Another Hat

is on the way. It being made with the skein and half of the LLH Savanna colors yarn that I just used for the Square Peg hat. It's a bit of serendipity...

I've mentioned that I have spent several hours each week accompanying R to his doctors appointments. He's unable to drive, or for that matter walk more than a block or two. I bring my knitting, and if things go long (as they did Thursday when a 9AM appointment stretched to early afternoon) I get knitting done.

My leafy shell is pretty—I really like it, and it garners lots of compliments—especially the color... My good taste lies in choosing the color. But it does get boring. Taking it with me on these trips ensures I age a few rows done every few days.. (Another inch was added yesterday--a change so slight that it's not worth photographing)

The LLH yarn used in the Square peg hat, is in the same family of greens(as the leafy shell) —and while I have read the news and know that a bright emerald green is the color of the year for 2013—I think all greens are becoming more popular—or I hope so! I like most shades of green.

So this new hat in a cable design. I don't often work in cables—so I started the hat and it was fine till the cables (5 sets of cables, over 90 stitches) –and then it became to bunched up.. Clearly I needed to work some increases into the design—so a frogging we did go.

I left the cast on and ribbing intact. Then reworked the design an added an additional cable. What? 5 cables were too tight, so I made 6?!--Yup! But I also added 15 stitches to the 90 as I worked the cables. And away went the scrunched in look—and instead I have a nice smooth look with lots more ease.

The serendipity in this design comes from a hat I saw being worn by some one else while I sat in the waiting room of NY Hosptial (68th/70^th Street & York Avenue)--the very same hospital I was born in.

My copy/version of a commercial mass produced hat is not exactly the same. For one—the commercial hat was knit with bulky yarn—and the LLH yarn is just about worsted weight. The ribbing is tight on size 7's (4.5m) and the body is softer worked on 8's (5.m))--but the hat I saw was knit much looser. I prefer worsted weight to bulky weight (and besides, I had this yarn and planned to make a hat with it!) There are lots of other suitable yarns to chose from, besides this yarn (which is I think discontinued) Similar yarns like Full O' Sheep, or Lambs Pride, or some Paton's SWS yarn (also discontinued, but there is a lot of it around in peoples stashes) would easily substitute. I am sure there are other yarns that would work, too. 

The sample hat, when off, it fell flat on itself, and looked like a beret—but on it looked more like a (not to) scrunchy hat. This hat is snugger all round on my head—but then I have a large head! (22 inches) Most women will find it fits gently. Not quite as snug as watch cap, but not as loose as most scrunch hats. Cables are very gender neutral—and this hat is big enough that it will fit many men, as well—though on a large man's head, this hat would fit snugly like a watch cap.

I've made some nice progress.. and I am thinking of writing the pattern for  this hat up too. --Wait--I have already started to write it up. Its a pretty simple basic design—but details make it special.  The pattern writing isn't that hard--but I plan on doing double duty--written directions and charted ones, too. 

So, today as the snow and wet weather come in, I will alternately be knitting and documenting my progress.

Monday I should be able to show you a finished hat.