Hallgrim Hat - Interweave Knits 2012 - my latest project

I've posted a few reviews in a row, so I figured it was time to talk about what I've been knitting recently. A hat! Hey, I live in Minnesota, it'll be winter for at least three more months. And I lost my old hat (the Koolhaus hat pattern) somewhere in our house. Losing knitted winter items is a common hazard in this state. So I decided to knit the Hallgrim hat from Interweave Knit's 2012 issue. What can I say, I'm a sucker for cables. And I loved the arched cathedral look to the design.

Like all hats, it was a quick knit, and I found the cable pattern for each row to be easy to memorize. By the second repeat I'd have it down and wouldn't have to consult the pattern again for the rest of the row. Believe it or not, I actually bought the yarn - Filatura de Crosa Sportwool - recommended with the pattern. Usually I stash bust with smaller patterns, but I love the color green. And I'm so happy that I did - the yarn has gorgeous tonal variations in the green and was lovely to knit with. The pictures in the magazine don't do it justice. Here's a link to those photos, where the color looks flat: http://www.knittingdaily.com/media/p/103630.aspx But it's definitely not, in fact when a friend saw me knitting it she commented on the beautiful variations in the yarn. It's difficult to capture that in a photograph, but I'll try.

It took me less than a week to knit up (I was working on other projects, too). I wasn't initially a fan of the shaping at the top - rather than a more graduated decreasing like most hats I've made, all of the decreases were within 8 rows or so. So the top sat on my head kind of 'poofy,' for lack of a better word. But it has settled down a bit after wearing it a few weeks.

I'm torn about attempting the mittens, though I bought enough yarn for both by the time I finish them winter may be over (or close to it). We'll see... - D