pattern: Streetwise Brim, by Sharon Mann
yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice (122.4 yards, or 75% of the skein)
hook: size I / 5.5 mm
I was introduced to Shawn Mihalik through Asymmetrical Press, the publishing company we both work with. Shawn is, among other things, a phenomenal writer, and I fell deeply in love with his most recent work, a young adult novella The Flute Player.
Shawn is a gifted writer -- his words float through your mind, transporting you into the character's world and leaving you breathless in the end. I am very lucky to be working with him, and already can't wait for his next novel, Brand Changing Day, to be released!
When Shawn asked me to make him the Streetwise Brim hat, I was a bit nervous. I've attempted this hat before, and despite the simple instructions, the hat has always looked a bit strange when finished. This time around I made several modifications and ended up doing two almost full drafts before finishing the hat -- and it turned out perfectly!
For starters, I sized up my hook one. I knit tight, which means I also tend to crochet tight, and between that fact and the yarn I was using, a larger hook made sense. However, because of the larger hook, I also didn't need as many increases -- this is where I've gone wrong in the past. I've continued to increase far too long, and the hat ends up far too wide for any normal human head! This time, I increased to just 66 stitches, and as you can see the hat fits perfectly!
Finally, I adjusted the rows after increasing. I added a few rows and tried to keep up the hat patterning happening during the increases so the hat would look fluid and also be the right length. In all, my modifications meant the hat fits well and looks good to boot. Here's hoping Shawn can find lots of use for it once summer fades into fall in Ohio!
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