Here a Hat, There a Hat

As usual, I’m juggling about a bajillion (it’s a real #, I swear!) projects at one time, which means that each one takes longer than it’s supposed to.  Maybe I have craft-ADD?  Does such a thing exist?  I’m not sure, but I do know that it’s actually kinda fun to juggle a few projects at one time.  A couple rows here, a couple rounds there, a sewn zip-pocket here, a baby quilt there…ok, ok, so I don’t just casually make baby quilts, but I did make one recently!  I get credit for that, right? 🙂

I saw a sample of the most beautiful knit beret-style hat at my local yarn shop and I knew I had to make it.  It’s made with baby alpaca and was designed by a local kintter.  Having just started knitting this past November, I wasn’t sure how long to wait or how much experience I’d need, but I asked my instructor, Sandy, about the hat and she said she thought I could do it.  I love her for her constant support and how she ignores the rules for beginners and experienced knitters alike.  She doesn’t say, "Oh, you’ve been knitting for only a month, so you should only knit these five things."  She has complete faith in your ability, no matter how limited, and will encourage you and help you with any project you wish to take on. 

I’ve been working on this hat for awhile now – again, not because I’m that slow…although, I am a rather slow knitter, but because I’ve been working on this project along with quite a few others (at least 5 I can count off the top of my head).  I brought it into the yarn shop recently to work on it and a woman sitting near me saw me working on it and said, "Oh, you’re making the Jasmine?  I hear that one’s hard!"  Gee, thanks, lady…lol.  I’m not too worried, because with Sandy on my team, I am as fearless as she is!  I just need to make more time to work on it.

You may not be able to see much about the project from the photo above, but there are two sets of round needs because I’m switching from one to another.   I’ve just finished the ribbing that will be the edging of the hat and now I’m working on decreasing towards the top.  Switching from one round needle to another hasn’t been so bad, so long as you can keep your extra needles out of the way, but at some point, I’m supposed to go to four double-ended needles.  Yikes!  Good thing I know where Sandy works!