After all the knitting I’ve managed to get caught up on while traveling by bus in Vietnam, I thought an FO* Friday post would be more appropriate than my regular WIP** Wednesday.
These last few weeks, I’ve managed to finish not one, not two, but three handknit hats. Why so many, you might ask? Well, the answer to that question is twofold.
- Firstly, there’s the issue of having the right knitting equipment. Having a somewhat limited amount of needles and yarn stashed into my backpack also limits what type of knitted items I can create (oh how I miss my yarn stash stuffed away into a box – or should I say several boxes – back home!).
- Secondly, the answer is pure laziness. Hats are easy projects to start and don’t require much planning. They are also satisfying to knit because they knit up so quickly!
- And lastly, I am on a cable knitting binge. Hats are an easy way for me to experiment with them and have something to wear at the end of it. Speaking of cables, have you checked out Norah Gaughan’s Knitted Cable Sourcebook, available this October? It looks a-ma-zing. 🙂
Kakano Hat by Aroha Knits
The first was the lovely Kakano Hat by Aroha Knits. Her pattern can be downloaded for free here, and is a simple but gorgeous pattern made up of just knits and purls! It’s a beautifully written pattern that was super easy to follow and a pleasure to knit!
Cable Experimentation Hat No. 1
I’ll call this hat my “cable experiment” hat as I mainly used it as a chance to practice knitting cables without a cable needle (it’s much easier than it sounds!). For a quick and easy to follow tutorial, check out Ysolda’s post here. Because there are so many cables, however, it ended up being a much tighter fit than expected. Ah, lessons learned.
Annapurna Cabled Hat
I chose to name this design the “Annapurna” hat as I knit it while daydreaming of hiking the beautiful Annapurna teahouse trek in Nepal. I haven’t wrote up the design yet, but it’s on my (ever growing) list!
I just realized that I don’t have any pictures of the hat by itself! Oh well, this picture of it in progress will have to do. And if you’re wondering what I’m drinking while I was knitting it, it’s a yogurt coffee. The coffee here in Vietnam is the best I’ve ever tried. And I’m a serious coffee junkie, so I wouldn’t make a statement like that if I didn’t mean it.
If you are a coffee lover, then you need to come to Vietnam. The coffee here merits a trip in itself! So far I’ve tried the egg (amazing), yogurt and coconut varieties, but have yet to try the butter and cheese flavor. Don’t worry, it’s on my list and I’ll be sure to tell you all about it once I do!
I found an empty café this morning that became the perfect setting for a last minute photo shoot featuring two out of the three hats. Unfortunately the cable experimentation toque (hat no. 2) missed out because it was shipped back to Canada a few days ago.
*FO = Finished Object
**WIP = Work In Progress (isn’t knit slang just wonderful?)
What projects have you finished recently? Share your accomplishments with me in the comments below!
