It's a new month, let's get into what I read last month. The Castaways by…
Unraveled April 24, 2024
Before our road trip, I cast on for a new Musselburgh hat. My grandson, Patrick had admired the hat I gave Hannah at Christmas and asked me to knit one for him in green. The hat for Hannah, FYI, was not a Musselburgh, the pattern was Same As It Ever Was. But the crown increases and decreases in that one create a swirl and the Musselburgh ones create a cross and that somehow feels more masculine to me, hence the change.
And now, hence the dilemma. Following the Musselburgh pattern, I have the appropriate number of stitches for an adult size medium. But following SAIEW, I would increase another 20 stitches or so. The SAIEW fit Patrick. And this green blob I’ve got going here feels . . . too small.
So. Did I rip back to the increases and add more until it matches what I did for Hannah? Or do I forget ahead and trust the process?
As for reading, I’m finally cruising along with How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair, our spring Read With Us selection. I am both listening and reading and it’s a good pairing because Sinclair’s voice is lovely and her accent adds a lot to my enjoyment of the book.
I hope you’re making and reading time is going well this week. Be sure and visit Kat’s blog to see what everyone is up to.
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Hmmm, I don’t know about that hat. I am knitting a SAIEW as well and it felt too big, so I ripped back and took a few decreases out. My reading this week took me on a journey in the UK… it was a good diversion!
Well, no help from me as I have not knit either of those hats. But…that yarn is a gorgeous shade of green. I just finished “The Seed Keeper” by Diane Wilson and highly recommend it!
First, that is an awesome shade of green! I have not knit SAIEW, but I have knit several Musselburghs . . . and I would say that every one I’ve knit has stretched with wear. So there is that. And I think having a snug hat is better than having a too-large hat (especially for guys who aren’t as concerned about smashing their hair). But. 20 stitches seems like a lot of stitches for a hat. (I’d go with the Musselburgh, I think. And I’m just going to ask the obvious . . . did you check your gauge and not just count the stitches??? Because there is a lot of gauge info in the Musselburgh instructions.)
I do kind of get how the cross at the crown seems a little more masculine, but I would trust your gut telling you the green blob feels too small and increase some more. Good luck with whatever you decide!
Hmmm, can you get Patrick’s head measurements? I seem to recall you knit a Musselburgh for Dale and it was too small. Comparing measurements might be instructive and the answer to how many stitches may be somewhere in between those two designs.
I have a SAIEW on the needles but I’m using the Musselburgh gauge guide as the extra stitches in the SAIEW seemed to be resulting in a HUGE hat. That said, I’m knitting K1, P1 for the entire length and I think the ribbing should make for a hat that fits a wide range of sizes.
Just downloaded How to Say Babylon last evening. I have a long road trip by myself this weekend (10 hours to Nashville) and am looking forward to listening to the author’s beautiful voice.
Going to spend the next week in Franklin, TN caring for my 86 year old mother who is just a couple of weeks out from moving into assisted living. I’m taking my sewing machine along, as well as knitting and sock mending projects.
So happy to have handcrafting to keep me occupied around all the other things inherent to caring for my mom.
I’ve only knit the Musselburgh and it ended up too small, well, too short. I should probably blame that on Christmas rush knitting and not the pattern though. Whatever you decide, that green is beautiful! Hope you’ll post exactly what yarn it is.
I would recommend measuring your gauge to get an accurate sense of the size of the hat and get Patrick’s head measurement if you can. I mean, knitting is stretchy, but getting the math right is usually a better way to ensure a successful fit than just hoping for the best. It may be that you have fewer stitches on this hat than Hannah’s but your gauge is different.