Gosh I loved worsted yarn, it practically knits itself! I blasted through the 2×2 rib and got the brim folded up and moved to stockinette in the round. This hat is for my coworker who is leaving soon.
I couldn’t resist the cuteness that was dueling labs. I have my yellow lab snuggle buddy right next to my chocolate lab hat. The universe made this moment feel right!
I found out last week that one of my coworkers and fellow managers is leaving to move his family to Oregon. I’m super happy for him to have a cool new job and be closer to his large family. But I am sad I will be losing my partner in crime. So I decided to channel my energy into a hat.
Digging in my stash I found two skeins of Woof Worsted from Lilliput Yarns. This first one is Chocolate Lab and perfect for a hat! Bonus points that this yarn was made in Oregon and seems a fitting parting gift to go back to Oregon.
I am using US 8s and my basic toque recipe of 88 stitches. I am thinking a folded brim on this one? My gauge might be getting tighter. I noticed my hats are coming out smaller these days. I will need to either add more stitches or go up a needle size me thinks.
My Basic Dude Beanie is FINISHED and oh so pretty in the setting sun.
Pattern: My own “recipe” for a beanie with 96 stitches
Yarn: Ella Rae Classic Wool in brown/tan
Needles: US 8s
Mods: For this version I used a folded stockinette brim
I still need to give this hat a bath to even out some of the stitches. But I didn’t want to miss the golden hour vibes for photos. I worked star like crown decreases in a “traditional” fashion. The finished hat used 87 grams or 174 yards of yarn for the whole hat. Once again I missed the mark a tad on using the whole skein.
All in all, this was a great knit and felt great to get an orphan single skein out of my stash. This hat will 100% be a gift and I need to work on the washing and finishing touches. And then find the right occasion to gift.
Pattern: None, just my own beanie “recipe” over 88 stitches (rav link)
Yarn: Knit Picks Felici Worsted in Punch Bug
Needles: US 8s
Mods: For this version I used a ribbed folded brim for extra warmth.
This project is 90 grams of a 100 gram skein of yarn. So I missed the mark on using up all the yarn. But not by much! I added this tiny ball of yarn to my leftovers bag. It fits really well on my head but it was a little tight on the husband’s head.
This hat matches my Punch Bug Vanilla Socks so they will either stay with me or go as a matching set. This finish really has helped reinforce my craft mojo. I have turned all my focus on to the Basic Dude Beanie.
The hat I’m calling the Basic Dude Beanie is flying off my needles this week. I am at yet another kid lesson this week. Such is our life now. But at least I am passed the folded brim!
I ended up with roughly 8 inches of stockinette that folded in half for a 4 inch brim. I am now working up the main body of the hat. Just tons of roundy round stockinette that requires zero brain space.
I will do rounded “typical” decreases for this one to make more of a traditional hat. I know this coworker’s wife and I am thinking about asking if he has any patches I can add to the brim for extra flair. But we will see what is possible before I commit.
I took some time for myself away from work and away from family this week. I scheduled a cool spa soak followed by a massage and then dinner by myself.
My Basic Dude Beanie came along with me on the trip. I managed to knit above the water and keep the skein dry in my bag. I am really coming along with the brim!
For dinner I wandered down to a Ramen shop where I got dumplings in chicken based ramen and fried wontons. I couldn’t eat anywhere near the whole thing but It was GLORIOUS to enjoy a meal and not have to parent anyone. I just ate and read my latest book.
It’s nice to find time to remember who I am aside from my output! Happy Self Care!!
Golf lessons continue into the cooler weather of fall. This led me to want to start another beanie. My Punch Bug Vanilla Beanie is at the brim decreases and not conducive to traveling.
I had a single skein of Ella Rae Classic wool from a mystery grab bag I purchased. It’s pretty toothy wool and just 200 yards of worsted. Made perfect sense to make a hat. This time I decided on a folded stockinette brim. I am hoping this type of construction can help me maximize the full skein. No science, just gut instinct and going to knit until I get close on yarn.
The last hat was a little snug on the husband so I went up to 96 stitches on US 8s instead of 88. This should make it a better fit for a dude. I think this hat will go to live with a coworker who often works out in the cold at all hours.
I found my Chia Goo interchangeable needles and managed to get my Punch Bug Beanie back on the needles. I am calling this one “Take Two”.
I am still casting on 88 stitches for this redo but this time its on 8 US needles. So the fabric is not as loosey goosey as it was on 10 US. This is a pretty fat skein of worsted therefore I think I will knit the ribbing doubly long and fold it over. In hopes of maximizing using up the full skein.
One of my staff at work recently found out she is going to be a 1st time grandma to a little baby girl. She is BURSTING with excitement. The staff are going to throw a staff “grandparent sprinkle” so I needed to whip up a little hat.
I had some leftovers of worsted in my hat stash. The pink is some Woof Worsted from Lilliput Yarns and the silver is from K-Zip knits. I think the two tones work really well together. It’s 64 stitches on a US8 needle.
I did a 2×2 rib until it looked like enough and then switched to stockinette. And then I made up the crown decreases as I went. And it felt super great to eek out this hat and completely use up these scraps. Now I just need to make at least two more hats for other new grandparent coworkers.
Before I jump into sweater surgery with both feet, I decided to take up something more mindless as a palette cleanser.
This skein of Felici Worsted is the companion skein to my Punch Bug Vanilla Socks. I couldn’t find my US 8 needles and I was impatient so I grabbed 10.5US needles. This meant I needed to take my standard 88 stitch worsted hat down to 80 stiches.
I got the brim cast on and the ribbing established. I can’t decide if I am going to do a standard ribbed brim or a folded ribbed brim for extra cushy factor. I think I will knit a little longer and decide later.