My blog posts have been a bit negative, whiney and full of knitterly woe lately – mainly when Big Wool is being discussed 🙁

High time I tell you about a project I really like 😀

Remember the beret I made for my sister that Thug modelled?

This one…

I liked it very much and struggled to bring myself to give it away.

So. I promised myself I’d make myself one when I’d finished Ronnie.

The same colours would be boring so I stash dived and came up with this pile of Rowan 4ply Soft.

Like an idiot, I grabbed the yarn and started without giving any thought to how the colours would work together in the stripe pattern. That’s exactly what I did with Carol’s Beret and it turned out super – what could go wrong?

I didn’t like it…..

The lilac, although lovely was far to dominant and the bright fuchia pink got lost in the lilac. I also realised I had forgotten to change needle size after the rib! What’s happening to me – I’ve not done that for years??

It’s a quick, fun knit so It wasn’t a hard decision to start again – with the right needles and more careful thought as to where the colours went.

I got about 8 rows into the reverse stocking stitch part (on the train travelling to London) and the awful truth dawned on me. I had missed the increase row at the end of the ribbing!! I really am regressing as a knitter 😯

My train was badly delayed so I had time for some remedial work – any other time I’d have been miffed with the trains.  I carefully picked up the row of stitches at the top of the rib and separated the stocking stitch part – the teenage girl in the seat opposite was fascinated!

What I discarded looks like some kinda sea creature…

At this point I gave myself the necessary metaphorical slap and started taking a little more care – I could hear my Mum nagging me to be more careful or I’ll spoil it.

This time I did it right. I like the way the stripes are coming out too. It still looks like a discarded piece of underwear on the needles though!

One of my friends prefers the stocking stitch side – it’s not for me though – I like the “mattress ticking” effect…

Sewing up and sewing the ends in is daunting – the trouble  with stripes is that there are quite a few ends to loose in the seam…

But I was very please with how neat I managed to get the seam in the end…

Can you see where it is?

I suppose you want to see the finish hat now?

Here’s one of the hat…

And one of me modelling (allong with my birch shawl that I still need to blog! 😀