NOTE: Neither the pattern nor the yarn led to me frogging this project. I liked this hat, but it didn’t cover my ears, and the lace wasn’t good for keeping my head warm, which I’ve discovered is a priority for me. Plus, I had just less than half a skein left, which wasn’t enough to make anything with, and I hated the idea that this gorgeous souvenir skein was being half-wasted because I picked an otherwise lovely pattern that just didn’t eat up enough yarn!

This hat may be as close as you can come to instant gratification in knitting. I cast on to occupy myself in the waiting room for a doctor’s appointment, and if it weren’t for the fact that I was doggedly pushing to finish my So In Love cardigan, I could have finished in a weekend, if not a single dedicated day of knitting.

I was originally attracted to the design because I thought that it featured an easy cable pattern, but in fact it’s just a clever lace design. No fancy stitches here--apart from the ribbing, there’s not a purl in sight--and yet a lovely pattern emerges.

The yarn was a souvenir skein from Lettuce Knit in Toronto, Ontario, picked up during a day trip while on vacation for my fifth anniversary. It’s delightfully smooth and spongy with a firm ply, which I’ve come to discover is my favorite kind of yarn. The cashmere content definitely doesn’t hurt either. I’d love to have a sweater (or three) in this yarn.

I chose to knit four repeats of Chart A to get full ear coverage. I went up a needle size to a US 7 (I’m a tight knitter) and worked most of the hat on a 12-inch circular; to complete the crown I switched over to a 40-inch circular and used Magic Loop.