But I only bought one. And I paid cash. So it was like not really buying anything at all, right?
I just had to knit it up immediately. A simple 2x2 ribbed hat would not do. I wanted something different. Something I haven’t done before. Voila. I found this great hat pattern from Midnight Knitter's site.
Having finished my seamless sweater class last week, my Wednesday night was free. I was ready to start knitting the hat. “Pattern fits normal head size.” Yes. But a “normal” woman’s hat size is 7 ¼. My hat size is 7 3/8. I ignored the subtle reference to “normal,” added 4 stitches to the pattern and started knitting.
And knitting and knitting. I woke up at 6:15 and blew off the gym so I could knit some more. The yarn worked up really quick. I wanted to finish it and wear it today. (I know, I’m obsessed. But I’ve already admitted that.)
The blue looks really bad in this photo
Close up of stitch pattern
I finished the hat and “tried” it on by holding the two ends together over my head. And guess what? At lunch today I ripped it out and started all over.
Why?
Because I come from the land of Big Heads.
It was too damned small – even with the 4 extra stitches. This time I’ll try 8. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll have a new hat for the weekend…
Posts
9 comments:
I also come from the Land of Big Heads! My ex used to make fun of me because his head was small...what does that say about the size of his brain in relation to mine?
OK, I love your blog. I'm a knitting-freak and a darn-proud crazy cat lady, too. Your blog is absolutely hilarious.
Ooooooo... That's a gorgeous color! And on sale?? Utterly irresistible! (Thank you for including the LYS link so I can head over there ASAP)
Oh, btw: How much of your Land of Big Heads-ness comes from hair thickness??
In my case, mucho mucho!
I have the big head problem as well.... yet I love hats! Result, I am always searching for hats in vain. If I could just improve my knitting skills I would try making my own...
Doesn't the hat thing piss you off? I want hats that fit my big head! Sometimes Old Navy and Gap have two sizes...S/M and M/L. And the M/L fit me...so I buy those. And I look good in hats, so I want more of them. Okay, done with that rant now...
shall i ask the evil awful question...did you get gauge with your yarn? don't shoot me :)
cool stitch pattern! did you by any chance measure the hat before ripping? the gauge and a head circumference would custom-fit your hat. then again, i'm nerdy (guessing is scary) about such things and have a hard time getting hats right on the first try anyway.
i've never been to Urban Knitting. how do you like it?
hi meowgirl & inky:
of course a gauge would have been the right way to go about sizing this hat, but noooooooo. i didn't do that. should have, but didn't even think of that step. doh! next time. i swear. i am going to be all about the gauge from now on! really.
but my knitting friends at work made me seam the hat together before i ripped it -- they were convinced it would be the right size.
and ya know, those little knitters were correct. the hat kind of stretched a bit after i seamed it -- and i saved myself from having to re-knit it.
so the finished size is a hair under 10" long and a hair under 8" tall, when i measure it flat on my desk.
the original pattern called for 20 rows before starting to decrease, but i kept going until the height of the hat matched a hat i already owned. but that depends on: size of head (we all know my issues around this!) and the style you want. I prefer a hat that goes a little lower on my head and covers my ears. maybe b/c i'm a little too far out of the genX demo to appreciate a more "cap-like" hat! who knows!
re: urban knitting. it's a wonderful store. we discovered it b/c it was the closest one we could drive to at lunch without being gone *too, too* long. helen is the owner and she is just wonderful. so knowledgeable and such a good teacher. her favorite line when you screw up: "oh, you can fix that!" and her yarns are georgeous. the store has turned me into a yarn snob...
she'a former architecht so the store is just beautiful. very modern and stylish -- not at all what you would normally think of when you think "yarn store."
I asked her if i could interview her for my blog and she was all for it -- so come back in a few weeks to see what i whipped up.
and if you're in hayes valley, certainly stop by. you can tell her stacy sent you. she is fully aware of my knitting obsession and will appreciate a new visitor!
Want to see a photo of you in the hat!!
Post a Comment