Cabled Hats

I said I wasn't going to knit any Christmas presents, but I just couldn't help myself. This was a hat I made for my Mother-in-law. She and my father-in-law both loved it. He said he wanted one for his birthday, which is next week.

My MIL tried it on and said how good it felt on her head. She was wearing a plaid flannel over-sized shirt with leggings and had her worn slippers on. It gets cold in their house. I had to laugh when my FIL says to her, "Don't walk down the street wearing that, people will start throwing their change at you." I told him that there probably wouldn't be a hat as nice as that one walking down the street. I might have been insulted at the insinuation that my hat made her look homeless, if he hadn't asked for one, right after that comment.

Name of Project: An Unoriginal Hat by the Yarn Harlot
Yarn: Indiecita Baby Alpaca Grande
Yardage: A little ball leftover from the hank
Yarn Source: Common Threads
Needles: Size US 11 Knit Picks 40" Circular
Estimated Time to Complete Project: 3 hours
Pattern Notes: Made for Mother-in-law. I really liked how the top of this decreased down.

Name of Project: Asymmetrical Hat from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Indiecita Baby Alpaca Grande
Yardage: A little ball leftover from the hank
Yarn Source: Common Threads
Needles: Size US 11 Knit Picks 40" Circular
Estimated Time to Complete Project: 3 hours
Pattern Notes: Made for my Father-in-law. I changed the top. The pattern says to knit it, bind off, and do this funky sewing thing to close the top. After doing the Unoriginal hat, I wanted to decrease the top of this one too. I just did some decreasing rounds at the top and it came out beautifully.


I kind of feel comfortable creating my own versions of these hats with all sorts of different cables and twists. I think I could actually wing it on my own and make one without a pattern. So I got some of the same Baby Alpaca and I'm going to try to make one for myself. The yarn is so soft that I want to knit as slow as I can so I can feel it in my fingers. But since they don't take very long to knit, it's hard to make the softness last. Below is what I'm going to make mine out of.

I can't make it yet though because I have to make my practice socks from Cat Bordhi's book, New Pathways for Socknitters for Tuesday. I'm getting excited!