Two hats, no fruit

Today we take a break from our regularly scheduled programming of socks, sock yarns, and spinning sock yarn.  Last week’s knitting was very hat-focused.  Currently I have two hats on my to-do list.

First off, every fall I knit a child’s hat to donate as part of my registration fee for Knitters’ Day Out.  The hats go to Caps for Kids (a Craft Yarn Council program).  I peeked into my stash and came up with this:

My mom bought me this yarn at a market in Santa Fe.  It’s a heavy worsted weight, but she thought it was sock yarn (to be fair, she asked if it was sock yarn and the seller said “sure!” – not so good).  I know a little girl would like these colors (because when I started knitting this at a social gathering, little girls flocked to me), so I knit a plain old basic hat.  It came out a little big for a child, though, so I think I will full it a bit before sewing on the pom pom.  It’s not quite done, but it’s close.

The second hat is another donation, this time to the annual auction for an organization that is near and dear to my heart: Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve.  Sadly, I won’t be able to attend the auction this year due to a scheduling conflict.  I decided to donate something instead.  I’ve never done this before!  I’m going to recreate the Warm Portland Hat I made for my friend Ed last year:  I have enough yarn left over from the first hat.  I thought that a nature lover might appreciate this.  It’s made with Malabrigo Worsted, and the single-ply merino is soooooooo soft.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this hat is great for a bald man! I’m using an Estonian patent stitch technique that I learned at last year’s Knitters’ Day Out.  I love how it creates a very thick (but airy and lofty), reversible pattern: That’s what’s up with hats.  Next time, we will return to our regular sock knitting content.