Monday, October 29, 2007

Nah Nah Nah Nah, Nah Nah Nah Nah...

Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye.

Here's what I was so excited about last week.
N's Hat

Casting away previous excuses ("too tired..wah wah wah"), I followed a chart! And I was so excited.

Now, not so much. I tried it on my son, and the fit is terrible. You see, this pattern, the "Norwegian Star Cap" from "Hat's On" by Charlene Schurch, has you do a knitted cast-on, knit a hem, then knit a picot edge (my first!), and then motor on up the chart to the top of the hat. I switched it to a provisional cast-on because I thought it wouldn't show as much from the front when it was tacked down because there would be less bulk. I think I had the right instincts, but trying to cast on exactly 112 stitches provisionally is difficult, and I think I hit about 118. So I decreased a few and it was no big deal, or so I thought.

I tried the hat on my son and it flares out at the brim. Not the desired look in a cap. So I think I will knit it again, this time like Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Very Warm Hat" by using long-tail cast-on, starting immediately on the chart, and then later picking up the cast-on and knitting the inside facing under it. Maybe I'll line the whole thing. Or maybe, once again, I'm insane. All my posts are ending that way lately, aren't they? So much verbage for such a little hat.

Here is the top-down jacket:
Beaverslide top-down jacket

I have about 3 inches of the other sleeve done, too, so hopefully this will be a finished object before the snow flies.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

It looks lovely - too bad about the fit! I really like the way the Very Warm Hat is knitted - which reminds me (thanks!) to knit another one!

Bertha said...

Oh man! It's too bad that the fit doesn't work, it's so great looking! Oh well, I am sure the new one will look just as good!

jackie said...

the hat colors and design are really wonderful. sorry it didn't fit. the jacket is also quite nice. good luck with the second sleeve.

knittinbrit_in_wi said...

The hat looked great! I love the colors. I look forward to seeing the revised version.

Eliza said...

oh, I'm glad I'm not the only one who just decreases a little when they cast on too many stitches!! :)

The hat is going to look great. Good luck with the fit!

Devonshire said...

Sorry to hear about the fit - but your fair isle skills are rockin! The top down is also looking wonderful. How do you work with the 2 colors....must learn that!

Anonymous said...

Oh I am so sorry that you have to frog the hat...your stitching is beautiful though. Why don't you try the same hat again but this time....instead of the suggested cast on use the sheet Meg gave us on different beginnings for hats. Picots and sons don't really go together anyway but that's just my humble opinion.

jessica said...

bummer! Looks wonderful though! I guess you can chalk it up to experiance, a painful experiance;O)

Becky G said...

Too bad about the fit. I had some trouble with this one also... just too big. I tend to knit way too loosely with fair isle. My kind son wears the too big hat anyway... still I think I'll try it again... hope you do too as it is a lovely thing.