Hats!
Info for center/right hats
Pattern: Lusekofte Cap from Hats On! by Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Cascade 220 (100% wool) in blue (#9327) and grey (#8401)
Pattern Modifications: left off the lice pattern on the crowns, altered the charted pattern for the middle hat, used a different decrease for the crowns. I did a 1x1 tubular cast-on for the hat on the right (my favorite cast-on).
Pattern: my variation of the Triple Patterned Watchcap from Hats On! by Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted (100% wool)
Pattern Modifications: I knit this at 6 sts/in instead of 5.5 and simply followed the pattern for the XL size (so it's 20" instead of 22") to fit my friend's 21.75" head.** The cast-on through the diamond pattern are from the book, but I don't turn the cuff over, so the book's cuff patt becomes the body patt. I added the 9 rounds of patterns before the crown, the zig-zag was found in Sheila McGregor's Traditional Fair Isle Knitting.
**Negative ease for hats is good. To determine hat size I subtract about 1.5"-1.75" from the head for colorwork hats, more if the hat is something stretchy like ribbing. If you knit a 22" hat for someone with a 22" head then it'll feel too loose.
Finished December 2006
Ullared Hat
YARN: Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport 100% Wool. < 50 g Pepper and < 50g Bit of Blue @ 8 sts/in on size 2 needles
PATTERN: In the "Hats On!" book, by Charlene Schurch
NOTES: The chart for this hat is not the same as the hat pictured in the book, but it's similar and not a big deal. There's also a tiny error in the chart, there should one more black square on the far left in the line before you change the beginning of the round.
Finished March 2006
WATCH CAP
YARN: Tivoli Celtic Aran (100% wool from Ireland), purchased at a thrift store
PATTERN: not mine, free online (click to view)
Finished Thanksgiving Day, 2001, while watching a U2 concert on VH1.
Triple-Patterned Watchcap, Take 1
YARN: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Superwash 100% Wool. < 50 g Ocean Sky and < 50g Alabaster
This yarn is very soft and comfortable, I'll use it again.
PATTERN: Modified from a pattern in "Hats On!"
PHOTOS: Cap on an inflatable blocking ball; Top view of cap on blocking ball
NOTES: I wanted a hat that was warm but not too warm so I didn't turn the cuff (which would have added two extra layers around my head for a total of 4 toasty layers -- colorwork is two layers thick to begin with because of the carried yarn inside). So the cuff is not folded over and the twined herringbone edge frames the face (instead of being the top of the cuff). I added 7 new rounds of my own patterning after the cuff before starting the crown. The herringbone edge curls before the hat is washed and blocked but it settles down after blocking. (It stretched out and looked fine once it was worn even before being blocked).
Triple-Patterned Watchcap, Take 2
YARN: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Superwash 100% Wool. < 50 g Ocean Sky and < 50g Alabaster
PATTERN: Modified from a pattern in "Hats On!" See notes in Take 1.
NOTES: I made this for my older brother (Christmas 2003) because I had enough left over from the first hat to make it again with the colors reversed.
Triple-Patterned Watchcap, Take 3
YARN: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Superwash 100% Wool. The darker color looks black here but it's really a dark blue called Night Sky (? could be wrong). The lighter blue is SW71 Misty Blue. The colors look a lot better in person.
PATTERN: Modified from a pattern in "Hats On!" See notes in Take 1.
This went to my mom for Mother's Day 2004.
Triple-Patterned Watchcap, Take 4
YARN: Brown Sheep Nature Spun 100% Wool.
PATTERN: Modified from a pattern in "Hats On!" See notes in Take 1.
NOTES: I know, this is getting ridiculous. Why does everyone I know want this hat?
Finished October 2004
Jenn's hat
YARN: Red Heart 100% wool, dyed myself (RH used to make nice wool before they switched to acrylic)
PATTERN: nothing written down
Finished December 2004
Bob's hat
YARN: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky
PATTERN: nothing written down
NOTES: Finished December 2004
Dad's OSU hat
YARN: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky
PATTERN: nothing written down
NOTES: Black and orange for Oregon State University, of course!
Finished December 2004
Flash photo:
Dad's Seahawks Hat
YARN: 100% wool: Heirloom Merino Magic < 100g (dark blue); Heirloom Easy Care 8 ply < 50g (blue-grey)
PATTERN: cuff idea borrowed from the green watchcap above.
NOTES: One important thing I learned while "designing" this is that you don't want the decreases to start too soon after the stripes end. 2 rounds of all knits between the final CC round and decreasing is OK but 3 is even better. Otherwise the decreases distort the stripe and it looks bad.
I used this yarn because it's available in numerous shades and I wanted colors that closely matched the Seahawks team colors. It's not my favorite yarn and it's not cheap, but the wide variety of colors is very appealing.
The main blue is so dark it looks almost black in person but it really is blue, as you can see in the flash photo.
Finished June 2004