Progress!

A little progress on R’s hat. Like all my projects, I’m not happy until I’ve screwed it up two or three times. This one is no exception.

The first time I did it, I tried to knit it, intarsia-style, in the round. That can be done, you know. It's not a big deal. You just have to remember to keep your floats loose. I had no problem with that part of it. The thing that caused me heartburn was that I was basically making a stripe across the top of the hat, so I would have to cross the yarn back across 10 stitches each time. Or else, carry the stripe yarn around the entire hat. MADNESS!

So, I ripped that out and decided to just make a plain hat and knit the stripe separately to be sewn on later. A better plan, really, all things considered. That makes the hat go quicker; makes the stripe go quicker. Only thing is... This Simply Soft yarn is too floppy really for a hat like this.

Don't get me wrong. I love Simply Soft. Makes a really soft hat. And colors are perfect. The silver has just the right amount of shine, even. But it's never going to support two horns on the side of the head. I need something firmer.

So, third time's a charm, right? I tore it all out and doubled the yarn. And now we're cooking with gas, baby! This gives me a nice, firm material that's still soft enough you want to put it on your head. And, strangely, the gauge is just fine.

The hat part is done. Now I need the decorative elements.