A Tale of Two Cabled Hats

Here is the picture my friend Ariel gave me as inspiration for a hat she wanted, and I said I would whip her up a cabled hat tout suite… and that was about 2 years ago.

I went searching for a matching pattern and found something so very close, but the 1×1 ribbing versus 2×2 ribbing really vexed me. I never did find a way around adjusting the pattern despite attempting a few times. I completed the One-Ball Chunky Cabled Hat  as written in the end, and I love the look of the braided cables. It’s the grey hat pictured below.

I added some length to the ribbing as the fit looked small to me but I think that lead to my failure to recreate the hat as pictured.  It doesn’t look like the picture as much as I thought it would, and after all this time I didn’t want to give Ariel a flop. I thought I would try again with the November Cabled Hat.  This hat was an insanely fast knit. I finished it, weaved in the ends, soaked it, and blocked within two evenings. The fit is perfect, and the antler-like cables are simple yet look more intricate than they are.  It’s a great pattern that deserves more popularity. The fit is more like the picture, although neither hat is the dupe I was hoping for. But I tried Ariel! I really did.

Here they are on my super cute co-workers:

I had to fight the urge to try again, when I remembered my list, and the other projects in the queue. So I am back to the Lucy Hat, and attempting to understand the short rows in the brim. So far all my cries for help with this pattern have gone unheard. C’mon internet, send wisdom.

3 WIPs and 2 in the wings

 

The weather has changed, and the smoke eased up. There are cooler days between the hot, so I was able to try sitting with some yarn again. I have a few things I started and haven’t finished. I’m not that sort to be okay with unfinished projects, at least not after the procrastination has worn off. I’m making an honest effort to complete the projects listed below… And I already have new projects in mind. I love making lists, so here is my “to-do” for the immediate future.

1. The Thea Cardigan has to be completed before anything else. The construction is botton-up and it hasn’t been a smooth project thus far. Still, I have to get it in the mail as soon as possible so that it still fits by the time it reaches Germany. If anyone has a favourite baby cardigan pattern, please let me know.

2. I started the Lucy Hat, oh, six months ago or more. It was a Christmas present, and now I hope it becomes a birthday present…. but I have a two week deadline. Can I do it?  I have been harassing Ravelry users who have completed this pattern to help me with the short rows. As with any knitting pattern that I have had a hard time comprehending, the instructions start to resemble an unsolvable riddle. Please send help! (Update: I did not make the deadline. Not even close)

3. This One-Ball Chunky Cabled Hat pattern was an exact dupe to a fashion photo a friend sent me and asked me to recreate. I was so impressed with myself for even finding this pattern. I have actually knitted the hat a couple times, but I really wanted a double ribbed brim, like the picture she gave me depicts. The pattern calls for a single rib, and the stitch count makes the double rib impossible. I knit it with a single rib, and pulled it back to try the double rib with an added stitch I would work into the pattern, but that failed so then I pulled it back again… fourth time is the charm?

Once these are completed, I want to start on one of these patterns:

1. This Cozy Luxe Baby Throw with an added crochet trim (Like this Fooshknitstoo’s version).  I have never made a baby blanket, and this cotton weight is something I have in my stash. I also want to try crocheting again, and an edging seems like a practical thing to learn as a knitter.  It’s also very Princess Charlotte (Why am I such a fad knitter?? Stay tuned for Outlander knit posts which will be next) .

2. A Pinafore dress, also in cotton. This seems like a fun summer knit. I can see myself making a few adapted versions with corresponding cotton shifts.  I wish I had a finer linen in my stash…

Speaking of knitting stashes, KnitCity is only 4 months away! This last year has been the fastest year yet!