FO Friday

Hoooooooray! It's Friday :)

In the fiber world, thanks to Tami and others that I don't know about, it's FO Friday.......and I have something finished! Unfortunately, because this item is a Christmas present and the recipient may or may not read this blog, I don't want to tempt fate by posting photographs.

So, what can I tell you on this FO Friday? Well......I finished my Go Pack, Go! hat on Wednesday and the information is below.

Pattern: Brandon Ribbed Beanie Hat by Mindy Vasil
Time frame: started August 18, 2012; finished August 22, 2012
Yarn: madelinetosh DK in Moorland (green) and Candlewick (yellow) - not even a half-skein of each
Needles: US #7 (4.5mm) 16" circular & US #6 (4mm) DPNs
Size: medium/large (see modifications)
Modifications:
* I CO for the medium size (70 sts) using a smaller needle than called for in the pattern
* Did "version 3" of the pattern - but instead of doing the two different stripes from that version, I only did the first kind twice
* Added one more row of MC between the stripes
* Made the large size in length (and I'm glad I did)
* Used even smaller needles for the crown decrease (which was more of a matter of not being able to find my US #7 DPNs than aesthetics...)
Thoughts: The pattern is a very basic ribbed beanie hat and while I think I need that in my arsenal, I wasn't a fan of the stripes (well, not of the ones I did anyway). They don't look bad or anything but they were cumbersome to knit and my yarn kept getting tangled and I wasn't exactly sure if what I was doing was right or wrong or what. My FO didn't look like any of the ones that are pictured in the pattern...which makes me think I did something wrong. It works...but I wonder what I did differently. I also found that the modifications I made worked out better than they would have if I had done what was written. I think the hat would have been too short if I hadn't added length to it (i.e., if I had followed directions). This was also my first two-color project. I mean, I've made items that have had more than one color before (i.e., stripes) but this was the first one where I had to carry yarn and have floats and all of that. I think I did pretty well for being completely clueless. And the floats aren't too tight in the back so the hat actually fits properly and doesn't pucker inwards while sitting. Will I make this hat again? Perhaps. I'll leave out the stripes or do some basic stripes instead. Nothing too fancy.

Overall, the pattern is lovely but I do recommend checking gauge (something I just don't ever do, really)...I may have done better if I had actually checked my gauge. Or something. I don't know.



Anyway, I hope you're having a fabulous day and for more FO Friday fun, go visit Tami's blog (the link is at the beginning of this post).