As it turns out, I was able to show some self restraint with my Phoncible Hat, it’s not finished yet! It’s so weird to have to stop myself from finishing something rather than pushing to get it done, but I’m glad I left this one alone. I want to work on it more while I am away.
Look at those colors, it has been turning out exactly how I imagined! I love it already and it isn’t even finished yet. I wonder if it’s even possible for me to get tired of self striping / color changing yarn. I’m thinking probably not… but anyway, back to this project.
The yarn is absolutely perfect for this project. The colors are vibrant, the color changes are long and the thickness is perfect for a winter hat. The band, knitted with two different yarns and carrying them across, makes for a nice thick and warm hat around your ears.
If I had to nitpick about the project, there are a few things I would possibly do differently if I were to start from the beginning again. While the pattern clearly is meant to allow the roll at the bottom of the band (as you get with any project knit in stockinette), I’m not sure I love it. I keep going back and forth. One minute I look at it and think it’s a cute feature, the next I think I should have done a 2 x 2 rib instead. At the end of the day I always decide to leave it alone because I think the hat is quite busy at it is and the ribbing may put it over the top. I like it flat and it’s possible I can make the rolling up a little less with blocking.
Also, the size may be slightly off as I think the hat should be a bit more slouchy than it seems to be at this point. It hasn’t been blocked yet though so I’m not worrying about it too much. I think after blocking it may have ended up too big. Plus, even if it turns out to be more like a toque, I don’t mind! I don’t like my hats too slouchy and I really think it will be bigger and more slouchy once it’s finished.
You know what is really weird, though? I love the INSIDE of the hat!
Ignore the bits on the left, but how cool does the part on the right look? When I finished knitting the band I looked at the inside and thought, hey, this looks really cool! The color changes and the lines, I really love it. It reminds me of a basket weave or something. I would love to knit a hat with a plain band around the ears and then this basket weave look on the main part. With the plain band, you’d pretty much have a totally reversible hat! It would maybe get tricky towards the top of the hat once you got to the decreases, though. I’m not sure. I will have to figure it out, though… want this hat I’ve made up in my head!
In the meantime, this one will certainly do! It’s insanely easy to knit, which is even better. It’s a great movie watching project!
If you are interested in making this hat, here’s the info:
Pattern
Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/phoncible
Non-Ravelry link: http://www.dull-roar.com/2008/01/phoncible-pattern-available.html
Yarn
Grey mix – Scheepjes Noorse Sokkenwol (Color 951)
Rainbow Mix – Scheepjes Noorse Sokkenwol (Color 968)
For those of you outside the Netherlands the Scheepjes yarn is now available worldwide via WoolWarehouse*.
I will be back in the new year, relaxed from my trip to the Ardennes (where I am as you read this, isn’t technology great? I was totally able to schedule this post!) and ready to show the finished product!
*Affiliate Link
Love it! Enjoy the Ardennen!