Cap-tivating

posted by Diana

This summer has actually been fairly mild... and instead of enjoying the weather like a normal person, I'm nervous for the upcoming potentially brutal winter. So, like a good little squirrel, I've started hoarding all the warm things to keep me cozy.

Hats were my first knitting love. They're small enough to stuff in a bag for on-the-go knitting (which is a thing, trust me), and, unlike socks, you only have to make one of them. Except I can't make just one.

When I saw a new acrylic Caron yarn in Michael's, I had to pick it up and it had to become a hat (or two). The yarn is neon green, which has been my color this summer. There's something about its neon putrescence that I just can't quit.

This photo is from my favorites a few months back. I've amassed even more weird green things since.

So I brought it home and knit it up. Which is a rarity, for me. I tend to hoard yarn for a bit until I find the perfect pattern, and even then it takes me forever to knit it up because my project queue is so long.

The first go-round with this yarn, I followed the Madelintosh pattern for their Last-Minute Slouch. The pattern recommends using a size US 7 needle, but I went with US 8s because I knit tightly.

My camera couldn't properly capture the neon-ness of the yarn.

In hank form, this yarn looks pleasantly neon. As not in-your-face as neon can be. But knit up? It's violently and aggressively green. Plus, I got in the knitting zone and accidentally knit the hat about an inch too long for my tiny head, so when I wear it I make a dangerously hipster fashion statement.

Dorking about in my hat that's too long.

For a less adventurous hat, I knit up the neon yarn again, this time as an accent paired with gray.

I didn't follow a pattern for my second hat--I made up a vague hat formula a long time ago that works for my head and worsted weight yarn--but I think this hat turned out to be a much better fit than the first.

Yay! I love it.

It might seem like I'm all decked out and ready for winter... but I've got still got a lot of making to do. Maybe next time not as neon-violent?

Happy making!