First of Challenge Done

So my first project for this years challenge is finished. If you can’t remember I have challenged myself to knit garments for myself other than socks. The aim is to have eventually filled up my wardrobe with hand knits. I am starting off easy and began with a hat. Felt it was only right since my last hat lasted all of a day (thank you Molly). Also, while I have knit many hats for my sister I don’t actually have any myself.

The pattern I chose is Cannetella by Woolly Wormhead. You can find it on ravelry if you are interested. Woolly Wormhead is famous for her hat designs. She plays around with stitches to come up with the most interesting designs. Her hats are also famous for being perfect for those who love to knit with indie dyers variegated yarns. They have that perfect balance where both the design and the colour way are highlighted. I have found that most designs one almost always overpowers the other. If you fancy learning new techniques on a smaller scale I would go an pick one of her designs.

I didn’t go for any of those because I really wanted a slouchy hat. I wear my hair all tied up in a tight bun at the top of my head for work. So beanie hats are a no no. I would look like a cone head. In any case I love a slouchy hat and I love a lace pattern which is why this one was so perfect for me. The pattern is easy to follow. It has a repeat that is fairly easy to remember so you can work out quickly where you are. How many times have we put down a lace pattern and come back to it a few days later with no idea where you are in the pattern. It’s easy to work out with this one (although I do tend to track in my notebook). It comes in many sizes too so you can chose one to suit yourself. I went for the largest because I wanted a good slouch on it. I would recommend using circulars rather than DPN’s. I am a DPN girl normally but a few times the stitches came off the end and I started the hat twice as a result of this. Next time I will get the circulars. Mind you, if you go with a smaller size you might be okay.

I used the yarn that I picked up in Amsterdam almost two years ago. It’s by Hedgehog Fibres and the colour is called Salty Tales. I have said recently that for the most part I will be a project knitter but I had the yarn picked out before I found the pattern I wanted (although I had a rough idea of what kind of pattern I wanted). The good thing is that the yarn came from my stash so I did a little stash busting. This yarn is beautiful. The colour changes are subtle and they pick up well in the light. At the moment I am in love with greys and I am especially in love with greys that have other colours through them like this one. Beautiful to knit with and perfect for this slouchy hat. Mind you it would have been perfect for socks too or a light jumper if you had enough of it.

I have ordered the yarn for the next project in my challenge and it’s a scarf. Also in grey to match the hat although the project is not lace. Looking forward to picking it up and starting it.