About the Boys' Hats

Since I'd shared details about the girls' hats, I thought it only fair that I also share more about the boys' hats.  There were lots of options, but I decided on something related to Angry Birds (my older nephews really love Angry Birds).

I decided to use Red Bird with Attitude by Heidi Yates (free download at Ravelry) because the facial features looked great and didn't protrude from the hat (Also, I wanted my older nephews to wear their hats. Y'all know how older kids get about hand knits if they think it looks silly).

Finished hats before facial details are added

Here's the thing:  I needed to make some mods.  First off, the hat sizes tended to run on the small side.  I started with the child size, but that looked more like toddler size.  So I knit the next size up (teen size) to get something in a child size (sounds confusing, right?).  Also, I really didn't like the "tail" as written in the pattern.  I wasn't sure my older nephews would go for it.  What do you think (see version #1 pictured below)?

Hat version following pattern exactly as written

So for version #2, I made some mods:
1) Used 3.75mm circulars to work the brim for a more snug fit
2) Used K2P2 instead of K1P1.  That's just a personal preference.  Besides, I think my choice looks better.
3) Switched to 4.5mm circulars for body.
4) For decreases, worked them as written until row 16 where I made some minor changes in how the decreases are worked:
Row 16: K1 K2tog (18 sts for teen size)
Row 17-18: Knit
Row 19: K2tog (9 sts for teen size)
Row 20: Knit
Row 21:  K2tog till last st, K1 (5 sts teen size)
Row 22-24: Knit each round as I-cord
Row 25: K2tog K1 K2tog (3 sts teen size)
Rows 26-28: Knit each round as I-cord
Leave long tail and thread through last 3 stitches.  Fasten off.

Version #2 following modifications to "tail"

I think the modified version looks so much better than the first--so much better that I may rip out the first version and re-do.  Hey, I've got time. ;)

Lost Mittens?

A pair of mittens from November 2015 were finally finished (they were intended as a gift, but then my niece got a new coat and the colours were all wrong.  Long story short: the unfinished mitts went into "hibernation").  While they were a smidge big for the youngest toddlers, they were still wearable.

Finished Mittens

Sadly these mittens have since gone MIA.  Yes, that's right: I lost my mittens.  At the centre, one of my toddlers wore them ('cuz it was still snowy).   The mittens went into the dryer along with all the other wet hats and mitts.  Then they were no more.  I suspect someone took them home by mistake, but they have yet to return.  Hope that means somebody likes them . . . 

To comfort my loss, I started another pair with some mods to create a better fitting mitt for smaller toddlers. Then I got to thinking: why worry over mods?  And wouldn't pure wool make a better mitten?  After all, wool's properties allow it to retain body heat even when wet. 

New mitten project in Briggs and Little

Browsing through my stash I found lots of Briggs and Little.  One skein would make lots of wee mitts.  So the search was on for a pattern using worsted weight.  Lo and behold, check out Another Pair of Mittens (Rav link).  

Mitten detail

Thus far I've made minor mods with the exception of how the thumb is created.  Instead of an after-thought thumb, I'm doing a regular one.  It seems to create less holes and it isn't as fiddly when picking up the live stitches.  I may have to tweak the numbers, but someone may have already done the math for me as tons of Ravelers have already made this pattern.