Kiss My Knits!

…but I didn’t exactly help. It’s this baby hat pattern from Crystal Palace, calling for their extremely soft and chunky “Poof” yarn. It’s kind of like Berroco’s “Plush” on steroids with dark hair growth as a side effect. I realized last night that a friend was throwing a birthday party for her 1-year-old daughter and I had nothing, and I wanted to do something slightly different than the 50 bazillion Jayne hats I’ve done mostly in a row. The pattern calls for size 13 needles, so I knew it would be quick. Unfortunately, I made some basic mistakes.

And what were those mistakes, you ask? They, the pictures, and long-winded ramble are behind the cut.

My heavens, it was nice to get an order for something other than a Jayne hat. Don’t get me wrong, I loves the Jayne hats, but after 63 in a row, a break was good. I love the moxie of the teenager ordering these – he’s going to be the coolest geek in his school.

Grr. Arrgh. Pics below.

Believe it or not, I do actually get orders for things besides Jayne hats. Right now, I’ve got a dinosaur hat coming up in the queue. The one in the picture is made from Lamb’s Pride worsted, which is a blend of 85% wool and 15% mohair. It has to be handwashed cool, or it’ll shrink like crazy. Example: This is made with Lamb’s Pride worsted: Before and after a couple of washings. You can’t tell in picture two, but it’s sitting on a kid’s chair and is now about 9″X12″, tops. This was deliberate, but you can imagine if something made of this accidentally got tossed in with the laundry. Yikes.

So here’s the dilemna. I’m pretty sure the guy buying the dinosaur hat is 16 years old. Possibly 15, but I think 16. I am really unsure about sending a hand-wash-only garment to a 16-year-old guy. I just *know* it’s going to get ruined. And while I am fine with the idea that once it leaves my hands, it is out of my control and no longer mine, I would just hate for this guy’s hat to get trashed by accident.

He says he wants it to look like the one in the picture, earflaps and ties and all. I am toying with the idea of using a different wool, one that is superwash (meaning it can go into the washing machine). But it wouldn’t look exactly the same. The superwash wool has a couple of strands together, like this while the Lamb’s Pride is a single, with one big strand like this.

So do I keep it the same and just really hammer home the care instructions, or do I try to save him from himself?

Opinions?

Y’all were right – the gray hat sold first. Go you! I take it to mean there’s a desire for more unisex/masculine stuff. As for me, I made a little purchase – some lip balm with a name I can’t repeat here. Ahem.

Next! I am considering offering some Jayne hat kits, with proceeds going to the American Red Cross for Katrina relief. The kits would include a pom-pom with tail for attaching to finished hat, four stitch markers, enough yarn to make a men’s size large hat and a pattern (exact stitch and row counts for various sizes, a couple of tips on cast-ons and joining colors, etc.). Purchasers would need scissors and needles. The pattern would assume you could knit and purl, and knew what things like “without twisting stitches, join into a circle” mean. I would happily offer technical support via e-mail.

I’m thinking about 10-15 bucks, including shipping (domestic or international would be fine). The pattern would be for non-commercial use only, as my other very similar pattern in this thread is.

I need a test knitter! I’d need you to follow the pattern exactly and tell me of any inaccuracies, confusion, etc. and to tell me how the finished product turns out. I need very honest feedback – my skin is quite thick. Any takers?

So, I’m trying to choose which to sell for Katrina. Any opinions?

ETA: I decided to do all three. In for a penny, in for a pound, eh?

My dear friend, an old roommate from college, was blown away by the sheep blanket for her upcoming baby and the dinosaur hat for her older son. To say that she was effusive in her praise would be an understatement.

Yes, I feel very good about myself now, I must admit. She’s a wonderful person whom I love, and I am grateful that I was able to do something to show her that.

Incidentally, she was maid of honor at my wedding, and my husband’s best friend was our best man. Did we set those two up? Of course. And now they’re married with that aforementioned second kid on the way.

Why yes, I am the wedding guru, why do you ask?

Because I couldn’t let Auriane‘s little boy be the only one with no hat, I felt compelled to make one for him to send along with the au pair’s. And so, a brand new original Tvini design… the dinosaur hat!

It looks kind of funky on the head because it’s really too small for an adult. I’m hoping it’ll be big enough for this kid. Keep your fingers crossed.

I think I’ll definitely have to make some for the site. And maybe for me. Raawwwwrrrrrr!

Vaeldriil‘s baby’s hat and booties have arrived, and so now I may share picture.

Here they be. The yarn is 70% angora, 30% lambswool, so it’s pretty darned soft and fuzzy.

And here be the pattern for the hat, by yours truly, if anybody wants to give it a go. It is thoughtfully placed behind a cut since most of you either saw it in the knitting community or don’t give a rat’s ass about knitting.

Copyright me, blah blah, don’t use it for profit without askin’ me first, please – especially because I may offer these for sale on my site at http://www.wearwithstyle.com if Vaeldriil doesn’t mind having her baby be a trendsetter.

Patrick’s Angel baby hat pattern

Or rather, her au pair, who so sweetly made her a cake.

Behold!

I’m thinking I still owe one more hat to her son, because I can’t leave out just one member of the family. I’m thinking green hat with red dinosaur spines on the back. I guess the trick will be figuring out how to keep the spines from curling over on the side and looking kind of… wilted.

Like mother, like daughter. If the dark blue isn’t dark enough, I can always redo it, but barring that, I think I’m done with the coronets for now.

I opted not to rip out the seam on the dark blue one. With everybody sick, I just didn’t have the kind of concentrated time it would take to figure it out. So the youger one will get to lord it over the older one a bit. Heh.