We Call Them Pirates, Part Trois

The bright side: my brother-in-law* wears the hats I have made him a lot... which is why the first one ended up destroyed and the second one got tangled up in some clothes headed for the washing machine. So, here we go again:

Yarrrrr

Project Notes

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash Sport. Let it not be said that I can't take a hint.

Pattern: We Call Them Pirates by Adrian Bizilia. I love this pattern-- and I know I was just arguing against large motifs in colorwork two days ago. The difference between these skulls and those (damn) whales: fewer rounds with long floats. MUCH less tedious.

Etc: I was thinking about adding an inscription to the inside of the brim-- something like "Don't #$^& This One Up!" I think Josh might actually find that funny-- but the truth is, I didn't mind making it, even for the third time. Handknits should be worn and loved-- there is no better way to return the affection with which they were made. Though I do hope that this one will stand up to a bit more love than the last...


*Whom I previously referred to as "a famous destroyer of knitwear"-- he remains a credible threat, I guess.

Whale Watch Hat

Today's installment of 52 hats is an illustration of a nearly universal principle: If a hat looks ridiculously huge on me, it will probably fit someone with a normal-sized head pretty well.

Hmmm... maybe if I was a Rastafarian?

It kind of oozes down the back of my neck

That's a lotta extra brim...

Yeah, I give up.

Now let's see it on someone with a less freakishly tiny head:

Well... it fits anyway.

No comment.

Project Notes

Yarn: Harrisville New England Shetland. I purchased a you-know-what load of this yarn to make Caller Herrin'-- evidence of which has not appeared here since August. In the meantime, I discovered I had the colors needed for Whale Watch. After completing both hats, I still have LOADS leftover. No complaints-- I'm looking forward to a few pairs of colorwork mittens.

Pattern: Whale Watch Hat by Kate Gagnon Osborn.* I was smitten from the moment I saw this in New England Knits, but I can't really say I had fun knitting it. I love colorwork when the patterns are small. I fairly flew through the Setesdal Love Hat-- both times I knit it... These whales are a different story. I had to continually re-tension my yarn to deal with the long floats-- tedious, in a word. This isn't really the fault of the pattern, just the reality of stranded knitting.

Etc: If only I could convincingly swear off knitting these kinds of patterns, I would probably cut my profanity usage by a significant percentage... but I can't deny that the result is adorable. I just need to find a head to put it on!


*I apparently love her designs-- this is the fourth I've knit for this project!

Waffel Hat

Yes, I checked the spelling-- since this pattern is from a Norwegian designer, I'm guessing that's Norwegian for... waffle? I could be wrong. In any event, here is my latest victim, fresh off a three night stretch:

And she still has a smile on her face after a two hour quality meeting...

Maybe it's the hat... or maybe it's the short distance to the elevator?

Project Notes

Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Geranio-- not an exact match for Nicole's winter jacket, but I think it's lovely with her complexion.

Pattern: Waffel Hat by Anna & Heidi Pickles. Like I said, I think the pattern was originally written in Norwegian, but the stitch pattern and instructions were too simple to be defeated by a less-than-perfect translation. The gathers in the ribbing are created by wrapping the yarn around groups of stitches and then knitting them-- I'm not going to lie, I found this part to be quite tedious, but I love the result!

Etc: Nicole works nearly every weekend and I do not, so it's always a treat when our paths cross. She has invented many ways to liven up the night shift, particularly the weekly narcotics count, which used to be a dreaded task. She also appreciates it when I make up songs about Sugar Free Popsicles, which makes her instantly hat-worthy in my book.

Pup Tent

It's been a few days since Hat 47 left my clutches, and I kind of miss having it around-- it spent a couple of weeks just sitting around my house looking gorgeous. Pardon me while I fetishize:

Project Notes

Yarn: Shelter-- my love for this yarn shows no sign of diminishing. The folks at Brooklyn Tweed were kind enough to let me come to the warehouse and pick up the single skein of Sap I needed... turns out, the recipient now works at said warehouse and has the opportunity to roll around in giant piles of Shelter* on an almost daily basis. Damn her.

Pattern: Pup Tent by Catherine Gamroth. The simple texture stitch pattern only looks like cables-- tricky, tricky!

Etc: I'm happy to report that Bristol is not yet too jaded to enjoy her hat-- though I think that perhaps the color has something to do with it. And I may or may not have acquired my own small pile of Shelter to roll around in... I mean, to make this! That's right, folks, there is a light at the end of this tunnel of hats, and it's getting brighter every day.


*AND now Loft!! I'm looking for a very flimsy excuse to start hoarding this yarn.

Tillie

I can't remember if this was a September or October hat. My Ravelry projects page tells me it was number 43... in any case, the backlog continues to shrink, and I think Tillie here looks pretty cute on her new owner:

Project Notes:

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Donegal Aran Tweed-- purchased at the closing sale of the yarn store that I used to be able to walk to. Even though the owner earned her nickname (The Stitchy Witch) many times over with appalling rudeness to customers, it's still sad when a yarn store closes.

Pattern: Matilda and Tillie by MK Carroll-- an adorable and clever pattern, if a bit hard to follow at times. I had a hard time figuring out the brim instructions-- there are multiple variations and it seems there have been multiple revisions to the pattern. Human error also played a recurring role, as it almost always does-- I made multiple attempts to join the brim to the crown before figuring out that I had made the brim way too long. The end result justified the effort, anyway.

Etc: I love how this turned out and I think it suits Chris very well-- which is a relief because I wasn't sure what kind of hat she might like. Once again I am grateful for Ravelry. Where else can you (harmlessly) stalk fellow knitters' projects and favorite patterns? Not that I spend hours doing it or anything... as a side note, this is my 100th post!

1840 Nightcap

I had a productive, fun-filled, and restful weekend, so I think I'm ready to face hat 47:

So pretty! Let's just try it on...

Wah-wah-waaaaaah

I know I have a tiny head, but this is ridiculous.

Reading the pattern, I had my suspicions that it would be too big-- the suspicions were confirmed when I finished the brim section. But... rather than start over immediately and risk delaying production on my final five hats, I decided to keep knitting. On and on and on and on... there's enough time in one week to knit a huge hat that you know will not fit, but not half of a huge hat plus one whole normal sized one. Not in lace weight yarn on size zero needles, anyway.

SO, for the purposes of 52 hats, I'm going to consider this done. Come December 1st, I'm ripping it out to start anew-- should have plenty of time to finish before Christmas... right?

Project Notes

Yarn: Malabrigo Sock, which, in my opinion, is lace weight. It is soft and lovely, but I can't imagine making socks from it-- I don't think it would stand up to that kind of abuse.

Pattern: 1840 Nightcap by Franklin Habit-- a scrumptious pattern adapted from a vintage knitting book. My only quarrel is with the math-- 208 stitches at 8 stitches/inch does not yield a 22 inch circumference, at least not in my universe. For my redo, I'm going to cast on 169 for the lace border, then increase to 171 for the brim and crown-- and instead of 4 decreases every 3 rounds I'll do 3, so the length remains the same.

Etc: This was fun to knit, so I don't think I'll mind making it again-- that is, if I can face another hat after November 30th...

Bill's Beanie

This morning I reluctantly released hat 48 into the wild-- I just didn't think it was as good as I could have made it. This guy, however, has no complaints:

Look out woodland creatures-- he'll be wearing this hunting tomorrow!

I was also somewhat reluctant to leave work this morning-- it's hard to leave unfinished business when you've been practically glued to a patient's bedside for an hour. So I had a real exercise in letting go-- it helps that Bill is super-competent AND thinks his hat is great as is. Still, I couldn't stop myself from assuring him that I had plenty of yarn in case the hat was too short...

Project Notes

Yarn: Knit Picks City Tweed HW. Near the outset of this project, I bought four balls of City Tweed and it's nice yarn for hats because it's very very soft. I don't love it, though-- it lacks body. I wish I had gone down a needle size or two more for the ribbing. I seem to always have this problem with yarns that have high alpaca content-- but awareness has not yet stopped me from buying them.

Pattern: Just yer basic top-down beanie. I used the increase instructions from Matilda and Tillie by MK Carroll-- another forthcoming project!

Etc: My coworkers are caring, funny, capable, hardworking, and generally awesome-- knitting hats feels like the least I can do to show them my appreciation. I can't help wishing that I had made the ribbing just one inch longer, but as my work schedule doesn't always coincide with Bill's, it would have delayed the gift by a week or more. And it's starting to get downright wintry out there-- not the sort of weather to go about hatless.