Mods:

• Holding two strands of Sock Hop yarn doubled to get a heavy worsted weight.
• Using size 8 needles for body. Getting 4.5 st to inch gauge in stockinette. (Note to self: gauge for size 9 needles is 4 stitches to the inch).
• CO 88 stitches with size 7 needles. Increased to 92 with US 8 needles after ribbing. Decreased back down to 88 after about 4 inches, then knit one more inch before starting the final decreasing.
• I started decreasing with the last two stitches before the round marker, so that the raglan decrease would always have a pair of matching decreases, rather than one set being a row off-kilter at the round marker.

I knit this hat four times:

12/10/2008: First version, (white/brown, bottom two pictures): Total weight: 87 g / 3.05 oz. Total yardage: 102 yards (yarn held doubled). I think it turned out well, but the band of white against my complexion was not a good match. In retrospect, this was one of the better versions.

12/28/2008: Second (brown/blue version, 3rd pic from bottom): Total weight 84 g / 2.95 oz. Total yardage: 99 yards. The hat ended up being too big and it just seemed muddy overall to me. Frogged again.

1/16/2009: Third version (purple, blue, and white stripes, fourth & fifth pictures from the bottom): I knit with three colorways, changing color every two rows after the ribbing. Total weight: 72 g / 2.55 oz. Total yardage: 85 yards. This one was okay, but just a bit too stripey. Plus, I have another idea for the yarn.

1/24/2009: Fourth version, completely out of the San Francisco colorway. (Top 5 pictures). My final verdict: for handspun, given the variations in the yarn already, there is no need to stripe the yarns. This also made it easier to knit, because my jogless joins just did not look very good. Total weight: 68 g / 2.4 oz. Total yardage: 80 yards.

I think I’m finally satisfied. Each successive hat used a little bit less yarn as I refined my technique, now captured in the “mods” section at the top.

Goes with my Handspun Lichen Cowl and Handspun Maine Morning Mitts.