A Happier Hat!

The mYak hat is now redone.  Is it a perfect job?  That would be a "no."  It is a good enough, wearable job.

The hat is photographed like this so that you can see the weirdness of the color jog.  While this could have been done better, it was not.   It is not a huge deal and I believe that I will be the only person bothered by it.

This time, I knit the mYak at 5 stitches to the inch.  The fabric was firm, yet pliable.  When I tried that hat on, it covered my ears and fit tightly enough to be good for cold day wear.

This time, I did do a gauge swatch.  As I was knitting, I kept a close on the the yarn to make sure I would not run out.  I really did not want to put another $30 into this project.   As I was knitting this, I kept thinking about hats, what I like to wear, and what I am willing to knit.  It is time to be more adventurous.  

Socks with Bling

On one of my many searches through the knitting bags in the dining room, I came across a sock project that I had ripped out and restarted.   The label for the yarn was gone.....I have a vague memory of where it came from....and an even more vague memory of the yarn label.  The memory of the yarn was strong and I remembered how much I liked it.  It became my "carry around" project.

I do remember seeing this yarn in a catalog and deciding I really needed it.  How long ago?  Best not to confess.

The yarn is fun to knit and lovely and rich in color.   I have, and I hope this is correct, a vague memory of more yarn like this somewhere in the stash.   I don't think this is available anymore...and I really do like it.

At one point, I did believe that sock yarn does not count as a purchase.   This changed when I realized that even if I was a millipede....I have WAY too much sock yarn.   Now, sock yarn does count.   I am glad to be using up some of the skeins in the hoard.

Death of the Pressed Rib Cap

Yesterday, I was out in the wind...and cold as the Pressed Rib Cap just did not give any protection.   This is not a fault of the pattern or the yarn, but of the knitter who failed to swatch.

When I got home and warmed up, I whipped out the scissors....and the hat is now two small balls of yarn waiting to be knit into something else.   I think I know what I want to do.....but must....must swatch.

The pillowghan is coming along nicely.    I am nearly halfway through the miles and miles and miles of garter stitch.    As it is very cold here right now, I am glad for the length of the knitting.  It keeps my lap very warm.

Why Swatching is Important....

Over Christmas and New Year's, I made a hat.  The yarn was a very expensive impulse buy....mYak....and seemed really nice.   One of the skeins did have a knot in it...which at this price point was annoying.   I used the pattern, the Pressed Rib Cap, that the yarn was shown with...which was plain but nice. 

I decided to skip doing a gauge swatch and just drop down a needle size and go for it.   This...was....a mistake.   The hat is....fine...but not as tightly knit as I prefer.   I am wearing it anyway as I hate to waste such expensive yarn.  I know I could rip it out and reknit it.  I could....but I just don't want to do that.  

As I am a big proponent of swatching, this was something that should not have happened.  The moral?  Don't be lazy.