Wednesday, December 07, 2011

mostly hats

Hello! Still here, still knitting. This month I have been mostly knitting hats, or at least things to go on heads. And a few other things, but here are the hats:

A cowl for me

lacey cowl

OK, not a hat, but headgear. This is Ice Queen from Knitty. The yarn is Manos Lace (and that's where I bought it) and it's as soft and gorgeous and you'd expect for a baby alpaca/cashmere/silk yarn. :) I made this to wear at a wedding last weekend. Didn't actually end up wearing it much, mostly because I was wearing a big flower on my head and putting another layer over the top looked silly. I'm not actually sure how much I'll wear it. Lovely and snuggly as a cowl, but not quite the glamorous snood I wanted it to be. It's a bit more Babushka than old Hollywood, I think. Maybe I should have made it looser?

A beautiful hat

Nettie - detail

This is Nettie (ravelry link) by Katie White, part of her Sweet Little Somethings collection (9 patterns, released in installments. 5 are out so far). The yarn is Artesano Superwash Merino from The Sheep Shop, the new and exciting LYS in Cambridge (they have lots of lovely things).
I totally love this hat! I've always wanted a proper cloche hat, but I've got a big head, so commercially made felt hats tend not to fit me. This has the right shape and the lines, the ruching and the little (removable) bow, make it just right. My only criticism is that my bow is more floppy than I'd like, but that's possibly my fault for not actually knitting at the right gauge. I didn't swatch, just started with the suggested needles in the largest size. This would have made an enormous hat (I stopped before I finished the brim). So I measured my gauge (18 stitches to 4 inches instead of 22) and decided to stick with the needles (4mm) and make the smallest size, which fits beautifully. Of course, had I made the bow at the proper gauge, it might have been a little stiffer.

A hat in progress

almost completed hat

This is a hat to match the mittens in this post (now also competed). The pattern is Anemoi Hat, a free one made to match Eunny Yang's Anemoi mittens which I totally ought to buy because they're beautiful. I semi-followed it, adding in a few things like the braids. I like the lower one, but the upper one sticks out too much when wearing it, so I'm going to rip back and redo it without. Once Christmas knitting is out of the way. :) Yarn is Colinette Jitterbug. I do like Jitterbug's semi-solids for colourwork.

An exciting hat (and socks)

baby things

A simple hat and socks for my sister's very soon to be arriving baby. (She's been having twinges all day, so (s)he should be here very soon!)
The yarn is Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino DK, I think. Both on 3.5mm needles. 72 stitches diameter hat, made up the pattern as I went along using Fibonacci numbers for the stripes. Improvised socks. :) I hope they fit! We'll find out very soon.

Lots more finished and on the needles to show off, but I think I'll leave it at that for today. What's on your needles?