Hats, Hats, Hats.

I don't know why I like knitting hats so much. I think it's a combination of things. Hats are fairly quick to make, so there's instant gratification. They also make excellent gifts, because everybody needs a hat in this cold snowy weather.
So, I've been knitting lots of them recently. I followed a few patterns, and then got bored with that, so I started designing my own. At first I just changed little details like colours, size, and width of ribbing. Then I got more adventurous, and worked out my own decreases too.
I made Bethany a hat in a fantastic star stitch. I called it the Milky Way hat, because it spirals round her head. It turned out a little longer than I first imagined, but Beth likes it.
Then I cast on to make a hat for my brother in law. Brett is a big Sheffield Wednesday fan, and makes it out to games as often as he can. Sitting in the Kop can get very chilly on a northern English afternoon or evening, so I figured I'd make him something to keep his head warm.
I started off with some ribbing, then switched to intarsia to put in the blue and white stripes. I designed my decrease to look less visible, and then stitched it down the back. I finished it off with a pompom for that traditional look. I'm rather pleased with it.

I haven't yet knitted a hat in the round. I've been trying to get hold of the double pointed needles in the size I need for that, and for some reason I can't find them anywhere. But once I have them, I'll give that a go.
My next hat project is one that has some personal meaning to me. 13 years ago, I visited Whitby, on the North Yorkshire coast. There, I went into the old town, the location of a good portion of Bram Stoker's Dracula. In one of the shops, I found the most fantastic hat. It was clearly hand-knit, and I loved it. It was cream, light blue, dark blue and brown, with a dishevelled looking pompom on the top.
Somehow I managed to keep it for the longest time, and it was always my favourite hat. But then, about a year ago, I lost it in the move to Canada. It was a very sad moment for me. So I'm going to make a new one. It won't have the charm of the old one, but it's a start.
I scanned in a photograph of me wearing the old one, and then zoomed in to get a better idea of what it looked like. Then I set about writing up the pattern. I'll post the pattern and pictures here when I've made it.

But I have some other things to do first. Though the winter has a firm hold on us now, it's not going to last much longer, and I want to knit my first pair of fingerless gloves before it gets too warm. Maybe the Long Lost Whitby Hat will have to stay lost for a little while longer.