The handknit slouch hat: how big is too big?

Over the spring and summer this year, I experimented with slouchy hat shapes.   First I did a pink one, and it was huge.  Then I tried again with fewer stitches around the body of the hat, and didn't knit quite as long before starting the crown.

Yesterday - with five minutes to go before I had to go out into the cold - I grabbed that hat from the unfinished pile, quickly ran in the ends I'd never gotten around to, and braved the day.

I don't mean to break your heart or anything looking at the way the colour saturation plays over this cashmere-blend sport weight, but it's Viola yarn, which Emily is no longer dyeing.  I'm trying to get over this, though it's hard when I put on stuff I made with Viola yarn because that stuff always feels so faaaaabulous.

That aside, I'm not 100% convinced about the whole slouchy thing.  This grey hat is less huge than the pink, but it's still pretty massive, and it slips right down over my forehead...

... though not as extremely so as the pink one.  I know this because I just threw on the pink one so I could not freeze while taking down the Halloween decorations and bundling them back into the garage, and at one point I was actually eyeing my path through pink yarn.  (It's okay when you do yank the hat back to your hairline though - the weight of the hat at the back holds it there.)

Conclusions:

1/ I think this pattern needs a good deal more tinkering. 

2/ I really love the way the colour saturation plays across the knit stitches.

* * * * *

If you've been reading Hugs all week you may be nodding your head knowingly about the fact that you're not reading what you thought you might be today, and and saying to yourself, 'Mary couldn't stick it out with just one knitting project for that many days in a row.' 

And you'd be right! 

I finally caved around suppertime yesterday when I discovered where I'd left my notes on twined mittens, and then thought I'd just maybe look for the handspun yarn I'd made with the mittens in mind, and then noticed I'd bought needles specifically for that yarn/pattern combo and left them into the same bag. 

(seriously, would you have resisted?)

Also: I ran into a real problem with the At Home sock.  I've knit this pattern a zillion times now and I've never experienced this, but I am getting holes down one side of the gusset and stopping them is a real pain.  I've already ripped back two hours' work only to have the same issue come up on the re-do.  There's no reason for that to happen except maybe that I'm not seeing objectively any more.

... so really, I needed to switch over to something else for a bit.  In a way, I'm actually helping the Christmas socks happen by knitting something else.

I sure didn't help supper happen though, heh.

Have a great weekend folks - do something that makes you happy, and I'll see you here on Monday!