February 2014 #2 - Bob's Blue Stripes

The second of my February men's hat and unfortunately lacking in a unique name. I have this thing about naming all my hats, not really sure why, or even where it came from. But they each get a name. Some of them are more creative than others. At times the names are very apparent and I know from the moment I begin creating the hat what I would like to name it. At other times, I struggle with deciding what to do and then end up just naming the poor hat something really lame. The weird part is, Other than the hats that get featured on the blog, no one other than me even know what I name them. Wow, am I a dork or what?

The pattern, Beanies for the Brave, is available as a Ravelry download. I used Berroco Comfort in Blueberry Heather with stripes in Goldenrod, Kidz Orange, and Aster on a size 7 16" circular needle and a set of 7 dpns. Stitches used are knit, purl and k2tog. Since my surgery it appears I'm not quite ready to cast-on as I normally do so I needed a new method for this hat. In Cast On, Bind Off: 54 Step-by-Step Methods by Leslie Ann Bestor I found a chained (or crocheted) cast-on that worked perfectly. I used a size 7 hook and feel this method gave me a very nice finished edge. The pattern allows you to choose your preference of hat construction; top-down, bottom-up, or worked-flat and seamed. Of course, I selected to work in the round, from the bottom up. I also needed to learn the twisted rib stitch. I found a good tutorial video by Knitting Daily that was very helpful (after watching it several times). Similar to other hat this month, I think this one is a bit short and would think it should be a bit longer to cover the ears. Perhaps it's just me, I'm tired of the cold and looking forward to warmer weather.