In our latest installment of the Designer Retrospective on Chantal from Knitatude, we’re sharing our thoughts on the Snow Cap Hat.
My Quick Thoughts
It went SO FAST in that large gauge!
I don’t normally knit at such a large gauge, but wow it went fast! I think it took me about 3 hours to knit the whole hat, even with my stopping to take notes.
How It Starts Out
I was doubtful that just 1 round of ribbing would be enough, but it’s not folding over! And just the one round makes it look like it’s just knit.
Switching Colors
I didn’t bother with any kind of jogless technique when starting the new color. Instead, I made it look good when weaving in the ends. You know how that goes – you pull the tails a bit tighter and flip back to the public-side until it’s right.
No Pom
I didn’t make the pom because I was concerned about having enough yarn left over for another project. But, I think it would look awesome!
If I did make it, I would have affixed it with a safety pin so I could easily take it off when laundering.
My General Thoughts about the Pattern
The pattern was very simple and is suitable for a beginner. It just had k2tog decreases and knitting into the round.
It only had a bit of romance copy at the beginning, and I prefer that versus several paragraphs (which I rarely read). But she did link to 2 tutorials, told us how she suggested making the pom and said that the piece should be blocked.
Given that the pattern is suitable for a beginner, I was very happy to see that she mentioned blocking (I have tons of respect for any pattern that says this).
I find that newer knitters don’t always block a piece, and I feel it’s SUCH a big miss. The stitches get more even, the hand feels more supple and soaking a piece can wash out the chemicals that they might have used on the yarn. Plus, using a nice soap can make the piece smell good too!
Since it worked up so fast, I can see making several in different colors to add some pops of color to a dreary winter day.
More about Chantal
About the Instructor: Jody Richards
Jody is the founder and lead editor of Knotions. She loves poring over stitch dictionaries and trying out new stitches.
She’s also on a mission to get everyone to embrace the blocking. And, to avoid using garter stitch edges in knit swatches made for gauge.
And while she likes all things crafting (well ok, except that one thing), yarn crafts are her true love (and she has the stash to prove it).
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