A LittleKnitting Activity

Throughout the most bitter cold this winter, my favorite hat has been my Crosspatch Hat. The alpaca content of the yarn I used is like having a radiator on my head. The mosaic stitch gives it extra warmth, too. I know a few (mostly young, mostly living in warm climates) internet reviewers didn't like that hat, because it looks squarish and clunky. But when the high temp reaches -3 degrees F, and the windchill is more like -35 F, believe me, a cute little fashionable hat isn't going to cut it.

So, just about the time that the cold weather was moving out and we all had hopes that spring will come again, Mr. SABLE mentions that the wind blows through his Diamond Hat when he's out sledding with the boys. He was coveting my Crosspatch Hat. We started talking about what he would like in a hat. It can be really hard to get him to state what he wants, because he's always trying to seem agreeable. Finally, he was looking through the copy of Knitting With Balls I had checked out from the library and decided he liked the basic watchcap with fisherman's rib on the brim. Since Mr. SABLE is hypersensitive to itchies, I found the softest alpaca blend in my stash and made him this:

I used US size 9 needles and this yarn:

I cast on 64 stitches and worked fisherman ribbing about 4 inches. Switch to stockinette and worked until piece was about 9 inches long. Then did my funky little shaping on the top, which seems to be about as much ornamentation as a lot of guys can handle. He has proclaimed it good, but of course, now it looks like the time for personal head radiators may have passed for this year. But then again, maybe not. Snow's coming this weekend.