Friday, December 10, 2010

Felicity

Today I unveil the first installment of the 52 hats project...

... and make my debut as a model. I decided to take advantage of the simultaneous availability of some lovely morning light and my husband, the photo alchemist. Mine was the only free head around-- though I did make this for a fellow redhead. Note to self: wear more green.


Project Notes


Yarn: Berroco Cuzco, a bulky-weight alpaca/wool blend. I have worked with its cousin Ultra Alpaca before and I just love the fantastic heathered colors in this line. This is Peat Mix. I knit it to the pattern gauge of 5 stitches/inch, and I suspect it might be happier at a gauge of 3-4. Having spent a good deal of time with Ultra Alpaca, I also suspect that this will grow some and drape a bit better after washing. I used almost exactly one skein. Let me illustrate:

These are the tails before I wove them in. I love having practically no leftovers! And there is something a tiny bit thrilling about coming so close to disaster. Though running out of yarn would have made necessary another trip to Purl Diva...

Pattern: Felicity by Wanett Clyde. I can see why this pattern is so popular on Ravelry-- it's hip, quick, easy, and free. I love the pleated top and the slight slouchiness-- I hope the recipient feels the same. It's also versatile-- if you roll the brim, you can wear it as a beanie. I cast on 10 more stitches than the pattern calls for-- as written, it yields a 14" unstretched circumference, and I thought that was a bit too tight. Other than that, no modifications. Thanks, Wanett!

Techniques: Long tail cast-on-- someday I will figure out how to measure the yarn so I end up with an appropriate length tail-- and lifted M1 increase. Oh, and it's knit in the round-- though I can't really imagine making a hat any other way. Sideways, maybe, but otherwise a seamed hat just makes no sense to me.

The Bottom Line: This was an excellent project to start my hat-a-thon. You could make a pile of these for last-minute holiday gifts or as stash-busters. I'm planning to make one for myself at some point.

One down, 51 to go!

10 comments:

  1. Oh, I LOVE this hat! Great job. The color looks awesome with your hair. : )

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  2. Gorgeous and yes do wear more green!

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  3. Awesome idea (52 hats in 52 weeks) and great hat! I'll have to add the pattern to my queue for when I get better at knitting.

    I have two skeins of Cuzco, one is a forest green (no longer listed on the website oddly) and the other an oatmeal (also not on the Berroco website). It's great to hear that it's a good yarn. I have yet to work with it, but just fell in love with how squishy and soft it was.

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  4. wow that colour does go so well with your hair which is a stunning colour, love the hat very cute x

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  5. Not sure I'd know what to do with 52 hats but love the idea! Good luck, your first hat is lovely (as is your hair, very jealous!) x

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  6. Your fist hat looks great. I can't imagine 52 hats. Good luck to you.

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  7. Gosh, and I wasn't even remotely fishing for compliments... thanks everyone!

    Tami-- I agree, Cuzco is the squishiest! Good luck with your knitting!

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  8. Love this idea, and I think it's very attainable. Can't wait to see all the hats!

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  9. Are you sure you want to give this hat away? It looks lovely on you, especially with your hair color.

    I love the idea of this project -- I really wish I had more time to do the same.

    Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and leaving such a nice comment!

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  10. An excellent start to your project! Yes, the green hat looks perfect with your red hair. : )

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