Two, Two, Two Hats in One!

(Well, in one post, that is.)

I mentioned a while back that I was knitting some hats for the Halos of Hope Podcaster Throwdown. After a crazy week last week, forces converged over the weekend and I was able to finish both of them on Saturday. (My apologies for these horrible photos -- in addition to the shortened amount of daylight this time of year, it's also been overcast for the past two days.)

Pattern: Wurm by Katharina Nopp
Yarn: scraps of several colors of Knit Picks Comfy Sport
Needles: US 4 (3.5 mm) and US 5 (3.75 mm)
Started/Completed: December 24, 2013/January 11, 2014
Mods: did a ribbed brim (instead of a hemmed brim), worked only 8 reverse stockinette sections, and added a few rounds to the crown

This was a fun knit, although my plan to use up scraps was partially a dumb thing to do because it meant lots of ends to weave in. I did carry some strands, but I still estimate I had at least a dozen ends to deal with. I wove in some as I went along, so at least I didn't have to deal with them all at the end.

I specifically chose this yarn because I thought it would be perfect for a chemo cap -- soft, not itchy, and easy to wash. The scraps were leftover from the Tiny Bubbles sweater I knit for Rainbow when I was pregnant with her -- so, needless to say, they've been sitting in my stash for quite a while! I used up most of what was left, and I think what's still enough not to throw away will be useful as ties for my handspun when I skein it up.

This hat was so busy that I thought I should do a relatively plain one that I could knit up in an evening or two and throw in the package. I still had a random skein of Wool-Ease in my stash (I bought two on clearance at Michaels maybe a year ago that I figured I'd use for a baby gift or something), so I pulled it out and cast on. It really did take me only a few days to whip this one up.

Pattern: Amberson by yours truly
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease, color 115/Blue Mist
Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm)
Started/Completed: January 8/January 11
Mods: none

I cast this on at knit night last week and, after a few false starts, managed to get the brim and a bit of the body done that evening. I knit most of the body on Thursday evening and then finished up the crown on Saturday night while rewatching an episode of Sherlock with the Mister. There's not much to say about this -- I knit the pattern exactly as written, and it turned out exactly as I was expecting.

Now that these hats are done, I find myself with only one project actively on the needles -- my very bright socks. I'm hoping to finish them up tonight, and then tomorrow I will cast on for the Through the Loops Mystery Sock (the first clue comes out tomorrow). For those I will be using my own handspun, the superwash merino/nylon from the Cupcake Fiber Company that I spun on my spindle during last year's Tour de Fleece. I wound it over the weekend, so as soon as I free up my needles, I'm ready to go.

Of course, I can't have just a pair of socks on the needles (particularly if I only have part of the pattern at a time), so I'll have to figure out what to cast on for next. I think I might be another shawl design. Stay tuned.