The Surprise Hat (Raveled here). This was a test knit that I knocked out in a weekend. A lovely, quick knit.
The Yarn:
Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. The first time I'd used this yarn. Was a portion of a bag o' yarn that I'd found on clearance. Need a larger quantity of this yarn for another project I've got on the queue, but don't need quite all of it. So, since it suits the gauge I needed for this project, we had a match!
The jury's still out on how well I like this yarn. There are a lot of colors available. I chose Peridot, as it was one of the few times I've seen a shade of my birthstone that looks spring-time-y and not an ill yellow-green. So, yes, color was key. It also worked very well for me, being a cotton-wool blend. Not too warm, so I can wear it longer here in oh-so-hot Texas. Important to consider, since I want to make the whole set for this one (there's a cowl to match the hat). And for a cotton yarn, the wool portion is enough to make it not quite so heavy and stiff a yarn as some cottons can be. The stitch definition is pretty clear, which is important in a pattern like this.
On the other hand, there were things about this yarn that frustrated me. It tended to split (un-ply?) as I knit with it. That was the biggest frustration, really. And, like a lot of cottons, it can be kinda dry to work with. Not my most uncomfortable yarn (my dry skin makes me sensitive) but not a particular favorite either. Also, like any cotton, it kinda 'blooms' a little as it's blocked. That's a nice way of saying it grows a bit. And with this being a very stretchy pattern, I was a little worried. BUT, while it was still a little damp after blocking (and worrisome-ly slouchy) I tossed it into the dryer with my delicate load for a few minutes. Perfect fit!!
Further notes, a lot of comments on Ravelry indicated that the colors tend to bleed and that the yarn tends to pill with heavy wear. I don't have I'm only making a hat and scarf (cowl) from it, so I'm not too worried about the heavy wear and pilling. I'll be careful about the washing though. Like colors only, just in case! Some good advice from the Ravelry comments too:
"I wash them in the washer, in a sweater bag, and dry them until damp in the dryer and finish drying them on a rack. No shrinking, very minimal pilling (mostly under arm area that gets a lot of friction anyway) and no fading. Also, I do not get any stretching out of shape or growing during wear."
The Pattern:
The Surprise Hat and Cowl by Cinzia. The hat itself was the test knit, but the cowl was part of the pattern too, so I am making one too. It's on the needles right now, actually :) There are two varieties of the hat in the directions, a fitted cap and a slouchy one. I made the fitted one, more to my personal taste.
I really liked this pattern. After reading through the directions and doing one repeat, I really didn't need to look at the pattern again until I began the shaping for the crown. It was one of those patterns that's very easy to follow on the needles, so you kinda know what's coming next. Makes for a very nice traveling project.
Notes, Alternations, Adjustments:
On the hat, I actually had no adjustments! Everything was knit as directed.
On the cowl, I went down a needle size and knit the Large size. It's giving me a slightly denser knit, not quite so open. I wanted that, as I tend to snag on things, so wanted the cowl lacy, but not too snaggy. Besides, I tend to block... aggressively, shall we say?
Also on the cowl, I did 7 rounds of seed stitch for the borders, making wider borders than the pattern called for. I wanted it to match the hat :)
Overall:
Great, very fast knit. The most time-consuming part of it was blocking it! I would definitely make this hat again. It would work best with a solid, or semi-solid yarn, I think. It's nice and pretty without being overly complicated, always a nice balance. And the mock cable (which is explained well in the directions) is a technique that you don't see all the time, so that's a nice plus too. Definitely a pattern worth a repeat!
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