It’s not that I don’t have plenty in my queue already, things that I meant to be working on by now. It’s just that occasionally I will see something that inspires me and gets into my head so far that I can’t do anything but pick up the sticks and knit it. Right. Now.
Such was the case when I saw Monkey’s Hat of Many Colors, over at gimmesanity. I’ve had that book for three years now, but never once considered actually attempting that hat – colorwork scares me, y’all, no matter how little there is – until I beheld Monkey’s. I knew right away that Little Buddha would love a hat like that, and I knew I had plenty of yarn in my stash to choose from. So I packed up a variety of colors to take on our 2300-mile car trip and away we went.
The end result:
Almost-Famous Luggy Bonnet
pattern: Almost-Famous Luggy Bonnet, from Weekend Knitting
yarn: a mix of Wool of the Andes, Swish Superwash, and Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted
needles: size 7
cast on: November 24
finished: December 1
modifications: My gauge was drastically different from that of the pattern because I was using worsted yarn, not DK. So I computed how many stitches I needed for LB’s head and picked the size in the pattern that corresponded with that (baby – 6-18 months). Even so, it is a bit loose. Also, I didn’t care for the point that the original pattern calls for at the top of the head. So I decreased at a faster rate to try for a more rounded look. Unfortunately, the combination of my strange tension in the stranded area and my decreases yielded a little more of a box top than a round top. The other modification, if you can even call it that, is that I knit this in the round. Frankly, I couldn’t see any reason not to. Oh, and I added little ties at the bottom of the earflaps, just like the ones I saw at GAP Kids recently. And I only did a single reverse crochet to finish (crab stitch) instead of the double reverse crochet called for.
you can sort of see here how it's a little boxy at the top
notes: I should’ve used a bigger hook for the crochet edge. I also should have followed height directions for 6-18 months instead of making it a bit taller. It’s nearly too big. And obviously next time I will do the top differently, though I haven’t decided exactly how – but I don’t want the little point at the top for sure. I’m also working on loosening my tension with the stranding.
verdict: It’s a *huge* hit. Tiny Dancer immediately wanted one for himself, just like it (I had a different hat in mind for him, but am making another one of these instead.
pretty dang cute, eh?
he likes to wear it tied under his chin, for extra warmth
I won't lose him on the playground in this hat!
Oh, the reason I call it the first pancake is because you know how that one always turns out – not quite right. I’m hoping the rest of the batch (in this case, only one more hat – for now!) will turn out perfectly! Still, I’m pretty pleased. I may be even getting over my fear of colorwork at the same time I’m increasing my crochet skills.
let it snow!
earthchicknits 
how fabulous! I’ll take the second pancake! :~P Here’s hoping for snow for L.B.!
Yay! It came out great! The blue totally makes LB’s peepers stand out.
I’m on my second one, too. And, maybe a third. Monkey has a few friends who are having birthdays this month…oy.
It looks fantastic. And holy blue eyes batman!
the hat almost rivals the boy for adorable. i ventured into stranded colorwork with the red light special, not my fave because of all the tangling but worth the results. i have this book, must knit hats as these for the boys. after xmas. happy holidays.
Awww both the hat and your son are adorable.
Oooo…so cute!!! And the hat isn’t bad either…
OMG!!! How cute is that?!?! The hat is almost as cute as the boy!
First pancake, bah! It looks great 🙂 Besides, this way, he may get to wear it next year too?
Adorable!
Do you strand with yarn in both hands or do you drop and pick up with your dominate hand? I’ve found that stranding with both hands changes me tension considerably, but I’d still rather do that than drop and pick up. I love stranding in that it’s so fun to see the pattern develop and ends up being a HUGE motivator (read: process knitter) for me. It’s like magic!
And why is it that the first pancake never turns out well? It happens to me every single time.
ooh…and a question about the stripes while knitting in the round: what’d you do about the “jog” at the beginning/end of the round when knitting stripes? I know there’s a way to fix it but I can’t remember what….
Aww, so cute! I think the hat looks great, even if it is a little big on him. I wonder why the sizes on that pattern are so screwy.
I really like that “First Pancake” phrase. My husband and I call our oldest daughter “The Practice Child” because we used a lot of parenting techniques that I am not so keen on now. But – it all worked out for the best and she’s a college freshman now with a fine set of values.