Brier Toque

My Main Men

Crazy Zauberball.  Doesn't that just sound fun?  I made this Brier Toque for my husband, and I even let him choose the color! I'm usually a selfish knitter and make everything for myself.
Upon looking at finished projects on Ravelry, I soon discovered that this hat only used about half the skein.  Whoopee!  I can make two hats!  This is cool for several reasons.
1.  I use up an entire skein.
2.  The second hat will go to my Dad.
3.  It will be fun to see how different the two hats will be.

I'm was looking forward to seeing how the color changes in the yarn turn out.  It kept me knitting despite the simplicity of the pattern.  I can't say that I love how this yarn feels.  It's almost scratchy, but I could just be spoiled with my usual Malabrigo (aka knitting heaven).

I'm anxious to get this hat wrapped up because school is starting soon.  No more lazy days of sitting in the recliner watching Doctor Who and leisurely knitting.  I'm moving from teaching 4th grade English Language Arts to Kindergarten.  It's a big jump, I know.  More like a free fall.  However, I was indoctrinated in Kinder the first four years of my teaching career.  It will be like going home.

The first hat only had a little white striping amidst the blue and black body, but ended in a large white crown.  I would have avoided that if I could have.  But that's the joy of the Zauberball, or should I say that's why they call it crazy.  See how different they look?

My Dad looking cool.

The handsome Mr. York.

Plethora of Purple Purls

I waffled on which color to make this hat for almost three days.  Everyone I asked picked a different color.  I ended up using Manos del Uruguay Maxima in Concord for the Solitaire Beret by Natalie Larson.  I'm exceedingly happy with how it turned out.  Apparently purple is a popular color for this hat.  I found many in my chosen color on Ravelry.

This would be a good cable project for a beginner in that it only has the one cable.  BUT, you have to love purling.  I mean really love purling, because other than the cable, that's all this hat is.  I took my project to a knitting lunch with friends.  Even my friends who are more experienced than I, looked in disdain at the amount of purling.  Maybe there is someone out there that lives to purl.  I'd like to meet them.  I mention this not to turn anyone away from the hat, but to give a fair warning.  If I make another, I will probably go down a needle size.  I would like the brim to be a bit more snug.

All the purling was worth it.  This is another favorite that I look forward to wearing in the cooler months.

Itty Bitty Baby Hats

I'm taking a break from my regular queue to knit up some precious baby hats for a photographer friend of mine.  Have you ever felt that you were lucky to have met someone?  That's how I feel about Sarah. Besides being an uber-talented photographer, she is an exceptionally nice person.

It started with a skein of Knitcol Adriafil.  My friend Shelley knitted an adorable baby hat with this yarn, and I had project envy.  Then I found the Duketer.

 The yarn and pattern were made for each other!  The only problem is that I no longer have an infant, nor any pregnant friends.  That's where Sarah comes in.  She shoots newborns for a living.  She could make use of my baby hats!
Here are a few of the sweet little projects for Butterfly Chaser Photography.

Lea Cloche

The Lea Cloche by Cecily Glowik McDonald is one of the patterns that initially caught  my eye in the book.  It was unlike any hat that I've made before.  I found the perfect color tweed yarn, Hikoo skacel Kenzie in a lovely teal.

The pattern began with a funky cast on for the crown of the hat.  I had to do it twice to get it correct. Funky, but not impossible.
There was also some purling through the front and back which was new to me.  I'm really growing my technique repertoire with this book!

Once I got going, it knit up quickly.  I finished knitting it the next day.  There wasn't the glorious, angels-singing love upon completion.  Usually when I finish a hat, I can't wait to try it on.  This hat just looked lumpy along the brim, but I had hope that blocking it would work out the kinks.

After blocking, it did look better, but the brim still seemed to roll a little.  It just didn't look like I had anticipated it would.  Still, there was hope.  I had to add the finishing ribbon and button.

With hat stashed in purse, I set out to JoAnn Fabrics to search out the perfect hat adornments.  The perfect ribbon sang out my name as soon as I turned onto the ribbon aisle.  I accepted it's call and ventured on to find the final touch.  A wall of buttons greeted me, and I excitedly plucked off an array of possibilities.  There were so many good choices that I had to enlist the help of any random stranger that looked my way.  After much consultation, I chose a coconut shell button with little details of color.

You would think that I would have finished the final touches as soon as I got home.  But, no, I faced disappointment again.  Apparently Lulu's head is smaller than mine.  I pinned the ribbon to the hat while Lulu wore it.  I tried to put it on my head, but the ribbon made it too small.  Agh!  How was I to pin the ribbon on the hat while wearing it?  So there it sat, lonely, on Lulu for a good solid week.

I brought it along with me to visit my mom.  I asked for her help, and between the two of us, we finished it.  I wore; she pinned.

Finally, the moment of truth.  I placed my finished cloche on my head, and with eager anticipation looked in the mirror.  Again, disappointment.  I looked horrible in this hat that I had so much hope for.

Like Cinderella's slipper, my mother tried it on.  In true glass slipper style, it appeared that it was made just for her.  I mean, it looked really good.  So good that I insisted she keep it.  I'm glad this hat has a good home.

Lesson learned:  They can't all be keepers.  Also, I'm not made for cloches.

Everdeen Beanie

Moving right along in the book, I tackled the Everdeen Beanie by Tanis Gray.  I used a skein of Malabrigo Silky Merino in Lettuce.  I was kinda worried that one skein wouldn't be enough, but surprisingly I ended up with quite a bit leftover.

This hat begins with a cable cast on, a method that I was unfamiliar with.  The book has an easy to understand tutorial in the glossary, and it was the only resource I needed.  It took me about 8 stitches to really get the hang of it, but I had no problems after that..  Here's a link if you'd like to give it a try. 

The benefit was that I didn't have to guess how much tail I would need for a long-tail cast on.  As an added bonus, the finished edge has a nice neat look.

I can say with absolute certainty that I do not like knitting through the back loop as part of a main pattern.  Sure, here and there, no big deal.  I really had to pay attention to the pattern.  This was not an easily memorized pattern.  You can't watch the a new episode of Downton Abbey and knit this.  You should have back ground t.v. that you don't have to actively attend to, for me that would be Doctor Who episodes that I've seen many, many, many times.  

Finally, I picked up a rhythm of the pattern after about 20 rounds.  

I think the finished hat is gorgeous and worth the time and effort.  However, I most likely won't make another because of the silly knitting through the back loop.  Well, I would have to really, really like you to make you one.

The Lettuce color reminds me of Kermit the Frog (in a good way).  It isn't easy being green.

Two Fun Hats for Two Fun Girls

It's been a busy, busy week for the York girls.  Traveling to Nana's house, kickoff of running club, birthday party, and library fun have kept us moving.  You may think this cuts down on my knitting time, but not so!  I can easily knit while singing along at library story time.

Let's call this a double-feature to make up for my tardiness. (I try to post on Wednesdays, and it's already the Sunday after.)

Back in March, this pink yarn caught my eye while in Utah at Blazing Needles.  It screamed, "Bubble gum," to me.  I didn't know what would become of this hand-painted Rhichard Devrieze yarn, but I knew I had to make my daughter something with it.  As all good parents know, if you make something for one child, you must do the same for the other.  So I just had to pick out another skein.  All in the name of fairness. 

Once home, my kiddos chose differently than I mentally assigned them.  Oh well.  I want them to like it.  

Abby's hat made it to the top of my queue because she was sick.  Poor baby had a fever for three days.    That meant I stayed home from work to knit and watch My Little Ponies.  I used the simple free pattern Barley because I wanted to show off the colors of the hand-painted yarn.  The finished product reminded me of a bright handful of party confetti, thus my project name Confetti.

Gorgeous.

Soon I moved on to Audrey's hat.  I was itching to knit up a pattern out of my newly-acquired Weekend Hats, and I wanted something fun.  Audrey is just a ball of joyful energy.  I chose the Ripple Hat by Melissa Wehrle.  The pattern called for Rowan Kidsilk Aura, which is a worsted weight.  So I substituted my Rhichard Devrieze, knowing that the weight was similar, but mine wouldn't have the "fuzzy" finished effect.

This hat features these neat ripples created by picking up some of the rounds that you've already knitted.  I admit that I had to read the pattern several times before I truly understood.  Finally, the hat is topped off with an i-cord bow.  Learning to i-cord was a piece of cake, especially compared to figuring out the "ripples."  Don't get me wrong, this isn't a difficult pattern.  Some of the techniques were simply new to me, not complicated.  Due to the color and bumpy nature of the hat, I named it Bubble Gum.

The Hat I Fell in Love With

This is the hat that started the idea for this blog.  I fell in love with the pattern in Utah and had to purchase my very own copy of Weekend Hats.
On a recent trip to Kemah, TX, I visited Park Avenue Yarns.  The yarn shop carries a few brands of yarn that my nearest shop, WC Mercantile, does not.  The skein that caught my eye was a beautiful ruby red Suri Merino by Blue Sky Alpaca.  I knew this was it.  THIS has to become the Ruche Beret.
The Ruche Beret by Susan B. Anderson is a very simple pattern that is knit top-down in a stockinette stitch.  Then  you make these three awesome pleats.  Those were the booger.  The first one was tricky.  I felt like Edward Scissorhands with all the double pointed needles pointing in every direction.  All I can say is that I'm glad I only had to do three of them.  After that, it was easy-peasy ribbing.
Voila!

The finished hat has a soft silky haze to it and drapes nicely.  I would absolutely knit with this yarn again, and I'd also make the hat again (but for someone else).  I just don't think I could outdo this hat in this gorgeous color.

Now that I've shown you the hat, I have tell you more about Park Avenue Yarns.  I visited the store by myself.  I'm quite proud that I can navigate with my iPhone.  After I perused (and lovingly petted) their luxurious yarn selection, I settled down among some other knitters working on their projects.  After titillating conversations about David Tennant and a snooty owner of another yarn store (completely unrelated), I felt a kindred spirit among these ladies.  I do need to take a sentence or two to comment that knitters come in all ages.  It's not just your grandmother's hobby.
These lovely people encouraged me to come back during my week in Kemah to sit and knit some more.  Unfortunately, I was not able to do so, but I will make another trip with Park Avenue Yarns as my destination.

At the Discoteque

I had a skein of Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage in Spectrum that I had been saving for something spectacular.  I like to purchase yarn in person at a local yarn store rather than online because color ways can vary depending on the specific dye lot.  One skein can look dark and muddy compared to another that is bright and vibrant.  This particular skein was perfect.  Gorgeous.
After happily perusing my Weekend Hats book, I found a suitable pattern, Leaves Long Beanie by Melissa LaBarre.  The lace pattern was simple to follow and produced a nice leaf, although I don't really think it looks like a leaf.

It reminds me more of hanging disco balls.

 The finished hat has much more slouch that I originally expected.  Upon further inspection of the pattern photograph, the model has much more hair than me.  I suspect her hair fills out the hat.

I did block this hat so that the pattern would open up.  I don't block many hats because when you wear them, it tends to stretch the hat out and show the lace work.  After all, once you put in the hard work for a lace pattern, you want everyone to see it.

As for my project name "At the Discoteque," it comes from my time back-packing in Europe in 2001 (crazy college kid!)  My then boyfriend (now husband) and I would visit some of the dance clubs called discoteques.  Colorful party people dancing and having a good time are much like the rainbow of colors grooving to the same melody in this one project.  Besides, I still don't get leaves out of this pattern.

Sugar Pine Sister

This hat was a good learning experience.  By the time I tackled this hat, I was familiar with worsted weight yarn.  I knew there were other weights, but my mind associated them as thinner than worsted and thicker than worsted.  I didn't realize how bulky a bulky yarn should truly be.

My friend Shelley knitted some gorgeous Sugar Pine Hats with Malabrigo Rasta.  I thought I could substitute some Manos del Uruguay Clasica that I had picked up on sale.  Because the yarn wasn't as thick as the yarn called for in the pattern, my hat came out a tad small.  The smaller size worked great for me because I like to show some hair sticking out from under a cap.  I made one for my sister, and she loves it.  Although, in hindsight, I should have used a super bulky yarn.

Abby is always happy to model.

Hurricane Hat

The best thing about this hat is how difficult it looks.  It was really quite simple to make.  The owner of Yarnhouse in Charlotte, North Carolina, helped me select the yarn.  He steered me toward something that contained wool because wool holds it's shape better than cotton or acrylic.  I adore the variegated colors of the Universal Yarn Classic Shades.  The purples and blues are nicely rich.

The Hurricane Hat is an excellent pattern for a beginner.  It requires counting, but only basic knit and purl stitches as well as simple decreases.  It is sure to impress all of your friends.

My styrofoam head underwent an extreme makeover!  Not really, I just added lipstick (which is simply red paint pen) and named her Lulu.  I thought she needed a little pizzaz.

Lulu is a necessity for two reasons.  I don't look great in hats.  I don't have long beachy waves like you see on Pinterest.  I look bald in hats face-on, and I also tend to favor my dad with a lack of hair showing.  Secondly, it's very difficult to take my own picture.  Selfies and pictures taken by my kids do not show off hats in the best light.  I apologize in advance for my lack of photography skills.

I do like to put the hats on my kiddos.  One of them has a ridiculously large head for her age.  She inherited that trait from her father.  I'll let you figure out which daughter I'm referring to.

You decide who wears it better, Lulu or Audrey.

Maroon Monstrosity

Surely there is a learning curve in everything.  I happily completed three wash clothes, therefore I considered myself qualified to make a hat.  I have a tendency to jump into things with both feet.

My good friend and fellow knitter, Stephanie, generously shared some of her stash with me.  I chose a maroon acrylic yarn (lesson learned #1).  Stephanie quickly pointed out that I would need circular needles (lesson learned #2).  Then I had to join in the round without twisting the yarn.  Geez, there are lots of rules!

I knitted with gusto.  I poured my heart into making this hat and was well on my way.  In fact, I was well on my way to North Carolina to accompany my husband on a business trip.  But then, my knitting train came to a screeching halt.  I had to use dpns?  Obviously I didn't own dpns because I was borrowing the circular needs.  To solve my problem, I searched for the local yarn stores and trusted iMap to get me there.  I purchased the double-pointed needles and hunkered down in the hotel to master the beast.

The heavens parted and beams of light shown down as I clumsily weaved in the ends.  (Not really, slight exaggeration, but I'm taking artistic liberties here).

I did it!  I actually knitted a hat.  A real hat.  I placed it atop my noggin in anticipation of the fashion statement I would make in the mirror.  Sadly, it was ugly.  

The acrylic yarn made it floppy and bulky.  Upon further research, I learned that wool holds its shape better than acrylic.  So that's why knitters love those gorgeous soft merino wools.  Fiber really does make a difference.

Now I have a hideous maroon hat.  I will never wear it in public, but I will keep it to fondly remind myself of where I began.  And on rainy days, I can entertain my children with the ridiculous ways to wear it.

The styrofoam head wears it better for sure.

A New Hat

I'm trying on a new hat today-blog author.  Hats have never been an essential accessory in my wardrobe.  However, since I learned to knit almost a year ago, I have fallen in love with knitting a hat.  Hats are rewarding to knit because there are so many styles to conquer, and you can have a finished creation in your paws pretty quickly.

My new obsession began innocently on a trip to Salt Lake City, Utah.  This gorgeous city hosts an even more gorgeous yarn store, Blazing Needles.  As I perused the luxurious yarn offerings, my eyes fell on an avocado green beret.  I mentally pictured how bald I would look with a hat covering all of my short hair, but my friend encouraged me to try it on.  Lo and behold, it looked good.  Really good.  I must have the pattern for this hat!  I inquired as to the source of this pattern and found it was published in Weekend Hats by Cecily Macdonald and Melissa LaBarre.

Upon purchase of this book, I gleefully decided that I HAD to knit all of the patterns.  So here I am, armed with a tubful of yarn, bamboo knitting needles, my Weekend Hats, and a very patient family.  My goal is to blog my journey as I knit my way through the book.
I'll begin with publishing the hats I have previously made to catalog what I've done so far, but mostly to bask in the glory of past accomplishments and allow you to laugh at the hats I learned on.