Okay, we both know that I have trouble with hats. Sizing them properly, that is. I seem to be able to manage just fine when the hat is for someone else. But when I try to knit a hat for myself... I must think my head is enormous! But my knitting really proves - I do NOT have a big head.
I had decided to 'retire' my kitty hat. I picked out a pattern that I liked, "Stella's Hat." Found some yarn that I liked - one strand of blue alpaca held together with a deep purple silk tweed (52% silk/48% lambswool) and set to work.
I knit and knit and knit and knit and knit and knit some more. This hat was taking forever to knit. A more competent knitter would have been alerted by the length of time it was taking to knit a simple hat for a relatively small head. I was not. Just kept knitting.
And then finally it was done! I was so excited. I finished it the Sunday before last and wore it the very next day. It was very warm. I liked the colors. It wasn't very snug, though, as a good winter hat should be. Again, a more competent knitter would have wondered WHY it wasn't very snug, they might have even been concerned. I was not. I wore it anyway. It was warm. It was pretty.
A week went by, I wore my hat every day, several times a day (it's very cold over here at the moment.) One day I realized that I kept having to push my hat up while I was driving so that I could see the road. "Hmmmmmmmmmmmm," I thought. When I got home I looked at myself in the mirror. I put the hat on. I turned my head this way and that. I pulled the hat up so that I could see better. It was about that time that I thought to myself "This hat is waaaaaaay too big!"
I was depressed. I really liked the hat. It was fun to knit. It had pretty yarn. It was warm. I started thinking about my options.... Did I know anyone with a ridiculously large head that needed a new winter hat? Dare I try felting it? I did not want to felt the hat - it would loose the pretty swirl on the top, it would probably end up too short. What to do? What to do? I pondered all weekend.
This morning I woke up and I KNEW. I knew exactly what to do. I got out a needle and cut a length of the leftover purple silk tweed. And I "took in" my hat. I love it even more. I like how it sort of "pooches" in the back.
After reviewing this picture I decided that it would be impossible for me to take a decent picture of myself wearing the hat. Perhaps I'll get Dave to take a picture of me wearing it tomorrow morning.
So I used an upturned bucket as a hat holder. You can see a little better the shape of the hat. But the color is soooo off.
The pretty swirl on the top, and MUCH truer colors.
The back, where I made the tuck. (My apologies for the blurry picture.)
Another view of "the tuck." And again, much truer colors.
And just how much did I have to take the hat in? Oh, about 3 inches.
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