Mad Hatter

Maybe it's because hats are as easy or involved as I choose to make them. And they pack in a bag well for car knitting and appointment knitting and red light knitting and so on. Or maybe it's because I've gotten so much happy feedback from the hats I've displayed at the farmer's market. (The baby hats are a hit, and I'm getting lots of interest on the adult ones too.)

In any case, I seem to be on a hat frenzy. I was fascinated by the stars & stripes one, and have posted the pattern as a separate item here so you don't have to wade through my drivel to get it. On the way to Green Lake on Thursday, taking Tasha back to camp, I whipped out a roll-brim model with scraps of the red, white & blue stripes yarn, which then sold before I even had a chance to photograph it solo. (It's shown here being modeled by its new owner. Pattern is simple: 60 stitches or so on size 5 dpns, knit in round for about 3 1/2" above the top of the roll, then do star decrease beginning with "knit 4, knit 2 together.")



Then I pulled a skein out of my stash that I'd picked up on clearance a while back. It's a color I think of as Tourmaline, and I decided I wanted a hat for my own self. Finished it Friday night, wore it to market Saturday morning, and was complimented on my "style" even though my bra strap was showing. The hat was not at all sweaty, and kept my hair out of my eyes better than any headband would have done. (Cast on 80 on size 5 dpns, 3 rows of seed stitch, 4 rows of stockinette, one row of "yarn over, knit two together." Repeat stockinette and eyelet rows until it's the height you want - in this case about 3 1/2" - then do a star decrease starting with "knit 6, knit 2 together.")



While at market, I got to hold little Scout, the glass-blower's baby. He's a snugly little armful, born 2 months preemie and now 9 or so weeks old and so about 10 lbs of sweetness. His mother really, really wants a funky little hat for him, but isn't into the red/white/blue thing. So I'm doing another roll-brim, this time with some Celtic-themed colorwork.



And there's another feather & fan in bright rainbow colors. And another red/white/blue stripes number using a stitch picked out of Barbara Walker, which while acceptable isn't really my favorite. (I didn't do my best work when adjusting the stitch to the crown decreases.) And another adult hat - a drop-stitch beret in Jamaican colors which Tasha looked at disdainfully and which the glass-blower raved over. Maybe I'll get a chance to photograph it and write it up tomorrow.



Life in the real world is progressing a-pace. I finally, finally closed a deal at work that had been sucking out my soul for 2 weeks. Now I just have to placate clients while I catch up on all the other things I should have been doing during that time. Tasha is back at camp for at least two weeks - without her car, which annoyed her to no end. (But Rick says she really just isn't quite ready to solo with a stick shift.) Luc finally got his report card for the college class he took during his last semester of high school, and gave me a spontaneous (public, and very out of character) high-five to celebrate his grade. And Rick flies out at 2:00 a.m. tomorrow for 12 days or so in Little Rock, where he promises he will eat lots of wonderfully fresh seafood in my honor in between slaving for his customers.