Scrap Happy (#38)

Holy cold weather! After a few days of semi-warmth (and by that, I mean I can go outside in a jacket and gloves without a hat and scarf), Mother Nature has freaked out on me once again and decided it needs to be restaurant-freezer cold. Because of this, I'm huddled on the couch underneath blankets and kitties, hoping that summer will get here soon!

To try to combat the freezing cold, I whipped up this little Scrap Happy hat. I love knitting hats that use up some of the scraps that have accumulated over the course of knitting almost 40 hats, and have them look super great at the same time.

Knit up using my fabulous bamboo size 7 needles, this hat whipped up in an afternoon! My one issue? I should have added one more section of color before I started the decreases. The hat is just a bit short for keeping the ears warm, and that could have been easily fixed if I'd just checked the length before I started the decreases. The hat is still totally wearable, it just won't cover the very bottom edge of the ears - totally fine, but something to look out for. My new motto (since I tend to say this more often than I'd care to admit)?

WHEN IN DOUBT, MAKE IT AN INCH LONGER! A hat can always be folded up to make it shorter, so it's not a big deal to add an inch before the decreases!

Golden Compass (#37)

I've been trying to bust through some of the smaller-sized hat patterns I've got patterns for, and because I loved The Golden Compass I wanted to whip up this hat inspired by the movie.  

Pattern: Golden Compass hat, by Froggie Meanie Designs  
Yarn: bulky wool I had in my stash, held double  
Needles: size 13 bamboo circs, used straight  

Notes:

I don't have a model small enough to put the hat on (despite my nieces and nephew all trying the hat on over the weekend!), so laid out on our porch is as good as I can get. I also didn't have the right sized needles, so I totally improvised!

I used smaller needles and only doubled up the bulky yarn,but then to compensate I knit the largest size in the pattern. The hat turned out sized to fit a toddler (maybe up to a two-year-old), and I love it! Then I added some braided straps to it, so it will stay on the head of whomever gets it. A great pattern to knit up for kids in your life for sure!

Helical (#36)

I was lucky that while my mom was in town last weekend, she willingly modeled a few hats for me! You got to see her a bit in shots for the Helping Haiti hat pattern, and now she's lending her cranium to the Helical hat pattern.  

Pattern: Helical, from Knitter's Magazine 97 (winter 2010) - Ravelry link  
Yarn: leftover Patons yarn from a few other hats
Needles: US size 6 (4.0 mm) and US size 7 (4.5 mm) 16" circs and DPNs  

Notes:

This is the first time I've said this in 36 hats, but I did not enjoy making this hat. First, the pattern is supposed to give no lines where the colors change, but I've got pretty obvious lines - I had to be super careful about how I photographed the hat so that the lines wouldn't show. Plus, the top of the hat is shaped super weird, not at all fitted like the photos in the magazine. And add to this the frustration of switching colors not just once a row, but four times a row, and I was ready to throw in the towel on this hat not even halfway through.

And finally? There's that little hole, right in the front on the only part where you can't see a huge jag of color change. The hole is my own fault, a yarn over that wasn't supposed to be, but it's still the icing on the cake.

If I were to make this hat again, I'd forgo the instructions to do a color switch four times a row, and only do one a row, carrying up the yarn so that you can't see the transition as bad. Or something. {I feel really bad talking smack about someone else's pattern, by the way. Someone put their time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears into this, and I feel like crap berating it. But it was really an unpleasant experience.}

Rain Down (#35)

While I may have made this hat for one of my brothers, and even put it up for sale, I had yet to make one for the One Hundred Hats project! Now that winter is in full swing here in Nebraska, it felt like the perfect time to whip up a hat that can be worn baggy or folded over to keep the ears extra warm. My husband is really loving modeling for the project - he actually tried to steal this one several times after he got it on for this shot!

Pattern: Rain Down Hat by Robyn Devine (that's me!)
Yarn: Patons Worsted Wool in both olive and white
Needles: size 7 DPNs and 16" circs.

Notes:

Because I wrote the pattern, I didn't need to change anything while I knit it. Although my husband HATES to wear hats that are baggier on the crown, so he immediately folded it over once on his head - what's nice about this hat is that it can be worn both ways!

Helping Haiti Hat (#34)

With all the struggles in Haiti, it can seem overwhelming to find a way to connect, to give help. Being a knitter, my first thought is always to knit something, but Haiti is a tropical enough country that woolens aren’t needed. What is needed is a long list of medicines, food, water, and supplies for shelters. But because I’m a knitter, I wanted to come up with a small way to encourage other knitters to give.

We knitters are a tremendously generous bunch, so I knew it wouldn’t take much – enter the Helping Haiti Hat Pattern. This pattern, perfect for anyone who is ready to knit on circulars and is willing to test out their cabling skills (read: even a beginner can tackle this hat without much trouble!), is available for free to anyone who has donated money to help out the relief efforts in Haiti.

The Helping Haiti Hat Pattern costs just $1.99, and 100% of the proceeds are going to Doctors Without Borders’ emergency relief fund, which is being directed to Haiti. If you have any questions about the pattern, or have knit it and have notes that you think should be added to the pattern, e-mail me at “rmcdevineATgmailDOTcom” and I’ll get back to you!

Amanda (hat #33)

The weather has finally broken just a bit, and has reached 40F the past few days! This means the snow is starting to melt into a big giant mess of slush and puddles. Which is better than big piles of snow, for sure, but is still a big mess. We're taking bets as to how long the snow will stick around before it finally melts - my money is on it sticking around until my birthday! The Amanda Hat is just the thing to keep my head a bit warm while home for lunch!  

Pattern: Amanda Hat by Gina House{ravelry link}  
Needles: US size 9 (5.5 mm) circs and DPNs  
Yarn: Malabrigo yarn worsted in lavendar, donated by Tri'Coterie

 Notes:

I made this hat with no modifications. It's a bit big on me, but that's due more to my small head than anything else! Boring notes for sure, but why mess with something that works?!  

{Side note: That's Poppleton, the youngest of our kitty brood. She's not as tourtured as she looks - she loves kisses and snuggling, but she HATES to have her picture taken, hence the tourtured teenager look.}

Five Ways You Can Help Haiti Right Now

With the tremendous disaster ongoing in Haiti at this moment, many people are pulling together to help. Being a small island, with one airport to its name {which was terribly damaged in the earthquake} it’s apparently ridiculously hard getting aide workers to the devastated country to bring much-needed food and medicine. But larger organizations are making their way in, slowly but surely, and as they do they are asking for help. While Haiti is a more tropical nation, and does not need our hand-knits, they do need much from us as a community. Here are five ways you can help the people of Haiti today, in ten minutes or less and for as little as $10.  

Light candles, lift up prayers, send good thoughts. No matter what your religion, the people of Haiti need our collective spiritual good will right now. Taking a few minutes to light a candle or burn some incense and lift up prayers and good thoughts for Haitians right now may seem fruitless, but it can be one of the most powerful things you can do. Some things to pray for include: quick relief in the form of food and medical supplies, space for a time to mourn their devastating losses {sometimes we expect people affected by devastation to “buck up” a bit too fast}, the global community to continue to help Haiti after the initial devastation has been dealt with, and a strong and sustained rebuilding effort.

 Donate through the Red Cross. The Red Cross has made it super easy to donate – simply text “Haiti” on your phone to 90999, and they’ll receive $10. It will be automatically charged to your next phone bill, and the money raised will go directly to aide for Haiti.

 Donate to the Matador Network. The Matador Network has organized over 250 volunteers to head down to Haiti and assist in the rebuilding efforts. They are looking for monetary donations to help these volunteers, as well as donations of basic medical supplies (see their website for a list of what they need).  

Donate to Knitters Without Borders. The Yarn Harlot has mobilized her Knitters Without Borders to assist Doctors Without Borders in a large way. You can donate directly to the Haiti effort, with your donations to DWB going directly to the workers who were already stationed in Haiti, as well as to bringing in supplies with the groups of DWB workers being flown in as we speak. Bonus for you? If you e-mail Step after you donate, you will be entered to win prizes.  

Keep updated with Konbit Sante (that’s their Facebook page). If you read Soulemama, you’ll remember her drive to get hats to add to safe birthing kits for this amazing organization working with women in Northern Haiti. They are saying they were not hit quite as bad from the earthquake, but are now in very real danger of floods, so they are still struggling. They will be reaching out for help once they figure out what is most needed, so keep updated with them for another tangible way to help.

There are so many other ways to donate, to help out the people of Haiti. As the immediate needs of food, medical care, and transportation into the country are met, the greater needs of shelter, ongoing care and even issues with refugees will become huge issues. Here at One Hundred Hats, I am looking for the best ways to help meet immediate needs (donating money until it hurts), and will also continue to explore ways we as a community can band together to bring more long-standing aide. Hug your loved ones today!

Hermione (hat #32)

It might have warmed up a bit around here, but that doesn't mean I'm loving winter any more than I ever have! It's a good thing I've got all these wonderful woolen hats laying around to keep me warm!

Pattern: Hermione's Cable & Eyelet Hat by Jackie Lauseng {free pattern!}
Needles: US size 6 (4.0 mm) 16" circs and DPNs
Yarn: Patons Worsted Wool in "That's Pink"

Notes:

I'm a bit obsessed with the Harry Potter movies, so I jumped when I saw this pattern. I knew I'd buy it if needed, so the fact that it is free? A super huge bonus. I didn't have any grey Patons available, so I grabbed a pretty pink {donated from Aunt Becky!} and got busy.

The pattern works up wonderfully, although I'd make the following adjustments if I were to knit it again: I'd make the ribbing only 10 rows long, instead of 16, and I'd then work the number of cables for the adult size hat - here I've worked the number for a kid's sized hat because the ribbing was much larger than I'd thought it would be, and the hat was getting rather long.

As stated at the end of the pattern, the top of the hat isn't like the one in the movie - Hermione's hat is obviously sewn up at the top, as it was most likely machine-made. Jackie gives suggestions for squaring off the top more, but I just did regular decreases - I like the look of it, so I'm not concerned that it isn't an exact replica. Now if only my gloves {sadly, not handmade} had matched more in the photo!

Nuts! (hat #31)

Still not used to all this snow, but thankfully it looks like it's going to be a bit warmer this week - if just above freezing is a bit warmer! We're hoping some of this snow will melt (that's my front porch steps!) so that we can see a bit more of our streets and sidewalks before June!  

Pattern: Acorn by Knitting School Dropout {currently being test-knit before release}  
Yarn: half skein of Araucania Nature Wool Chunky  
Needles: US size 9 (5.5 mm) 16" circs, US size 11 (8.0 mm) 16" circs and DPNs  

Notes:

For some reason, my hat ended up more kid-sized, rather than adult sized. I got gauge, but the smaller end of gauge {meaning I had to stretch it just a WEE bit to get the right size}, and as I didn't have a 16" circ in a larger needle size, I stuck with the needle sizes given.

 When I make it again {and I'm sure I will, as I want one for myself so bad!} I'll use size 9 for the ribbing, as the pattern calls for, but size up to 13 for the body, and just make it all on my DPNs so that I get the right gauge for the body, and it will fit my head just right!

One of the new-found perks of doing this challenge comes in moments like this, when I'm offered a pattern for knitting before others have their hands on it. I can't wait for it to be available for the rest of you to get your hands on, because it's truly a wonderful knit - fast and easy, the pattern working itself out before you even know what's going on. I love a pattern that turns out gorgeous but that I don't have to think to deeply about. My laziness shines through!

Buttoned Up (hat #30)

The snow just won't stop, no matter what we do! It means I'm stuck at work over lunch, rather than coming home like I normally do to knit a bit, take hat pictures, and blog. So you may see more pictures like this one - full of shadows and taken inside because the sun is already down and we're trying to grab a shot without flash, pretending our lamps are sunlight!  

Pattern: Button-Tab Hat by Marcie Nishioka (free pattern!)  
Yarn: burgundy stash yarn I've had for years and years.  
Needles: my favorite bamboo size 7 circs and DPNs  

Notes:

Other than the fact that I didn't knit down the edge of the brim yet (just noticed it as I was uploading this shot), I knit this hat exactly according to the pattern. It was a super fun knit, and I'd have had a picture of it three days sooner if it weren't for getting the button sewn on, and getting the photos taken! A hat I'd knit again in a heartbeat for any one of my friends! Next week I hope to have three hats instead of two, and a few feet less SNOW!

Winter foliage (#29)

The snow is not stopping, is in fact getting deeper and deeper every time we step out the door. It makes it hard to get to and from work, but is making it decidedly easier to sit on the couch and knit all evening! Thanks to this urge to hunker down, I got my first “must read every line of the pattern” hat done!  

Pattern: Foliage by Emilee Mooney (free from Knitty!)
Yarn: Tri’Coterie BFL Aran in Twilight
 Needles: US Size 6 (4.0 mm) circs, US Size 7 (4.5 mm) circs and DPNs  

Notes:

Despite a few issues with starting the hat out with just four stitches on four DPNs (a skill that I will have to master on another hat!), this hat worked up rather fast and fun. I love how I didn’t have to block it, and it looks super comfy and warm despite all the yarn overs that make the leaf pattern so gorgeous. If you’re going to knit this hat, do it with a variegeted yarn like I used – the mix of colors coupled with the lacy pattern make this hat one I’d like to keep for myself!