Hat #1 of 3

Pattern: Turn a Square

Designer: Jared Flood

Yarn: Cascade 220 wool and Silk Garden from my stash

Needles: size 4 (see below) and size 6 16" circs, size 6 DPNs

Gauge: 19-20 stitches and 27 rows to 4" knit in the round, finished by soaking in Eucalan and air drying

Size: Women's Small

This pattern needs no linking: it is a classic and is easily found on the Web or by going to the brooklyntweed blog. Easy, quick, and a great, great result. It's all about the Silk Garden and the gradual color changes that occur from brim to crown. And the sharp turns at the raglan decreases. This hat looks good on everyone, and that's saying a lot for a hat.

Some modifications made. The intentional one was to start the hat with 82 stitches cast on, work K2P2 ribbing for one inch, and then increase 10 stitches to 92. Somehow, I increased by 14 stitches and worked the body of the hat on 96 stitches. Also, I accidentally used a size 5 needle for the ribbing, which would be better off a little tighter to snug the hat onto the forehead. And I followed directions to begin my decreases at five inches from the cast on edge. This makes sense if you have the larger number of stitches called for in the pattern. But since I'd decreased the number of stitches, the crown ended up being a little more shallow than I'd intended. So, we have an almost perfect size Small hat instead of the Medium I was going for.

I tell you all of this so that I can save you from the mistakes that I made. Some from lack of attention, others from lack of experience. Another knitter, with more math acumen and foresight than I exercise, might have anticipated the ratio of stitches to crown depth situation on her own. For me, the process of error and discovery was required.

Next up, a blue Turn a Square with Silk Garden stripes in blues, greens and greys. I'm shooting for a size Small on this one: the recipient is petite and has short hair. I'm calling the next one Hat #2 of 3, but may have to weasel one more out to replace the happenstance Small above.