Yes, that's just what you need for the current weather... Actually it's the last thing I want in this 25 degrees-plus spell we're having but, the hat I started knitting back in February is now finished! Ta Dah! This is the pattern I chose from Ravelry, which is a great place to get started. And I fell in love with this hat by Grace Akhrem as soon as I saw it:
Actually it's been almost finished for a while now. It came to Derbyshire with us in March/April unfinished (with finishing accoutrements, like needles and buttons) but as the weather was good there I didn't feel compelled to sew it up. As that was all that it needed. Now if it had been cold...
And d'you know what, because it was knitted "in the round" (oh, get me with my knitting technical terms) there was actually very little sewing to do...
[blushes furiously]
When I bought the wool (yes, back in February when it was very cold) I couldn't decide between a navy and pink multi-colour wool or a lovely plain cream. I always like the multi-coloured skeins on the shelf but often am less keen on them when they're knitted, but I really liked this colourway and there wasn't a plain navy which I'd planned to buy. So as I often do when faced with such tricky decisions I bought both!
I decided to start with the navy and pink multi-colour version as I thought that might be more forgiving as I started to knit again. And the doubts about the multi-coloured wool crept in but I persevered.
I used to knit a lot back in the early nineties but haven't done any for a very long time. Luckily a video on the internet reminded me of how to cast on (and cast off again later on) and I remembered the basic knit and purl stitches so I was well away. I couldn't believe how quickly reading the abbreviations on the pattern came back, and how quickly my hat grew.
MOH couldn't believe I was knitting, there were regular shakes of the head... But knit I did, and it was great fun. I've already lined up my next project - I've decided to knit a summer top but didn't want to start that before this was properly finished. So expect that some time in the autumn!! So onto my finished hat - I like the multi-coloured wool pattern, I think it's better on the brim section than the crown and as that's the bit I think I'll see most, that's a good thing!
The next problem I faced was how to photograph it; photographing it on a flat surface did nothing for its looks, I'm not that good at selfies and I couldn't see MOH agreeing to model it either! So hopefully my plan worked:
A flatter version!
All in all I'm pleased with it, and glad I've actually Properly Finished It so I can start with that summer top. The only problem is this time I've a choice of three colours: a beige, a pale pink and a pale green. And I'm still undecided. Choices again y'see!