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Avoiding the sweater curse by making... a hat.

Materials: 2 skeins Manos del Uruguay in #105 & #108. Straight needles of a forgotten size.

Time: Approximately 5 hours.

Cost: $25

I've heard lots about the sweater curse, and I'd never fall for it -- sweaters are just too expensive and require too much work for me to make them for myself often, let alone other people. But I'd offered to make Pete a warm 'n' wooly hat to replace his age-old acrylic stocking cap if he paid for the materials, so he tagged along with me to the yarn store to see what struck his fancy.

It's a good thing that I'm indecisive about what to get for myself, because it gave Pete an opportunity to change his yarn choice four times: from some tweedy wool, to some Lamb's Pride, to some Noro Kureyon, to two skeins of variagated Manos del Uruguay in complementary colorways. Expensive stuff, but the 100% wool content and gorgeous colors are a big selling point.

I decided to use the basic Hot Head pattern from the wonderful Stitch 'n Bitch, but use two strands of yarn simultaneously to make it thicker and warmer. This would have been a great idea if I had the patience to swatch instead of following my dubious improvisational instincts.

As it turned out, the size large knit up very quickly, but wayyy too small to fit around any grown adult's noggin. So, because I didn't feel like ripping it all out, and because Pete professed not to care, I made an extra little ribbed panel to insert in the back to make the whole thing wider.

I am not a master of seaming, so it was not the neatest or easiest job ever. However, the yarn's fairly dark, so it doesn't shout "I was handmade by my girlfriend out of yarn hand-dyed by impoverished rural women in Uruguay!" too loudly. And, hey, it fits now.

The finished product bears little resemblance to the original pattern -- I also made it a few rows longer, so it can be pulled down over one's ears and forehead in cold weather (of which we have much) and folded up for a fashionable beanie look.

Despite its evident shortcomings, the finished result is regarded as highly satisfactory by the wearer. Unlike its aged acrylic predecessor, it is worn around the house quite often and displayed proudly to friends. The bottom line? Give hats.

Yeah, yeah, nice hat. Now what about the cute boyfriend?

Actually, it is a great hat. Now, do I know anyone who could use a cool-but-warm hat...? Oh yeah, my own cute boyfriend...

Cool hat!

Ursula made me a reproduction of the Monmouth Cap for christmas this year that is fairly similar to this. Mine is a lovely navy blue, felted, with a small wooden button on top and a thick double-knit brim. Very neat :)