Christmas Hat and Yarn Along

The final just-in-time-kind-of Christmas project was a hat for my husband. Back in October we were wandering around a craft store looking for things to help us with Lil One's Hallowe'en costume (and taking a few minutes to just be out in the world together because my MIL was watching Lil One). The husband saw this yarn and said, "That would be a good hat." I snatched it off the shelf and tried not to exclaim too much. The husband actually WANTED me to knit him something! and he had found yarn he would like to wear and I would like to knit!

He has this thing about authenticity. It has to be just right, or he would feel silly and never wear whatever it is. He explained later that this yarn says to him, "I am wool. I come from sheep, and I am here to keep you warm. That is all."

Knitted up into a basic, pleasingly vanilla Seaman's Cap pattern (Ravelry link), it has become his best cold weather hat. We're both really pleased with it. I believe it's the first thing I've ever successfully knit for him.

In Yarn Along news, after at least a month of reading almost nothing but children's books, Husband and I joined a bookclub, which chose The Hunger Games as our first month's book.

I read all three books in five days. E-books are dangerous -- I didn't even have to stand up in between books two and three. Book two is pictured here with the February washcloth I started today. Please check out Ginny's blog for more Yarn Along fun.

Now that all the Christmas knitting is up, next I'll wrap up the 2011 Washcloth Project, catch up on the 2012 edition, and see if I can get through January's knitting while it's still February! We get an extra day this year, so maybe I have a shot :-P

First Finished Object of 2011

Well that didn't take very long at all. My first finished object for the year is a Star-Crossed Slouchy Beret (ravelry link) for myself.

I used Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in the Purple Mystery color. I bought this skein early last year, and had been saving it for a time when I could make myself something for a treat. I think right after Christmas and a year of baby knitting qualifies! I only used about half the skein, so I'm trying to decide whether to make another hat or some matching fingerless mitts. I'll probably make the mitts.

This was a super fast project. I cast on on Wednesday, January 5th and finished on Saturday the 8th. I really enjoyed working with this yarn; it's a fluffy single. I also really like the pattern and love the finished hat. I haven't left the house without it since it finished blocking. On the recommendation of Alisha, who has made at least five of these hats, I went down a needle size and used #9 (5.5mm) for the ribbing and #10.5 (6.5mm) for the body of the hat. I'm quite glad I did because I like the fabric better this way, but I would have liked to have a slightly larger pie plate to use for blocking it -- just to give it a little extra slouch.

You can see the cables a little better in this picture, but not the colors (there aren't many good picture-taking opportunities in January, I'm afraid).

This was a great start to a new year of knitting!