I know you're not supposed to blog when you're angry, but here I am, ANGRY. I just finished a knit that I've been working on for quite awhile. It's all cabled and it's really quite beautiful, but something was off with the cable - it didn't match the picture. I just posted the finished details on Ravelry and learned that errata for the pattern came out AFTER I started the sweater (and the book has been in print for quite awhile). I am an angry little beaver.

Believe me, I still love the sweater, and I promise to show you pictures once it gets to its intended recipient. But nothing makes me more mad than poorly written knitting patterns with no technical editing. And this change to the pattern? Occurs every eighth row. I just spent six hours sewing this thing together - there is no way I'm tinking down to lose a cable.

Agh!

Anyway, I want to show you this hat.

Last year, my sister-in-law told me she wanted a flapper hat. Around the same time, Twist Collective came out with Dietrich. A match made in heaven! This was intended to be a Christmas gift, but, well, felting and I have a long, sordid history of hating each other. I knit knit knit (after I quilted, quilted, quilted) up until 11:58 on December 23. Then I spent two hours trying to felt this stupid thing in my in-law's washing machine. Their washing machine is like the Rolls Royce of washing machines and is very gentle even in the "heavy dirt" load. The hat wasn't having it. Justin and I gave up and went to bed around 2 a.m., after I had rummaged about in the kitchen for a bowl on which to shape the hat. I'm afraid my sister-in-law may have stumbled out of the living room and into the kitchen only to see me with a bowl on my head.

The hat had shrunk a little, but it was definitely Mushmouth territory. Embarrassed, I had to give it to her unfinished, then immediately took it back and brought it home for another six cycles in the washer. Once it dried, I attempted to attach the ribbon with glue, but that just wasn't working. I turned to my current flame, the sewing machine.

The felted wool actually went through the machine very smoothly. I'll think we're still in our honeymoon phase after all the sewing I've done recently. Then I hand-stitched the button on, and tada! Not-so-instant hat.

(Sorry for the lack of makeup and, uh, Justin's sweatshirt. Last week was a little rough.)

I'm really pleased with how the hat turned out. I made the largest size, and I probably could have gotten away with the next size down. Also, the hat sits really low over your face, so if you were inclined to leave out a few rows of stockinette, you'd still have plenty of length.

All right, I've calmed down. All of this hat-talk has made me realize what I like less than errata - felting. (Dude, just talk me OUT of it next time, okay?)