- Pattern: by Kate Gagnon Osborn, available free
- Yarn: Shelridge Farm Soft Touch Heather (85 wool/15 nylon), 211 yds in all
- Size, etc: 19″ circumference, 7.5 spi on US 2
- Time to knit: Well, I started February 14, 2009….
Working on this project was great fun, watching the colorwork pattern emerge, but for some reason, it experienced an awful lot of time in hibernation. Well, it was done in early October, my first project to be competed in the pre-Rhinebeck WIP challenge, about 7 days after picking it up again after a long hiatus. I’ve worn it frequently since October, but photography was not high on the agenda.
The pattern is great and pithy, just the way I like it. A few lines of text plus a chart. It would make an ideal first fair-isle project, I think. I had a few issues with my tension, and I don’t like knitting on a 16″ circ. The hat seemed huge (tall) when finished and it was basically sticking straight up. I counted on blocking to improve the shape. At first I blocked it according to directions (over a plate) and got a beret shape with relatively sharp edges. Later I steamed it to soften those folds, I like this better as a more drapey hat.
The yarn was bought at Stitches East in fall 2008. (I wish Stitches would come back to Baltimore! 😦 Pout). Anyway, it’s a nice, basic wool yarn, and it felt ok, but not particularly soft, in the skein. I was pleasantly surprised when blocking really softened the fabric and increased the drape. In fact, I liked the yarn well enough to pick up another skein of it at Rhinebeck.
One can never have enough hats in my opinion! Selbu modern is a welcome addition to my collection and I’m happy to have completed another colorwork project.
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