Hat Need
January 23rd, 2010, 7:00 am
My sister has a hat need.
I have needles, an obscene amount of yarn and knit skills.
There’s only one way this can turn out 
Given that my knitting has not been going well, I plumped for an easy option that I knew worked.
Do you remember the Accidental hat? (Snug from Rowan 42)
It’s this one…
I wear this all the time in winter and love it – warm, easy to wear, goes with everything and warm (I know I said warm twice – it deserves it!)
I knew I had some creamy coloured Rowan Cocoon in my stash…two evenings later I was looking for a model
My old bear, Basil, didn’t run away quickly enough but didn’t turn out to be much good at hat modeling…
So I had to step in – where’s Thug when I need him?
That wasn’t enough to meet the Hat Need.
I remembered a very old, 1970′s type bobblehat in an old Patons book…
This wonderfully useful book has been republished numerous times – my copy is the 1985 bicentenary edition! (and cost a princely 95p)
The pattern picture is hillarious…
…but it is a very good, basic hat that stays on. I love the neat decreases too.
I found 100g of Sublime Merino and whipped one up in a few evenings.
Then topped if with a huge bobble (that Carol can remove if she wants to) made of the Sublime, cream and deep purple Kidsilk Haze (Well, I have to use it up somehow!)
I was getting into my stride now and enjoying knitting for the first time in ages.
Then I found the perfect hat pattern – a French Beret in Louisa Harding’s “Hats Gloves Scarves” book.
I loved the striped option (there’s a plain, picot edge version too). It was knit in Rowan 4ply Soft – I kinda have a stash of oddments and balls from various sources 
I chose 5 colours I think my sister will like and thoroughly enjoyed reverse stocking stitch stripes and the pattern in general.
I loved the contrast edging..
I loved the “target” in the middle
I loved the colours and textures together.
The only part I didn’t love was sewing up the seam accurately with mattress stitch(took some fiddle-faddle to get it lined up) and sewing in a thousand ends. I did carry the yarn up the side where possible but a few times it was at the wrong end.
I could have knit in the round but felt the inevitable carried up unused colours and darned in ends would look messier than a careful mattress stitch seam with the ends lost in the seam.
I needed a model again…and Basil wasn’t very good (sorry Basil)…
Come here Thug….
| Completed Knit Report | |
| Name: | Snug |
| Pattern: | Snug by Cathy Carron |
| Yarn: | Rowan Cocoon |
| Pattern Problems: | None but took less than 1 ball – pattern gives 2 balls? |
| Pattern Modifications: | None but next time I’d knit it on DPNs and a circ rather than seam it. (Wish I’d remembered 2nd time!) |
| Washing and Wearing: | Lovely and warm and quite versitile look by rolling the brim up and down. |
| Knit It Again???: | Yes! |
| Difficulty: | Easy Peasy |
| Rating: | 5/5 |
| Other Postings Relating To This One: | Accidental hat |
| Completed Knit Report | ||
| Name: | Family Bobble Caps | |
| Pattern: | From ancient Paton’s Woolcraft book | |
| Yarn: | Sublime Merino DK | |
| Pattern Problems: | None (except suppressing giggle at the bobble family) | |
| Pattern Modifications: | none | |
| Washing and Wearing: | warn, fits well and stays on- a little dated though | |
| Knit It Again???: | Yes | |
| Difficulty: | easy | |
| Rating: | 5/5 | |
| Other Postings Relating To This One: | None | |
| Completed Knit Report | ||
| Name: | French Beret | |
| Pattern: | from Louisa Harding’s Hat Gloves Scarves | |
| Yarn: | Rowan 4 ply soft | |
| Pattern Problems: | None | |
| Pattern Modifications: | different colours | |
| Washing and Wearing: | suits everyone who tried it (except Basil) | |
| Knit It Again???: | Yes – One for me is in the queue | |
| Difficulty: | Easyish – following the stripe pattern takes attention to detail | |
| Rating: | 6/5 Love it! | |
| Other Postings Relating To This One: | None | |
carol said,
January 23rd, 2010, 7:28 pm
Hey Susan,
You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve sashayed around the park since the postman came, wearing a different hat every time. ( Me. Not the postman.)
Love the colours ! My beautiful pressies are warm, soft and a perfect fit. I look nearly as good as your other models – Basil and Thug.
Thank you so much.
Carol
x
Fiona said,
January 23rd, 2010, 8:23 pm
Great looking hats, love the colours.
JulesM said,
January 24th, 2010, 3:51 pm
Those are super hats! It’s a real variety and I see your sis likes them all.
Hope your kitties are adjusting to your new home. It probably just takes a while.
Here’s to getting your knitting mojo back!
Dawn said,
January 24th, 2010, 8:19 pm
I love that Louisa Harding book, and I have knit pretty much every one of the hats in it. I did a plain version of the beret for a friend ages ago. Your strip version is really lovley, I think a may just have to a look through my oddments bin for some nice soft 4 ply, and do one for myself. Dawn
P.S did you decide what to do about the mega chuncky jumper? Rowan big wool is to nice, (and too expensive), to end up with something that you are not completely happy with
ali said,
January 25th, 2010, 4:05 pm
Love it! I also use my cats to model hats and I have a stuffed Koala bear named Basil. I put the baby things I knit on my old Mrs Beasley doll. She makes a fairly good model. Mrs Beasley is from a US TV show in the 1970′s called Family Affair.
Anne said,
January 25th, 2010, 8:45 pm
A super collection of hats. Wool makes me itch, so my hat options are limited …. cotton just doesn’t work the same!!
Arianwen said,
January 25th, 2010, 11:22 pm
The new hats are all lovely. That really is a very glam bobble hat, with kid silk haze as a bobble. I had forgotton about that louise harding book had it from the library a while back must have another look at that beret.
Damn, Knit & Blast It » Big Wool, You WILL Submit To My Will… said,
January 31st, 2010, 8:07 pm
[...] my sister some quick and fun hats has kicked my knitting mojo back to [...]
Damn, Knit & Blast It » Knitted Something I DO Like! said,
February 21st, 2010, 4:15 pm
[...] Hat Need [...]