Tag Archives: toque

Handspun Hat Progress

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I am really loving how my Handspun Hat is coming out!

I am getting close to the end of this handspun skein and probably need to start the decreases. The yarn is a 2-ply from a braid I split down the middle. I can tell where my fiber colors lined up and therefore give me solid color chunks versus the barber poling. It is giving the hat an almost striped appearance?

It’s true when they say that you should knit with your handspun so you can see what how it works up in fabric. Is it my most even yarn? Absolutely not but will make a cozy hat! I am knitting on US 10.5s and I don’t have that sized DPNs. I am just going to make due with the US 8s again and try to manually manage my gauge to finish.

Happy Knitting!!

Dewberry Do-Over

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I ripped out the original start of my Dewberry Hat and started over again on DPNs.

I intend to work this hat on US 10s but I don’t have any DPNs in that size so I am using my US 8s and hoping for the best. I am working to be as loose as I can manage to make the change in needles less obvious.

I am going to increase up until I have 72 stiches total and then put the project on circulars to work the remainder. I am using the M1L and M1R increases at end of each DPN for a box like increase section. And after all the messing around with this yarn….this is going to be a vanilla hat body with ribbed brim. I am encouraged to get these couple of hats behind me and move on to less vexing choices.

Happy Knitting!!

Finished: Iris Hat

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This hat vexed me and yet here we are with a finished Iris Hat.

Pattern: A frustrating mix of basic beanie with influences of the Pussy Hat with 72 stiches

Needles: US 10s

Yarn: Malabrigo Mecha in the Iris colorway

I am very proud of my Kitchener skills and used up almost every last inch of this skein. I accurately left a tail long enough to close up the entire hat. The finished hat does fit an adult sized head and create the cat like ears with the two corners. However, it’s not a hat you can pull super low or do any additional folds.

This is definitely going into the gift pile and I will course correct for the other hat that I have going with the Malabrigo Mecha. This bulky single definitely calls for a top down approach….even if I hate starting a hat on DPNs.

Happy Knitting!!

That’s Better

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This is WAY better for my Iris Hat!

I am beginning to think I should have started top down instead of bottom up. I have ZERO clue on how to gauge when to do decreases and not run out of yarn. And I have such little bitty bit of previous hat left.

I think I am just going to knit until it’s almost gone and then Kitchener it closed. It would be a quasi Pussy Hat ala the late 2010s. It should then make a decent adult sized hat right? I really should know better by now, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

All The Essentials

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I am finally picking back up my Deep & Meaningful Hat!

It’s cold, it’s dark and still February. So I decided to grab all the self care essentials….Diet Coke and Knitting. I am using handspun so I am VERY unsure how far I can get with this hat. Probably another project I should have done top down. But I’m not going back now. Future Rachelle might regret those words.

I did like 3.5 or 4 inches of ribbing and then folded the brim over to start the main body. I did not log the yardage of this handspun skein when I put it in Ravelry so I really don’t know what I am working with. It is 120 grams total weight and therefore I should be make a decent hat size?

Maybe I just need more Diet Coke!? Happy Knitting!!

Trying Again

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I got my Iris Hat up and going new needles!

I am on US 10s with 72 total stitches. I worked like a one inch folded brim and then the remainder of this yarn is going into the body of the hat. Trying to avoid yarn chicken. I have told myself to decide on the brim when I get to the end of the skein. That’s a future Rachelle problem…..

Happy Knitting!!

This Isn’t Going To Work

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Okay, I have to admit defeat. This hat at this gauge and with this yarn….is not going to work. RIP first attempt at my Iris Hat.

I am flat going to run out of yarn on this project. My needles are too small and the stitch count is too high. Not to mention that I can’t get this brim over my head. It’s weirdly to dense and small. All around failure.

I ran over to my LYS, which is closing, and grabbed some US 10s on a 16 inch circular cord so I can frog this hat and restart. I will:

  • Use bigger needles
  • Modify the stitch count down
  • Reduce the height of the folded brim
  • Possibly consider a straight cast off and go for the cat ears look?

Good news, is that I haven’t wasted that much time and this should get up and going quickly again. Thank goodness for bulky yarn. I am not even going to rewind this. I am finding the other end of the yarn and knitting the new hat from the old hat, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Dewberry Hat

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My mom’s trip is bearing down on me and I need to get these last hats done! I already had the Iris Hat on the needles and I also started this second hat in Malabrigo Mecha in a color called Dewberry.

I am sensing some doom on my other hat. So for this one I cast on fewer stitches to make this bulky skein go farther. I think I am at 70 ish stitches for a vanilla stockinette beanie. I am waffling on folded brim or no folded brim.

I really should finish the Iris first so I don’t make the same mistakes twice. But where is the fun in that! Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Iris Hat

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I had an awful no good dog of a morning the other day at work. And over my lunch I had to run into a store for a birthday gift. And there was a yarn store right next door. So I wandered in and grabbed some dopamine.

I picked up two skeins of Malabrigo Mecha which is a singles in a bulky weight. This color is called Iris. The idea was a soft and super fast hat. I am going to my friend’s for a little girls trip and I want to give away more hats. I had the yarn store wind the yarn so I could get off the races.

I am using my US 8s as I don’t feel this bulky is really that much different than the heavy worsted I have been using. I may live to regret that decision but so far this skein and color is working up beautifully. I am hoping for a folded brim hat and powering through with a LARGE sugar free iced coffee.

Happy Knitting!

Chiefing Along

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I have had singular focus the past couple of days on this Chiefs Hat #7. I’m already fully chugging through the main hat body

I did stop and install/sew on the patch for the brim. Also weaving in the ends for the color changes on the inside! I hope future Rachelle really enjoys the work that past Rachelle did for her, lol.

Just a few more rows of yellow to get to 20 rows and then I will install the decrease in the final red color stripe. My yarn cakes are shrinking rapidly so I am hoping I get all the way there!

Happy Knitting!!