a commercially produced hat that I’m unfamiliar with. This one’s a keeper.

It’s a well-behaved hat with a well-behaved crown decrease.

The next hat is Andi Satterlund’s Cabot. It shares some features of Not Cabed.  It’s another good hat to prevent hat head and avoid bad hair days. I would tend to wear it to hide a bad hair day, though. I knit it back in 2014 in a two-color version, ahem, on account of I didn’t have enough yarn to knit it properly. I always meant to knit it again but it took me 5 years to cycle back around to it.

I’m pleased with the result. It’s best knit as Satterlund intended: one colorway. The textured triangle pattern is quickly mastered and makes for a fun and easy knit.

I worked my Cabot in the excellent worsted by Anzula: For Better or Worsted. It’s 80% merino, 10% cashmere, and 10% nylon: a warm, soft, bouncy yarn. The triangles even find expression in the crown decreases.

I’m thinking that 2020 is likely to be The Year of the Hat for me. Oh, wait. Every year for me turns out to be the year of the hat.

If you record each project on Ravelry and include the yardage used and then filter your project page by the year–2019–your total yardage knit during that year will appear at the bottom of the page. I knit 31,153 yards in 2019.  This past year’s yardage total includes 51 hats. I think I got a bit carried away.

Hundred degree hats

This week is not the week to tuck your sweaty head into one of these hats. Weather predictions say that in a few days it will be 101 degrees Fahrenheit in our neck of the woods. And daytime high temps are supposed to be in the nineties for about ten days. We hope the four Eastern Kingbird chicks who haven’t yet fledged from the cupholder in our dock-chair in the full sun will be able to make it through.

For some reason really hot weather always makes me think of the fun of knitting wool hats. So I’m featuring some here that I’ve knit recently that haven’t made it into the blog, including Suvi Simola’s great beanie “Bobbles & Cables Cap.” Mine is knit in Sugar Bush Yarns Rapture, a 50/50 llama/merino worsted weight that is next-to-the-skin soft. This is a product of Canada, Michigan’s (mostly) to the north great neighbor. The company says that “Sugar Bush Yarn is a tribute to a Canadian inclination to embrace its northern temperament.” Right now I’m working to embrace a southern temperament and not doing too well.

This pattern is included in one of the 60 Quick Knit Books whose errata typically span many pages. You won’t get bobbles like mine following the directions in the book. Simola has put out an errata, available on Ravelry as a note on the pattern page. But I decided to knit a still beefier one: knit one, purl one, knit one, purl one into one stitch. Turn and knit four. Turn and purl four. Pass the stitches over the one closest to the tip. This is the first time I’ve used a Sugar Bush yarn and I’m really liking this one.

What? Crochet? Crochet from this notorious non-hookerr?

Nope. It’s Wooly Wormhead’s 100% knitted Waffle Slouch. I was drawn to it partly because, except for the ribbing, it was knit masquerading as crochet. At least that’s what my eyes see.

My Waffle Slouch is worked up in Fibre Company’s Cumbria, 60% merino wool, 30% masham wool, and 10% mohair. I never heard of a Masham sheep and suspected it was somehow a mashup of more than one breed. That’s what it is. A crossbreed between either a Teeswater or Wensleydale ram with a Dalesbred or Swaydale Ewe. The result is a long lustrous fiber.

As always with a Wooly Wormhead beanie or slouch, she manages a disciplined, non-pointy crown.

I had a bit of difficulty with what should have been some pretty simple lacework in this next hat. Totally user error. It’s Tracey Lambert’s free pattern: Pennyroyal. It’s a keeper for sure.

I knitted mine in Anzula’s For Better or Worsted. It’s 80% merino, 10% cashmere goat, and 10% nylon. Great yarn. Great hat. I followed Lambert’s lead and added an extravagant pompom and the light highlights in the yarn really make the pompom pom.

If you try Pennyroyal, and please do, take note of the instructions on how to slip stitches. Slip the stitches knitwise. Ask me how I know that the more common purlwise just didn’t cut it.

This next hat is another Wooly Wormhead pattern: Tebe Slouch. I knit mine in Madelintosh DK in their beautiful nighthawk colorway.

Here’s another look at Tebe:

Great hat pattern and I will make it again. But one design feature doesn’t sit too well with me. You knit the caston together with the live stitches to form the picot edge with a purl row. The ridges just after the join don’t look right to me. I think I’d make the join with a knit row next time.

Golden

I just realized that I’ve been on a bit of a golden jag in some fairly recent projects. This one is “Little Lonely Cable,” a freebie by Joji Locatelli, available on Ravelry. Locatelli is a talented Argentinian knitwear designer who released this hat pattern free, back in 2013, to honor 3 years of support by Ravelers around the world.

The pattern is designed for DK weight. I knit mine in Shalimar Yarns Breathless DK. It’s a 75% merino, 15% goat mohair, 10% silk yarn and works up beautifully, with great stitch definition.

Here’s a look at the crown decreases. They are rather abrupt–by design, of course. The decreases create a garter stitch snowflake top. And that one lonely cable continues throughout.

Next up is “Linden Cowl” by Jo-Anne Klim of KBJ Designs. Klim hails from Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. My version of Linden Cowl is knit in Fleece Artist Woolie Silk 3-ply. Woolie Silk is, well, wooly silk. 65% wool, 35% silk. It’s also a DK weight.

I especially like the texture of this one. The lace is inspired by the shape of Linden Tree leaves.

Linden Cowl is an excellent fun knit. The yarn and the feel of this is so yummy that I kept the cowl for myself.

This next golden one is “Delfino,” another freebie available on Ravelry. This hat is designed by Luciano of LucianoLoop. She’s fairly new to her knitwear designer path.

I knit my Delfino in Anzula’s For Better or Worsted. It’s a worsted (obviously). And it’s yet another great yarn: 80% merino, 10% cashmere goat, 10% nylon.

Delfino passes one of my key tests for a good hat. It has a nicely behaved crown decrease and doesn’t come to a poked-out point.

While I was knitting the crown, I thought that ditching the cables so suddenly caused the crown to get disorganized. But I was wrong about that. It looks great.

So, it’s Jojo Locatelli from Argentina, Jo-Anne Klim from Australia, and Luciano from Montevideo, Uruguay. With the incredible assist from Ravelry, every knitter’s work is enhanced by having access to designs from, well, from everywhere.