Friday, January 9, 2015

The joy of a successful knit hat

Today I want to show you what happens when orange handspun yarn is transformed into a warm and comfy hat.  Because what else would you do on a Friday?  Especially the first Friday after a blistering cold week spent wearing said hat. 


After the disaster that was Orange Hat #1, I found and made use of my 4.5mm needles, plus the essentials of my free Instant Love Hat pattern.  I could have gone to 6.0mm with this very bulky yarn, but I couldn't find my 6.0mm double pointed needles for the crown and I'm only human after all.  I wanted this hat done!

It has to be said that with 4.5mm needles and bulky yarn, you are going to get a fabric so stiff it will stand up on its own.


Bit scary, isn't it?

Still: done.  With enough yarn to spare (not much yarn - you can see the scrap that's left in the bowl up there - but enough) to tie a little bow at the top.


The beret shape does hold, at least from back view:


Essentially though, this is a long, completely itch-free hat that will come down over my ears and keep my forehead warm no matter how much snow falls.


Even with eyelet increases instead of the very dense closed increases I wrote into the pattern.

Once I'd given up improvising as I knit and just followed instructions I knew would work, the whole hat was done in about three hours.  So if you're thinking about making an Instant Love Hat yourself this winter, you won't have to invest a lot of time in the decision!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you again on Monday.  I might have another little project to show you, ahem.



8 comments:

Unknown said...

Sweet! And yes, this week's weather has been horrendous. Why do we live in places where the wind hurts our faces?

Mary Keenan said...

It's the stabby things our nose hairs turn into in the frost that make me crazy...

Renik said...

What a fantastic hat! I like it!

Mary Keenan said...

Thanks Renik! I'm thinking I should knit more orange - it is such a cheery colour to wear.

French Nanny said...

But Orange Hat number one might be the almost perfect Number one Tea Cosy...

Mary Keenan said...

Ohhh, good point re. the tea cosy! must keep my pattern notes so I can replicate with spout and handle openings :^)

Erika said...

I love it!! Especially the color!!

Mary Keenan said...

Thanks Erika! I wish I could do squish-o-vision for Hugs - the fabric is super yummy too :^)