I have nothing grand to share — nothing that will compare with Susan’s last two project posts. But it’s not a competition, right?
I’m almost finished with a sweater. I would be wearing that sweater today if I hadn’t been sidetracked by a lovely hat that reminded me of a favorite poem: Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird by Wallace Stevens. My favorite stanza is the last (although I love them all).
My hat has fourteen birds, not thirteen. Close enough.
The pattern is Passerine designed by Erica Heusser. I knit it out of two shades of Tosh Merino Light, which I had in my stash: Well Water and Composition Book Grey. I love the tonality and the mood the two colors created. (I only wish the Well Water hadn’t gotten so very thin in a few spots.)
I made a few modifications. The pattern tells you to cast on with your contrast color and then, on the first row, start 1 x 1 twisted rib using the main color. I knit one row plain in the main color before starting the ribbing. The reason for this was to avoid purl bumps in the contrast color — you get a sharper, cleaner line. The row of plain knit disappears once you start the ribbing.
Next, I used Susan’s invisible stranding technique from her It’s Not About the Hat pattern. One advantage of having Susan as a sister is that she even drew out the extra stitch lines for me. Thanks, sis! I also used Susan’s shaping from her free One Day Hat pattern. I wanted a closer fitting type hat rather than the slouchier look in the original pattern.
As for photos, well, it’s hard to take a picture of a hat on yourself! So I have one not so great photo. I’m traveling to meet up with friends tomorrow. If I can persuade one of them to act as a model, I might be able to get some better pictures.
This pattern is my favorite in the Mason Dixon Knitting March Mayhem 2017 bracket! https://www.masondixonknitting.com/mdk-march-mayhem-round-4-vote/
Comment by Janetcc — March 28, 2017 @ 1:59 pm
Lovely!
Comment by Amy — March 28, 2017 @ 2:18 pm
From Susan — I voted for Passerine, too!
Comment by lv2knit — March 28, 2017 @ 2:56 pm
Love that poem so much. Beautiful hat and lovely colors.
Comment by Elisabeth — March 28, 2017 @ 3:03 pm
I’d love to see a picture of the inside too!
Comment by Peggy Hagberg — March 28, 2017 @ 3:33 pm
That’s a lovely hat. The colors are so moody too.
Comment by technikat — March 28, 2017 @ 5:48 pm
What a gorgeous hat, Sally! The colors work so well together and no puckering, no see through on the stranding! Thank you, Susan for the technique! The poem is amazing even though I am not strong in this area. I read the article on Walter Stevens – very interesting. To think he was an expert insurance lawyer AND an amazing poet. Thanks for the link to the info.
Comment by Kathy W. — March 28, 2017 @ 8:00 pm
I’ve had that hat in my favorites list for a while — Yours is beautiful.
Comment by Pam — March 29, 2017 @ 2:38 am
Totally, totally charming. And sidetracked-worthy!
Comment by Chloe — March 30, 2017 @ 10:32 am
That question mark was meant to be a smiley face. Gosh darn!
Comment by Chloe — March 30, 2017 @ 10:33 am
Thanks for providing the link for the invisible stranding technique. I was looking for it before I made the Passarine hat but couldn’t find it. So I made the hat and it is okay but could be so much better. Just bought the pattern with instructions so now I can try it again! Thank you for sharing the information. Your hat is perfect!
Comment by Delores — April 19, 2017 @ 2:42 pm