Knitting Hats

What I really wanted to make when I first decided I wanted to learn how to knit, was a hat.  But, being the semi-intelligent girl that I am, I knew it would not be smart to try and knit a hat as my first project.  So I started with scarves.  I knit two of those, decided I had the basic stitches down, and graduated to hats.  It was intimidating, but I jumped in anyway.  Since then I've knit 4 hats.  Each hat only took a few days to do, and were really fun to make.  

First I wanted to knit a hat to match the green scarf I made.  I was going to start with the simplest of hats, the roll-brim, but decided I wanted to do an inch or two of ribbed border instead.  The size wasn't quite right, but it was wearable.  Not terrible for my first attempt. 

The second hat I knit was a roll-brim.  It was in the same green color, with the same yarn.  I didn't get any pictures of it though.  I actually made it for a friend.  More accurately, it was for my friend's 1 year old.  I just wanted to knit something quick to get a gauge on the sizing before knitting the "real" hat.  It was definitely a little too big, but hopefully she'll be able to wear it early this coming fall/winter. 

So then I knit the "real" hat.  My friend and I were looking at various patterns, trying to decide on one, and she settled on an adorable strawberry hat.  It seemed easy enough for me to attempt so that's what we went with.  And, oh my gosh, I think it came out pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself.  I was pretty proud.  My friend sent me photos of her daughter in the hat and it was absolutely precious.  A huge sense of accomplishment right there.  I could hardly believe that I actually crafted that myself with my own two hands.  I have a much more analytical and mathematical mind than a creative one, so these things shock me sometimes.

Then I decided to try another one for myself.  All ribbing, and alternating between two colors.  Not nearly as cute as the strawberry one, but I didn't think it was as appropriate for me to be going around in a hat that looks like a strawberry, my being 31 years old and all.

I learned a whole lot in making these 4 hats: 

• how to knit in the round using circular needles
• what "join in the round" means
• how to decrease (knit two together, k2tog)
• how to switch between different colors
• what stockinette stitching is (knit one row, purl one row, repeat alternating rows)
• what fair isle knitting is (switching between two colors in one row)
• that knitting a hat is much less intimidating than you'd think
• I love knitting with bamboo needles