Dear Jan,
Warm Hats Not Hot Heads heard from a few more knitters yesterday, taking our total coverage of Congress to double digits - 10% of our Representatives and Senators have a knitter who has committed to knitting them a hat! In celebration of that, I am offering up a new hat pattern for free.
I call this Hat’s Not Another Noro Scarf! Even though I haven’t knit one, those striped ribby scarves knit out of a long color repeat yarn like Noro enchant me with their waves of undulating color and sometimes surprising juxtaposition of hues. But five feet of 1×1 ribbing isn’t my thing. Twenty inches, however, in a narrower band - definitely something I could wrap my brain around.
Or more accurately, something I could wrap around my brain, in the form of a self-striping hat. With a decorative cast on to establish the striping right off, a band of 1×1 ribbing forms the brim of a quick to work but satisfyingly clever hat.
The ribbing, worked in alternating colorways 2 rows at a time, is stitched closed and trimmedwith buttons or decorative closures of your choice. The crown of the hat is picked up along the edge of the brim. Knitter’s choice as to whether to continue with the striped theme and knit with both colorways in a spiral to the center or to opt for a single yarn used to the finish. Width of brim can also be varied as one chooses.
You’ll note a small error in the version I’m wearing - I did 4 rows of one color instead of two. But this couldn’t be ripped out - it was when I was knitting for the world’s record at Sock Summit back in 2009 and is one of my best mementos of that trip.
The link to the pattern is here. It’s a Ravelry link, but if you aren’t a member of Ravelry and would like a copy, just leave a comment on the blog and I’ll send one to you directly.
And here is another hat for the WHNHH campaign. This one is Jared Flood’s popular (and also free) pattern, Turn a Square. I’m calling mine Crossing State Lines as I will likely be sending this one to one of the Senators or Representatives outside of Minnesota who don’t have a committed knitter yet.
Apparently, as sure as I love knitting with browns and greys, Selkie likes hat modeling.
Note: This gratuitous sunrise shot is proof I DO like other colors. Just not as much as brown and grey. 
Love,
Ellen
Jan and Ellen are identical twins who have always had an innate fashion sense. Crafting is an integral part of their lives and they stay stitched together sharing their love of knitting, family and community.
February 6th, 2011 at 12:12 pm
Yay for double digits! Love the Noro hats (and scarves). The pink/purple in your sunset would look lovely dyed with grey in a handpaint. (Actually, I ended up with something reasonably close to that by mistake yesterday, come to think of it…)
February 6th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
What a fun pattern!! I finished my hat last night - Rep. Issa is now covered. I’ll send you some pictures once I’ve taken them. If I can get some distance covered on my mom’s birthday sweater, I’ll see if I can squeeze another hat it; I have some Noro around here somewhere
February 6th, 2011 at 3:19 pm
Love it. Ssks and k2togs to make a square, I like that; it reminds me of Four Corners, where, back in my teens when we visited there, we were able to stand in four states with our two feet and snap pictures.