Summer came and went, and as predicted I did zero knitting after finishing the Petrie shell. But with the first chill, I picked up once again the Sweetheart jumper and have now almost finished the back. At this rate, I might be done next summer!
So I needed an instant gratification project to make me a bit more optimistic about finishing projects, and, well, get back into knitting again. When I joined the WI I used one of the vouchers that I got to subscribe to a craft magazine called Mollie Makes, and other than a crochet bow kit I hadn't really delved into any of the projects included. I remember seeing a cool-looking hat (called high street cap), but sadly it was not in one of the issues that I already had. Nevertheless, I figured that $4 isn't really that much, especially for a project that I might make more than once.
It turned out to be the best possible project I could have picked, as it was super-fast, probably took just over two hours! Knit using bulky yarn and 8mm circular needles (the pattern calls for 9mm needles, but I don't have any), the hat is basically an easy to memorize sequence of ribs followed by yarn overs to create an eyelet rib.
I followed the pattern exactly, but it felt a little too short, sitting quite high above my ears, so I finished it with three rows of half-double crochet on the rib to make it a little longer - I think if I were to make it again I would probably do another pattern repeat. Also, it feels a little loose so I would also be tempted to do the first pattern repeat on 7mm or even 6mm needles to make it tighter around the base. The looseness might also be because I blocked it, which I think stretched it out a bit.
As for the yarn, well the only bulky wool I had was the leftover Rowan cocoon from my Lore hoodie, which I had swore not to use ever again as it is super sheddy and annoying because of the mohair. Well, I went back on that, covered myself in tiny hairs as if I had a white cat, and ended up trying to trim the mohair off the top to stop it being so fuzzy. I am certainly never buying this yarn again, despite it being very soft.
So I needed an instant gratification project to make me a bit more optimistic about finishing projects, and, well, get back into knitting again. When I joined the WI I used one of the vouchers that I got to subscribe to a craft magazine called Mollie Makes, and other than a crochet bow kit I hadn't really delved into any of the projects included. I remember seeing a cool-looking hat (called high street cap), but sadly it was not in one of the issues that I already had. Nevertheless, I figured that $4 isn't really that much, especially for a project that I might make more than once.
It turned out to be the best possible project I could have picked, as it was super-fast, probably took just over two hours! Knit using bulky yarn and 8mm circular needles (the pattern calls for 9mm needles, but I don't have any), the hat is basically an easy to memorize sequence of ribs followed by yarn overs to create an eyelet rib.
I followed the pattern exactly, but it felt a little too short, sitting quite high above my ears, so I finished it with three rows of half-double crochet on the rib to make it a little longer - I think if I were to make it again I would probably do another pattern repeat. Also, it feels a little loose so I would also be tempted to do the first pattern repeat on 7mm or even 6mm needles to make it tighter around the base. The looseness might also be because I blocked it, which I think stretched it out a bit.
As for the yarn, well the only bulky wool I had was the leftover Rowan cocoon from my Lore hoodie, which I had swore not to use ever again as it is super sheddy and annoying because of the mohair. Well, I went back on that, covered myself in tiny hairs as if I had a white cat, and ended up trying to trim the mohair off the top to stop it being so fuzzy. I am certainly never buying this yarn again, despite it being very soft.
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| Here it is worn |
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| And here you can see the pattern detail a bit more clearly |
