Hats!

It's been over a month again. Oh well, I'm trying but it has been an awfully dark month and taking good pictures was almost impossible. I'm not often at home when there is enough light to take pictures, and I just didn't want to post without pictures.

It's been the month of hat knitting. I still have quite a few hats in mind that I would love to knit, but we'll see what I can get done.

I've already showed the hat that actually started the hat knitting urge. I love that hat and wear it daily with the matching scarf.

Pattern : Springtime Bandit (available for free)
Yarn : Bouton D'or Laika (100% wool)
Needles : 7mm

The yarn is quite a bit thicker then what the pattern calls for but I just love the fact that you can easily use a heavy yarn for a lace shawl and still have a beautifull garnment to wear! I am planning on knitting another one of these out of a thinner yarn but I'm totally in love with this shawl! I knitted the hat first and then ran out of yarn for the shawl. Some people suggested ripping the hat but I'm so glad I didn't do that! I used some sock yarn doubled and added a strand of mohair to finish a few lines (but I didn't do the whole pattern). It's quite ok as you don't see the edge when I tuck it in my jacket. It's been my favourite shawl for this Winter!

But, as I promissed, hats! Well, I've been knitting hats like crazy and I've been loving it. So lets show a few.

Pattern : 18 Seconds To Sunrise Hat by Tiffany Gallagher (Free download)
Yarn : Anny Blatt Sport'Anny
Needles : 5.5mm

The yarn I got in a big box with all kind of old yarns at my LYS. Someone didn't want them anymore. Well, finally found a project for some of the yarn! This is a follower of the Thorpe hat I knitted beginning of 2009 (and reknitted end of 2009 because it was to big - I never showed the Thorpe here I guess!). I love these hats with ear flaps to wear to the riding school when I'm either riding myself (I ty the flaps down then as I cannot stand having cold ears!) or teaching. I've worn this hat A LOT over the Winter and apparently actually left it at the riding school one day, not even knowing. As I'm already known for my hats they immidiately knew it was mine and put it aside. Phew!

Pattern : Thorpe by Kirsten Kapur (free download)
Yarn : Handspun from Thistle Fiber (Hello Yarn Club Fiber)
Needles : 5.5mm

I spun the yarn and knit the hat beginning 2009, but I hardly wore it because it was just to big. So I ripped it and reknit the Medium size at the end of 2009. Love the hat! Wore it a lot. Sorry for the bad picture, but somehow I had messed up the settings on my camera and it took me a while to figure out how to turn them back! :D (By the way, I have a huge head and usually need the biggest size, but my gauge might have been off, hence the hat being to big).

Pattern : Cabled Beret by Debbie Bliss
Yarn : Merinoangora Puffo d'Angora(100% Angora) and

Textiles de la Marque Luisa 4 (Angora/wool), one strand of each
Needles : 3.5mm and 5mm

Another one that's really loved! :D I wanted a white beret and wanted something with Angora so it would be extra warm. I saw this hat on Ravelry and realized I had the pattern at home, so I just started it. I added some extra elastic wire because I always put all my hair in the hat and that weight usually pulls it back. This is one of the warmest hats I have!

Pattern : Everglade by Woolly Wormhead
Yarn : Rowan RYC Cashsoft DK
Needles : 3.75mm

I joined the mystery KAL organized by Woolly Wormhead and knitted this pattern. I'm totally in love and am considering knitting another one (if I find the time!). It's such a comfortable and warm hat!

Pattern : Kat by Kim Hargreaves
Yarn : Rowan Kid Classic
Needles : 3.5 and 4.5mm

I never noticed this hat in the book till I saw it knitted on Ravelry, and I fell in love! I also saw it by someone in this colour and I knew I just had to get the yarn even though I have plenty of suitable yarn in my stash. I've been obsessing over the colour Petrol and it's neighboors over the last Winter season so this was totally the colour I wanted. A quick run to the yarn store as of course I wanted to knit this hat during out trip to France. Well, I knitted the hat in 3 days (it was a very short trip, a gift from my sisters for my birthday ages ago). I love it! It still needs a good blocking and the elastic added but I'll probably do it this weekend (didn't have much time the last weeks).


There were a few hats knitted for various other people as well, but I didn't get them all photographed. Here are a few though :

From left to right : hat for a colleague, hat for my sister (modelled by my mother), hat for a friend

More info on Ravelry!

I'm still not done knitting hats and I don't mind knitting them even now that Spring is around the corner. They are predicting snow again for tonight and I will need hats for quite a while longer as I plan on starting to take my bike to the train station again on Monday! Well, there is always next Winter too, right?


There is still plenty to show so hopefully I'll find the time to post more. I tried the Ravelympics but failed big time. I also joined the IntSweMoDo2010 challange in the hope to get some more sweaters knitted this year. And for those wondering where my socks are, I'm currently really not into knitting socks but I guess the mood will come back again :D.