Slightly Slouchy Hat (Obnoxious Orange)

Slightly Slouchy Hat (Obnoxious Orange)

The Slightly Slouchy Hat pattern was written because a certain surly, sarcastic teenager that I adore enjoys wearing hats that actively annoy people (such as a pilly, linty old rag of a hat, worn to a wedding reception). This teenager is a fan of bright orange, and at the time that I was writing up the pattern, I didn't have any on hand. Bright stripes of Firefly butt were, fortunately, obnoxious enough, but I still wanted to make one in a bright orange. I asked for recommendations on Twitter, and Beverly of PoMo Golightly graciously passed along a skein of yarn that turned out to be just right. The shades of orange shift and flicker just a bit, giving it a little more interest than a flat monochrome would.

Slightly Slouchy Hat (Knit Picks Chroma Fingering)

Slightly Slouchy Hat (Chroma Fingering)

A little while back I ordered 1 ball of Knit Picks Chroma Fingering in colorway "Mix Tape" so I could play with it and see how the long color changes would look. Since I wanted to try using a fingering weight yarn with my Slightly Slouchy crochet hat pattern, I picked up a size E hook and got started. I did wind up unraveling the beginning, snipping off the first color, and then starting again - because no matter what, a big pink circle at the top of a hat is going to make someone think of...something other than a hat.

Mix Tape

The colors are wonderful, aren't they? I like the way the hot brights are balanced out by the dark grey.

This is part of my getting a jump on the winter holidays project list. The Slightly Slouchy Hat has been teen-approved - the Firefly stripes version was made 'specially for a smart, sarcastic teen who enjoys the added obnoxiousness potential of having the colors of a Lampyridae backside involved. Your mileage may vary.

Pattern: Slightly Slouchy Hat (free! - in US/Canada and UK/Antipodes versions)
Yarn: Knit Picks, Chroma Fingering Sock Yarn, colorway Mix Tape

Lava Flow Cowl #3, blocking

Lava Flow Cowl #3, blocking.

The Lana Grossa Alta Moda Cashmere was a good choice. It's pretty airy for a bulky yarn, it's next-to-the-skin soft, and it's got a little bit of halo that you can see close up:
Lava Flow Cowl, Alta Moda Cashmere

...and great stitch definition when you stand back:
Lava Flow Cowl, Alta Moda Cashmere

Now I just have to graft the ends.
Pattern: Lava Flow Cowl by Dixie Norton, available free at the Dixie Stix blog.
Yarn: Lana Grossa Alta Moda Cashmere, 80% merino, 20% cashmere. Bulky/12-ply chainette. (YarnDex link)

Lava Flow Cowl, take 3

Lava Flow Cowl, Alta Moda Cashmere

Lava Flow Cowl #1 is still in progress. I misread the instructions and cabled more frequently than the pattern called for - letting it marinate while I think about working that into the pattern or just starting over.

Lava Flow Cowl #2 - frogged, as posted earlier.

Lava Flow Cowl #3 has knit up quickly; what I need to do now is weave in the ends, wash it, block it, and see if it's the right length. This time I'm using Lana Grossa Alta Moda Cashmere on US #13 needles, and it is knitting up to be rather light and fluffy for something so bulky.

Lava Flow Cowl (Debbie Bliss Cashmerino)

Lava Flow Cowl, closeup

Lava Flow Cowl, free pattern from the DixieStix blog. I had two skeins of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky and a pair of US 10.5 knitting needles that I was okay with losing if airport security decided to confiscate them, so I took this on a very long airplane ride and it was great! Until I ran out of yarn.

Lava Flow Cowl in progress

It's not long enough to make a comfortable cowl, and this yarn has been discontinued, so I'm going to frog it and make something else. I'm okay with that; I cast on another one in a different yarn and this time I made sure I have enough!