Hats! People seem to like hats. Oddly, very interesting people seem to like very boring hats. But I have great affection for these interesting people, so I comply.
The hat on the right is for my sister-in-law, who was my secret Santa. We opted for the sS route among the Osborn offspring this year, since we are many, and we are not made of cash. This was a great lark, setting up a facebook group with quiz questions to give lots of hints about what we wanted. The one object on Carina’s list that could be vaguely interpreted as knitted was a “hipster hat.” I had to google it. Mostly there were fedoras, but this pattern was among the first things that came up: Simple Slouchy Hat
Pattern Review: This free pattern from the Cocoknits is a brilliant number. It was mad easy, on a big gauge, without even having to do crown decreases. It was a smash hit; the recipient put it on right after opening and hadn’t taken it off by the time we left. My one concern is that I got gauge, but it seemed way small. I knit the largest size and it was still tight on my moderate-sized head (it just fits the recipient’s smallish head). So if you make this, err on the side of bigger.
Yarn Review: I used two balls of Classic Elite Yarns’ Classic One Fifty – a gift from one time when I was Yarn Stormed (that’s a story in itself for another time). It was a typical, functional example of those lofty, coil-spun, sprongy yarns that are all the rage from bigger yarn companies that can afford fancy milling. I can’t really comment on its value since I didn’t purchase it. Well, that was a useless review. I liked it a lot.
Hat # 2, the dark brown one on the left, is a gift for a friend who did is a major favor when we were in desperate automobile-related straits this past fall. Being dependent on God for finances often means accepting the generosity of amazing friends, which is hard for me sometimes. So I compensate a little by knitting something when I can. But this gift is still not in the hands of its owner. Shrug, if you read this (which would be some sort of Christmas miracle), please reply to Jared’s email asking for your address. This hat is way too big for anyone else I know.
Pattern Review: Uh…. there wasn’t really one. I cast on what seemed like a reasonable number of stitches, then I cast on a bunch more. I ribbed until I was sick of it, then I ribbed until I hated it, then I ribbed until I thought I might die, then I did a bunch of centered double decreases and expired on the spot. Jared did CPR, I wove in the ends, and shazam – a toque that would fit even the largest human head, and that will double over the ears for extra warmness.
Yarn Review: Universal Yarns’ Really Normal Wool, so normal I don’t even remember what it’s actually called. I do love the color; it is in my mind the platonic form of brown. Nice and dark, rich without being ruddy. I knit a whole sweater out of it, if you recall. It’s good stuff; I don’t know why I don’t see it around more, since it’s just as nice as its competitors like Galway or Cascade 220. The ribbing is a little biased, which might be the fault of the yarn; I don’t know if it could somehow be my fault. 1×1 ribbing does tend to bias sometimes; anyone know why?
Osborn Fiber Studio 
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