Hats!

Most of my knitting projects have reached a point when I have to make pattern decisions that I've been putting off for a while, so I wanted something quick, easy and fulfilling. And it's been COLD here lately! Winter in Hawaii really can be cold! Really, I'm not lying! So, my solution was to knit a couple of hats. Quick, easy and oh-so-satisfying.

The first hat is bright pink, in a chunky wool/poly blend (Plymouth Encore Chunky). I used a size 10 circular needle with a cable pattern. I started with a knit 4, purl 2 rib. The cable is one stitch carried across the other three knit stitches, every third row. The cable pattern was easy without a cable needle, and I just let the stitch hang until I was ready for it. I wore this hat ice skating before giving it away as a late birthday present, and it kept me warm!

The second hat is a sentimental replacement for a crocheted orange hat I used to wear constantly about seven years ago. I lost it when I was in London with my sister in the wintertime, and I've missed it ever since. I suppose the mourning period is over now, because I'm finally getting ready to adopt a new hat. I decided to knit a version of it because I don't crochet well, and I wanted to use this yarn that's been sitting around for a while. I guess it's the prototype for the final replacement, which needs to be orange to fulfill my memories. I used a bobble stitch pattern I found from a purse pattern in the book Bag Style, by Pam Allen and Ann Budd. The yarn is Encore Colorspun Worsted, and I used it in double strands with a size 10 circular needle. The bobble is basically a round of purl, and a round of alternating between knitting three stitches together and knitting three stitches into one stitch. This two-round pattern is repeated the whole way. It was fun and easy. It's been keeping me warm at work in the cold library.