The Weekend Hat

The 'weekend hat', this weekend,  allowed time for my 'next-big-project' choices to  percolate.  And gave me a neat hat to boot.

This is the Jacques Cousteau Hat.  While looking quite 'pointy' when sitting on the counter, it nonetheless looks great on the head.

What connection the pattern  has with M. Cousteau, I don't know, but it is an interesting - and free on ravelry -  pattern.

The hat is knit with DK weight yarn  and 3.5 mm needles.   I used Shelridge Farm stash yarn left over from a vest kit I purchased from them years ago at the KW Knitters Fair but found too frustrating to be  fun.  With 120 stitches for the ladies size, the hat fits my  head but  it fits Fred's better.  The ribbing is a 3x2 rib so a smaller hat could be made by casting on fewer stitches in multiples of five as long as the cast on number is divisible by four to properly set up the decrease points.      With eight inches of ribbing before the crown decreases, there is lots of doubled-up hat to keep the ears warm.

The feature I like about this hat is the method of decreasing for the crown.

First, there are only four decrease points rather than the more common eight or ten.   Then, instead of a K2Tog or an SSK or a combination of the two, the decreases are made by 'casting off''.  Knit to the end of the quarter section, then cast off the last two stitches.  This gives the crown it's very pronounced decrease lines.

Without frills or furbelows, this is most definitely,  a guy's hat.  My issue now is to find a guy that will wear a neon green hat.    For longer than modelling time, that is.

Guess Who Came To Lunch?

Does this look familiar? 

Try taking a reminder gander over  here.  That's Marie from Sel & Poivre,   wearing her
Minimalist Cardigan.  She is standing in my front foyer!  Talk about the lives of the rich and famous!    You couldn't beat the rich and famous feeling at my house on Saturday as two members of the 'Bloggers' Mutual Admiration Society'  met for lunch.

If you caught  Marie's blog last week, you know that she and her hubby did a touristy tour of our town  while their son skied.  When she emailed to tell me details of their day,  I couldn't believe my misfortune at having been  out of town the one weekend they were in town.  So I put it to her that if they did the delivery of son to the ski hill/tour of the town thing again,  lunch would be at my house.  Well, the stars aligned and my fortunes took a great turn.  Marie and hubby came for lunch on Saturday.

It was such fun.  And once we got rid of the men, we were able to talk knitting.  Marie asked to see two of my Elizabeth Zimmermann favourites - The Green Sweater

 

and The 50th Anniversary Cardigan

Marie looked tres chic in her Minimalist Cardigan.

That's my front foyer,  my front door in case you've forgotten that part already. 

Can I Have Both?

Like a kid in a candy store who can't decide.  Should I have chocolate or butterscotch?  Ju Jubes or Gum Drops?    The solution light bulb comes on and with hopeful expectation, the question is posed.  "Can I have both?"

With my Noro Vest complete, it's on to my next project.  I can't decide whether to start Sally Melville's Centre Paneled Vest/Sweater

 

from her latest book Warm Knits, Cool Gifts.  Centre Paneled  is how I've decided to use this stash yarn.

With this ball of  co-ordinating  Twilley's  Freedon for the centre panel it should look great.

OR - should I start Peasy

with my door-prize bag of Zara. 

Hmmm.  I've had the green yarn since September 2009, the Zara since June 2010.  Should yarns be knit in chronilogical order?

Hmmm.  The centre paneled piece can be knit as either a vest or a sweater - the pattern includes both.  If I got as far as the vest and liked the result, I could stop. Can't do that with Peasy.

Hmmm.  Peasy in off white might still get some wear  before the real hot weather arrives.  Can't wear fuzzy,, warm, wooly, green yarn  in June.

Hmmm.  Peasy I love.  All aspects of it.  Centre Paneled I'm not sure about the back. It is rounded and hangs several inches lower than the front.  Supposedly - according to Sally -  quite chic.  My issue with that design is that I ski. I have seen those types of butt protectors on the chair lift.  The  semi circle of fabric that hangs lower than the front of the jacket to keep the butt protected from wet seats on the ride up the hill.  Although I did message   ckknits  on ravelry  who has knit the vest to question her opinion of the design and she gave it a thumbs up.

Perhaps knitting a weekend hat and letting the designs percolate will help.  Monday will be cast on day.