A Flock of Hats
I'm not sure what the correct collective noun is for hats, but I seem to knit them in batches. Three of these four were destashing hats, made from yarn that I had before the start of the year.
Pattern: Seaworthy Gansey hat from Churchmouse Yarns and Tea
Yarn: String Theory Merino DK (I love this yarn)
Needles: US2 (2.75mm)
Duration: 6th March to 16th March
Second time using this yarn, and I still love it. The hat has an unusual pillbox construction and it's knit on needles several sizes smaller than you would normally use for this weight of yarn, so the resulting hat is dense and windproof. And cute, did I mention cute? You can get the pattern free with a yarn purchase from Churchmouse, or just get the pattern like I did. I love the purl welts at the bottom and top of this, and the clever spiralling pattern on the sides.
Pattern: Lapwing by Melissa Schaschwary
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Lightweight in Jade
Needles: US5 (3.75mm)
Duration: 25th February to 17th March
I don't know how long I've had this yarn, but it must be several years. Lapwing is an interesting pattern, but this felt like it was moving so slowly I had to break off and do the Seaworthy Gansey hat to take the edge off. The hat has three layers at the brim, one of them ribbed, and it is purl-side out. I like the result, but I doubt I'd knit this one again.
Pattern: Zumthor by Kirsten Johnstone
Yarn: Imperial Yarn Columbia in Black Cherry
Needles: US7 (4.5mm) and US8 (5mm)
Duration:19th March to 20th March
Zumthor is a reversible hat if you're careful when you weave the ends in. This was my second project with Imperial Columbia yarn, and I still deeply dislike the yarn while loving how it turns out. There were 2 knots in the yarn early on where one ply had broken and was knotted back together, and a lot of vegetable matter in the yarn. Colour is gorgeous, the end result is great, but I just do not like working with the yarn. The top of the hat is nicely box-shaped.
Pattern: Scalliwag by Fiddle Knits
Yarn: madelinetosh tosh dk in Amber Trinket
Needles: US5 (3.75mm) and US7 (4.5mm)
Duration: 22nd March to 24th March
This hat is supposed to have a cabled brim, but several projects made that way mentioned it stretched out, so I did 1x1 ribbing instead. It's an ingenious pattern, you make a hat slouch by cutting out the excess fabric at the back using short rows, and it fits really well. The decreases make a bold X on the back of the hat and I'm making another (with a hemmed rib brim) using some of my handspun.
One of the collective nouns for ducks or geese in flight is "a skein of ducks", but it's a mess of iguanas, a whoop of gorillas, and a mischief of mice. And a scourge of mosquitoes, of course.