Vermonter Challenge 2013 Wrap-Up

pattern: The Vermonter, by Abi Gregorio  
yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick (66 yards, including pom)  
needles: size US 15 / 10.0 mm 16" circs and dpns

The Vermonter Challenge was a roaring success, with 17 hats made from my meager stash of bulky yarn! I'm super happy I managed to make this challenge work, de-stash bunches of yarn I don't normally like to use, and that I was able to add this many hats to the bin for Completely Kids this coming fall!

Vermonter Challenge 2013 Wrap-Up

Mar 27, 2013

Vermonter Challenge 2013 Wrap-Up

pattern: The Vermonter, by Abi Gregorio
yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick (66 yards, including pom)
needles: size US 15 / 10.0 mm 16" circs and dpns
The Vermonter Challenge was a roaring success, with 17 hats made from my meager stash of bulky yarn! I'm super happy I managed to make this challenge work, de-stash bunches of yarn I don't normally like to use, and that I was able to add this many hats to the bin for Completely Kids this coming fall!

Vermonter Challenge 2013 Wrap-Up

A Few More Vermonters

pattern: The Vermonter, by Abi Gregorio
yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick (66 yards, including pom)  
needles: size US 15 / 10.0 mm 16" circs and dpns

Adding three more Vermonters to my total!

A Few More Vermonters

Mar 17, 2013

A Few More Vermonters

pattern: The Vermonter, by Abi Gregorio
yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick (66 yards, including pom)
needles: size US 15 / 10.0 mm 16" circs and dpns
Adding three more Vermonters to my total!

A Few More Vermonters

A Few Striped Vermonters

pattern: The Vermonter, by Abi Gregorio  
yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick (66 yards, including pom)  
needles: size US 15 / 10.0 mm 16" circs and dpns

Two more Vermonters for the March Challenge!

A Few Striped Vermonters

Mar 9, 2013

A Few Striped Vermonters

pattern: The Vermonter, by Abi Gregorio
yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick (66 yards, including pom)
needles: size US 15 / 10.0 mm 16" circs and dpns
Two more Vermonters for the March Challenge!

A Few Striped Vermonters

Vermonter in Fisherman

pattern: The Vermonter, by Abi Gregorio  
yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick (66 yards, including pom)  
needles: size US 15 / 10.0 mm 16" circs and dpns

The first Vermonter Hat for March is off the needles, and I couldn't be happier I chose this pattern for this little project! Most of the Thick & Quick I've got in my stash is in small enough balls that these hats will end up striped the remainder of the month. But I had this skein of fisherman (and possibly one other skein of green) that had enough yardage for a solid colored hat, so I used it to test out the pattern exactly as written.

I cast on just 42 stitches -- the hat is meant to fit a pre-teen, and the pattern calls for a decrease to this number before the crown shaping anyhow, so I eliminated the extra stitches from the beginning. And I'm glad I did! The hat fits me perfectly as-is, so I know it'll fit an older child as well. Every other bit of the hat I knit according to pattern; there wan't a need to change any little bit! Although going forward I don't know that I'll make poms. They eat up yarn yardage, and I want to make as many of these hats as possible. And besides, my poms always end up huge and a bit ridiculous looking!

This hat took just less than three hours of knit time, spread out over a weekend day. I love that it worked up so fast -- this means I'll be able to get the entire bulky stash knit up this month for sure! And the pattern is easy to remember, so there's no time wasted looking up instructions once you get the thing memorized! A winner for sure.

Vermonter in Fisherman

Mar 5, 2013

Vermonter in Fisherman

pattern: The Vermonter, by Abi Gregorio
yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick (66 yards, including pom)
needles: size US 15 / 10.0 mm 16" circs and dpns

The first Vermonter Hat for March is off the needles, and I couldn't be happier I chose this pattern for this little project!

Most of the Thick & Quick I've got in my stash is in small enough balls that these hats will end up striped the remainder of the month. But I had this skein of fisherman (and possibly one other skein of green) that had enough yardage for a solid colored hat, so I used it to test out the pattern exactly as written.

I cast on just 42 stitches -- the hat is meant to fit a pre-teen, and the pattern calls for a decrease to this number before the crown shaping anyhow, so I eliminated the extra stitches from the beginning. And I'm glad I did! The hat fits me perfectly as-is, so I know it'll fit an older child as well.

Every other bit of the hat I knit according to pattern; there wan't a need to change any little bit! Although going forward I don't know that I'll make poms. They eat up yarn yardage, and I want to make as many of these hats as possible. And besides, my poms always end up huge and a bit ridiculous looking!

This hat took just less than three hours of knit time, spread out over a weekend day. I love that it worked up so fast -- this means I'll be able to get the entire bulky stash knit up this month for sure! And the pattern is easy to remember, so there's no time wasted looking up isntructions once you get the thing memorized! A winner for sure.

Vermonter in Fisherman

The Vermonter Hat Challenge

I don’t normally keep much bulky yarn on-hand – if I’m honest, working with size 15 needles starts to give my hands an ache after too much use. But I was recently given a friend’s entire stash of Lion Brand Thick & Quick after the minimal wool content started to mess with her allergies, and if I don’t use it fast, it’ll languish in my stash for far too long!

It didn’t take long for me to know which pattern to use for this yarn; I’ve been eyeing Abi’s Vermonter Hat pattern for many months now, wishing I had some bulky yarn in my stash so I could finally make one.

Vermonter on Ravelry || Vermonter On Abi's Blog - free download at either site

I plan to knit through the entire box of bulky weight using the Vermonter Hat pattern, making solid hats where I can and using the smaller bits to make up some striped Vermonters as well (I’ll explain how I do that when I’ve got a few done). Because I’m not sure how many hats I’ll be able to make this way, I’m not challenging myself to make a specific number. Once the bin is done, this project will be added to the completed list.

DONATING THE HATS:

The hats will be donated locally through the Nebraska Hats for Hope Initiative to the local Leavenworth Homeowner’s Association (in my neighborhood). Each year at Christmastime they make up backpacks full of food (fruits, snacks and such) and warm gear (hats, scarves, mittens) for the kids at a local elementary school with a high percentage of kids receiving assistance (free lunches, etc) – last year they made up around 300 bags! This year Hats for Hope is teaming up with them to provide hand knit hats for the bags, and so these hats will go into that pile. I’m hoping Hats for Hope can contribute enough hats that each kid gets a handmade one, and in order to get there I’m dedicating a fair bit of my knitting this year to the cause. Learn more about this campaign over at the Hats for Hope Facebook page.

KNITTING ALONG:

For those of you with bulky yarn in your stash, I’d love for you to consider knitting along with me! Abi makes her patterns available for free download, and this is the perfect hat for charity donation – whether you send it to Hats for Hope or donate it locally! If you choose to knit along with me, I'd love it if you share links to your finished hats in the comments of any of the Vermonter hats I share - that way I can see your lovely creations and share them here on the blog as well! And I'd of course love it if you would send your hats to the Nebraska Hats for Hope Initiative for the LNA hat drive!

Here is the address:

Nebraska Hats for Hope Initiative

PO Box 6093

Omaha, NE 68106

Your hats will go to good use, warming up kids in my neighborhood all next winter!

The Vermonter Hat Challenge

Mar 1, 2013

The Vermonter Hat Challenge

I don’t normally keep much bulky yarn on-hand – if I’m honest, working with size 15 needles starts to give my hands an ache after too much use. But I was recently given a friend’s entire stash of Lion Brand Thick & Quick after the minimal wool content started to mess with her allergies, and if I don’t use it fast, it’ll languish in my stash for far too long!

It didn’t take long for me to know which pattern to use for this yarn; I’ve been eyeing Abi’s Vermonter Hat pattern for many months now, wishing I had some bulky yarn in my stash so I could finally make one.

 

Vermonter on Ravelry || Vermonter On Abi's Blog - free download at either site

I plan to knit through the entire box of bulky weight using the Vermonter Hat pattern, making solid hats where I can and using the smaller bits to make up some striped Vermonters as well (I’ll explain how I do that when I’ve got a few done). Because I’m not sure how many hats I’ll be able to make this way, I’m not challenging myself to make a specific number. Once the bin is done, this project will be added to the completed list.

DONATING THE HATS:

The hats will be donated locally through the Nebraska Hats for Hope Initiative to the local Leavenworth Homeowner’s Association (in my neighborhood). Each year at Christmastime they make up backpacks full of food (fruits, snacks and such) and warm gear (hats, scarves, mittens) for the kids at a local elementary school with a high percentage of kids receiving assistance (free lunches, etc) – last year they made up around 300 bags!

This year Hats for Hope is teaming up with them to provide hand knit hats for the bags, and so these hats will go into that pile. I’m hoping Hats for Hope can contribute enough hats that each kid gets a handmade one, and in order to get there I’m dedicating a fair bit of my knitting this year to the cause. Learn more about this campaign over at the Hats for Hope Facebook page.

KNITTING ALONG:

For those of you with bulky yarn in your stash, I’d love for you to consider knitting along with me! Abi makes her patterns available for free download, and this is the perfect hat for charity donation – whether you send it to Hats for Hope or donate it locally!

If you choose to knit along with me, I'd love it if you share links to your finished hats in the comments of any of the Vermonter hats I share - that way I can see your lovely creations and share them here on the blog as well!

And I'd of course love it if you would send your hats to the Nebraska Hats for Hope Initiative for the LNA hat drive! Here is the address:

 

Nebraska Hats for Hope Initiative

PO Box 6093

Omaha, NE 68106

Your hats will go to good use, warming up kids in my neighborhood all next winter!

The Vermonter Hat Challenge