one hundred hats

Celebrating One Hundred Hats

2010-08-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

This morning, I posted the photos of the one hundredth hat, along with a link to the pattern I wrote in celebration . All week there will be giveaways, people commenting like mad to try to win amazing patterns, books, and so much more that has been generously donated by readers of the blog, fellow crafters who are celebrating this huge accomplishment with me.

To be honest, when I set the goal to knit one hundred hats in one year, I wasn’t really thinking. I didn’t plan out how many hats I’d need to knit a week, figure out which patterns I was going to knit up in advance, or think much about if others would follow the project. I simply decided that I wanted to do it, and picked up some yarn.

In the last year I’ve seen readership to the One Hundred Hats blog ebb and flow, and if I’d done more marketing I’ll bet there would be thousands more people commenting right now to win prizes. That’s okay, though – the reason for doing what I did was not followers, it was life change.

A few weeks before I decided to knit one hundred hats in a year, I decided I wanted to be the kind of person who loved on the world in grand and ridiculous ways. Because I am a knitter, the goal to knit 10,000 items for charity seemed like a natural outpouring of this desire for big love.

To kick off my new habit of grand and loving gestures, I dreamed up the One Hundred Hats project. Now one year later, all I can do is sit back and marvel.

I marvel at what has happened – people around the world who have read about the project are now knitting items for charity as well.

I marvel at what I have been able to accomplish – there will be one hundred people who are much warmer thanks to my efforts.

And I marvel at myself. While I tend to downplay myself a lot, I think it’s perfectly fine to marvel at what I have been able to accomplish. With my two tiny hands and a lot of wool I’ve managed to change my life.

I cannot imagine sitting still without knitting needles in my hands now, where before I was content to let time pass unused. I cannot imagine small-scale projects any longer – I have list upon list of new goals ranging from hundreds of mittens to sweaters for every person in my family.

Most importantly, I can now see that I truly can change the world, one hand-knit at a time. Knitters, stay tuned. I will be taking two months to finish up another big knitting project {more on that next week!} and then I’m turning my focus outward even more. I’m excited to start working together to knit this world a warmer and better place, and hope you’ll join me!

In the meantime, head on over to the One Hundred Hats blog to participate in all the great giveaways that are happening – there’s tons of amazing stuff to win!

#100 - Team Spirit Hat

2010-08-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

With fall comes football and showing off your team spirit! As the weather turns chilly, this reversible hat will take you from home games to road games to tailgating in style!
Gauge: 4.5 sts per inch Materials needed:

US size 8 (5.0 mm) 16” circular needles

US size 8 (5.0 mm) DPNs

One skein each in three separate colors (referred to as A, B and C)

Finished diameter: 18 (20, 22) inches un-stretched. Hats will stretch another 1-2”. You can purchase the Team Spirit hat for $3 now - buy now You can also enter to win a free copy of the pattern over at the One Hundred Hats blog.

#99 - Armando

2010-08-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

And with the Armando hat, we've neared the end. Just one hat to go, a week's worth of giveaways, and the One Hundred Hats project is officially over. Strange - I feel like I've got nothing to do now that I'm not knitting hats everywhere I go, planning which patterns to knit up next, and fretting if I'm going to finish knitting on time.

Armando was a great hat to round out the project with, to be sure. I wish I could have knit it longer before beginning the decreases, but alas I was running out of yarn {smaller skein than I'd thought} and didn't want to break down and knit it all over again with fewer cast-on stitches. So it is a hat that is a bit short, but also was knit a bit tight and so will fit someone's head I am sure.

Tune in next week for the reveal of the One Hundredth Hat, the week full of giveaways, and then in early September my final thoughts on the entire project.

Specs: Armando hat, by Gina House {Ravelry link}; knit using size 9 needles and brown stash wool.

#98 - Mock Cables

2010-08-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

After knitting an adorable baby Mock Cables for a commission, I knew I needed to knit one up for the One Hundred Hats project. I love how fast and easy the hat is to work up, and I'm pretty sure I'll be knitting up more of these for charity soon!

Specs: Mock Cables by Bonnie Bran; knit using leftover wool and size 8 needles.

#97 - Purple Baby (in rust)

2010-08-16T20:16:00.001-07:00

Looking for a quick-knit to fill my baby-hat fix I've been rocking lately. I love a quick, simple and beautiful hat, so the Purple Baby hat fit the bill nicely.

I got lucky that I also had just enough rust-colored wool left over from other hats knit for the project that I was able to whip this hat up without creating any new half-skeins!

Specs: Purple Baby Hat by labpugglechi; knit using I Love This Wool! in rust, with size 7 needles.

Black Diamonds Hat

2010-08-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

Love to ski the winter away? This hat will show off your love of the hardest hills, while keeping you warm as you head to the chalet.

Download the pattern for free - download now - or read on for the full instructions!

Materials:

One set size 6 16” circular needles

One set size 8 16” circular needles

One set size 8 dpns

One skein Paton’s Classic Wool in dark grey

One skein Paton's Classic Wool in black Darning needle

Sizes: Small (medium, large) – 8 (9, 10) inches long.

#96 - Naughty Knitterz hat #2

2010-08-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

With the first of two donated patterns completed, I set out to knit the second baby hat - and it would also turn out to be a bit bigger than expected!

Another great hat, the simple patterning meant I whipped through it in no time flat, and ended up with a second hat in two days I would love to add to my hat collection!

Specs: Naughty Knitterz donated pattern, knit using I Love This Wool! in rust, on size 7 needles.

#95 - Naughty Knitterz #1

2010-08-11T20:12:00.001-07:00

Thanks to some freelance writing I've done for Naughty Knitterz, I was gifted with two baby hat patterns to use for the One Hundred Hats project. The first of these hats ended up turning out a bit bigger than baby sized, but I love it almost too much to send it off to someone else!

The super wide garter stitch band was a breeze to knit up, and I love how it gives that hat a more masculine look while still being suitable to a woman or a man. Love!

Specs: Naughty Knitterz pattern, knit using size 7 needles and I Love this Wool! in rust.

#94 - Soule

2010-08-10T20:11:00.001-07:00

I have loved Amanda Soule's blog for years - I think I started reading around the time her now four-year-old daughter Ada was born!In all that time, I had yet to knit one of her free patterns - with the One Hundred Hats project about to finish up though, I knew it was high time.

Soule could have been a bit longer - after finishing the hat I measured for gauge and realized while I had the stitch gauge down perfect, the row gauge was a bit smaller - a few more rows before the crown decreases and this hat would have been a perfect snug fit on me.

None the less I love the pattern - easy to remember, easy to knit up, and super fast from on to off the needles! I forsee this hat making it's way back onto my needles again soon for more charity donations.

Specs: My Hat Of Choice by Amanda Soule {scroll down for link to PDF}; knit using I Love This Wool! in rust, on size 9 dpns.

#93 - Point Lobos

2010-08-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

Last week hats were flying off the needles left and right. Now that I'm down below the last 10, I can feel the end approaching quickly, and my knitting has started to move faster and faster!

Point Lobos was on and off the needles in less than a day, for instance. Made just a tad too small to fit my head for photos, this hat will look great on a younger child. Easy to follow instructions meant I could breeze through the knitting in no time!

Specs: Point Lobos by Sarah-Hope Parmeter; knit using Cascade 220 heathers in pink and size 7 needles.

Helping Haiti Hat Pattern

2010-08-09T20:08:00.000-07:00

** This pattern was originally released in January 2010. A portion of sales were donated to Doctors Without Borders between January and March 2010.**

One set size 8 circs

One set 8 dpns

One skein Paton’s Classic Wool in red

One skein Paton's Classic Wool in blue

Darning needle

three stitch markers in color A

one stitch marker in color B

Gauge: 4.5 stitches and 7 rows to the inch in stockinette

Sizes: Small (large) – 8 (10) inches long.

** This pattern is available for purchase for $3. buy now **

#92 - Jacob

2010-08-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I'm far too old to love the cheese and drama that comes with the Twilight series, but I can't help myself. Yes, I think it does young women and girls a disservice by presenting true love as a woman subjugating herself to the whims of her man, but that's why I'm decidedly on Team Jacob - had Bella chosen him, she would have been able to be her own dang person at least!

anyhow.

While I did not have any black wool to make this hat, modeled after the one worn by Jacob in the first movie, I did have some fabulous blue that was gifted to me by my brother - perfect for this hat!

Specs: Jacob hat by Nancy Fry {Ravelry link to free pattern download}; knit using Debbie Stoller wool and size 8 needles.

#91 - Orvieto

2010-08-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

While I'm not much of a beret girl myself, I know most women are. I've actually been pretty bad and not included many berets in the project, mostly because it drives me a bit batty to knit them {although I'm not really sure why!}, but the Orvieto hat pattern caught my eye, so I added it to the queue.

Not sure if it should have been knit with variegated yarn, but in the end the striping worked out to my advantage - no mass pooling at the crown like I've experienced with so many other variegated yarns throughout this process!

I made a child-sized hat, but it stretches quite nicely, and so actually fit me like a saggy hat rather than a beret - bonus for me!

Specs: Orvieto Hat by Nina Machlin (Ravelry link); knit using gifted variegated yarn and size 8 needles.

#90 - Hill Country

2010-08-03T20:04:00.001-07:00

Hill Countyr is such a fun little hat - the design shifts and moves along the hat, giving it a very polished and masculine look but still allowing it to be a hat a woman can rock. Plus, it's knit up using chunky yarn and bigger needles - what could be better!

Like so many hats I've knit lately, I made one big mod to this pattern - I knit it from the brim to the crown rather than crown-down as the pattern calls for. I struggle through all those needles early on every time, so I find it easier for me to just go ahead and start with the ribbing and work my way up. Doesn't change the way the pattern looks at all, and while it might require a bit more thinking on my part, it's always worth it!

Specs: Hill Country by Clara Parks {free Ravelry download link}; knit with leftover chunky yarn and size 10 needles.

Purke – New Pattern!

2010-08-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

In mid-June, amidst the excitement of the College World Series, I became captivated by the TCU Horned Frogs and their freshman pitcher. After watching them almost make it into the finals, I couldn't help but name this hat pattern - one I worked on in the stands during the game, even - after Purke.

Knit with worsted weight yarn, this hat is available sized from small toddler up through adults. And with the simple cabling design to break up the stockinette, it's perfect knitting for road trips, charity, and last-minute gifts.

Materials:

size 8 16” circular needles

size 8 DPNs

Stitch Nation Alpaca Love yarn

Tapestry yarn

Sizes: x-small (small, medium, large) = 15 (17, 19, 21) inches – this hat will fit from a young toddler through to an adult.

Gauge: 4.5 x 6 stitches per inch.

Purke is available for $2.00 purchase -

* * * * * *

And as an added bonus, I'm offering up a copy for free!! Simply comment to this post with your favorite sport's team - I don't care if it's professional, college, high school, pee-wee league, or even what sport! I'll choose a winner on Friday using random.org!

#89 - Gooseberry

2010-08-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

Rounding out my kids' hats posts from last week, here's Gooseberry!

I fell madly in love with this hat while I was knitting it, and have plans to knit a few for some babes that are set to be born in the next few months. Anyone looking to get into hat-making for kidlets should give this pattern a look - you can use a small circular needle throughout most of it, the pattern works from memory after the first few rows for the majority of the hat {longer if you knit it from the crown down, as written!} and looks amazing when finished!

My mods, although somewhat extensive, had more to do with yarn available and personal preferance than with pattern.

** I knit the hat from the brim to the crown, although the pattern calls for knitting from the crown down.

** I used worsted weight yarn, where the pattern calls for sport weight. This meant I also used larger needles, and the hat came out toddler sized, rather than baby-sized.

** I chose to not knit the i-cord tie at the top.

Specs: Gooseberry Hat by Suvi Simola {free Ravelry download}; knit using leftover stash pink worsted and size 8 needles.

Site Update: July 2010

2010-08-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks to some serious last-ditch stash busting efforts, I have officially busted through my entire stash! I now knit from 40 or less skeins at any one time, with a goal to knock that down to 25 or less in the next two months of knitting! Because of this, the "Made In:" updates will of necessity become "Site Update:" monthly notes going forward! Before I dive into my last stash update EVER, I wanted to share for those of you following along in a feed reader some of the changes I've made to the site in the last few weeks.

** I've changed the layout of the blog a bit. I added a third column, so there are sidebars on either side of the main content column. This allows me to keep the important stuff in line with the most recent post, and keeps the sidebars from growing ridiculously long.

** I've added a "book reviews" link to the right-hand sidebar. I love reading e-books, and as I read them I try to review them here on the blog if they're something I think you'll enjoy knowing more about. The Book Reviews link will take you to a page that lists all the reviews I've done of various e-books. The page includes a short {one or two sentence} summary of my review and a link to the review, as well as the date I reviewd the product.

Now, on to the final Made In post!

As part of my commitment to knit through my stash, I'm documenting what I'm knitting both here and over at One Hundred Hats. At the end of each month, I'm sharing this round-up, a collection of everything I've finished in the past 30 or so days.

This month was huge, both in terms of amount of knits finished and stash reduction. I managed to knock out fifteen finished items {see photos below}, most of which were for either the One Hundred Hats project or the Boystown hats project.

In July I talked about my pattern-writing habits, knitting choices you can make today on your minimalist journey, focusing on the essential, how to tackle your WIP bin, selling patterns on Ravelry, my August Thing-A-Day Challenge, and Inside-Out Simplicity.

I re-released the Rain Down hat pattern, released the Red Velvet hat pattern and the Boystown Beanie hat pattern, and published my e-book The Minimalist Knitter's Handbook!

Four Boystown hats {not pictured}

Red Velvet sport

Blue Zissou

Bella’s eclipse

Simple charity hat

Red velvet worsted

Luxury cowl

brangelina

shroom

gooseberry

hat #90 {not pictured}

hat #91 {not pictured}

The other exciting side to all these finished knits was the completion of the stash-reduction project. I now knit from one bag of yarn at a time, holding no more than 40 skeins. In August that number will go down significantly, and I should hit my goal of only owning 25 skeins of yarn at a time! The next few months will continue to be hat-heavy as I finish up both my hat-knitting projects, but I have plenty of other projects in mind for the fall!

August goal: 15 finished items, which will include the One Hundred Hats project finished and the Boystown Hats project half done.

The One Hundred Hats Celebration Is About To Begin!

2010-07-30T19:59:00.000-07:00

For those of you who weren’t already aware, I’ve been participating in a year-long knitting project called One Hundred Hats. The goal was to knit one hundred hats, using one hundred different hat patterns, over the course of one year.

I began the project last September 1, and will be finishing up with a few days to spare on August 23rd! I’ll be having a huge party over at the One Hundred Hats blog, and wanted to share with all of you lovely readers the press release.

* * * * *

In just a few short weeks, Robyn Devine will be finishing the year-long One Hundred Hats project and she’s inviting you to join her as she celebrates! The festivities will kick off on August 23rd with the reveal of the 100th hat, and continue on the blog all week with giveaways, thoughts on the project, and so much more! We’d love for you to join in on the celebrations, and we’ve got a few specific ways you can do so –

** The week of the 100th Hat Celebration, comment as much as possible for your chance to win one of the fabulous prizes being offered!

** Tweet, Facebook, and blog about the project! Be sure to drop Robyn a line if you share the love – she’s compiling a big thank you list for those who have! {Robyn's Twitter handle is @minimalistrobyn}

** Share your thoughts! Robyn’s compiling a group of quotes on charity knitting to share during the week of the Celebration, and she’d love your thoughts – simply e-mail Robyn with a sentence or a two on charity knitting, and we’ll get it included! {Be sure to share any info you’d like to go along with your quote – web address, how you’d like your name spelled, etc}

** Share your goodies! We’ve still got some spots open for giveaways – this is a great chance for your patterns, yarns, e-books and more to get noticed by some amazing charity-minded folks. If you’re interested in being part of our giveaways, simpy e-mail Robyn with your ideas, along with how to best contact you!

** Interview Robyn for your website, newspaper, podcast, or blog. Robyn loves to talk about charity knitting, and the One Hundred Hats project in specific! To schedule an interview, simply e-mail Robyn with specifics.

Thanks for your interest in the One Hundred Hats project, and welcome to the celebrations!

#88 - Shroom

2010-07-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

Continuing kid's week here, I've got a fun little hat - Shroom!

It looks strange, I'll admit - almost like it shouldn't be cute. As I don't have a kid to model it, I'm going off the original Shroom pattern photos when I say I think it will end up super cute on some little girl's head! Because of the gauge I got with my Cascade held double, this hat will more than likely fit a toddler rather than a bigger kid like it was intended, but no matter.

In truth, I didn't so much enjoy knitting this hat as I enjoyed the way I hoped it would turn out. Chalk it up to my gauge being too tight I guess - the hat was a pain with all those K3tog stitches every fourth row! Now that I see it finished, I'm betting it looks ridiculously cute on any size head, but I'm not sure I'd want to go through the effort to make another one to see.

Specs: Shroom, by Lee Wood Juvan; knit using Cascade 220 Heathers in pink held double, with size 10 needles

#87 - Brangelina

2010-07-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

This week's hats are all about kid-sizes, for the most part. I found myself with some worsted weight yarn and a bunch of patterns that called for bulky weight, and even with the yarn doubled, the hats ended up a tad bit too small to photograph on my head - but they also ended up very much kid-sized hats, so that's what I'll say they are!

First up is the Brangelina hat, a pattern shared freely by Crazy Aunt Purl. I love Laurie's blog, and have knit this hat before in the given adult size, and am glad I was able to make a kid-version. Simple construction and chunky ribs make this hat one I love to knit and share - perfect for a fast, last-minute present!

Specs: Brangelina hat, by Laurie Perry; knit using Cascade 220 heathers in pink and size 10 needles.

#86 - Simple Charity Hat

2010-07-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

With all the cables and baubles and stripes that have been adorning my hats as of late, I was craving something simple and easy - knit knit knit all the way around was in order! Thankfully, I have been working on an e-book about minimalist knitting {to hit the Minimalist Knitter blog on Monday!} and had a hat pattern in mind for it that was perfect!

This simple charity hat is written for all sizes, and is the perfect "first hat" for any knitter - once you've got it working in the round, all you have to worry about is knitting and binding off!

Plus, I love the little ears it gives - just a bit of whimsy for any age person!

Specs: Simple Charity Hat by me {available on Monday}; knit using stash yarn and size 8 needles.

#85 - Bella's Eclipse

2010-07-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to see the movie Eclipse with a friend. And I spent a good five minutes freaking out in the theater over the hat Bella wears while in the snow, before the fight scenes. Like any obsessed knitter, I tried to count the rows while trying to also pay attention to dialogue, with little success.

Thankfully, there are other knitters in the world just as obsessed, and who were sucessful! I managed to find the pattern for Bella's Eclipse hat on Ravelry, and within hours of casting on, I had a finished hat!

No, my version is not done in the exact colors as Bella's - I worked with the yarn I had, as I'm knee-deep in my minimalist knitter challenge and am not buying new yarn these days. The hat is pure wonderful, even in the blue/cream color scheme I knit it in - works up fast thanks to all the stockinette stitch, and fits like a dream!

I made one small adjustment, due to my running out of blue yarn - I added one small stripe and then made the top cream instead of blue, like the pattern called for. If you make sure you've got enough yarn, you won't have the same issues, however!

Specs: Bella's Eclipse hat, by Rachel Bearse {Ravelry link}; knit using donated yarn on size 8 needles.

Red Velvet – New Pattern!

2010-07-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

Today I'm pleased to introduce you to the latest Minimalist Knitter pattern - the Red Velvet Hat! Born by accident, this is a pattern I've fallen deeply in love with - and already love to make it over and over!

{worsted weight version}

After writing a dozen or so patterns, I began to look back at some of the first patterns I wrote. Elsie stood out to me as one that could be improved upon, so I went back to the drawing board in an attempt to make her a bit more wearable.

Instead of making a few smaller changes, she morphed into the Red Velvet hat pattern! With both a worsted weight and a sport weight version included, this hat pattern can be worked up with almost any weight yarn and for either a man or a woman!

{sport weight version}

Materials:

Size 6 16" circular needle {for sport weight version}

Size 8 DPNs {for sport weight version}

Size 8 16” circular needle {for both versions}

Size 10 16” circular needle {for worsted weight version}

Size 10 DPNs {for worsted weight version}

One skein I Love this Yarn! Wool (specs here) or similar yarn

Cabling needle

Darning needle

The Red Velvet Hat pattern is available for $6, and comes with both the sport weight and worsted weight instructions. The worsted weight hat sits much slouchier on the head than the sport weight, and both hats are perfect for men or women.

** Buy the Red Velvet Pattern Now: buy now **

#84 - Blue Zissou

2010-07-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I set a goal - to finish five hats in two days. I managed to complete my goal with time to spare, starting with finally getting my Blue Zissou finished.

To be honest, while I love the way this hat turned out I hated every second of knitting it - over eight inches of 1x1 ribbing is just ridiculous to me, and I try to avoid that sort of thing at all cost. But the Zissou hat was too cute to pass up on, so I worked through my frustration so I could work this hat up.

It turned out wonderfully, and if you don't mind 1x1 ribbing it may be the perfect hat for you!

Specs: Zissou hat by Cheryl Niamath; knit using sport weight blue yarn and size 7 needles.

+ + + + + + +

I've got two hat patterns set to release to the Minimalist Knitter blog in as any weeks. First up is the Red Velvet hat pattern, which will release next Monday. And then on the 26th I'll be sharing Purke!

Red Velvet (#83)

2010-07-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

I'd love to introduce you to Red Velvet! Not only a hat for the One Hundred Hats project, I'm going to be offering the pattern up for sale at Minimalist Knitter on Monday!

I was going to wait to release this pattern until mid-August, but am done with all the edits, just need one or two more photos, and I just can't keep myself from sharing it! The Red Velvet hat pattern will be available for purchase next Monday - it will cost $6, because it's really two patterns in one, both a sport weight and a worsted weight version.

From the pattern:

"After writing a dozen or so patterns, I began to look back at some of the first patterns I wrote. Elsie stood out to me as one that could be improved upon, so I went back to the drawing board in an attempt to make her a bit more wearable.
Instead of making a few smaller changes, she morphed into the Red Velvet hat pattern! With both a worsted weight and a sport weight version included, this hat pattern can be worked up with almost any weight yarn and for either a man or a woman!"

To knit this pattern, you'll need size 6, 8, and 10 circs and DPNs, a cabling needle, and a darning needle to sew in the loose ends. You'll also need to have a basic working knowledge of cabling to make it easier, but I bet anyone can cable through the pattern with no trouble at all, so don't let it stop you if you've never cabled before!

As with all my knitting patterns, I'll be sharing it through Ravelry on Monday as well as on the Minimalist Knitter blog, and it will be available through the Affiliate Program as well, which means you've got the opportunity to earn 50% on any sales made through your personal promotion of the pattern.

Beanpole (#82)

2010-07-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

Knitted up before the holiday weekend, this hat has been a long time coming! And while I loathe making bobbles, I love how they look - especially on this cute little number.

From the cables instead of ribbing for the brim - such a cute detail, and one I want to incorporate into future patterns for sure - to the tiny bobbles and yarn overs that make this pattern so wonderful, this hat was pure joy to knit up!

Specs: Beanpole Beanie (free Ravelry download) by Rachel Weaver; knit using Cascade 220 heathers in Rose, with size 6 and 7 bamboo needles.

+ + + + +

As we enter the final leg of this project, I'll be posting hats MUCH more frequently. Like, three times a week frequently! I find I'm much better these days at knitting the hats than I am at photographing them {as is evidenced above!} due to the hot weather and the bright sunlight in the afternoon, but I'm excited at all the hats I've got queued up!

And start thinking celebration, because towards the end of August I'm hoping to have a blow-out party here on the blog to celebrate this amazing adventure! If you've got a pattern or some yarn you want to give away, contact me at rmcdevine@gmail.com to let me know!

Rain Down Hat – New Pattern!

2010-07-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

While watching football with my brother over Thanksgiving, we were laughing over the newest NFL skull caps that had been handed out. While some of the team colors looked horrid, at best they looked like the top color was “raining down” into the lower color. And with that, the Rain Down Hat was born!

*** Download the pattern to have on hand anytime: download now ***

Materials:

One skein Patons Classic Wool in red

Remnant of Patons Classic Wool in grey

One set size US 6 / 4.00 mm bamboo 16” circular needles

One set size US 7 / 4.50 mm bamboo 16” circular needles

One set size US 7 / 4.50 mm bamboo DPNs

Darning needle

Sizes:
Small, medium, large (8, 9, 10 inches from brim)

Purke (#81)

2010-07-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

What a nice 4th of July weekend I had! Spent some time with friends at a cabin on a lake, got in tons of knitting time, and even began to dream about new patterns. The hat above, however, was conceived a few weeks earlier, at a baseball game!

Purke is the young pitcher for the TCU Horned Frogs, and his wonderful story inspired me while watching him pitch his team to the semi-finals in their first-ever trip to the College World Series! Because I was at a baseball game I needed to make a simpler pattern, and as I knit and he pitched, this hat was born!
I've currently got some wonderful knitters test-knitting the pattern {with a few changes added in to make the hat a bit more fun, along with a few more sizes so it will fit just about any size head!}, and I'll be making it available for sale soon.

Specs: Purke - my pattern; knit using Stitch Nation Alpaca love in grey and size 8 needles.

Boystown Beanie – Free Pattern!

2010-07-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

After hearing the Boystown football team head coach speak at a work function, I was inspired to knit a hat for each member of their high school varsity squad. Needing a simple pattern that would work well for a variety of teenage boys, and without the benefit of sizes on hand, I came up with a super stretchy hat that should fit just about anyone’s head.

*** Download the pattern to have on hand anytime: download now ***

Materials:

One skein Red Heart Supersaver for MC

5 yards Red Heart Supersaver for CC

Size 9 16” circular needles

Size 9 DPNs

Tapestry needle

Scissors

Gauge: 17 stitches = 4 inches

Size: This is a one-size beanie – it fits my head about as well as it fits my husband’s. Made this way on purpose, you can give it to a wide range of people and ensure it will fit.

Directions:

With CC, cast on 96 stitches. Join for working in the round.
Rows 1-3: With CC, k2 p2. Repeat around hat.
Row 4: Switch to MC. K2, p2. Repeat around hat.
Repeat k2, p2 ribbing with MC until hat measures 7.25” from cast on edge.

Decreases {switch to DPNs when necessary}:

Row 1: k2tog, p2. Repeat around hat.
Row 2: k1, p2. Repeat around hat.
Row 3: k1, p2tog. Repeat around hat.
Row 4: k1, p1. Repeat around hat.
Row 5: K2tog. Repeat around hat.
Row 6: Knit all stitches.
Row 7: K2tog. Repeat around.

Finishing: Break yarn, leaving a 10” tail. Weave through stitches on needles, and bind off. Weave in all ends.

A Note About Free Pattern Releases And Test Knitters Wanted!

2010-07-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

In the last year or so, I’ve experienced a strange phenomenon. More and more often I’ve found myself coming up with simple patterns, writing them down as I’ve worked them up, and wanting to share them with you!

Recently I’ve been all about hat patterns – bound to happen while in the midst of a One Hundred Hats project! As I’ve worked through the One Hundred Hats, I’ve knit some of my own patterns as inspiration has struck me.

Over the last month I’ve been sharing those patterns pretty regularly, and I’ve tried to stick to posting one free pattern at least every other Saturday – although I’d like to posting them every Saturday, if I can get myself in gear to do so!

If you’ve followed the One Hundred Hats project, however, you’ll have noticed that the patterns I’m posting here at Minimalist Knitter are a bit older – all are from hats I’d made at least a few months ago. I’ve also got four new hat patterns in process however – all of which have been shown in completed hat form on the One Hundred Hats blog, but not yet shared in pattern form.

The scary part is that I just keep writing patterns! I’ve got at least three more pattern ideas floating around in my head, and as many on paper that I haven’t tried to knit up yet – a silly thing to be complaining about, this prolific moment I’m in, but it’s a bit overwhelming to be sure!

All this said, I wanted to share my goals for the next few months when it comes to free pattern sharing here on Minimalist Knitter.

First and foremost, I am focused on finishing strong with the One Hundred Hats project, and then working up the 30 or so hats I promised for the Boystown Football team. These two hat projects should take me into the end of October, and have me knitting 3-4 hats a week, at the bare minimum.

While this is going on, I will be sharing the remainder of all the free patterns I have written to date. I’ll continue to schedule them to go live on Mondays, posting one up every other week until I’ve shared them all.

In the meantime, as I knit up hats for the One Hundred Hats project that are from my own patterns, I will be using my “spare time” to write up their patterns. Usually I come up with an idea, write it down, knit from my notes tweaking as I go, and then decide what should be changed for the permanent pattern. Normally I’d knit up at least one more version of the pattern to be sure my final tweaks make sense and then take photographs and share the pattern.

Because of my tight knitting schedule, I’m falling short on that last part – and that’s where you may come in. If you’re interested, I’m looking for a few test knitters to try out the “final versions” of my patterns.

You’d receive an advance copy of the pattern, and I’d ask you to knit up a sample following the directions to the letter. Then submit for me your notes, so I can make final changes. If your test knit rocks the house {and I expect that it will} I’ll also most likely ask that you snap some photos of our final product {with a few helpful suggestions from me so the photos will be pattern-ready} so that I can include them in the pattern PDF.

I currently have four hat patterns that I’d love to get written up, if not for this final step – if you’re interested in doing some test knitting, please e-mail me at rmcdevine@gmail.com.

What this pattern posting schedule means for you minimalist knitters out there is pretty exciting. I’ll be sharing a free pattern almost every Saturday between now and the holiday season. And because each pattern is both smaller and minimalist in nature, you should be able to whip through them in no time flat, leaving you with a much smaller stash and tons of great presents ready to give come December!

Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Remember, if you want to test knit, don’t post it in the comments – shoot me an e-mail so I can get in contact with you easier!

Marina (#80)

2010-06-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

I won't lie - it's super strange to be standing outside in a woolen hat in 85 degree weather! While I love to knit year-round, the modeling of those hand-knits when it's so hot you want to be soaking in a chilly pool seems a bit backwards.

That said, I truly loved knitting Marina. Knit from side to side, the stitch pattern worked itself out beautifully - if a bit difficult to memorize, which is always a bonus in my eyes. This type of pattern has been cropping up everywhere for me lately, so it was no surprise that it would turn up on a hat for the project!

Specs: Marina, by Wooly Wormhead; knit using I Love This Wool! in brick, on size 7 bamboo needles.

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I'm almost caught up to the hats I've finished knitting, and then we're into the home stretch! I've had another burst of pattern-writing frenzy as well, so look for new hats from me to crop up more frequently again - while I may not share the patterns right away, all hat patterns I've written for this project will be shared over at Minimalist Knitter - and I'll be sure to let you know here when they do!

Diamond Head (#79)

2010-06-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a week it's been! I feel like I turned around and a week had gone by without my being able to post a hat update, much less even take a photo! I'm officially four hats ahead of the one you see here - FOUR! - but I hope to get caught up between this week and next.

The Diamond Head Beret was super fun to knit, although not very beret-like in the end I don't think. It slouches quite nice, but maybe I just don't know how to wear it properly? No matter, because I love it and would wear it all winter long if I weren't giving it away soon!

Specs: Diamond Head Beret by Petra Johnson; made using I Love This Wool in brick and size 6 and 7 needles.

Taos (#78)

2010-06-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

What a weekend it was! A brother who turned 21, a ridiculous sunburn after a super-fun CWS baseball game, and tons of knitting time left me exhausted!

Before all the ridiculousness of the weekend, I finished knitting Taos. A fun little knit, this hat is far too big for my head in length but I love the brim and the construction of the whole thing far too much to care. Maybe it looks good slouchy?

The tiny cables for the brim are what does it for me. I love knitting cables without needing a cable needle, and hope I can work that little bit of wonderfulness into future hand-knits.

Specs: Taos by Joanne Cole; knit using Cascade 220 heathers in pink on size 8 needles.

Three Season Mitts

2010-06-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

Just over a year ago I created my first e-book, titled Three-Season Mitts. Six patterns filled its pages, and I released it into the world with little expectation. Luckily, I was able to sell just over 20 copies of it within the first few weeks – a huge success I felt!

Over the last year however, I’ve noticed a few issues. One of the patterns had a few confusing instructions; the writing was so large the patterns took up far more space than necessary; the photos were large and over-powering.

So a few weeks ago I made a decision: I would remove the ability to purchase the e-book, revamp it a bit, and re-release it back into the wild!

Today I proudly present to you the 2.0 version of my very first e-book – Three Season Mitts!
The book is available for download immediately for just $8 – a steal for six unique mitts patterns perfect for gifting this fall and holiday season!

As an added bonus, I’ve set up an affiliate program for the Three-Season Mitts book! For those not familiar with an affiliate program, you sign up for free, promote the e-book however you want, and then as people buy the e-book based on your links you earn 50% of the profits!

While affiliate programs are all the rage amongst many other blogging circles, I haven’t seen much use of it in the knitting community, and I can’t figure out why. What better way to say thank you to those who choose to knit and promote my patterns than to offer them a bit of cash for doing so?

Consider this the test, then. The Three-Season Mitts e-book is officially available both for purchase and for affiliate marketing. I’ll check back in a week or so to let you know how it went!

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Looking for a more in-depth look at what affiliate marketing is, how you can get on board with my affiliate program, and more? I’ve written this article to explain.

Beehive (#77)

2010-06-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was quite the productive one for me - hats flew off the needles before I had much of a chance to catch up with them it seemed! I got lucky with Beehive - after a few rounds of all these cables, you think you want to give up, and suddenly you're halfway through and the hat is turning out so cute you realize just a few more cables won't be so bad!

This tiny little hat comes pattern equiped with a tiny crocheted bee, but I didn't add that to my schedule. With the hat in pink, I thought adding a yellow and black bee would ultimately detract from the pretty little hat!

Specs: Beehive hat by Stasia Wussow; knit using Cascade 220 heathers in pink and size 8 needles.

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This coming Tuesday I'm going to be re-releasing the Three-Season Mitts e-book back into circulation. There were a few pattern issues I needed to work out, and in celebration of getting it finally ready to re-release I'll be offering up an affiliate program for it - which means you'll get paid alongside me if you promote it!

More information will hit my Minimalist Knitter blog on Tuesday, but I'll be sharing all the ins and outs on Monday here - my little way of saying thanks for being such faithful readers!

Meret (#76)

2010-06-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the fun and love for reaching the 3/4 point for this project! After taking some time to celebrate, I've got tons of hats off the needles and am moving along full-speed towards the finish line!

{and yes, I will continue to blog my knitting adventures once this project is done, for those who so kindly asked!}

Meet Meret. Although she hasn't been blocked, I love her dearly!The pattern was written for a mystery knit-along hosted by Wooly Wormhead on Ravelry, and is offered up freely!

A fun knit, you can choose just how slouchy you want the hat to turn out. I opted to make mine somewhere in the middle of slouch - and now that it's knit, I think I'd make it super slouchy next time, as I hate to block things!

This pattern quite literally flew off the needles, a welcome event as I feel like I'm getting behind again on my goals.

Specs: Meret, by Wooly Wormhead; knit using I Love This Wool! and size 8 bamboo needles.

the Oma-Hat

2010-06-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

In celebration of reaching the halfway point for my One Hundred Hats challenge, I wrote up this quick hat pattern.

Here in Omaha, we refer to our city as “The Big O” and our city symbol is a giant red letter O. It was a no-brainer for me to turn this symbol into a pattern that could represent our city with pride!

*** Download your copy of the pattern to have on hand anytime: download now ***

Materials:

One skein Patons Classic Wool in white

Remnant of Patons Classic Wool in contrasting color (I've used red)

One set size US 8 / 5.00 mm bamboo 16” circular needles

One set size US 8 / 5.00 mm bamboo DPNs

Darning needle

four stitch markers, one in a contrasting color

pdX hat (#75!) And A Giveaway

2010-06-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

Say hello to hat #75 – the pdX hat! As part of a contest worked out with Omaha.net, I knit two of this hat – a pattern I worked up myself. The white hat is going in the box of hats to be sent to Nest:Maine, and the turquoise hat will be sent off to Kabira, the wonderful contest winner!

As part of the contest, she got to help design the hat. Sharing her desire to have a non-ribbed brim, and her love of textured type hats, I came up with a design full of Xs – which look more like diamonds, really! – in one of her favorite colors!

And with this, I am officially entering the home stretch! For those of you that are on Ravelry, you may have noticed I’ve gone ahead and planned out all but the last ten hats – I figure it’ll be easier if I can just look up which hat is next and grab the yarn for it, rather than having to spend a bunch of my knitting time figuring out which patterns to use.

I’m excited for the next two-three months and all the knitting it will bring! I’m already planning some fun for the end of the project, figuring out my next knitting steps, and have tons to share in the coming months.

For now, however, let’s have a contest!

I’m keeping it simple for hat #75, and giving away a few Jane Richmond patterns! We all know I love me some Jane Richmond, so I’m going to leave this post up all week, and on Friday morning (9am CST to be exact) I’ll pick four winners – each of those four winners will receive a copy of their Jane Richmond hat pattern of choice!

To enter, simply comment to THIS POST with your favorite Jane Richmond hat pattern – if you win, I’ll purchase that one for you and have it sent directly to the e-mail address you provide when you comment, so be sure to leave a valid e-mail address.

Promethean (#74)

2010-06-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

** dollars not included**

I think I'm still a bit behind with the hat knitting and posting, but with this wonderful hat, I'm on the cusp of 75! Promethean is made with a pocket on the side, and while the original pattern is knit with stripes, I wanted a simpler hat anyone could toss on with just about anything.

And despite the fact that it's a tad bit too big for my noggin', I got exactly what I wanted! While the pocket isn't big enough to stash much, you can definitely toss a few extra bucks in there if you're headed out and don't want to have to bring too much.

Specs: Promethean, by Corrvin Smith; knit using Cascade 220 heathers in pink and size 8 bamboo needles.

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Coming next week: the 75th hat celebration! I'm going to keep it simple this time around with one day of a few simple giveaways - I'll post the 75th hat on Monday and then the giveaways on Tuesday, giving you almost an entire week to enter and win!

el hato (#73)

2010-06-01T07:15:00.000-07:00

As I eek closer and closer to my goal, I'm finding myself less and less motivated to knit brand new hats - I've fallen so in love with so many of the hat patterns I've already used, I've contemplated changing the rules of this thing in the home stretch to be able to knit a few of them a few more times!

Which is probably why this wonderful hat pattern - both easy to follow and easy to knit - ended up taking me almost a week to complete! Now that its done, I'm in love with El Hato - simple design coupled with extraordinary warmth means this hat will be a wonderful addition to someone's wardrobe.

I've got my list of hats to knit queued up to #81 - hopefully this planning ahead will help keep me from getting sick of what I'm knitting and keep me on track! It's definitely not for lack of amazing hat patterns that I find myself struggling to put yarn to needles!

Specs: El Hato, by Julia Trice {free Ravelry download}; knit using Reynold's Lite Lopi on size 6 and 8 bamboo needles.

Love, Norway (#72)

2010-05-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

I'm in a knitting phase right now where I'm knitting each skein to the very last drop. Trying to knit through your entire yarn stash will do that to a girl, I guess. And seeing as I had plenty of yarn left over after London, I decided to simply keep on knitting with it for the Love, Norway hat.

I seem to be knitting hats that are just a tad bit too small for my own head lately, so clothesline shots is all I'm able to give unfortunately. Don't let it deter you from this gorgeous hat, however. Love, Norway is a wonder to behold, and one I'm hoping to knit again for a few gals I know as winter shows up in a few months.

Specs: From Norway With Love by Pickles; knit using leftover wool and size 8 bamboo needles.

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I'm still in need of pattern suggestions, celebration ideas and next steps from you all - I'd love for your to head out of lurkedom and answer my short questions on this post!

London (#71)

2010-05-24T07:09:00.000-07:00

Well then, weather! We went from 65 and rainy to 89 and sweltering over the course of 24-hours. Not that I mind summer being here in full force, mind you - it was just a bit abrupt. With the sudden turn towards heat, the last thing I wanted to do was toss on a wintery hat. Lucky for me, London is just a tad too small for my noggin - to the laundry line it was!

Grabbing from my Patons stash for the grey and from my misc stash for the green, I was able to whip through this little ditty in just a few hours. Simple in design concept, the London beanie is perfect for those craving something simple to keep their ears warm come fall and winter.

Specs: London Beanie by Mark Thraikill; knit using stash yarn and size 8 bamboo needles.

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I'm still in need of pattern suggestions, celebration ideas and next steps from you all - I'd love for your to head out of lurkedom and answer my short questions on this post!

One Hundred Hats – out with a bang!

2010-05-21T07:07:00.000-07:00

I’ve officially completed hat #70, which means I’ve got just 30 hats to go! When I started this project, I really didn’t think about completing it – I’m known for starting things I never finish, so it wasn’t until I hit around hat #25 that I started to think I could actually do it.

Now that I’m on hat #70, knitting two to three hats a week just sort of feels like regular business around these parts, and reaching the finish line within the time frame seems not only possible, but highly probable!

With the finish line just a few short months away, it’s time to think about the final hats, the final celebration, and going out with a bang. I’ve got some great ideas I think, but I know that with all of you out there reading, there’s probably a lot more floating around. So I’m asking you for some help!

In the comments, can you help me out with any one of the following? Anything you share will be taken into consideration, and will be added to my celebration list for sure!

1. Hat suggestions. As I enter the final phase of hat knitting for the project, I’d love to know if you have any hat suggestions to knit up. I gravitate towards hats that can be knit in a day or two, have pattern and texture while still being easy enough to work through, and patterns that aren’t in books. I’m fine with having to buy the pattern, although free is nice as well, but if it’s not in a book I already own, I won’t be able to knit it up.

2. Celebration ideas. I’d love to throw a week-long celebration here on the blog once I’m done with the 100th hat. I’ve already got a few ideas, and am sending out e-mails to a few people, but would love to hear your thoughts. What would you love to see happen to celebrate the completion of the project? Dream big here – anything goes for sure, and I’m dreaming ridiculously huge right now as I consider how to celebrate this huge event.

3. Next steps. I’m going to hold off on another “One Hundred Project” until the first of the year, but I’m already excited to do something new, and hopefully something that includes the knitting community in a larger way. What are your thoughts, suggestions, and ideas for this? Get a bunch of people to commit to kitting 100 mittens? Collect 100 handmade sweaters to donate? Donate hand-knits to one hundred different cities? I’d love to hear your suggestions!

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with me! I’ll be compiling the answers with my long list of ideas and starting to come up with a plan – which I’ll of course share soon!

Vancouver Hat – Free Pattern!

2010-05-20T07:02:00.000-07:00

While watching the Winter Olympics in February, I noticed the hats the American commentators were wearing looked hand-knit. Modeled after those hats, this hat is knit with a large ribbed band, stockinette to the unisex decreases, and is turned inside out so the backside of the stockinette stitch is shown when worn.

*** Download the pattern to have on hand anytime: download now ***

Materials:

One set size 8 16” circular needles

One set size 8 dpns

One skein Lion Brand Woolease in dark grey

Darning needle

Sizes: Child large (adult small, adult large) – 16 (20, 24) inches circumference. {Shown in Adult Small}

Twisted Pumpkin (#70)

2010-05-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Just as soon as I got Cables and Bobbles off the needles, I cast on for hat 70 - the Twisted Pumpkin hat from Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter. This time around I made the medium-sized hat, so it was just a tad bit too small for my noggin' - that means it'll be perfect for a kid around grade-school age to rock!

I'm completely smitten with this pattern - the ease at which it works up, only two repeats to remember, and it works up lickity-split!I foresee knitting up tons of these in the future, both for charity and for friends and family!

Specs: Twisted Pumpkin from Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter; knit using Patons 220 wool in pink heathers and size 8 needles.

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Because we're required to, I'm hereby informing you that both links in this post are to an Amazon Associates page. If you purchase a book via the link provided, I'll get a small kickback, which I definitely use to get more books!

Cables and Bobbles (#69)

2010-05-17T06:57:00.000-07:00

Busy as we were getting some home improvements done, I slacked for far too long on Cables and Bobbles, one of the amazing patterns from Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter . The pattern works up super fast and amazing - something I didn't expect for all the cables! I was pleasantly surprised, however, when the hat flew off the needles once I got back around to working on it!

I'm not a huge fan of the way the bobbles turned out, but I was never really comfortable with making them, so I may have been doing something wrong all along. Perfect for a gal in love with Harry Potter, this hat is definitely a keeper!

Specs: Cables and Bobbles from CCharmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter ; knit using Patons 220 heathers in pink and size 8 bamboo needles.

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Because we're required to, I'm hereby informing you that both links in this post are to an Amazon Associates page. If you purchase a book via the link provided, I'll get a small kickback, which I definitely use to get more books!

Omaha.Net Article And Contest!

2010-05-12T06:52:00.000-07:00

Welcome to those of you who are stopping by today after reading about my little project on Omaha.net! And for those of you regular readers - I was featured today in a local Omaha online newspaper - check out the article and the contest!

I'm always excited to share the project with those from around the globe, but being able to share it with those in my home city makes me especially proud!

I'm in the throes of knitting hat #69, so the 75th hat celebration is right around the corner - I love to celebrate the milestones with giveaways and glitter, and this milestone will be no different! I've started the hunt for people looking to give away a knitting pattern, some yarn, a book, some note cards - really anything that you think the readers of this little space would love and cherish! If you've got something in mind, feel free to contact me at rmcdevine{at}gmail{dot}com.

And don't forget about the contest being run at Omaha.Net in conjunction with the article - you could win a hat knit by me! If you're a local Omaha winner, you'll even get to be in a photo with me and the donated hat I made to match yours!

Again, welcome to my little space - feel free to poke around and check out the hats!

Pasha (#68)

2010-05-11T06:50:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, I knit up a hat for a friend. She wanted something turquoise, and after taking a look at all Jane Richmond's hat patterns, she chose Pasha. I whipped it up in record time, and in the process fell in love with the pattern - only eight rows to memorize, four of which were simple knitting, and you've got one repeat of the pattern done!

As soon as Shauna's Pasha was off the needles I knew I needed to make one for this project. I dug into my stash and found some spring green yarn in the right weight. Without hesitation I cast on, and proceeded to whip through yet another Pasha in record time!

It is quite honestly the perfect color and weight for a hat for me, so this one was hard to throw into the donations pile once it was done - I wanted more than anything to keep it for my very own perfect spring hat. But I know that it will go to someone who will love it thoroughly, so into the bin it went.

Incidentally, I pretty much need a woolen cap right now. I don't want to talk about the fact that it's mid-May and I'm wearing a turtleneck sweater in these photos - it's that cold outside right now. So much for spring/summer weather! I only hope it cheers up before my brother comes to stay for the summer!

Specs: Pasha by Jane Richmond {etsy link}; knit using size six bamboo needles and spring green DK weight yarn from my stash.

House Hat (#67)

2010-05-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

I'm working my way through some of the hats in the Charmed Knits book - the amazing Harry Potter-themed knitting book that came out around the time of the fourth movie. While there have been a lot of hand-knits in the rest of the movies, I'm hoping a second version of this book comes out after the eighth and final movie hits theaters in a few years.

Until then, there are some great hats in the first version, not the least of which is the House Hats. With two varieties, this hat was even featured in a charity knit-a-long when the book was first released. I didn't get a chance to participate then, but I'm making up for lost time with this Gryffendor-themed hat.

I got lucky when I realized I had some wool in my Patons stash that almost perfectly matched Harry's house colors - I was all set to make a generically striped hat when I happened to see these two half-balls of yarn sitting next to one another. Casting on the smallest size, I got to work.

This hat took all but a few days to complete - it might have gone faster, but we're in the midst of another round of home renovations {and finally on the home stretch!} so much of my time has been taken up helping my husband out on that front.

Specs: House Hat from Charmed Knits; knit with red and gold Patons yarn on size 6 needles {because I forgot to size up to 8's after the ribbing!}

Snug As A Bug Sleepsack – Free Pattern!

2010-05-05T06:45:00.000-07:00

All babies need a bit of extra snuggle when first born, and sources tell me they should also be wrapped up tight. But what if your babe likes to kick her legs?

I fell in love with the idea of sleep sacks some time ago, but with such small needles needed for most patterns, my hands revolted before I could finish up a bag. Here then is my worsted-weight counterpart.

By using slightly thicker yarn, this pattern will practically knit itself, while still keeping everything soft enough for even the most sensitive of babes! And as an added bonus, you use the entire skein of yarn, so there’s no need to figure out what to do with leftovers!

*** Download the pattern to have on hand anytime: download now ***

Materials:

One size 8 circ (16”)

one extra size 8 needle

One skein Vanna’s Choice Baby Yarns

Darning needle

Finished Measurements: 12” wide at the top (unstretched), 15” long

Gauge: 17 stitches x 22 rows = 4" (10 cm) on size 8 needles

Directions:

Cast on 73 stitches. Join for working in the round, slipping last stitch onto the left needle.

Row 1: k2tog, k1, *p2, k2* to end of row, ending with p2.

Continue in k2, p2 ribbing for 4”.

Knit plain in the round until you have approximately 20” of yarn left in your skein.

Bind off all stitches, using 3-needle bind off.

Weave in both ends, and gift to a cute new babe!

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I love to knit up a sleep sack anytime I know someone who's having a babe {latest example here}.

Striped (#66)

2010-05-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

Not actually very stripy at all, Striped is billed as a holiday knit for all the men in your life. As I made it in the smallest size, the hat will fit a growing boy quite nicely.

Clearly Poppleton is not impressed, but the hat was not only a fun knit, but looks amazing as well. Simple enough to satisfy any boy or man, the little added color strip at the brim edge gives just enough knitting fun to keep you excited while knitting.

I knit it to the pattern, creating a ridge where the brim folds, but if I were to knit it again I would leave that part of the hat out. Without a ridge, the hat would actually be able to be worn a bit longer, as the brim would be adjustable.

Regardless, it's a great knit, a quick knit, and a fun knit!

Specs: Striped by Sara Lucas and Allison Isaacs, from Holiday Knits: 25 Great Gifts from Stockings to Sweaters; knit using Classic Elite Yarns Renaissance in green and stash wool in brown on size 8 bamboo needles.

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Because we're required to now, the link above is an Amazon Affiliate link. Should you decide to click on it, any purchases you make will gift me with a tad bit of returns. Which I will use to buy more knitting books, natch!

Roll Brim (#65)

2010-04-28T06:33:00.000-07:00

With the weather finally turning a bit nicer, we've been doing a bit of spring cleaning around the house. This means messy office desks, yarn in boxes, and cats who want to be played with more than anything in the world.

With all this movement, I wasn't able to get a good shot of the latest hat for the project, but this shot was so cute I had to use it.

Blurry as can be, but with Poppleton giving out kisses, I had to share anyhow!

Specs: Roll Brim by JoAnne Turcotte from Knitting for Peace: Make the World a Better Place One Stitch at a Time ; knit with hand-dyed yarn and size 7 bamboo needles.

A roll brim hat like this is perfect for a last-minute gift or a charitable donation - it can be knitted with any type of yarn, with pretty much any size needles. Definitely one to keep in the knitting arsenal!

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Because we're required to now, the link above is an Amazon Affiliate link. Should you decide to click on it, any purchases you make will gift me with a tad bit of returns. Which I will use to buy more knitting books, natch!

C.C. Eyelets (#64)

2010-04-26T06:26:00.000-07:00

Spring in Omaha means some days are warm and sunny, while others are cold and dreary. The last few days have been of the "cold and dreary" variety - thank goodness I got shots of this eyelet hat while the sun was shining earlier in the week!

The Eyelets hat comes from one of my favorite knitting books of all time - Knitting for Peace: Make the World a Better Place One Stitch at a Time . Full of patterns that are perfect for charity knitting, the book also profiles tons of great charities that would love to receive your handmade items!

This eyelet hat is profiled as perfect for those going through chemo, but I re-purposed the pattern for the One Hundred Hats pattern no problem! Soft wool and not a single change in pattern, and in one short day I had a gorgeous hat!

Specs: C.C. Eyelets hat by Knitting for Peace: Make the World a Better Place One Stitch at a Time ; knit using stash green yarn and size 6 bamboo needles.

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Because we're required to do so, I'm letting you know that links in this post are Amazon Associates links. If you click on them and then purchase a book, I get a small commission, which I'll use to purchase more knitting books!

Ganomey (#63)

2010-04-20T06:23:00.000-07:00

By the end of last week, I'd been knitting the same hat for four days - probably the longest I'd knit one single hat since the beginning of the project - and I was still not even halfway done. Frustrated with my progress, I had a full day of "Knitting sucks!" thoughts before I decided to put down the hat I'd been working on and pick up something new.

Enter Ganomey.

In less than 24 hours I had a completed hat! I started after work on Wednesday, and was all but done before we went to bed. Couldn't finish up or take photos until the next day on lunch.

Ganomey is an Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern, and other than not really liking the way the top end of the hat is put together, I'm a huge fan. I think if I were to make it again, I'd do the decreases for the hat a bit faster throughout the entire pattern, and have it fit a bit snugger at the top, rather than having the tail that's written into the pattern.

This is not just one of the One Hundred Hats, it's the first of ten EZ patterns I hope to finish in the next year - wish me luck!

Specs: Ganomey hat by Elizabeth Zimmerman; knit using stash dark green yarn and size 8 needles.

Slouch (#62)

2010-04-19T06:22:00.000-07:00

Last week was super busy - knitting away on a plethora of projects, both personal and for this project. I've been trying to get myself ahead of the game, and I think it might be working!

A cute hat, Slouch was a quick knit. I probably should have made it a bit longer before I started the decreases, but I was running out of yarn so I made the decision to begin the decreases. It still fits wonderfully, and will definitely keep someone's ears super warm!

Specs: JC Slouchy Hat by Sandy Satre (Ravelry link); knit using blue stash yarn and size 8 bamboo needles.

Zimmerman Love

2010-04-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

Leave it to Elizabeth Zimmerman to cure my “knitting stinks!” atatitude I was sporting yesterday! In an effort to start knocking down many birds with one stone, I cast on the Ganomey hat right after work. Not only was I working on another one of the One Hundred Hats, I was also knitting one Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern (the goal is ten) AND knitting something from one of my craft books (I want to knit something from each of them).

Add to all that excitement the fact that, as of my lunchtime, I was completely done with the hat, ends woven in and photographs taken – less than 24 hours after casting on – and I may have found the perfect “rainy day attitude” knitting pattern!

Ganomey is the perfect introduction to Elizabeth Zimmerman patterns – she tends to write very succinct directions, leaving much to the knitter to work through on her own. Perfect for those who love the joy of figuring things out, but it can be scary for those who are used to being handed directions that spell out the increases and decreases of a project line by line {like me}.

Over the course of the last eight months (can I really have been knitting hats for that long?!) I’ve learned enough about hat construction that the succinct explanations given by EZ didn’t scare me as much as they had a year ago – I was ready to jump in and increase and decrease my way to an adorable (hopefully!) hat to add to the One Hundred Hats collection.

And as the increases and decreases created an adorable and fun hat that fits my head perfectly, I began to have visions of hundreds of these hats adorning the heads of children and adults alike all over the world! I was so excited about this idea I almost abandoned the entire basis of the One Hundred Hats pattern so I could make the next 40 or so hats in the project using just this pattern.

Alas, that is not the intent of my hats project, so I will have to leave my Ganomey love for another project. For now, I’m satisfied knowing I’ve found a hat pattern I want to gift to everyone, make over and over, and that can be done in just under a day. Knitting attitude, be gone!

Lucky 7's (#61)

2010-04-12T06:15:00.000-07:00

Whew! After a whirl-wind weekend of knitting and getting some great stuff done to the house {including my husband fixing our stairs - a project we thought would end up taking MONTHS - in approximately an hour!}, I seem to have run out of steam when it came time to take photos of some of the hats I've gotten knitted.
Don't believe me? Check out the completely UN-inspiring photo for the latest hat in the project, Lucky 7's!

I must be on a jag wherein my stitches are ending up a bit tighter, because this hat was meant to fit my head loosely. Um, nope! And between the smallness of the hat, the super sun that's shining today {it's got to be 80 degrees outside!} and the discovery that flowy sleeves make me look a good eight inches wider in photos than I am, I'm not at all happy with the way the documentation of this hat turned out.

I am, however, in love love LOVE with the Lucky 7's hat pattern, and have added it to my list of "must knit again" patterns! The free pattern works up fast and gorgeous - seven cables around, knit seven times, crossing on the seventh row each time means whoever ends up in this hat will be one lucky little guy indeed!

Those looking for a fun cabled hat to have at the ready for fall/winter gifts would be smart to pick this pattern up from Ravelry post-haste - you won't regret it!

Specs: Lucky 7's hat by weezalana {Ravelry link}; knit using stashed blue wool and size 8 bamboo needles.

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This will definitely not be the last of the uninspired photos, but I wish it could be! Because of my current lack of inspiration on the photo-front, I'm asking for your help! If you live in the Omaha area and would be willing to pose for a hat photo, shoot me an e-mail at rmcdevine{at}gmail{dot}com and let me know!

Plus, if you've got some great ideas for photos, let me know in the comments. I have both a tripod {camera has up to a 10-second hold before taking photos} and a husband who is more than willing to help me get photos, so I should be able to execute just about any idea you've got.

If I snap a photo based on your idea, I'll be sure to share that, along with your blog address {should you share it in comments} so the world will know how creative you are!

Israel In Maroon (#60)

2010-04-07T06:13:00.000-07:00

I've been taking some time to finish up some baby knits I need to get shipped off as presents in the next few days, so hat posting has been light to be sure. I have managed to knit my way through one hat at least in the last few days, however.

Channah Koppel is a woman who collects hats for Israeli soldiers through a charity she started - Hats for Israeli Soldiers. Unlike here in America, all young men and women are required to serve in the Israeli army for a period of two to three years, so military service is simply part of a young person's life.

Channah is a mom who has a son serving in the army, and began collecting hats for the young men and women she knew. The project grew by leaps and bounds, and now she collects over 2,000 hats a year!

This maroon version of the hat is going to be donated along with the other 100 hats I'm knitting, but I have committed to knitting another hat in black, according to charitable specifications, as a thank you for giving the hat pattern for free to the knitting universe.

Specs: Ribbed Watchman's Hat, by Channah Koppel; knit using leftover maroon yarn from my stash and size 8 bamboo needles.

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Look for a new issue of The Story to go live tomorrow! I've been super busy both at work and at home, so I'm posting a bit late this week.

Preemie Hats (#57-#59)

2010-04-01T06:09:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love adorable baby knits? I get sucked in at least once a week on Ravelry, favoriting and queuing up dozens of adorable baby knits before having to reign myself back in! Thanks to this project, however, I'm able to keep the baby hats in the queue for the days that I want/need a quick hat fix.

These three lovelies are thanks to a pattern from Carissa Knits - five patterns actually, with a ribbed and a striped version of the baby/preemie hat to round out the whole (free!) deal. I had just enough yarn to knit up these three - the diamond version, the eyelet version, and the heart version - while away last weekend. They were the perfect traveling companions to be sure, although I had to continually explain that I was in fact knitting them for babes that are not my own.

Specs: preemie hats by Carissa Knits (free patterns); knit with stash green DK weight yarn and size 5 bamboo DPNS.

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With these three wonderful baby knits I move a bit further towards the finish line in the One Hundred Hats project, and I simultaneously enter a great new realm - I've started a charitable organization!

Knit Omaha is in the infant stages right now, but I'm hosting the first knit-along -slash- charity drive from April 2 through July 1, and I couldn't miss the opportunity to share with all you lovely readers! Currently aiming to shower the Omaha area with hand-knits and gather knitters and non-knitters alike together to help others, our first big knitting drive hopes to collect One Hundred (hahahah! I couldn't help myself.) baby and preemie hats for Creighton University Medical Center - a hospital that serves a wide variety of Omaha's babies in their amazing NICU.

I'm heading to the post office today on lunch to get the PO Box all set up and will then begin knitting a few baby hats to start the first drive off on a good foot. You can knit hats using any pattern you'd like, but I love Carissa's patterns so much I wanted to make sure we got as many made out of hers as possible, hence the knit-along.

Stop on over and show Knit Omaha some love, and hopefully you'll be moved to help us out and knit a hat for a babe in need!

Flat Knit (#56)

2010-03-30T06:07:00.000-07:00

After a rough week filled with death, drama, and tears, I'm happy to be back home in Omaha, surrounded by my knitting and my cats and my every-day life! This week I've got four fun hats to share with you, along with the launch of a great new project I'm super excited about!

The Flat Knit hat was one on my list of PDFs from Ravelry, and it fit almost perfectly with the Cascade 220 I had. Because Cascade 220 works up a bit thinner than some other worsteds, this hat knit up a bit smaller than I'd have liked for myself - good thing I'm donating it!
If I were to knit it again, I'd actually knit it in the round. I know that the hat is meant for those who don't want to knit in the round, but I'm so used to doing that now that it felt weird to not be knitting that way. I'd also make the brim a bit larger - mine turned out to be about 1.5" after being folded, but I'd like it to be a bit thicker for winter months.
Specs: Flat Knit Cabled Hat by Crystal McDonald; knit using Cascade 220 in pink heather with size 8 needles.
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Get your needles and baby-friendly yarn ready - I'll be announcing a great new charity drive headed up by Knit Omaha, beginning the first few days of April {which is later this week!}!

Ballard (#55)

2010-03-23T06:02:00.000-07:00

Knitting right along, and still enjoying the hints of spring that are cropping up all around me. From more bikes on the road to kids running around our neighborhood to the games of soccer that happen in the middle of our street, I'm convinced that spring is here!

With spring comes more outside pictures {and the realization that we might need to get outside and tend to our backyard!} in the wind and sunshine.

Ballard, billed as a "slouch hat", features a clover lace pattern that was as easy to knit as the pattern says. Knit exactly to pattern, however, my hat did not turn out at all slouchy - in fact, it barely fits on my head! At least I've got the ribbing stretched pretty far as well, so it should fit onto a child's head without too much problem.

I wish it fit better, because Ballard is quite a wonderful looking hat. There are instructions for a "super slouchy" version, and I'm betting if I whipped that one up I'd end up with a gorgeous spring hat I wouldn't want to give up. C'est la vie!

Specs: Ballard by SweetGeorgia Yarns (free download), knit with Cascade 220 wool in pink heather on size US 7/4.5mm and US 8/5.0mm needles.

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Tonight after work I'm headed off to be interviewed for Omaha.Net - a newer online magazine in my city! Rumor has it the interview will be video taped, and I may even do a mini knitting demonstration! I'll let you know when the interview goes live.

Aesderina (#54)

2010-03-22T06:01:00.000-07:00

After far too long without a hat post, I'm back in the swing of things (at least temporarily!) and have a few fun hats to share this week! Thanks to all the wonderful new yarn I received a few weeks ago, I'll be busting through some great patterns I've had saved in my Ravelry queue for far too long - this means there will be lots of hats in the same hue, but great new patterns to test out!

Have I mentioned to a nauseating degree just how much I love Jane Richmond's patterns? Every one I've used thus far has been wonderful, and Aesderina is no exception. Similar to Wurm in construction, the doubled-up brim on this beauty makes for super toasty ears! And now that it's warming up outside, I'm loving hte toasty ears while taking photos!

Stats: Aesderina hat by Jane Richmond (Ravelry Link), knit with Cascade 220 heathers in pink on size US 7/4.5mm and US 9/5.5mm circulars.

New Yarn For Hats

2010-03-17T06:01:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things after a long weekend spent with family, celebrating the long life of my husband's grandmother (she'd just turned 93 when she passed). I'm finding it easy to pick up the hats, as I carry them with me everywhere, but figuring out when to take pictures has gotten me stumped. It will be a few days still before I can share some new hats I've been working on.

All is not lost, however. Last week I was lucky enough to receive a super sweet package, stuffed full of Cascade 220 from Meg!

Meg is a Ravelry friend, and when she talked about de-stashing some wool that, while she loved on principal, she never really wanted to knit with, I jumped. A Paypal transaction later, and eight skeins of heather pink wooly goodness were on their way to me!

I've already used one of the skeins to knit up hat #54 and am working my way through skein #2 for hat #55! I think I'll save a bit of it for future charity projects, but because my love for Cascade 220 wool rivals my love for Patons Classic, I'm not sure if I'll be able to hold out!

If you're on Ravelry and are my friend (I'm "adevinelife"), you may have noticed I've got like 15 hat patterns queued up and ready to go. I've decided to knit my way through all the hat patterns I've been purchasing as PDFs over the last few months - and believe me, there's a LOT of them!

Because I've got them all queued up and ready to go, now that I'm back in the swing of things I should start to coast through hat after hat, which means I'll be peppering this space with spring-time photos more often! I'm excited to take the hats down the street to the park, around the Old Market area of downtown, and even maybe to the dog park for photo shoots!

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** Special shout-out to Lorrie, who sent me a wonderful e-mail the other day. I'll be sharing more of her story later this week, but wanted to send a special HEY! to her.

** If you've been knitting for charity and want to share your story with the rest of the OHH community, simply shoot me an e-mail to let me know what you've been up to! I love hearing how we're all changing the world, one hand-knit at a time, and would love to let the rest of this amazing community in on all you've been doing!

Autumn (#53)

2010-03-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't it figure? Just as soon as I get all excited that the weather is turning towards spring, just as soon as I excitedly proclaim I'll be taking all my photos outside from now on - it snows. That's right, we woke up today to a nice, wet blanket of snow.

Suck.

I do, however, still have one more hat to share this week - and thankfully I had snapped the photo inside, and before the snow!

Autumn is a hat pattern from the prolific Jane Richmond. I'm in love with every one of her patterns, and you're sure to see more of them make their way to this challenge in the near future. Autumn works up fast and on thick yarn - a definite plus when trying to knit three hats a week!

The Lion Brand Thick n Quick was stash yarn I've had laying around for forever - no actual recollection of when the yarn was purchased in fact! I'm sure there's something to be read into that, but I'm chosing to look at it as kismet - I was meant to knit this hat for sure, as I already had the yarn I needed!

And so comfortable I've already knit another one up - this time for me! - I can already assure you this will become a gift pattern in the future!

Specs: Autumn hat, by Jane Richmond {Ravelry link}; knit using Lion Brand Thick n Quick in peacock blue, on size 11 and 13 bamboo circular needles.

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Up next week: A few things I wanted to share with you tomorrow, but am putting off due to a death in the family. I'll be spending the next few days and nights knitting away while surrounding my family with love.

Regular Guy Beanie (#52)

2010-03-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

The weather has finally turned a bit warmer, and I'm hopeful that this will be one of the last "it's super cold outside, so I'm taking this photo INSIDE!" shots I'll have to share.

The Regular Guy Beanie turned out to be just that - a regular hat that can be worn by anyone, so long as the color is right. Simple stockinette and only one size meant I had to do almost no thinking - perfect after writing two new hat patterns in as many weeks!

As I was knitting this hat, I kept thinking I should have cast on in a much less dreary color - the combination of dark grey wool and simple stockinette had me almost ready to cry by the time I was on the decreases! The hat pattern, however, is a gem - perfect for those who want a "no fuss, no muss" hat to get them through the winter, and even more perfect to use as a donation hat pattern!

Specs: Regular Guy Beanie (free Ravelry download), by Chuck Wright; made using Patons Wool in dark grey on size 8 bamboo circular needles.

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It’s Word-of-Mouth Day, when I gently encourage (or, you might think, pester) you to spread the word about the One Hundred Hats Project. You might:

-- Subscribe to the blog's feed if you haven't already
-- Forward the link to someone you think would be interested
-- Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @onehundredhats)
-- Sign up for my free monthly newsletter (e-mail "subscribe" to rmcdevine@gmail.com)
-- Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks! I really appreciate any help. Word of mouth is the BEST.

Vancouver Hat (#51) - and Pattern!

2010-03-09T05:59:00.000-08:00

I know I just offered up a free hat on Friday, but I had this one worked out already, and figured it was better to just put it out there than hold onto it for a later date. This way I get to show off hat #51 on time, and you get two free patterns in less than a week!

Materials:

One set size 8 16” circular needles

One set size 8 dpns

One skein Lion Brand Woolease in dark grey

Darning needle

Sizes: Child large (adult small, adult large) – 16 (20, 24) inches circumference. {Shown in Adult Small}

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This pattern is available for free - download now

Free Pattern - The Oma-hat!

2010-03-05T05:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday, and the last day of the 50th Hat Celebration. I'll announce the winners of the giveaways later today, along with telling you all about the amazing local Omaha Summit I attended yesterday, but I just couldn't wait to share the free Oma-hat pattern with you all!

As promised, below you will find the free download of the Oma-hat pattern! More and more I'm convinced I should be giving away the patterns I write - I'm all for pattern writers selling what they create, and as I purchase more patterns, I realize just how much I have to learn. So until I feel like I can rightly charge for hat designs, you'll be seeing more free patterns from me.

Materials for the Oma-hat Pattern:

one skein Patons Classic Wool in white

small amount of Patons Classic Wool in a contrasting color (here I've used red)

size US 8 / 5.00 mm bamboo 16" circular needles

size US 8 / 5.00 mm bamboo DPNs

four stitch markers

Download the pattern here - download now - or pick it up on Ravelry, and be sure to show off your finished hats on Ravelry so I can see them!

** Shout out to the amazing people I met yesterday at the YP Summit: @OmahaYP, @SiliconPrairie, @BlackSheepFarms, Heather, Kim, and so many more!

** Double Shout Out to @BlakeMycoskie and @TomsShoes - great talk yesterday, awesome that all the Toms sold out, and although I'm still sad I didn't get to shake your hand and tell you how rockstar you are for all you do, my super-fandom has only increased. Way to inspire Omaha to good works!

The Oma-hat (#50!!!)

2010-03-01T05:51:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 50th Hat Celebration! I can't believe I made it all the way to 50 hats, and in just under six months! To celebrate, I've got a week of some fun giveaways planned, but first I wanted to introduce everyone to hat #50 - The Oma-hat!

Here in Omaha, we like to refer to our city as "the Big O", and our city's symbol is a large red letter O, so I wanted to show off some city pride with this hat! I'll be sharing the free pattern this Friday, but couldn't resist the chance to not only introduce you to the hat, but also to show off all 50 of the hats I've knit so far - and even a sneak peek at one of the hats to come next week {being knit while my husband took this shot}!

Starting tomorrow I'll be giving away a few fun things to a few lucky readers. I've detailed the "rules and regulations" for the giveaways here, so don't forget to check out the new rules if you're unsure of how/when to enter each day. Thanks so much to the wonderful ladies who have donated patterns and goodies to the giveaways - I wouldn't be able to give all this stuff away without their generous donations!

Also, a special thanks and big love shout out to my husband {who stops by occasionally to make sure I'm keeping on track!} - I know that I wouldn't be able to do this without him. He thought it was a great idea from the word go, and doesn't mind {too much} that our house has been taken over by yarn, needles and hats!

Here's to the next 50! {and here's a list of the first 50 for those who are interested}

Giveaways Begin Next Week!

2010-02-25T16:51:00.000-08:00

Monday begins the official 50th Hat Celebration here at One Hundred Hats, and while I'll be debuting hat #50 Monday morning, the giveaways will begin on Tuesday! We'll have three days of awesome, and a new hat pattern reveal on Friday - tons of love for the One Hundred Hats readers!

This time around, we've got two great hat patterns - one from Through The Loops and one from Knitting School Dropout - and a wonderful print from Elise Blaha to give away! The rules will be a bit different this time as well {I'll detail them in a minute} so you'll want to be sure to stop in every day for a chance to win.

Last time I did a bunch of giveaways, I left all posts open for the entire week. This time around, each day's post will close at the end of the day. I'll be posting each giveaway at 7am CST, and comments will close at 10pm CST that same day - this means that you'll have to show up and comment to throw your hat into the ring!

All winners for each days' giveaway will be announced on Friday March 5th when I debut the new pattern I've been working on, so you'll know a lot faster if you've won this time around as well.

Feel free to snag the photo above to use on your blogs if you'd like to let others know the Celebration is coming - and be sure to let me know that you've done so. I love giving Shout-Outs to people who love on One Hundred Hats!

Get ready for the goodness ...

Calorimetry (#49)

2010-02-25T16:50:00.000-08:00

Amidst the hub-bub of getting signed up at the last minute for the Omaha Young Professionals Summit, I was able to finish up and photograph hat #49 for you. Can you believe that next week you'll get to see hat #50?!?!

You may remember an earlier incarnation of hat #49, one that did not work out AT ALL.This second version is much more wonderful, although some may argue it is technically not a hat. Calorimetry is meant to be worn when you want or need to wear a hat but you also want to wear you hair up in a ponytail. I have demonstrated as best I can with my shortie hair.

Picture longer hair, and you've got the general idea. Held onto the head by a small button at the bottom, this is warm and wonderful and girlie and I love it! Now if only my hair would grow back in a bit faster so I can make one for myself!

Specs: Calorimetry, by Kathryn Schoendorf; made using Patons SWS in natural pink on size US 8 needles.

** Shout out today to Picture and Book for their amazing Tiara Hat (ravelry link), made especially for Julia Mancuso of the American Olympic Ski Team! What a great idea – and she’s going to write up the pattern for us all!

** Have you noticed my "shout out" section lately? I'm sharing bloggers that are talking about One Hundred Hats as well as projects I love!

Simple Pleasures (#48)

2010-02-24T16:49:00.000-08:00

Almost halfway through the project, and I'm finally starting to figure out how to take pictures of myself that don't totally stink - and even capture the look of the hat well.

This is hat #48 in the project, Simple Pleasures. I picked it because it was similar to the hat I'm designing for the 50th Hat Celebration, and so it gave me a chance to test a few things out. I love every pattern I've ever worked from Purl Bee - they are simple and easy to understand, plus you can substitute yarns with ease.

For this hat, I doubled up some LB Collection DK-weight yarn and then followed the pattern exactly. It was too bright to head outside to take a photo, so I stayed inside and snapped this shot next to a window - and by the end of the mini photo shoot, my head was sweating!

Specs: Simple Pleasures hat, by Purl Bee; made using LB Collection DK-weight yarn and size US 8 and US 9 needles.

** Thanks to Three Kids, Two Sticks for the mention on her blog yesterday. Great hats, great photos, and a wonderful blog all around!

Ribbed Beanie (#47)

2010-02-23T16:48:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I managed to knock out a bunch of hats for the project, and find myself ahead of the game with a week to go before the big 50th Hat Celebration! That means this week you'll be treated to three lovelies, along with some sneak peeks of the giveaways next week.

First up in this mini festival of hats is the Ribbed Beanie (#47). A simple knit, I was able to use up some leftover wool from my stash and whip up a super stretchy hat that will fit someone younger than me up to someone my size.

I love knitting through the Olympics, for the record. I can only handle so much sports in a several-day span, but because my husband will watch just about any sport on television, it tends to be on a lot. A LOT. So challenging myself to knit as much as possible the last few weeks has been a fun endeavor.

Specs: Ribbed Beanie, by Woolly Wormhead {free Ravelry download}; yarn is worsted wool from my stash, knit with size 9 / 5.5 mm bamboo circs.

** It’s Word-of-Mouth Day, when I gently encourage (or, you might think, pester) you to spread the word about the One Hundred Hats Project. You might:
-- Forward the link to someone you think would be interested
-- Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @onehundredhats)
-- Sign up for my free monthly newsletter (e-mail "subscribe" to rmcdevineATgmailDOTcom)
-- Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks! I really appreciate any help. Word of mouth is the BEST.

A Giant Misstep

2010-02-21T16:43:00.000-08:00

For the first time in the One Hundred Hats project, I've decided not to count one of the hats I've knit for the project.

I've been knitting like a mad-woman, getting a bit ahead thanks to the Ravelympics - as of today, I was just finishing up on hat #49. I'm not going to share the pattern I was knitting because I really really don't want to bad-talk the designer or their efforts. I'll simply say that even after following the pattern to the letter, with the exact gauge given, I ended up with this:

Doesn't look too bad, but I can fit an entire fist on either side of the hat without stretching the stitches at all. I could have torn out the ribbing and just made a larger hat, but I'm not quite sure who the hat would have been able to fit on - it was ridiculously large even on my husband!

Couple that with HATING the yarn I was using and this hat is over. Done. Retired to the "never ever ever again" pile.

There's a first time for everything, I guess - time to start over on hat #49!

Jacques (#46)

2010-02-19T16:42:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness it’s finally Friday! After a week of serious knitting, serious working out (Pilates is kicking my butt!) and serious Olympics, I’m super ready for the weekend. I’ve got plans for some cleaning, some laundry, a little bit of organization bliss, and even some friend hang-out time!

Of course, Mother Nature has decided to best us yet AGAIN with more snow, falling softly as we woke this morning. Thank goodness I’d snapped this shot of the latest hat already!

Jacques is meant to be knit with DK weight yarn on size 4 needles, but I couldn’t muster the strength to knit that tiny with so many projects on the queue for the Ravelympics, so I simply knit the smallest size on larger needles and with worsted weight yarn. It turned out pretty good – fits me like a dream, and even stretches to fit Zach’s head, although by doing that the brim is a little shallow for his taste.

It’s the perfect hat for a boy, though. Thanks to the doubled-up ribbing it’s super warm on the ears, and it really does stretch for days, so it will grow with just about anyone.

Specs: Jacques Cousteau hat (English version), by Typy; knit with Lion Brand Woolease yarn on size US 6 / 4.0 mm 16” circs and DPNs.

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Just over a week until the giant 50th Hat Celebration - I'm lining up great prizes for the whole first week of March, so stay tuned for more details!

Star-Crossed (#45)

2010-02-19T16:41:00.000-08:00

My first attempt at a beret didn't turn out so well, but before I could get around to blocking out Mary Jane, I had another beret on the needles. This time around, I found a pattern that called for larger needles, worked up super fast, and was a wonderful knit.

I had to re-do much of the knitting I did on this hat during my first pass, due to some faulty pattern-reading on my part, but once I got going the correct way, Star Crossed took less than four hours from cast on to bind off!
I love love LOVE the way the cables snake their way across the hat, and if I didn't feel silly in berets I'd want one for myself no question.

These shots were taken pre-blocking, for the record. Based on the thinner nature of the yarn, I could probably have knit this hat on size 8/9 US (5.0/5.5 mm) and blocked it out a bit, but since I knit it to pattern specs I don't know that my Star Crossed even NEEDS blocking!

Specs: Star Crossed Slouchy Beret, by Natalie Larson (free Ravelry download); knit with Fisherman's Wool in brown on size 10/11 (6.0/8.0 mm) needles.

Who? (#44)

2010-02-19T16:40:00.000-08:00

Amidst the hub-bub of getting patterns and yarn ready for the Ravelympics, I had one last hat already on the needles that had to get done before the Opening Ceremonies so I could keep myself on track for the two weeks of the Olympics.

A fast and fun hat to knit, I finished the owls on the hat during the Super Bowl. Life got the better of me, and the bulk of the hat got pushed back a few days so I could quickly whip through a Valentine's Day present for my husband.

With his new favorite hat off the needles, I was able to finish up the quick-working body of Who? in a few short hours.

Just a tad too large for my head, I'm considering making a hat like this for myself for next winter - I'll knit less before beginning the decreases and add on one set of buttons for eyes to give the hat a bit of fun.
The second of what will turn out to be at least three hats made from my Fisherman's Wool skein, this hat is warm without being bulky, and absolutely a gorgeous pattern.

Specs: Who? by Sara Amoroso; knit with Fisherman's Wool in brown, on size 6 US (4.0 mm) circular and DPN needles.

Ravelympics Redux

2010-02-11T16:40:00.000-08:00

{photo source}

Knitting my way through hats #44 and #45 right now {because I need to get different needles for one, I simply started the other until I can get to the store – I’m crazy like that!}, and I’m just now realizing the Ravelympics begin TOMORROW NIGHT! I currently have only one ball of the brown yarn I was going to use wound up, I’m not up to where I want to be on my hats, and I’ve got a bag full of WIPs that need to get tackled.

And with that, I’m changing my Ravelympics plan.

Instead of knitting through all the brown yarn in my stash {I’ll do that at a later date}, I’m setting the following goals:

Finish up through hat #50 for the One Hundred Hats.

Complete all the WIP projects in my bag.

The first should be rather easy – as long as I stay on the knitting path I’ve been following for the past few weeks, I should complete the last six hats without a problem. The second goal could fare a bit more difficult, however. Here is a list of what is in my WIP bag:

Shawl for mom

Blanket for Schimmel babe

Sweater for Ryan’s babe

Hat for Ryan’s babe

Ultra super secret surprise knitting

It’s not a lot, but two of the projects are HUGE! And yet … I think, if I put my mind to it, I can accomplish it! So this, then, is my new goal.

Are you participating in the Ravelympics?

Coronet - #43

2010-02-10T16:39:00.000-08:00

After taking nearly a week to knit up Mary Jane, I was pleased when Coronet only took two evening knitting sessions to whip through.

The band of the hat knits up flat, with a super easy pattern repeat - I had it down after two of the 16. Then you simply pick up stitches and knit a simple stockinette hat, with regular old decreases, to make this hat so simple and gorgeous!

I've got the mother-load of brown hats set to debut in the coming weeks, thanks to this wonderful never-ending skein of Fisherman's Wool and then the brown wool I'm using for the Ravelympics, but I promise to spice things up with some bright colors as I am able!

Specs: Coronet hat by Alexandra Virgiel; knit with Fisherman's wool in brown, on size US 8/5.0 mm needles.

Mary Jane (#42)

2010-02-09T16:38:00.000-08:00

I love love loved the movie Elizabethtown. So when I found a pattern that claimed to mimic the beret Kirsten Dunst wore in the final scenes of the movie, I knew I'd want to make it. Of course I had no red wool left, so I grabbed some gorgeous blue Knit Picks yarn an aunt had donated to the project and set about knitting.

This is the only photo you'll see of the hat because, while I knit until around 9", which is only one inch shy of the 10" the pattern calls for before decreases, the hat is far too small for the slouch it needs, which means it sits on my head with a VERY strange shape!

The pattern itself is wonderful, and I'd love to rock this one out again with a LOT more yarn so I could see if the hat would look better, given enough yarn, but because I'm in the throes of this project, that will have to sit on the back burner for some time.

** Although - would this hat be a good test for blocking? I'm not a fan of blocking - mostly because it takes so much time - but with a lacey and open pattern like this, would the blocking open it up more and make the hat lay better? Thoughts?

Specs:

Mary Jane hat pattern by Theresa Belville, knit with Knit Picks wool on size 7 and 9 needles.

Hat Knitting Club

2010-02-08T16:38:00.000-08:00

I spend a good amount of time on Ravelry each day, looking at hat patterns, choosing hat patterns to go with the yarn I have, and deciding just which hat patterns I want to knit for the One Hundred Hats project. A week or so ago, I counted all the hat patterns I had marked in my Ravelry account as "maybe to knit", and it totaled more than 300.

Three Hundred.

I am trying to knit one hundred hats for charity, and am almost halfway through, so why did I need THREE HUNDRED hat patterns queued up? It seemed pretty ridiculous, so I cleared them all out in one fell swoop, and decided to create my very own Hat Club!

{I totally ripped this idea off from the Yarn Harlot, lest anyone think I'm this brilliant on my own.} Much like a sock club you can sign up for, I will be able to reach into the drawer and pull out a mystery hat/yarn combo and knit my way quickly through the remaining 50 hats towards my goal!

I spent a good amount of time on Saturday looking up hat patterns that went with the yarns I had on hand, thanks in large part to very generous donations. As I found a pattern that went with the yarn in my hand, I wrote it down on a piece of paper (including needle size and any extras I may need) and stashed it in a Ziploc bag, and then moved on to the next skein of yarn.

When I'd made it through all the yarn in my "wool drawer", this is what I had left {photo above}. Enough yarn pared up with hat patterns to last me until around hat #80. I did a little dance, happy that for the next thirty hats or so, all I'll have to do is grab a bag out of the drawer, grab the needles listed, and start knitting! What a great way to get almost completely done with the project, I said to myself!

On Sunday, I discovered this:

I KNEW I was missing some of the donated yarn somewhere!

So now i've got a few more skeins of yarn to sort through and pair up with patterns, and I'm betting by the time I've got that done, I'll have more than enough yarn for the remaining hats I'll need to knit by the end of August.

Making The Transition: Why The Switch Away From Wordpress?

2010-02-05T16:34:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I performed a minor feat – I switched the blog platform for One Hundred Hats from Wordpress over to Typepad. To many people, one blogging platform is as good as the next, and while I was able to pull it all off with minimal hassle {and hopefully without losing any followers!}, I thought I’d answer the WHY.

I cut my blogging teeth on Typepad several years ago, with a blog that no longer exists. And I find that, no matter where I may stray, I always seem to come back to blogging with them. I’m not super well versed in CSS and have no experience with PHP, and so tweaking a blog design in Wordpress is next to impossible for me.

And while I enjoyed the design I had going, I knew it could be better, and I also knew that short of paying someone a lot of money, I wasn’t going to be able to make it a lot better.

With Typepad, there is a feature that allows you to customize your blog in amazing ways, all without needing to know a lick of CSS or PHP. I was able to add up a super sweet banner, keep all the colors exactly where I wanted, have the columns spaced how I like, and so much more.

All these design details may not matter to you, oh faithful followers who have been with me from the very first hat I cast on. But for new peeps popping on over for the 50th Hat Celebration {more news coming soon!}, hearing about what’s going on as I work ever closer to my goal, I wanted to have a space that was as warm and welcoming as I could possibly make it.

So that meant change.

I’m planning to stick with what I’ve got {blogging platform-wise} for the foreseeable future – the goal is to take One Hundred Hats far beyond the first goal, and I’m confident that Typepad can help me do that.

** ** **

Whew!

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get back to hats! I’ll have some pretty yarn pictures for you later today!

Dapperly Dashing (#41)

2010-02-04T16:28:00.000-08:00

It seemed so warm and sunny this morning, and I was super excited to take photos of the Dapperly Dashing hat (#41), and then it started to snow. Big, giant flakes of snow that weren't supposed to accumulte but have managed to leave a 1/2" of slush and yuck everywhere, defying the weather people's predictions.

So I was understandably non-excited to be outside taking this picture:

Dapperly Dashing is a pattern that includes a matching scarf, and if I had some thicker yarn and a bit more time on my hands, I'd have knit both up, As it is, I knit this hat using a 1/2 skein of Patons wool I had leftover from making the Rain Down hat (#35), knitting away on the pattern until I all but ran out of yarn.

It turns out that, while the pattern calls for worsted weight yarn and a size 8 needle, I would have been better to use a bit thicker worsted yarn than Patons, or sized up to 9's. The hat is just a bit snug on my head, thanks to all the p2tog that happen over the course of the thing. It's not so tight that it won't stretch out, or can't be worn by someone with a slightly smaller head than I, but as the pattern is meant for an adult male, I'm guessing my gauge was a bit off.

But how often do I worry about gauge? NEVER.

Specs:

Dapperly Dashing pattern by Stormy Tetreault, available as a free Ravelry download; size 8 bamboo 16" circs used, along with 1/2 skein of Patons wool in olive.

Ravelympics 2010

2010-02-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

The Winter Olympics are set to start on February 12th, and with the opening ceremonies begins a tradition carried out on Ravelry for the past several years – the Ravelympics! Created as a fun way to combine knitting with sport, the Ravelympics hosts events (like WIP Wrestling, Sock Hockey and Hat Halfpipe), thousands of Ravelry knitters and crocheters are signing up for teams and gearing up for the festivities.

Because I’m participating this year – in the Hat Halfpipe of course – I thought I’d give a quick profile here, as my participation will affect this blog in a few small ways. But first, a few starter questions:

How Do I Sign Up? To sign up for the Ravelympics, you have to first be a member of Ravelry. Then, simply join the Ravelympics 2010 group and find a team that suits you. Teams for different cities and states abound, as well as national teams (Team UK tends to rock) and teams based around podcasts and yarn types.

How Many Teams Can I Be Part Of? You can be part of as many teams as you want! I’m only part of one team this year, but people have been on as many teams as five or even ten. You can only use each item you knit/crochet for one team, however.

What Can I Make? You can do pretty much whatever you want, actually! There are events for spinning, for finishing up old WIPs, for sheer volume of items made, for intarsia, etc. If you can dream it up, there’s an event for you!

With the basic questions done, now on to how this will affect the blog. As you can imagine, I’m going to be knitting hats for the Ravelympics. I’ve got some gorgeous brown wool that was donated to One Hundred Hats some months ago, and I’ve decided to power through all of it in a two week span.

These seven skeins will hopefully become seven Brangelina hats (thanks to Crazy Aunt Purl for her free hat pattern!) by the time February – and the Olympics – are over. This means several things, of course, for the One Hundred Hats project overall, and because of this, I’ve made three rules:

1. The hats knit for the Ravelympics will count only as one hat. Because I am using the same pattern over and over again (mostly for ease of knitting during the Ravelympics, as well as for planning the thing), and because my goal is to knit One Hundred Hats from one hundred different patterns, this only seems fair.

2. Regular hat posting for the project will continue, unabated. I’ve been knitting my fingers to the bone to get ahead on my hat knitting so that I could participate in this project without too much of a problem, so I’ll have plenty of hats to post about during that two week span. I’ll be posting updates to the Ravelympics as well, but I don’t want to fall off schedule because of this.

3. All the hats knitted for the Ravelympics will officially count as the 50th hat for the project. As the Olympics wind down right at the end of February, and the 50th hat celebration kicks off the very next day (March 1!!), it seems only fitting to share the hats I’ve made for the Ravelympics as my 50th hat! This will also give me the chance to go into more detail about the two week process of knitting the hats, share some war wounds (if there are any) and more!

I’m getting excited for this challenge to kick off! More to come soon on the 50th hat celebration as well – I’ve got tons of fun treats planned, and it’s going to be a blasty-blast for sure!

***

Are you on Ravelry? If so, are you participating in the Ravelympics? I had thought about starting a One Hundred Hats team this year, but it didn’t pan out – frankly, with planning the 50th hat celebration, I’m not sure I could have handled it! However, I’d love to hear what some of you are knitting during that time-frame , whether it’s for the Ravelympics or not!

So go ahead and share your blog links in the comments to this post, and I’ll go ahead and start a link list in the side-bar – an Olympic list for Olympic knitters!

A Tale Of Two Hats

2010-02-02T16:31:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, I whipped through two hats. And it was only after I was done with the second that I realized the hats were strikingly similar.

Meet Jane, hat #39 in the project. Super warm, thanks to the doubled-over brim, this hat is knitted using a mock-cable pattern that also gives some super cute eyelet holes. I took the opportunity to use most of a skein of Cascade 220, generously gifted to me from Monika.

Next, meet the Slouchy Copy Cat, hat #40 in the challenge. With a different decrease at the top and only a single layer brim, this hat is a bit different from Jane, but similar enough that I should have noticed before I was trying them on! For this hat I used some Patons worsted wool I've had in my stash for at least a year.

** ** **

Love both hats, by the way. Am currently in love with the orange Jane, as the double layer around my ears kept me warm while taking these shots on lunch. Don't let the sun fool you - it's still hella cold outside and showing no signs of letting up.

I'd wear Copy Cat all sring, however, and would also keep it in my bag through the summer months for colder nights it's so cute. Yet another in the long list of hats i want to make for myself!

Specs for both hats below:

#39 - Jane; pattern by Jane Richmond, available for purchase through Ravelry; used size 7 and size 9 bamboo needles and orange Patons 220 wool.

#40 - Copy Cat; pattern by Confessions Of A Maniacal Thrower; pattern available for free; used size 8 and 9 bamboo needles and rose Patons worsted wool.

Helping Haiti Donations

2010-02-02T16:29:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to pop in this morning to let you all know that I just sent $100 to the Doctors Without Borders emergency fund, thanks to all the amazing donations via hat pattern purchases!

I know that some knitters have been able to send more, and some have sent less. But the combined efforts will hopefully help change the face of Haiti over the course of the next few years, and I'm proud to be part of it.

I'll continue to donate 100% of Helping Haiti hat pattern purchases, as well as 50% of all other pattern purchases through the end of the month, and then will make another donation. After that, because I love giving so much, I'll be announcing a new donation campaign, as well as sharing a few new patterns.

Later today, I'll post up some new hat photos!

Scrap Happy (#38)

2010-01-27T13:09:00.000-08:00

Holy cold weather! After a few days of semi-warmth (and by that, I mean I can go outside in a jacket and gloves without a hat and scarf), Mother Nature has freaked out on me once again and decided it needs to be restaurant-freezer cold. Because of this, I'm huddled on the couch underneath blankets and kitties, hoping that summer will get here soon!

To try to combat the freezing cold, I whipped up this little Scrap Happy hat. I love knitting hats that use up some of the scraps that have accumulated over the course of knitting almost 40 hats, and have them look super great at the same time. Knit up using my fabulous bamboo size 7 needles, this hat whipped up in an afternoon!

My one issue? I should have added one more section of color before I started the decreases. The hat is just a bit short for keeping the ears warm, and that could have been easily fixed if I'd just checked the length before I started the decreases. The hat is still totally wearable, it just won't cover the very bottom edge of the ears - totally fine, but something to look out for.

My new motto (since I tend to say this more often than I'd care to admit)? WHEN IN DOUBT, MAKE IT AN INCH LONGER! A hat can always be folded up to make it shorter, so it's not a big deal to add an inch before the decreases!

Refining the Hat Rules

2010-01-26T13:10:00.000-08:00

I’ve been doing some exploring on Ravelry, and my list of hats queued up for knitting for the project is now up to 210. That’s well over twice the number of hats I need to knit for the entire project, not including the books I’ve got on my shelves or the hats I’ve already knit!
It’s such an amazing thing to know that whenever I head to Ravelry, to my bookshelves or to my pattern magazines, I’m going to come across a super sweet pattern to knit for charity. But because of the large number of hats available, I’m going to have to start getting a bit more choosy when it comes to the hats I’m knitting for the One Hundred Hats project.

First things first: a refining of the hat rules! While I’m not making any major changes, I wanted to give myself a bit more breathing room, allow for a few things, and start really busting through the hats on the list!

The big one is this: I will be knitting one hundred hats from one hundred patterns, as the original rules state. However, I am allowing for multiple hats from the same pattern to count when there are pattern variations. For example: the Acorns hat from Knitting School Dropout has both a bulky and a worsted weight version, and I’m officially stating that would count as two different hats. I’ve also knit several hats that have various choices for length, brim style, etc – if I want to knit the hat multiple times and switch that stuff up, I’m going to allow for it.

I’m also going through the list of patterns I’ve got queued up, and am removing any that are made with DK weight yarn, have complicated cabling charts, or in general seem too intricate to knit up in three days or less. While I’m all for these type of hats in general, I’m on the hunt for hats I can make in just a few days that will still look super wonderful. Because I’m a fast knitter, this allows for more hat patterns than for some, but will still count out some of the more intricate patterns.

Finally, for the time being I’m not going to knit any patterns that I haven’t already purchased but that cost money. I’m not opposed to purchasing patterns (and in fact, I purchase patterns all the time), but for the workings of this project, I’ve already got so many patterns purchased and queued up, I’m calling a hiatus. My goal is to first knit through the patterns in my Ravelry pattern library, then move through all the knitting books/magazines I’ve got on hand, and then tackle the ones that are in my Ravelry queue. Once I’m back to knitting from my queue, the purchasing hiatus will be lifted.

Golden Compass (#37)

2010-01-25T13:11:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to bust through some of the smaller-sized hat patterns I've got patterns for, and because I loved The Golden Compass I wanted to whip up this hat inspired by the movie.

Pattern: Golden Compass hat, by Froggie Meanie Designs

Yarn: bulky wool I had in my stash, held double

Needles: size 13 bamboo circs, used straight

Notes: I don't have a model small enough to put the hat on (despite my nieces and nephew all trying the hat on over the weekend!), so laid out on our porch is as good as I can get. I also didn't have the right sized needles, so I totally improvised! I used smaller needles and only doubled up the bulky yarn,but then to compensate I knit the largest size in the pattern. The hat turned out sized to fit a toddler (maybe up to a two-year-old), and I love it! Then I added some braided straps to it, so it will stay on the head of whomever gets it.

A great pattern to knit up for kids in your life for sure!

Helical (#36)

2010-01-22T13:12:00.000-08:00

I was lucky that while my mom was in town last weekend, she willingly modeled a few hats for me! You got to see her a bit in shots for the Helping Haiti hat pattern, and now she's lending her cranium to the Helical hat pattern.

Pattern: Helical, from Knitter's Magazine 97 (winter 2010) - Ravelry link

Yarn: leftover Patons yarn from a few other hats

Needles: US size 6 (4.0 mm) and US size 7 (4.5 mm) 16" circs and DPNs

Notes: This is the first time I've said this in 36 hats, but I did not enjoy making this hat. First, the pattern is supposed to give no lines where the colors change, but I've got pretty obvious lines - I had to be super careful about how I photographed the hat so that the lines wouldn't show. Plus, the top of the hat is shaped super weird, not at all fitted like the photos in the magazine.

And add to this the frustration of switching colors not just once a row, but four times a row, and I was ready to throw in the towel on this hat not even halfway through.

And finally? There's that little hole, right in the front on the only part where you can't see a huge jag of color change. The hole is my own fault, a yarn over that wasn't supposed to be, but it's still the icing on the cake.
If I were to make this hat again, I'd forego the instructions to do a color switch four times a row, and only do one a row, carrying up the yarn so that you can't see the transition as bad. Or something.

{I feel really bad talking smack about someone else's pattern, by the way. Someone put their time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears into this, and I feel like crap berating it. But it was really an unpleasant experience.}

Rain Down (#35)

2010-01-20T13:13:00.000-08:00

While I may have made this hat for one of my brothers, and even put it up for sale, I had yet to make one for the One Hundred Hats project! Now that winter is in full swing here in Nebraska, it felt like the perfect time to whip up a hat that can be worn baggy or folded over to keep the ears extra warm.

My husband is really loving modeling for the project - he actually tried to steal this one several times after he got it on for this shot!

Pattern: Rain Down Hat by Robyn Devine (that's me!)

Yarn: Patons Worsted Wool in both olive and white

Needles: size 7 DPNs and 16" circs.

Notes: Because I wrote the pattern, I didn't need to change anything while I knit it. Although my husband HATES to wear hats that are baggier on the crown, so he immediately folded it over once on his head - what's nice about this hat is that it can be worn both ways!

Helping Haiti Hat (#34)

2010-01-18T13:14:00.000-08:00

With all the struggles in Haiti, it can seem overwhelming to find a way to connect, to give help. Being a knitter, my first thought is always to knit something, but Haiti is a tropical enough country that woolens aren’t needed. What is needed is a long list of medicines, food, water, and supplies for shelters. But because I’m a knitter, I wanted to come up with a small way to encourage other knitters to give. We knitters are a tremendously generous bunch, so I knew it wouldn’t take much – enter the Helping Haiti Hat Pattern.

This pattern, perfect for anyone who is ready to knit on circulars and is willing to test out their cabling skills (read: even a beginner can tackle this hat without much trouble!), is available for free to anyone who has donated money to help out the relief efforts in Haiti.

The Helping Haiti Hat Pattern costs just $3, and 100% of the proceeds are going to Doctors Without Borders’ emergency relief fund, which is being directed to Haiti.

If you have any questions about the pattern, or have knit it and have notes that you think should be added to the pattern, e-mail me at “rmcdevineATgmailDOTcom” and I’ll get back to you!

Feel free to post photos from this page to your blog along with a link to this page – just be sure to give credit to One Hundred Hats!

Amanda (hat #33)

2010-01-15T13:15:00.000-08:00

The weather has finally broken just a bit, and has reached 40F the past few days! This means the snow is starting to melt into a big giant mess of slush and puddles. Which is better than big piles of snow, for sure, but is still a big mess. We're taking bets as to how long the snow will stick around before it finally melts - my money is on it sticking around until my birthday!

The Amanda Hat is just the thing to keep my head a bit warm while home for lunch!

Pattern: Amanda Hat by Gina House{ravelry link}

Needles: US size 9 (5.5 mm) circs and DPNs

Yarn: Malabrigo yarn worsted in lavendar, donated by Tri'Coterie

Notes: I made this hat with no modifications. It's a bit big on me, but that's due more to my small head than anything else! Boring notes for sure, but why mess with something that works?!

{Side note: That's Poppleton, the youngest of our kitty brood. She's not as tourtured as she looks - she loves kisses and snuggling, but she HATES to have her picture taken, hence the tourtured teenager look.}

Hermione (hat #32)

2010-01-13T13:17:00.000-08:00

It might have warmed up a bit around here, but that doesn't mean I'm loving winter any more than I ever have! It's a good thing I've got all these wonderful woolen hats laying around to keep me warm!

Pattern: Hermione's Cable & Eyelet Hat by Jackie Lauseng {free pattern!}

Needles: US size 6 (4.0 mm) 16" circs and DPNs

Yarn: Patons Worsted Wool in "That's Pink"

Notes: I'm a bit obsessed with the Harry Potter movies, so I jumped when I saw this pattern. I knew I'd buy it if needed, so the fact that it is free? A super huge bonus. I didn't have any grey Patons available, so I grabbed a pretty pink {donated from Aunt Becky!} and got busy.

The pattern works up wonderfully, although I'd make the following adjustments if I were to knit it again: I'd make the ribbing only 10 rows long, instead of 16, and I'd then work the number of cables for the adult size hat - here I've worked the number for a kid's sized hat because the ribbing was much larger than I'd thought it would be, and the hat was getting rather long.

As stated at the end of the pattern, the top of the hat isn't like the one in the movie - Hermione's hat is obviously sewn up at the top, as it was most likely machine-made. Jackie gives suggestions for squaring off the top more, but I just did regular decreases - I like the look of it, so I'm not concerned that it isn't an exact replica.

Now if only my gloves {sadly, not handmade} had matched more in the photo!

Nuts! (hat #31)

2010-01-11T13:17:00.000-08:00

Still not used to all this snow, but thankfully it looks like it's going to be a bit warmer this week - if just above freezing is a bit warmer! We're hopin some of this snow will melt (that's my front porch steps!) so that we can see a bit more of our streets and sidewalks before June!

Pattern: Acorn by Knitting School Dropout {currently being test-knit before release}

Yarn: half skein of Araucania Nature Wool Chunky

Needles: US size 9 (5.5 mm) 16" circs, US size 11 (8.0 mm) 16" circs and DPNs

Notes: For some reason, my hat ended up more kid-sized, rather than adult sized. I got gauge, but the smaller end of gauge {meaning I had to stretch it just a WEE bit to get the right size}, and as I didn't have a 16" circ in a larger needle size, I stuck with the needle sizes given.

When I make it again {and I'm sure I will, as I want one for myself so bad!} I'll use size 9 for the ribbing, as the pattern calls for, but size up to 13 for the body, and just make it all on my DPNs so that I get the right gauge for the body, and it will fit my head just right!

One of the new-found perks of doing this challenge comes in moments like this, when I'm offered a pattern for knitting before others have their hands on it. I can't wait for it to be available for the rest of you to get your hands on, because it's truly a wonderful knit - fast and easy, the pattern working itself out before you even know what's going on. I love a pattern that turns out gorgeous but that I don't have to think to deeply about. My laziness shines through!

Buttoned Up (hat #30)

2010-01-08T13:18:00.000-08:00

The snow just won't stop, no matter what we do! It means I'm stuck at work over lunch, rather than coming home like I normally do to knit a bit, take hat pictures, and blog. So you may see more pictures like this one - full of shadows and taken inside because the sun is already down and we're trying to grab a shot without flash, pretending our lamps are sunlight!

Pattern: Button-Tab Hat by Marcie Nishioka (free pattern!)

Yarn: burgundy stash yarn I've had for years and years.

Needles: my favorite bamboo size 7 circs and DPNs

Notes: Other than the fact that I didn't knit down the edge of the brim yet (just noticed it as I was uploading this shot), I knit this hat exactly according to the pattern. It was a super fun knit, and I'd have had a picture of it three days sooner if it weren't for getting the button sewn on, and getting the photos taken! A hat I'd knit again in a heartbeat for any one of my friends!

Next week I hope to have three hats instead of two, and a few feet less SNOW!

Winter Foliage (hat #29)

2010-01-05T13:18:00.000-08:00

The snow is not stopping, is in fact getting deeper and deeper every time we step out the door. It makes it hard to get to and from work, but is making it decidedly easier to sit on the couch and knit all evening! Thanks to this urge to hunker down, I got my first "must read every line of the pattern" hat done!

Pattern: Foliage by Emilee Mooney (free from Knitty!)

Yarn: Tri'Coterie BFL Aran in Twilight

Needles: US Size 6 (4.0 mm) circs, US Size 7 (4.5 mm) circs and DPNs

Notes: Despite a few issues with starting the hat out with just four stitches on four DPNs (a skill that I will have to master on another hat!), this hat worked up rather fast and fun. I love how I didn't have to block it, and it looks super comfy and warm despite all the yarn overs that make the leaf pattern so gorgeous.

If you're going to knit this hat, do it with a variegeted yarn like I used - the mix of colors coupled with the lacy pattern make this hat one I'd like to keep for myself!

Hey There, NYC! (hat #28)

2009-12-29T09:01:00.000-08:00

Because I've gotten a bit behind on my hat knitting, I opted to knit a few simple hats to get back on track. This nod to NYC hat, from Pickles, is one that my husband almost stole - he's picky about his hatwear, so to know he loved it was a great sign!

Pattern: Hello New York by Anna and Heidi Pickles

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool in Dark Grey Marl (held double throughout pattern)

Needles: US size 10 (6.0 mm), 16" circulars and DPN's

Notes: I followed this pattern (minus the striping) to the tee until the end of the hat, when I ran out of yarn before I could finish the decreases the way they were written. I ended up having to tink back a few (hundred!) rows, and just decreased by k2tog until there were only a few stitches left.

The hat can be worn as shown, with the brim folded up for extra ear warmth, or slouchier by unfolding the brim and lettign the back hang off. If I can pry it out of my husband's hands, I'll add it to the finished hats box!

Such A Square (hat #27)

2009-12-28T09:03:00.000-08:00

Now that knitting for Christmas is done and finished, I can get caught back up with both finishing hats and getting them posted! I may have gotten a bit behind on my schedule, but that just means more hats in rapid succession will be posted to the blog!

Pattern: Turn A Square by Jared Flood (free Ravelry download)

Yarn: Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool in both brown and natural

Needles: US size 6 (4.0 mm), both 16" circulars and DPNs

Notes: I knit this hat with a few modifications. First, to make sure the stitches were tight, I used one needle size smaller than recommended. I knit the stripes in a 5 rows/2 rows pattern rather than the 3/2 pattern called for, and I knit for 6" before beginning decreases instead of 5", to ensure it would cover the ears of whomever receives it.

It's a great pattern, and one I immediately used to make a hat for my FIL (see this post), so you know I super loved it! Plus, it literally took me a day and a half to knit from start to finish - perfect for last-minute presents and challenges!

{by the way - do you see that snow pile behind my husband? that's how deep the snow drifts and shovel piles are after this latest blizzard.}

Cables, Baby (hat #26)

2009-12-17T09:06:00.000-08:00

Whew! It's been quite the two weeks, has it not?! Between the 25th Hat Celebration posts, my husband has been spending tons of quality time redoing our bathroom - he gutted it down to the bare bones {as we've had to do in pretty much every room in the house} and rebuilt it from scratch. In just two weeks.
So I've gotten a bit behind on the hat posting around here. Not behind on the knitting mind you, just on the sharing. This week will continue to be light on the sharing, thanks to all the cleaning we've still got to do, and then the family that will be coming to town, but there will be much sharing soon!

For now, though, I couldn't let another day go by without sharing this gorgeous hat:

Pattern: Cabled Baby Hats, by Julie Hentz

Yarn: Patons Worsted Wool in a pretty marigold

Needles: size 8 (5.0 mm) 16" circs and dpns, my favorite bamboo needles.

Notes: I didn't make any modifications to this hat {for once!} - I simply followed along, letting the pattern take me where it wanted. I notice I knit the newborn size, but I think it's more of a one-year-old to toddler sized hat in my gauge, which is fine.

The hat itself is super soft, and even with the cables and wider ribbing it's pretty stretchy, which means a child could wear it for at least one full winter, but hopefully two. The pattern worked up fast and easy - although next time I'd make the ten-cable hat instead of the five, because I love cables that much! It's a great hat to knit for a younger kid in your world, and can easily be sized up for any head!

Black Diamonds - #25

2009-12-09T09:07:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness! We're in the middle of the 25th Hat Celebration, and I still haven't introduced you to the 25th Hat! Meet Black Diamonds.

This is a pattern I wrote myself, and am now making a few more of to give as holiday presents. My first foray into stranded colorwork coupled with my first time trying to create a chart, I love the result - a simple hat that can be made using a multitude of colors for a multitude of looks. I made this one simple - traditional black diamonds for the skiier amongst us, and a grey background so it'll match anything and everything.

It's a bit snug on my head, which means it'll fit a child perfectly. The next hats I make using this pattern will be a bit longer, and I'll knit the colorwork a bit looser.

I'm pleased enough with the pattern that I'll be writing the pattern up for sale coming in early January. For now I'll be working up a few more as gifts and enjoying the fact that I'm a colorwork knitter!