those silly hats

This Christmas I finally did something I've wanted to do for at least 6 or 7 years -- I made these silly hats for (reading left to right) my sister-in-law, brother, brother-in-law, and sister. (You will recognize them, perhaps, from our Christmas card here on the blog). I got all four to sit on the couch and open them simultaneously. But then, as is customary in our family celebrations, things got silly and wild and I forgot to get them to model for me!! Here, at least, are the hats being well behaved:

I had to wash two of them before I even wove in the ends, because time got away from me. I was making tassels 2 hours before we left for the family gathering. But it wasn't really my fault. . .

I had yarn for my brother's from the very first time I planned this project. The brown and tan looked great side by side in the ball, but in stripes they were mournful and depressed. I tried adding colors, I tried taking out one and adding in another. . . nothing worked. They have been reassigned and are going to be mittens instead. Then I found that lovely dark red Mission Falls 1824. Perfect for him! Except -- several years ago I gave away what I thought was all of my Mission Falls 1824, and had none to make stripes. And none of the knitters I thought might have some of a color that would work have any either. The yarn was discontinued several years ago, so just going on line to order wasn't going to work. I did dig up one skein of gold, but that wasn't going to be enough. That one was supposed to be the third hat; I set it aside and proceeded to #4. As I worked on that, I decided I'd just have to order some new yarn, because it had to be superwash (for reasons of hat survival once released to its rightful owner) and I don't have much superwash that isn't sock yarn. I ordered four colors of Cascade 220 Aran Superwash, knowing how monitors lie, and hoping I would be able to work something out. Great news! The yarn was a match in weight and texture for the 1824, so I just added in that dark navy. Whew!! This project had not been intended to be a cliffhanger.

They were received with great delight, and I know that at least two of the four wear theirs all the time. (Still wish I'd got that picture. . .)

(The pattern is Yankee Knitter #26, Hats and Mittens.)