Sunday, November 18, 2007

I Don't Know What You Call Them, But 'Round Here, We Call Them Pirates...

I am so glad that this knit is done. It was a PITA from beginning to end, which was entirely my own fault. That being said, I am pleased with the results, and I think the recipient will be quite happy as well.

Specs:

Yarn: 1 skein Cascade 220 - Black
1 skein Cascade 220 - White
1 bit of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran - Black (for lining)

Pattern: We Call Them Pirates by Hello Yarn.

Needles: 3.25mm 16'' circular Addi Turbo x 2 (I used one until I had decreased too much, then I knit in the round using 2 circs.


My Own Project Issues:

First of all, I think I picked a horrible week for doing color work. I haven't been getting enough sleep, it has been insane at work, busy at home, and I've been really distracted, because my Grandma is in the hospital and I'm really worried about her. This leads me to my first complaint, which is that I had to pay too much attention which was unenjoyable for the above reasons.



The second is that I used some dishcloth cotton for the provisional cast on; this made it difficult to pick up stitches in the first place, but when I went to pick up the stitches for the lining, it was even worse! So, bad choice in provisional cast on yarn.


The hat turned out a bit too big, so I followed the pattern's advise and got it wet, then threw it in the dryer for a little bit. This left it the perfect size, and very slightly fuzzy, not felted. I did this before doing the lining (which I still think was the right choice, because I didn't use the same yarn for the lining, so they would not have shrunk up at the same rate. Unfortunately, once the hat was totally dry, the provisional cotton was still soaking wet, making picking up the stitches 10 times worse.

Here's the hat part way through the lining---

As you can see, all of my complaints were from what is going on with me personally, and a bad choice of cast on yarn, followed with some good old fashioned deadline knitting (did I mention this is a Christmas present that has to be shipped overseas, and therefor has to be done ridiculously early?).

Even with all the odds stacked against it, I am impressed with the simplicity of this pattern, as well as the ease and speed with which I was able to knit it up.

Would I do it again?

In fact, once things settle down a bit in the new year, I think I'll probably knit myself one with some hot pink skulls on a black background.

6 comments:

loanesay said...

im sorry about your gramma. i hope she gets better quickly.
i think a hot pink skulls on a black background hat would be the best. maybe even some sparkly pink yarn in there... oooooohhh.

Anonymous said...

Woah! This hat rocks big time - and I'm way impressed that you managed to knit it up so beautifully despite all the problems you were having at that time! You did a fantastic job with it, congratulations!!!
I'm very sorry to hear about your Grandma - sending over lots and lots of good vibes and positive energies, I so hope that she'll feel better very soon!

turtlegirl76 said...

So sorry that your G-mom is not feeling well. Hope she feels better soon. =(

The hat looks fantastic though! You should be proud!

Karen said...

It looks like your hard work and perseverance paid off - because it came out great. I'm sure the giftee will love it! And it sounds like you picked up some great tips about what not to do next time. So I'd say it was a great success!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous Hat Chrissy!!

Hoping your Grandma is feeling better.

Knittynutter said...

that is one coolhat, i want one...
unfortunatley dont think my knitting skills are up to that yet...
hope grandma's feeling better