My First Hats (for myself).

I am a knitter without a hat. I have never been a hat wearer. Growing up in New England, we drove every where so we spent more time in the car than outside. The other reason is a vain one. First, I think I look dorky in a hat and second is that wearing hats will flatten my hair.In the beginning of January, the temperature in NYC dropped drastically. Friends and strangers on the street would ask me where my hat was. Finally after one night of running errands in my neighborhood during that cold spell, I went home and casted on for a hat. I couldn't take it anymore. It has been over 10 years that I have lived here and it felt time for a hat.I knew that I wanted a slouchy beret after trying on different hats that my knitting friends have made. So, I used a fairly simple pattern that I saw my friend, Penelope, had used recently.

My gauge is off because I had to go up a needle size to use the handspun yarn. It came up much bigger than it was suppose to be so it's extra slouchy, but I don't mind at all. I like that I can pull it over my ears on a extra windy day. This hat is so warm and I love how it looks.

Pattern: Tweed Beret (Ravelry Link) by Kristen TenDyke. I used the pattern from Interweave Knits, Accessories 2009
Needles: US 7 / 4.5 mm
Yarn: Pigeonroof Studios "Hydrangea" handspun BFL yarn, used 177 yards
Size: Small size


After I finished the beret, I got a bit absorbed with looking at hat patterns on Ravelry. Maybe even a little obsessed. I saw this pattern knit with a handspun yarn and I fell in love. I have been saving the yarn that Micki had spun for me for a extra special project and this was it.The yarn was a pleasure to knit with, soft and springy. The yarn is a bit thinner than what is called for, so I re-casted on for the Large Size. I love the folded hem on the hat. It's a detail that makes the hat so much more special. If I were to make this hat again, I probably would do a provisional cast on to avoid picking up the stitches. But even that part didn't take too long and made such a nice sturdy hem.And the color! Oh how I just love this color!

Pattern: Wurm (free PDF pattern via Ravelry)
Needles: US 4 / 3.5 mm and US 6 / 4.0 mm
Yarn: "Jealousy" Handspun by Micki, used 294 yards, Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Out of Time" (overdyed with green)
Size: Large size
Mods: I knitted 9 pattern repeats, then one purl section, and then started the decrease according to the pattern.

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So this month, I feel very indulgent because I have knit more for myself than for others. You know what? It felt great. My birthday is tomorrow so I don't feel guilty at all for all the nice presents that I made for myself. As soon as I get the time, I will post the other projects I have made for myself this month. I just need to take pictures. Don't worry, there has been gift knitting, too, because first and foremost, I am a gift knitter at heart.