FO Parade

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. In the tradition of Holiday Parades, I've put my own together.....

Pattern: The Harlot's Unoriginal Hat

Yarn Malabrigo Chunky (don't know the colorway but it's a rich brown with pale blue highlights)

Here's a better pic that Dave took. (I took the blurry one above.)

I made this hat twice. The needles the Harlot's pattern calls for don't exist in America. It's btw a US 10.5 and US 11. I first went with the 10.5 because I've got a tiny head. It was too small. I'd put it one and it would pop off like a cork. I pulled it apart, spit-splice the yarn and remade it with the 11's. It's still a little small. It tends to slide up my head and looks odd. My friend Donna says to block it but I think I'll probably just pull it apart again and make it on 13's.

Pattern: Elizabeth Zimmerman's Moebius Vest

Yarn: JJ's Montage (again, don't know the colorway)

Needles: US 9 (I think)

When my mom visited awhile back and picked out patterns and bought the yarn for me to make her things I was elated. New yarn! In trying to pick simple things, she ended up picking things that are deadly boring. This is miles of garter stitch. Miles. Countries. But I think it came out very nice. Pooling seems to make some people crazy. It's never bothered me, I rather like the way it looks!

I joined YarnThing's Holiday KAL-CAL. My list includes a hat each for my brother, my MIL, and my FIL. Slippers for the boys and the in-laws. And now I've added a scarf and some Peekaboo Mitts for my MIL. And a bathmat (crocheted) for my BIL/SIL.

The thing is, it's so cold here in Denver that the gifts for the in-laws and the boys will be given the minute they are off the needles.

Pattern: Robin's Egg Blue Hat

Yarn: Alpaca with a Twist Highlander

Needles: US 9

mods: No button on the flap. Didn't have one that my Chibi would go thru the holes to sew it on.

Pattern: A Hat Fit For A Boyfriend

Yarn: Baby Alpaca Grande

Needles: US 10.5

Another hat made twice. Made it (casting on 72 instead of 100 due to the difference in gauge btw called for yarn and what I used), put it on my husband who pronounced it a bit snug and too short. My FIL has a very large head so if the hat was snug on Dave.... Frogged and remade using 80 sts. When it was done, I put it on FIL's head, he pronounced it perfect so I took the needles out of the top and finished it off.

Despite the Freudian nature of making a hat fit for a boyfriend for my FIL, it's an excellent pattern. Go to the Rav link and see a much better pic of the clever decreases!

And can I just say that I am now in love with hats - even making them twice, they are so fast! Well, except this one...

Pattern: YeeHaw Lady

Yarn: Kitchen Cotton - Black

Crochet Hook: J (I think, I never keep track of these things - I used what was called for in the pattern)

Yet another one that was done pretty much twice. I made it with some help. I can't seem to figure out flat rounds in crochet. You do 7 flat rounds and then start in-the-round rounds to make the crown. The flat rounds are like ones you would do if you were making the soles of slippers. I can never get those right. I never end up at the beginning of the round where I'm supposed to. I'm always short or overshot on the beginning of the damn round. After 5 tries, I took it to Purls of Wisdom and Jen (the owner) did that part for me. (Thanks Jen!)

I went home and made the rest of the hat. Tried it on before I did the wire edging. Too. Damn. Big. I pulled out to the flat part and made it again with less increases. It was still a bit big but I did the wire edging and 2 hours later wore it to the costume party I'd made it for. Here's my cowgirl outfit...

I didn't really like the hat. At all. I felt the crown was too high. And the wire edging was a true bitch to finish. And you could see the green florist wire around the edge. (Halfway through the party, I went to the bathroom and looking in the mirror, I thought, "You know? It's not that bad!" Then I realized I was beer goggling my own hat. I'm such a dork.)

If I ever make this again, I'll use even less increases and maybe one less round of the decorative stitches in the crown. But I really don't see me making this again. It's currently waiting to be frogged and made into a bath mat for my BIL/SIL for xmas.

And y'all thought I didn't knit, Ruth!