Slouchy hat success!

[pixiepear]

hello again, people, I have been out of action for a while so probably no-one remembers me but I am here again and knitting like its an obsession (actually, it really is an obsession and everyone laughs at me for it!) Hope everybody is well.

 

anyway, I have finally succeeded in knitting a slouchy hat i can wear - Jill will remember me from a couple of days ago, picking her brains about it - having made several unwearable hats, ranging from too-tight head huggers that make me look like a pin-head, to baggy monsters that drown my tea pot, I have finally made a nice hat I can wear and I am very proud of it and feel the need to share it. I made it using 3 strands of king cole wool DK held together and on 9 mm, and it is purple and lovely. I have taken a photo but have no idea how to get it from the camera onto the computer so will have to wait for my other half to get home from work to post it up.

I made it from this pattern:

 

http://presentsknits.blogspot.com/2007/11/slouchy.html

 

and it took me an evening - I did run out of wool, as I only had 2 balls and had to make it a bit shorter than the pattern but it is still good! So proud, I shall make a few of these in different colours.

 

By the way, if you are reading this Jill, I am working on the noro long gloves for my mum with freedom spirit, and loving it - the freedom spirit is lovely and soft to work with, looks fantastic - its a bit like Rowan Tapestry but softer and doesn't split so easily. Really nice, I am planning more knits with this, i am thinking slouchy socks...

[JillM]

I'm so glad the hat worked out - it makes you feel good when you achieve something that has been driving you mad for ages! I loved working with Freedom Spirit. It made my hands feel really nice afterwards.

[sherakapod]

I WANT TO KNIT THAT HAT!!!!!!!

It's lovely.

been on your site and am going to copy instructions and have a go.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

thanks for the inspiration

ps

the lady has used some nice wool and you said you've used 3 strands of double knit. Did you work 3 balls at the same time then?

this may sound a silly qn' but I am a woman of raging hormones and my brain ain't that sharp!

[pixiepear]

Well if I had my time over again yes i would have used 3 balls and just held a strand from each together to knit. What I actually did was only buy 2 balls, take one ball and take one end from the middle of it and the end from the outside(which works just fine if you only need 2 strands) and one end from my second ball. That made 3 strands to hold together. This was fine until i reached the end of the ball that had 2 ends being used at the same time and then had to figure out how to turn the second ball that i had been taking a single strand from into 3 strands! Luckily my mum was staying with me and she managed to unravel the remains of the second ball and cut it into 3 equal strands, which I then held together and knitted as one again.It was a long and tedious job and she did not thank me for it... also I had to make the hat a bit smaller than in the pattern as I ran out...

 

By FAR the easiest thing would be to use a proper chunky/bulky yarn like that used in the original pattern. Failing that, I would do it again with 3 separate balls of DK held together, or possibly 2 balls of a heavier aran yarn. I never do bring myself to do a tension square and that is why I have made a series of horrible hats... luckily this time it worked out well. By the way, if anyone could suggest a yarn as chunky as in the pattern I would welcome their suggestion - the pattern suggests 9 mm needles, so even cashmerino superchunky didnt look bulky enough.

[JillM]

King Cole Aero or Twister might do the job. It is super chunky and not too expensive.

[beansforyou]

Thats really pretty!

[sherakapod]

had a rummidge in my drawers! and found some colinetter zanzibar, would that be any good?