Hats hats hats

I'm still on the hat train over here. I recently finished a delightful stranded colorwork design called Hat and Peak (Rav link):

I made this for my friend Jeff, whom I was able to visit in Austin in December - a brief, but joyful, visit! Naturally, Steven and I had to go to his LYS, Hill Country Weavers. 

Before we left for the store, I asked Jeff if he wanted me to knit anything. He seemed interested in a hat, so I showed him some things I had tagged in my favorites. He liked this one. I still need to make and add the pom pom before it is truly done.

The design uses 4 colors. I have 4 colors, but the two light neutrals (Ash and Bone) are very close and don't work together very well. Here is how the yarns look together in the skein:

The pattern calls for sport weight yarn, which is hard to find! I ended up seeing this Shibui Echo in the sale section. It is 52% silk noil and 48% fine merino, so it will feel very nice on the head. I wasn't sure if I could make the hat with only one skein of the main color (the dark gray, Tar), so I grabbed two. Then I added a third, thinking I could definitely make two hats if I had enough of the main color. I've already cast on for a second one. The beginning is plain ribbing for 5", so it's perfect for social or zoom knitting. 

In other hat news, I am going to try for the Woolly Dozen again this year. If I make one Woolly Wormhead design per month, I'll stay on track. I made the Get Garter Beret in January, and I wanted to knit a design with larger yarn this time. I picked Mirallat, which is another sideways design ... but with a twist (of course!). The hat starts with a tight U shape and then expands out, like you're adding more and more stripes on the top side of a rainbow. Here are the first few rows - it's a mind bender!

I'm using my Silky Wool stash for this. You can see that it's basically a magic loop situation right now... but as the rainbow grows, it will lay flat. Stay tuned for progress shots. 

My final hat update is a challenge. My friend Patti's dog had a run-in with her favorite hat, and this is the result:

I responded to the Knitwear 911 call. I've watched a video about how to repair a hole in stockinette stitch that looks very smooth. I think I can do it. But first, I need to figure out if I can detach the fleece lining of the hat, as I'll need to access the back side of the knitted part. It is not immediately clear to me how the lining is sewn in, so I need to get some excellent light and explore more. Hopefully I can undo the lining, make the repair to the wool layer, and then resew the lining. It's a challenge for sure, but it's Patti's favorite warm hat and I'm up for it.