Hats off

Ribbed Beanie (PDF)

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted (100% superwash wool; worsted weight)
Color: Pewter
Needles: US 7 circulars
Stitches: 80

It's an angst-free blog entry and an FO to boot! Another Christmas gift finished!

This cold, rainy day provided the perfect excuse to stay indoors as much as possible. I didn't expect to get the hat done today, but I found a rhythm and just kept knitting. The Bengals weren't on local TV, which was just as well. They stink. As a lifetime fan accustomed to their losing ways, I wrote off their season a few weeks ago. I wasn't concerned if I couldn't watch them. I did tune in the game on the radio near the end of the first half and knitted through the remainder. Imagine that. They won.

I wasn't having any trouble with snagged stitches or magic loop. Buoyed by the lack of knitting difficulty, I kept going. I knit the three extra inches that the pattern recommends for a folded brim. The added inches are for ear coverage, although the hat isn't for me. Nine and a half inches is about the perfect length for me. I can pull the hat down over my ears and not have a bunch of empty space at the top.

I had some trouble with the decreases last time I knitted this pattern, but all was good for this hat. I even learned something. I was decreasing on the *k2, k2tog* row and finding it increasingly hard to knit the small diameter. Ah, but if I pull the loop through at another spot, I can knit with ease again!

I also get hesitant when it comes time to draw the yarn through the remaining stitches and tighten. Somehow I seem to miss one or two. Not this time. I'm really proud of how the crown turned out.

Why limit my satisfaction to the crown? I'm ecstatic over how terrific this hat looks and feels. Tempted as I am to keep it, I'll be giving it as a combination birthday/Christmas gift to one of my brothers.

Knitting this hat relieves some of my nervousness about having enough time to complete all of the Christmas gifts I'm intending to make. I did this hat in a week, and that includes a few days of little to no knitting. (I probably knitted half of it today.) It is safe to say that the outrageously amibitious blanket plan has been officially withdrawn. Hats for all! Or most!