Monday, July 7, 2014

Gridiron Hat

Laura had requested a warm hat.  When I saw the Gridiron Hat (pdf) pattern I knew that it would fit the bill for a warm, cozy winter hat.  And I was able to finish it just in time for her 30th birthday!  Laura loves pink, so I selected the fun James C. Brett Marble Chunky in shades of pink.  I decided to cast on 90 sts because I'm using smaller needles (US size 7)  for a slightly denser hat.  All stitches slipped with yarn in back. 


Mommy brain is a real thing.  I started this project at the first crochet  club I'd been to since Lucky was born, and boy did I have some trouble getting started.  I must have counted my stitches 10 times, but I could excuse this by chatting with my friends.  What I cannot excuse is that it took me 4 tries to start knitting in the round!  I had stitches twisted, I went the wrong direction... I just couldn't get it together.  I blame the baby.  


Once I had cast on, the project was all smooth sailing.  Or so I thought.  How did I miss that the first stitch in rows 3-4 were always supposed to be slipped?  I accdientally did p1, s1 for my first row 4... which does not give the correct pattern.  *sigh*  I frogged back to the first row 3.  The yarn is a bit splitty, but I was able to recover the majority of my work okay.  Now let's see if I can follow directions for the rest of this project!   



The yarn is beatuful and the final product is super soft, but it isn't my favorite to knit with.  It is a bit sticky and splitty at the same time, making it slow to work with.  Thankfuly the warm hat is lovely and will be super warm. I wish that these stunning colorways were made out of wool, then there would be some more elasticity to the yarn and it would be easier to knit wiht.  


After 14 pattern repeats my hat measures 7".  I then began the decreases as written.  72 g (123 yards) were consumed for this project. I think that this is the perfect hat for the sub zero winter we went through last year.  The hat is so cozy and soft!