Denim Beanie

My last project for 2018 - a quick beanie, using a recycled yarn and a version of Copycat C.C. beanie I adapted for bulky yarn.

A few words for the yarn. I bought it at the end of 2011 and knitted a beanie, that was supposed to be slouchy, but I ran out of yarn - the ball was only 130 m. I did love and wear the hat for probably a month and then the brim loosened and the hat kept falling over my eyes, so I put it back in the yarn box for reknitting.

A year later, in the winter of 2013 I reknitted it. I used an additional yarn for the inside of the double brim and I made it in a different style. It was a very uncomfortable hat - neither beanie, nor slouchy, too heavy to drape and too big to stay put on my head. I tried to wear it a few times and it quickly ended back in the yarn box, awaiting new restyling.

And it stayed there for almost 6 years. A week ago, after I had finished the Copycat C.C. Beanie for Gaby, I took it out, frogged it and glazed the yarn in dark denim. I think the original color was too loud with the contrast from white to black, the new glazed yarn is more subtle and the colors are better pulled together, IMHO. And the tag and pompom add a more contemporary vibe to it. Now I hope I can wear it, finally :)

Pattern: Copycat C.C. Beanie, adapted for bulky yarn
Yarn: Lanoso Alpacana, wool alpaca acrylic blend, 130 m
Needle: 4.5 mm, 5 mm
Time to knit: 2 days

Alpacana Jane

Pattern: personal pattern, using the idea of Jane by Jane Richmond
Yarn: Lanoso Alpacana 130 m
Needle: 4.5 mm rib, 5 mm body
Time to knit: a few hours

The weather this February is quite dynamic, as the weather people call it. Only two days ago it was +16C and skate time, today it's sleigh time. It was gloomy and rainy all day yesterday and during the night the rain must have turned into snow, because this morning we woke to a super beautiful winter fairytale scenery - white streets and trees and bright blue sky.

I'm so glad I have another hat to show you on this beautiful background. And though the hat is nothing special, the background is hopefully compensating :)
The yarn is recycled from another hat I knitted last year. It was my most favourite and warm hat, but it relaxed too much, so I decided to reknit it. This time I improvised a pattern, similar to Jane Richmond's Jane. I don't have her pattern, and anyway my gauge, yardage (only 130 m) and yarn are all wrong for her pattern, but I love those mock cables and the double brim.

This time I cast on a significantly smaller amount of stitches for the brim - only 60 sts and used a smaller circular needle (4.5 mm). For the body I increased every two stitches to 3 for a total of 90 stitches and knitted evenly in the round until I had about 10 m of yarn left and then started improvising decreases, until the yarn was all knitted up. That's it :)

And now a most curious series of pictures - find the hidden hat :) 

That's the camouflage hat to go for, if you need to hide in a snowy forest :)))