Spiral Hat Challenge !

So, what is it ?
It is the hardest hat I have ever knit – that’s what !

WHY ?

Because it was knit vertically with short rows
(a technique which I had only flirted with previously) & seemed to
go against everything I had ever learned about knitting.

I was searching for something to make for my Mother for Christmas.  Now for most knitters, that would simply mean finding a project that was pretty & perhaps functional.

Alas, I had no easy task ahead of me
– not because she is overly particular, it’s pretty easy to please her –
my problem lay in the fact that she is a MASTER knitter.
You name it – she’s knit it !

When I stumbled upon this free hat pattern at do stuff,
I knew I had found the perfect gift for her !
I studied the pattern for a while, trying to understand just how it worked.
Self-striping yarns aren’t mysterious but the stripes progressed vertically not horizontally.  It seemed impossible…
Luckily, the blog author had included very detailed instructions,
lots of photos & an update post too.
Casting on with some beautiful Noro silk Garden, I dove right in.

Eventually, the hat started to take shape & it was so fun —
I made another for my dear friend Carol.

If you have been looking for a little something to stretch your
knitting muscles, this hat will do the trick.  Get ready for knitting friends to ask –
“How did you do that ?!?”
Try it in a silk/cotton blend for a quick spring treat !

Knit, Knit !

Elizabeth

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