I started knitting my Thinking of Autumn Hat in August, when it was still occasionally 95 degrees, the wind had just barely begun to blow and not a leaf had yet fallen. Still thinking and dreaming of Autumn. Of pears, leaves, wool, and rain.
Last week I finished this hat out of necessity. Our first rainstorm came and went dumping an inch of rain. The wind blows right through my favorite late summer cardigan freezing me to the bones while I watch hundreds of golden and red leaves fly through the air. I went searching for my bag of hats, scarves and mittens, but the bag is MIA. It is, I am sure, in some stuffed closet, on the bottom in the back where I wont find it until Spring Cleaning. So now this is the only hat I've got until I find the bag or knit more hats. Hmm, I wonder which will happen first...
This pattern is I heart pompoms by Karen Borrel (blog, ravelry). I used Plymouth Yarn Worsted Merino Superwash in green. Its more of an army fatigue green then a true green. The yarn is great to knit with. Very smooth and flows easily on bamboo needles. I wasn't sure I would be able to finish the whole hat with one ball, but I ended up with just enough to finish the hat, the chain and one pom pom.
The pattern was very simple and easy to understand. I picked it because it is a simple repeat that is kind of monotonous and meditative without being dreadfully boring and tedious like 8 inches of stockinette. I also love the way the hat is drawn together on top with a drawstring. The holes are made with a yarn over, k2tog sequence so its not too advanced and the effect is really unique. I haven't tried this, but I noticed that you might be able to wear it as a cowl if you untied the drawstring and opened up the top. Just a thought!
I have no idea what to knit next. I think I might go for a pair of fingerless mitts. As I am typing this my fingers are feeling stiff and achy from the cold air. I love that fingerless mitts keep my hands warm without forcing me to sacrifice any dexterity in my fingers.
My mom tried hers on a blind friend and he was in love (with the gloves, not my mom)! He says that it is very important for the blind to feel the subtle nuances of their walking canes in the palm of their hand. Mittens and gloves get in the way of this so they often go with cold hands. Fingerless mitts solve this problem. They can slip their cane into the finger part while keeping most of their hand and fingers warm. If you would like to donate a pair of fingerless mitts to aid the blind you can drop them off at your local Association for the Blind.
So, have any good patterns I should try?