Did I Do That????

Fair Isle, my evil nemesis, I'm kickin' your butt. Maybe I'm speaking too soon, but this looks even better in person - and it's a pretty bad picture.

7 years ago, when Benji first asked me to make him a fair isle hat, I didn't know it was difficult. Learning something new would be fun. My tension was so far off (this was when I didn't yet know that all of my purls were twisted - I didn't learn that until the winter of 2002). Since then, every year or so, I try again to get this fair isle thing right.

So I bought some Cascade 220 and knitted up an amazing swatch - 60 sts, in pattern, and 5" tall. My gauge was perfect. I cast on, did a stockinette cuff with a hem, and worked a few inches in the pattern. My gauge had changed - tightened - and went from 6 sts/1" to almost 7 sts/1". Thankfully I made the XL rather than Large, and it fits my head well. I took it to work today and made a bunch of people try it on (it's not done, so I put the live sts on waste yarn). It fit everyone - adults and children, thick hair and thin hair, men and women (ok only 2 men tried it on). I even got a gold star for the good work so far!!!

Benji - this hat better fit you. If it doesn't, too bad. You WILL wear it all around town anyway. It'll stretch eventually. And remember, my brotha, my birthday is exactly one month after yours. This year you're not forgetting it (again), and you're getting me a VERY nice gift.