August 2011 hat #2 - Sweet Stripes
















Back in June I was fortunate enough to attend a book signing at a Chicago yarn shop, Nina: a well-knit shop, by Susan B. Anderson, author of many knitting books. Susan's work is so adorable, but of course my favorite book is Itty Bitty Hats. (I'll write more about Susan in another posting) Imagine my surprise when I received an email informing me I'd won a prize. Woohoo for me! Well, life intervened and I hadn't picked up my prize until recently when I finally made my way back to Nina (and yes there's another story there too) and yes, I bought some yarn. I had previously had my eye on this swirled bamboo by BeSweet, but passed thinking it was a bit pricey for a baby hat I'd give away. However on my return visit I was again drawn to the yarn but this time decided to splurge, and I'm glad I did as the yarn is soft and yummy.

Then I heard there is a story behind the yarn and I wanted to know more. I visited the Be Sweet website and am impressed with their company story. Created in 2003 on the premise of being kind to others, Be Sweet promotes education and career opportunities in South Africa. The women's stories are inspirational and touching and they make me want to spend the extra money to buy the wonderful yarn they create.

The pattern comes free on the ball band of Bambino Taffy but can also be purchased as a Ravelry download. I used 16" size 6 circular needle and 1 set of size 6 dpn. Stitches used are knit, purl, K2tog, slip slip knit, yarn over, and a bobble stitch. The hat also uses a provisional cast-on (a new method for me), which caused me a bit of issue until I got it figured out. I found a good video from Knitting Essentials that helped. I really like the way the hat came out and am now on the look-out for some new yarn to make another.

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