A couple of years ago, Sarah turrned me on to a method for extending the utility of my fingerless mitts well into winter: layering them over cheap, knit gloves. She loved it, I loved it. But as a member of the Cult of the iPhone, her layered approach to hand wear has been causing her problems vis a vis phone use. After hearing her comment that she thought she needed a pair of proper mittens, I started scouring Ravelry for mitten patterns. I eventually decided to crochet a pair, using some Sanguine Gryphon Eidos fingering weight yarn that I bought at Rhinebeck last fall. Crocheting a fabric sufficiently dense so as to be suitable for mittens was slow work, but fun.
When I finished the first mitten, it was snug on me, but my hands are extraordinarily large, so I thought it would be a good fit for Sarah. With almost two weeks to go until the gift exchange, I felt very comfortable that I'd finish well ahead of our deadline. At our next get-together, Sarah announces that she's just made herself a pair of mittens, and in doing so, has realized that she really just doesn't like mittens.
Well, shit.
Because I've known Sarah for about three years, I was able to shift gears without too much angst. She likes hats, specifically slouchy ones. Even better, she has a tendency to lose them, so could always benefit from having a spare or two. I settled on a pattern I'd made twice before because I thought it would suit her style and set to work.
Pattern: Wurm, by Katushika
Yarn: Noro Taiyo & Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere 6-ply
Needles: US7 & 8/4.5mm & 5.0mm
Started: January 30
Finished: February 4
I love this yarn so much. I picked up the skein and as soon as I saw it in the store and carried it around with me like a greedy little hoarder until I decided to buy it. The colors are so lovely and I thought the variegation would lend themselves to the welted hat. The silk content reduced the stretch off the yarn, which resulted in welting that is less pronounced that in the other Wurms I've made. This bothered me at first, but I think that was more a matter of result versus expectations. After I sat with the hat for a bit, I decided I was happy with this variation.
This pattern has you work an extra long brim and then fold it in half, picking up stitched from the cast on edge and then continuing to knit up the hat. I decided it would be nice to work the inner part of the brim using some super soft cashmere. Mmmm soft.
Sarah's head is about my size, so I knew that if it fit me, it would fit her.
Bingo! It's even a tad big, but I think it's OK. Anyway, it's cute and cozy and Sarah likes it. When I was running on Saturday morning I ran in to her heading off to run errands and lo! She was wearing the hat. Color me happy.
7 comments:
Oh! Definitely love the pattern AND the colorway! Did I say I need a new hat? Iowa is still cold, ya know!
Great colorway. And that little bit cashmere is the perfect touch.
I love it! It's so perfectly unique. The colorway is just wonderful, glad I was able to see it in person before you gifted it.
Love the hat! Shame about the mittens - will you finish them?
Arianwen: I think I'll redo the mittens, perhaps to fit my hands. They're really kind of neat looking and i hear they felt a bit with wear, making them helpful in the colder weather. Check out Petrao's on Rav to see. My inspiration.
Thank you to the rest of you for the compliments. I want someone to make some arm warmers out of the Noro Taiyo. Please?!
I need to see these mittens! I wish I liked them even more now. But I love my hat. I like hats in the cold that your whole head can get lost in, and you know, that is a rare thing when you have a big ass head.
Alas, the mitts are no longer! They were too small for me, so I unraveled them. I'm thinking socks or some Craftivore designed mitts for their next incarnation.
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