Tag Archives: toque

More Hat Decreases

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My Purple Worsted Hat is growing nicely. I popped my hat onto my mannequin head to see where I was to determine if crown decreases were necessary.

This yarn is custom milled here in Kansas at the Shepherds Mill in Phillipsburg KS. It’s a nice round three ply. I think this would be what knitting with handspun would be like? I noticed some thick and thin changes in the plies for this yarn as I work. I’m not knocking it but its certainly different than working with a mainstream commercial yarn.

After consulting the mannequin head and getting the hubby’s opinion, I think I am ready to start the decreases. And maybe I can have a FO this week?

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Purple Worsted Hat

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Now that my arbitrary knitting rules are satisfied with finishing my Toxic Oreo Vanilla Socks I let myself cast on my next worsted beanie.

I snuggled into my bed with my knitting and zoom knit night friends. I plugged away and got the ribbing complete. This yarn is quite a bit thicker than my last worsted skein. It is the 3ply worsted from Shepherds Mill I got on my accidental yarn crawl. So I only cast on 80 stitches to keep the hat coming out oversixed.

This thicker and rounder yarn is creating a much denser fabric than previous hats. This will for SURE be a wind proof hat, lol. But the world needs all kinds of hats so I’m just going with it.

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Dad’s Camo Hat

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My Dad’s Camo Hat is done, blocked and ready to be tucked away for Christmas 2021! Worsted weight decreases really truly go ZOOM and I was done before I know it. I even had time to wash and set this hat out last night to block and dry before I headed to bed.

Pattern: My own beanie “recipe” worked with 80 stitches

Yarn: Brown Sheep Lanaloft Worsted in Chameleon Green colorway

Needles: US 8s

I used roughly 131 yards or 120 meters of yarn to finish this hat. So just shy of a full skein. The whole thing weighs 82 grams.

The yarn is a single and was quite nice to work with. At my gauge and needle size I ended up with a pretty nicely dense fabric. This hat should be wind proof. The finished fabric is not exactly merino soft but its not 100% rustic either. It is somewhere in the middle.

I’m really happy with this hat and I feel quite accomplished to be already building my Christmas stash. That isn’t my primary intention, I’m just following where my knitting mojo is leading me.

Happy Knitting!!

Ready For Camo Decreases

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I have really been monogamous on my Camo Hat for Dad this week. I think I’m ready for the crown decreases!

As I had previously suspected the yarn did end up pooling/flashing. But it also almost striped in some areas. That was quite the surprise, lol. But it’s still a great hat and going to SUPER warm.

I think for this one I definitely like the brim folded up. I think its going to make a nice non-slouch beanie to keep out the winter wind. I do need to find my size 8 dpns to finish the crown. Some helpful child I think has absconded with them to play god knows what. My best bet is probably to look in the dollhouse….

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Dad’s Camo Hat

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After finishing the He Will Have His Revenge Hat last week I spent date night and some of the weekend working on my next hat. I pulled the skein of Lanaloft I recently procured from my accidental yarn crawl. My needles were cold and my mojo is still going strong.

As you can tell I made fairly good progress for just a few hours. It’s amazing what a few hours of movie and playground knitting can get done. The ribbing is done and I’m a good chunk of the way up the main body of the hat. This skein is a little shorter in yardage from my last few hats meaning its a little thicker of a worsted. This yarn is also a single so it is working up a little differently than a plied yarn and I kind of like it.

I am at a crossroads to figure out how much more I can knit and still finish the decreases before I run out of yarn. This hat will be for the Christmas box, likely for my Dad since I already gifted the hat I intended for him. He’s got a pretty big noggin so I need a pretty robust hat. Maybe I can sneak a peak at his favorite ball cap or fishing hat?

I predict this will become a FO soon! Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: He Will Have His Revenge Hat

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I have another hat that fairly FLEW off my needles. My He Will Have His Revenge Hat is complete and tucked away in the Christmas gift pile.

Pattern: None, just a basic beanie I unvented using 88 stitch cast on

Yarn: Leading Men Fiber Arts Box Office base in He Will Have His Revent

Needles: US 8s

Mods: none really I just knit a basic beanie I have memorized.

I was really pleased with how the decreases spiraled and came in on themselves. Also a fantastic happenstance is how the speckles never really pooled or flashed…even as I decreased.

I will definitely work with this yarn again. Those guys at LMFA realy know their color theory and the base itself feels great in my hands as I knit. This was a skein of yarn I picked up at a trunk show they did in Kansas City before the world shut down. It has a unique place in my heart.

This beanie ended up being pretty slouchy/massively tall. In my estimation this will make it even warmer when you double over the brim. And the recipient can choose their level of slouch or not slouch. I ended up using about 3/4 of the skein or 166 yarns/76 grams. So I have a little nugget to add to my leftover pile.

And my hat mojo is going strong so I’m already plotting my next hat cast on!

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: A Hat For Dad

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The super slouch Hat for Dad is done, washed and ready to head out the door. I made a left turn after I finished this hat. It’s not going to be for my dad. It’s going to my daycare provider as she is starting 18 weeks of chemo and going to lose all her hair. She needs this worse than my dad and I just want to wrap her in wooly hugs.

Pattern: None, just a basic 88 stitch worsted weight beanie

Yarn: Lilliput Yarn in Woof Worsted in the Man’s Best Friend Colorway

Needles: US 8s

Mods: None because I made up the hat as I went, lol.

This hat turned out to be a SUPER slouch when used with single brim. But is a nice beanie with the brim folded double. I ended with 11 gram leftover, so a nice sized ball. The hat only took 89 grams or 194 yards. So my prediction was correct…winging it made me have a decent chunk of yarn leftover, lol.

I’m still proud of this hat and I’m itching to get another one on the needles. I have a second skein of this Lilliput yarn in the Chasing Cars colorway that I think will be next up on the needles.

Happy Friday and Happy Knitting!!

Closer To A Hat

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Dad’s hat is swimming right along. This has been great knit night knitting and zoom meeting knitting.

I am not following any kind of pattern. I have 88 stitches and I’m just knitting what feels good. No clue how many inches of ribbing, no clue how long I’ll make the hat portion and no pre-plan for the crown decreases. I’ve been knitting long enough that I’m comfortable with just winging it.

The only thing I do want to try to do is use as much yarn as possible. But I feel like that is a chuckle waiting to happen since I’m winging it. I firmly believe I will either be wildly over or under and either run out or have a ton left. Time will tell, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Pardon Me Sir Hat

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Y’all, tomorrow is a new year and I have cast-on-itis. I pulled a skein of KnitCircus worsted weight yarn in the Pardon Me, Sir colorway and cast on a hat last night. After binging some of my favorite TV comedies I have a GOOD start on a hat.

I worked completely through the brim yesterday morning and by the evening I am a fair ways into the hat portion. I’m going full skein with this project. I am not using a pattern. I cast on 90 stitches and I’m making it up as I go. I want to use up as much of this yarn as possible to capture the wonderful gradient.

I think why I like this project so much is that these are my high school alma mater colors. And it will coordinate with my winter coat. This hat will most definitely be for me. The colors are sublime and the yarn extra extra soft. I can’t wait to finish this one!

Happy New Year and Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Four Seasons Hat

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My Four Seasons Hat has finished its bath and is nicely blocked and ready for a head to keep warm. This is a hat I had been keeping in my purse as a carry around project that got finished during recent air travel.

Pattern: 96 stitch slouched stockinette beanie with ribbed brim.

Yarn: KnitCircus RingMaster in a prototype skein called Four Seasons

Needles: US 6 for brim and US 8 for hat

I really just kind of knit this hat on the fly. I knit the ribbing until it was long enough and started the hat when it felt right. I knit until my ball of yarn was looking small-ish and then I worked a series of decreases similar to the sockhead hat decreases. It’s kind of a franken-pattern mash up of different ideas. I was working with a “seconds” kind of yarn that had knots. I pulled out all the knots and Russian joined the breaks. I really can’t see them in the finished fabric.

The crown decreases did come out a little nipple like at the very top. I haven’t decided if it bothers me or not. I can always throw a pom pom on it if I decide that it does. I used up about 155 yards of the 185 yard skein. So just about 85%. I’m guessing I could have eked out a few more rows before the crown decreases but I didn’t want to play yarn chicken. I tucked the leftover in my bin for a scrappy project or future hat repair.

I’m pretty happy with this finished item. I just need to decide if I’m going to keep or gift this one. Happy Knitting!!!