Do you like my party hat?

The next stop on my hat adventure was this baby, a slouchy, stretchy number with really easy faux cables. Instead of using cable needles it's just a twisted stitch. The pattern was quite easy once I looked up the couple of things I didn't know (What would we do without youtube? Have a lot less hats, I'm sure)

I love the way cables look but am a little intimidated by them, so this was a nice introduction, a brief handshake of sorts with the idea of cables.

I'm not super happy with the back, because I messed up when decreasing (reducing the number of stitches) so at times it gets all lumpy and sticks out with a weird little point, but it's a learning process and now next time I know how to do it differently. 

This is what it's supposed to look like, effortless and cool. Just like me, obviously.

But hey, mistakes and all, I love it 'cause I made this, dude!

P.S High-five if you know what Dr. Seuss book the title of this post is from.

Must I always be a day late and a dollar short?

Remember the helmet liner I was working on for my uncle Ryan? I got the neck finished,  got my knitting teacher to help me figure out the face opening and I was happily knitting away (the night before our trip to El Paso to see Ryan off) when I decided google the size requirements and all that just to double check that everything was to regulation and guess what I found? An announcement from CitizenSAM (The organization that shipped the liners to the troops) saying the military can no longer accept knitted helmet liners, and have not been able to for almost a year(Great observation skills, I know. I am always the last to know these things), as they now issue their own. Awesome. This left me no more time to knit something to give him before he leaves nor is there now something he could use while downrange (That's right, I picked up some terms). I continued it for a little while we were in El Paso, but figured what's the point now that he can't use while deployed. He very kindly said he would take up hunting so he could use it at home but I figured starting up a whole new hobby for sake of helmet liner wear-ability was a tad much. So, I frogged it (used to describe the ripping out of stitches. Riiiiippit) and decided to make him a winter cap to wear when he gets back. Portland can get cold and icy so I figured a warm wool hat for winter would still be useful and heartfelt. Still discouraged from the liner debacle I went a-searching for a uniquely patterned yet still masculine looking hat and.....*insert heavenly music here* I found this baby.

Not the actual baby, mind you, but a fabulous hat pattern called Nottingham by Melissa Mall. I searched Celtic hat patterns on ravelry.com (super-de-duper awesome site, if you're involved in the art of crafting things from fiber you should definitely check it out). It's cables on a larger scale than a swatch, which is all I've done before, so it'll be a challenge but some change is much needed after all the Christmas present hats I've been making that use the same ridiculously simple 2 stitch pattern. I'm going to use the same yarn as I was using for the liner, a dark grey wool and hope it'll end up at least slightly resembling the picture. Off I go to cast on. Toodles.

*Photo credit - Melissa Mall. Here's the link to her pattern page

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nottingham-2