Knitting Gretel, by Ysolda

Found here

http://ysolda.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3

Ysolda, designer of that adorably cabley, slouchy hat, also models her stuff. No offense to the brilliant designers out there, but how many designers can model their own stuff and make it look hot? Yep, didn't think you could name many. She makes me think of an Agatha Christie character, the one that she tries to make you think is evil, and is sort've cool and distant, but ends up revealing that she's actually a good person, and deeply in love with the chumpy, good natured guy that always seems to turn up in her stories? Yeah, that one.

On to the knitting bit. OK, so Ysolda recommends a tubular cast on for this oh-so-fabulous hat, and so I dutifully kidnapped the computer and strewed my cool casein needles (DON'T PUT THEM IN YOUR MOUTH, GENUINE, YOU ----!) all over the desk, and proceeded to have my brain leak out one ear as I learned how to cast on provisionally, and do a stocking stitch tubular cast on. This is NOT the recommended cast on for Gretel, but I'm a glutton for punishment. I did the cast-on on size 6s, to make it loose, and found out that tubular cast-ons are awesome. I don't even want to imagine who the heck had the time to think this up. Anyway, I did managed to drop a stitch in this fabulous cast on, and it is currently being held in place by a tiny safety pin. I'll sew it up or something.

Note for Gretel: you do not want short double points when you are doing the ribbing, because

1. The ribbing itself takes up a lot of needle room.

2. You're going to be doing a lot of increasing, and by the time you finally switch to the size 7 circular, it's all you can do to keep the stitches on the needle, even if you're me and have 7 inch long needles. It's not impossible, it just takes dexterity. I'm not sure, but you might actually be able to do the ribbing on the 16' circular; a size 12' would probably be perfect.

3. If you like more room, you can use a 24' circular for the cabling part. Trust me, it would not be too big. There are a LOT of stitches in this baby.


I did get worried that my cast on would be too tight, and I was preparing myself for the inevitable frogging, which I didn't want to do because my yarn is cashmerino, very soft, and I didn't know how it would handle a frogging. My older sister, who manages a mean garter stitch and nothing else, sensibly suggested that I slip the hat off the needles to make sure.

Peeps?

It fits PERFECTLY. Fabulously. Not too tight, not too loose, this is a knitting miracle. I adore it. Unfortunately, I picked Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky, and only bought 3. This means that I have 210 yds, and the patterns calls for 230 yds, and I'm going to need a fourth skein. I am doing the slouchy version, which, contrary to what I've heard around, is NOT too big at all, it's perfect.

That's $32 for yarn, about $15 for the circular, and around $16 for the double points, (two sets) and 6.99 for yarn that I didn't use cause it sucked. And $4 for the fabulous pattern.

Don't do the math; it hurts. This is a HAT!