Sometimes you get lucky and get an inspired-one-of-a-kind-only-for-you knit hat from me. . . This winter, that was my friend Nate. While visiting him one night, we discovered that he has a late 80s/early 90s-era Patagonia fleece that has a pretty fantastic pattern in teal, grey, reddish, and black. The minute I saw the fleece I knew he needed a matching hat. It helped that he had seen the hats I had knit for Gala back in the fall (the big scholarship fundraiser at the ski academy where I work) and indicated he'd like one. The time had come to make that wish come true.
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The fleece that started it all; it CLEARLY needs a matching hat.
Challenge accepted.
(not the best picture quality, but you get the idea)
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I had my sister take a picture of the fleece, and while it wasn't the best quality, it was enough for me to work a pattern from, and to almost-match the colors. Within a few days I had drawn up the basic pattern I planned to knit and had found suitable colors online through
KnitPicks (I went with black, magenta, bordeaux, and dove heather in the Swish DK line). The pattern is in the style of fair isle, with two strands worked along nearly every row (three when I got ambitious).
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A little graph paper, some symbols for color, and a pattern is born |
A week or so later, the yarn arrived and the colors were nearly what I pictured. The bordeaux is brighter and more pink than I expected, but his girlfriend saw the colors and gave the approval, so the knitting commenced. . .
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It's beginning to look a lot like the pattern. . . |
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Almost there. . . just needs a pompom |
And then it was done! I love it when things turn out like I picture them!
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TA-DA!! |
Of course the hat sat on the living room table for a few weeks before I finally had the opportunity to give it to him. He was wicked excited and put it on right away. It fits well despite not measuring his head - I took his "I have an average size head, I guess" and ran with it (since we all know I like to live on the wild side with knitting projects).
And now, the moment you've been waiting for:
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It's almost like he bought the hat & fleece as a set |
Impressive Meg!
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