Hats for Da'Boys - Christmas in February?

Okay, so I had this bright idea that I would knit hats for Da'Boys. Four boys. Aren't they handsome boys? YES! They are!


If you will remember, I already posted about the pattern. The Boy Hat in a post a few weeks ago called -Mad Hatter

Well, I have made great progress. I have completed 3 of the four hats.. and the last one I am just about at the decrease. Oh and about those decreases, I am getting pretty good at my SSK, if I don't say so myself! So it looks like we will have Christmas in February this year!

I used Cascade Heathers for two of the four hats and Cascade 220 for one (Balls & Skeins). LOVED IT! I believe the pattern and this fiber is a perfect match!

I also used a Hemp Wool for one of the hats - the black one in the middle (Stitches West 2008, Hemp for Knitting). I really loved the feel of the fiber and enjoyed knitting that one up. If I was to do it again, I would use a smaller needle to have a tighter looking fabric. I used an 8 and really I think a 7 or maybe even a 6 would have been great. The pattern has enough give that I would probably not need to increase the cast on or if I did not by much. If you have never knitted with Hemp or Hemp Wool, I VERY much recommend it. I think once you do, you will forever be in love with the fiber! Without a doubt, I will be visiting the Hemp booth at Stitches West 2009!


And now for something totally unrelated... Nicole got a hold of Sean's motorcycle helmet the other night... I think she just might have a little "hat" fetish too?



Whatcha look'n at Mamma? The funny thing is the helmet was so heavy she had a hard time walking around with her head up straight, yet, she didn't want to take it off. Our little biker girl!Got me to thinking that I just might need to find a helmet hat pattern... oh my! More hats? Makes me want to jump up and down from the joy! Off to Ravelry in search of a new pattern or three! You can check out my pattern queue anytime.. See you online! ;-)Liz

Perfect Pageboy Hat - NOT

I FINISHED A PROJECT!!!!!

I started with pattern #415 perfect pageboy by lanaknits design hempforknitting.

After frogging the hat no less than 8 times, I gave up! I loved the yarn - double stranded - it was a lovely color combination and amazing fabric, but I just could not get the pattern - left twist, right twist, needless to say I was twisted into a knot!

So, instead of giving up on the whole thing, I decided to make the hat using the parts of the pattern that I loved, the “seed” stitch, which amounts to alternate rows of (k1, p1) for about 12 rows. Then I just knit the rest of the hat, until the hat reached about 5 1/2 ” in total.

I then followed the pattern a bit on the decrease until it was time to break the yarn and pull it tight. Before I knew it I had a lovely little hat - I started a brim to add to the hat as the real pattern suggests, but as I worked on it, it really didn’t feel like a good idea, because I was loving the hat as it was so much, it didn’t need a thing more… I hardly want to part with…

The great news is I finished the project, I love the fabric, I love the color and I love the fact that I didn’t give up just because the pattern didn’t work for me at my level. My plan is to hand the pattern and the yarn to one of my “Designated Knitter” partners in crime and see how it turns out. I plan on knitting this hat by the pattern some day, but for now, I am loving what is now considered a FO! ;-)

Here are my supplies.....

Needle

US 8 / 5.0 mm

Yarn

Hemp for Knitting #209 Hemp Wool

How much?

0.5 skeins = 240.0 yards (219.5m)

Colorway

043

Color family

Yellow

Purchased at

Stitches West in Santa Clara, California

Yarn

Hemp for Knitting Allhemp6

How much?

1 skeins = 165.0 yards (150.9m)

Colorway

010

Color family

White

Purchased at

Stitches West in Santa Clara, California