My hat streak continues with the last cake of worsted yarn that I have wound up many moons ago. This hat is going to be eloquently called “Green Worsted Hat” as the yarn doesn’t have a colorway name and I’m not feeling creative, lol.
This is very THICK or heavy worsted yarn so I am creating robust fabric. I think I cast on 80 stitches and I’m working on a US 8 needle. The yarn is disappearing quickly so I should get close to using up the whole skein.
Still don’t have a solid plan for this hat other than my growing collection stowed away in my cedar chest. Maybe a gift? Who knows but I know I am not done knitting hats, lol.
Mom’s Bonus Hat is done and dusted! I crushed this project with only inches of yarn leftover!! (Picture me doing enthusiastic fist pumps in the air.) And perhaps by coincidence or fate….today is her birthday. So happy birthday Mom!!
Pattern: My own 88 stitch basic beanie with a flat/seamed crown
Needles: US 7
Yarn: Shepherd’s Mill 2 ply DK in the Berry Gradient colorway
Mods: None really I was just creating on the fly for this project.
This hat used up almost every last bit of the 51 grams or 141 yards of the remaining gradient I had leftover from my Mom’s first Christmas gift hat. I am SUPER pleased with how my idea for the boxed crown came out. An my Kitchener skills aren’t too shabby either, lol.
I think I will plan on wrapping up the first hat I knit and give to her for her birthday with a bottle of wine. And then this recent hat will sit until Christmas time where everyone I know will be getting hand knit hats, lol.
Now I just need to scheme my next hat cast on! Happy knitting!!
Mom’s Bonus hat is racing to the finish. My yarn ball is getting scary small!
I have solidified my decision to make this hat a box top. I need every bit of this yarn to make a hat that will be big enough for an adult head. Which means I will knit until I have a yard or two of yarn left and then I will close the hat with Kitchener stitch. This means my hat will have “ears” but I don’t think my mom will mind.
I really don’t have much choice as I don’t have any coordinating yarn in DK in a similar fiber content to add in. Literally nothing…..so here I am. It is kinda nice to think about finishing this project with zero leftovers. I just wish I wasn’t cutting it so close, lol.
Despite my hesitations about this project I did manage to finish my second scrappy marl hat. My second Scrappy Marl is done, blocked and photographed. In the end, I’m okay with this project but still largely “meh” about it.
Yarn: A whole bunch of tiny sock yarn scraps with no real scheme
Mods: I upped the needle sizes by 2 in order to get a bigger hat than my first one.
This hat ended up using just over 300 yards of sock yarn. I think I used up all but four of my tiny balls of sock. I consider it “tiny” when its under 5 grams. So this was a great stash buster for me.
Just as in my first one I used a spit splice to join all my ends so I didn’t have 1,000 ends to weave in ends. My kiddos laughed at me because I legit used a balloon to block this hat. I inflated the balloon inside this hat and set out to dry. They couldn’t wait for it to dry so they could have the balloon, lol.
This FO is definitely going into the donate pile. It is a fine hat but I just don’t love the chaos of colors. But it is still a functioning hat and will keep a head warm. The yarn is all superwash so I would feel comfortable donating this to a local shelter or other charity.
I have some more colors added to my Scrappy Marl #2. I’m drifting a little more away from “ugly” but I’m not sure I would call this elegant by any means.
I have another inch to add and then I will be ready for the decreases. I only have about 5 small balls of scraps left in my bag. So that is thrilling to get odds and ends used up into something useful. I am determined to finish this project before I hold judgement on its final aesthetics.
I do love this pattern and its simple instruction. Ten out of ten I would make this again to use up scraps or mini skeins. Happy Knitting!!
I have 48 grams of my Shepherd’s Mill 2 ply DK yarn left from my Mom’s 2021 Christmas Hat. I decided to dive right back in and cast on a second hat for my mom. With the idea that I will use up this skein of yarn and give her both ends of the gradient.
I made a couple of tweaks to try and set myself up for success. First, I took the stitch count down to 88 total for the cast on. This will hopefully increase the height I can achieve given I have less yarn for the second. Second I think I am going to forgo standard/typical crown decreases. I am going to knit until I run out of yarn and the Kitchener the top closed in a “square”.
This could end in a fail or in a quirky project. I don’t think my mom will care as long as its warm and her ears don’t hurt when she takes her dogs outside in the winter, lol.
While my needles and project bag were still at hand I did cast on a second Scrappy Marl. I tried to group my tiny scraps into coordinating pairs to use when I hold them double. So far I am not convinced about this project….its reading a bit more “ugly” than “chaotic” to me.
My husband told me to put my OCD brain on hold and wait until I have added all the colors added in. He thinks it will all blend more when I get some other colors added in. He could be right but my sequential and orderly brain just rebels against this, lol.
For sure this hat will go into the gift/donation bin. While I am confident I can make this into a perfectly serviceable hat….I don’t see myself keeping or wearing this one. But I am jazzed about how many tiny balls of scraps are disappearing from my stash!
After accidently leaving my project bag at my parents house…I can finally show you that I finished my Mom’s 2021 Christmas Hat!
I took advantage of a grandparent babysitting weekend to really power through this project. I only had like 3 inches of hat and the decreases to go so it wasn’t too bad. But it felt great to get another gift hat off the needles. So much so that I tossed the project bag behind their recliner and forgot it when I left for home, lol.
Pattern: None, just a 96 stitch basic beanie
Needle: US 7
Yarn: Shepherd’s Mill 2 Ply DK in the Berry Gradient
Mods: really none because I just made things up as I went (including the decreases)
I purposely made the brim super long so it could be folded up and keep ears warm. This yarn is made of wool and bamboo so it blocked quite a bit with little stretching. So I gained a lot of length in blocking. I used roughly 52 grams or just over half the skein of this long gradient. I think I have enough for a second (and slightly shorter) hat….
The only bummer of this project is that the yarn my mom chose was too long of a gradient to really get much color difference in one hat. It does change from bright berry to dull berry but I never got to any of the browns. I guess I’ll save those for a bonus hat!
My mom was pleased with the finished product so that is all that counts. And it’s another hat down this year with my hat mojo still going strong. Happy Knitting!!
I could not put this project down. As with my faded/marled shawls I just kept wanting to knit another row and see how the new yarn was fitting in. The bonus? I have a finished Scrappy Marl!
Yarns: Many many many assorted scraps leftover from my sock weigh yarn. You can see some of them on my Ravelry page if that is a safe place for you
Needles: US 4s and 6s
Mods: None
After final tally this project used up 349 yards of sock weight scraps. That is almost a full skein of yarn! And I was able to craft something purposeful and beautiful. The finished hat does have a little bit of a slouch but not so much that you can turn the brim.
I am tempted to do another one of these hats with the TINY balls of scraps that I have floating around. I don’t think I will be able to plan or fade what I have left. It will be more of a “chaotic” pairing of yarns. But I weighed the bag and I have almost 100 grams of scraps I could use.
As I anticipated, the hat blocked nicely and fits well. It was tight on my skull prior to washing but has relaxed nicely. I really love this hat so I’m not sure if this will go in the gift bin or into my personal hand knit drawer. I have time to decide before it gets cold, lol.
A happy Memorial Day to all those in the US. I am taking advantage of the long weekend to cast on a scrappy project I have been dreaming of for a minute. My Scrappy Marl is on the needles and flying along.
This project holds sock yarn double so it is really chewing through scraps. And yes, I am purposely planning my yarns. I am moving from light to dark in a pseudo rainbow. I’m blending purples and reds right now.
So far I am super pleased. It does feel a little small and tight, but I think blocking will do a world of good on this project. It is a lot of super wash yarn so its going to grow. For my sanity I am spit splicing or Russian joining the ends as I add new colors. No way I want to weave in 100 ends on a scrappy project, lol.
My Tangled Yarn Knitting Adventures 