It's 100 degrees...

...time to knit some hats!

(or rather, I am so thankful for air conditioning!)

This little hat took a whole weekend to make. First, I tried a different pattern.

Twice.

Then I changed over to this one.

And I probably knit this hat about 5 times. Several rows at a time, just to be tinked and tried again. I knew what it was supposed to look like, I just couldn't get it there. (I looked on Ravelry for errata or for hints from other knitters, but there wasn't any. So I resigned myself to the fact that it was just me.)



I don't know what was up with me and pattern reading, but we just we're getting along.

In fact, we were downright enemies.

So much so, that I could only handle plain mittens. No zigging or zagging was involved.



This was made with one skein of Patons classic wool. It's a big kid's size.

Then, I was done with hats, so I started a sock.



This is the Aug. pattern from 6SoxKAL called Lacy Ribs and Cables House socks. They used worsted weight so I figured it would be good for an M4A pair. I'm doing the pattern as written, but using size 6s for the body. (Which I guess that I'm not doing the pattern as written since it calls for 8s. Also, I did more pattern repeats on the leg. So never mind...I'm changing it up.) This makes them kid-sized and not adult-sized but I didn't want them too lacy.

I got this far on the foot when another hat beckoned me. And I strayed.




Hehe! Someone on M4A had posted a photo of a spiral hat and I loved it. She had followed a pattern but she told me the spiralling hint and I used it and it worked.

The number of stitches is one less than the number needed for the repeats so as you knit around the stitches are moved one over. (And because I'm left-handed, they go the other way around than a rightie's would.)

I used 92 sts on size 7 needles for ribbing. Increased 3 sts in last round of ribbing to 95 (one less than 96). Did 4 sts of pink then 4 sts of green around and around and around. I turned the hat inside out so that the floats were loose enough. Decreased at the top and added some i-cord loops!

Then, I had to do a cousin of the spiral. It's called the checkerboard. (The blocks are each 4 sts wide for the base--they just look different sizes.)



92 sts for ribbing with size 6 needles, increase to 96 sts on last row of ribbing. 4 sts of each color and 4 rows and then switch colors.

That was done last night. Now maybe I can get back to the socks.


P.S. I might have purchased some yarn....



Surino (50% Merino, 50% Suri Alpaca) sport weight, super clearance sale from KnitFitKnitting.