Jayne:
“How’s it sit? Pretty cunning, don’tchya think?”
Kaylee:
“I think it’s the sweetest hat ever.”
Wash:
“A man walks down the street in that hat, people know he’s not afraid of anything.”
Jayne:
“Damn straight.”
This project was
meant to be. I quite literally purchased the yarn for this project from a gal named Kaylee.
KAYLEE!! It totally made my day!
If you haven't guessed yet, I am attempting to turn this.....
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| I'm feelin' mighty 'Ma Cobb' right about now! |
Now, if there is a level
below novice, that's where I am when it comes to knitting.
But. I am determined! I read as many knitting patterns* as I could manage, and tried to digest what they were telling me. (I have the same disease in knitting that I do in crochet - try as I might, I cannot understand a pattern to save my life!)
Unfortunately, my local craft store choice was quite limited RE: circular needles and yarn weights. I had read that a bulky yarn is preferred, but I could only find 'Super Bulky', and no corresponding sized needles. I had also read elsewhere that a double strand may work just as well, but, with each skein at $4 a pop, and lack of appropriate needle sizes, I thought better of it, and went with a regular (...whatsit....
.worsted??) weight.
I ended up getting
(I kid you not!) Vanna White's brand of yarn;
"Vanna's Choice" in Cranberry (180), Terracotta (134), Rust (135), and Mustard (158). You'll notice I got two versions of an orange-y color....I couldn't decide in the store which I liked better, and I ended up using the Rust. (I think. I'll double-check that!)
I bought a size 8, and size 10 set of circular needles, because I wasn't quite sure which size would be better, and out of 3 stores I went to, I couldn't find a 9 (which apparently is the correct size to use with this yarn??) except in
hugely expensive knitting kits, but neglected to remember to check the
length of the circular needle. I ended up doing an emergency
needlectomy and shortened the plastic connector-y bit by a good 6" or so, using some pliers, scissors and glue.....and so far so good. (Which leads me to wonder.....is there such a thing as circular knitting needles with
elastic in the middle bit? If not, it should be invented, stat.)
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| Holy 'Twisted German' Batman! |
One particular set of instructions mentioned that the cast-on technique for the original was probably 'Twisted German' or 'Estonia'. Huh. I
had no idea that there even was more than one cast on technique! Second hurdle: Learn new cast on technique. Enter Youtube! I watched a
few 'how to' videos on Twisted German Cast On, but the one that finally made the 'CLICK!' sound in my brain
was this one, from
iknitwithcatfur.
I messed around with using the cast on technique, and trying to get it to be a somewhat relatively even tension, and ended up with a pretty acceptable approximation, I believe!
There is certainly room for a whole
load of improvement. However, the Jayne Hat is a bit on the.......
rustic side, so I'm not at all worried about making my version look too terribly polished! (Thank goodness!)
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| Ribbing accomplished......eventually! |
The next hurdle was to remember how to to rib knit. For some reason, even though I actually
was doing it right, it kept looking wrong to me - so I ended up ripping out the first 3 rows + the cast on over and over and over and over.....
wasting precious time practicing my new-found and remembered from dusty recesses knitting skillz.
The lesson learned here is to forge ahead and do it even if it looks wrong. Wait, that is a terrible lesson! Hah!
I probably could have done the ribbing a couple of rows shorter, (I ended up doing 6 rows in this version) but I think it'll be OK, especially once stretched out over a real noggin'. :) Next time I'll probably do 4 and call it good.
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| Ribbing + knit. |
I think I eventually got at least close to a perfect size (if a little bit on the big side) with 100 stitches around. If I had to take a wild stab, I'd say that 100=XL/XXL, 96=L 92=M 88=S 84=XS.
Ish.
And now on to what I'm comfortable with....straight up knitting for rows and rows and rows and rows.....
I'm a teeny bit nervous about the red ear-flapadoodles (
decreases, ZOMG!), but I have a while to go before I tackle that particular beastie!
Oh, and also, remember how I've confessed that I am a terrible gadget junkie? Well.....do I know how to make pom poms
without a special gadget? Of course. Have I been making pom poms
without a gadget as long as I've been needing to make my own pom poms. Of course. But then. As I was perusing the paltry selection of knitting needles, what did I spy?! Yes.
Yet another gadget. It still remains to be seen as to how well it functions, but I now have another doo-dad to add to my ridiculous collection! I'll post about how well it works when I get to that point!
*A list of of the most helpful patterns and instructions I found on the Jayne Hat:
Keiyla's Blog (This one has particularly helpful; it has a lot of screen caps that I used for visual reference, and some pretty danged detailed observations - most of which are far too detailed for my purposes, but extremely interesting, nonetheless!)
Katydid Knits (PDF)
The Canny Crafter
Dryope
Craftster
Ravelry/Erika Barcott
Geek Crafts
Redshirt Knitting
Knitting Ninja
