8/5/10: Adding the project to my WIPs page. The KAL starts September 1st. In the meantime, I need to find a yarn, work a gauge swatch, make a few buttonholes to determine the size of the buttons needed, and get me some buttons! (Picture #1)

8/7/10: Chose the Encore Tweed because it’s a nice blue color that should make Benjamin’s blue eyes really pop. Also, it’s a machine washable yarn that starts out pretty soft in the skein, so it should get really soft with a soak/washing.

8/27/10: The first clue was put up early today! It’s the band that buttons to the front of the hat, so it was finished very quickly. (Picture #2)

9/1/10: I decided I didn’t care for the plain stockinette bands. I tried a moss stitch version, but it’s too “drafty” for a Wisconsin winter. Finally, I chose to do a slipped stitch pattern with a garter stitch edge on the band. Because this pulls in the fabric more than stockinette, I made some adjustments to keep the dimensions:
CO 15 stitches using long-tail cast-on.
WS: K3, P12
RS: (sl1, K1), repeat 5 times more, K3
Buttonhole: work 6 stitches, BO 3 stitches, CO 4 stitches, work buttonhole magic, work 6 stitches.

9/2/10: Completed the knitting for the back band using the same slipped stitch pattern with garter stitch edging. Tomorrow, I’ll block and seam the two bands together. (Picture #3)

9/4/10: New clue released, just in time for the long weekend! Finished knitting it in 2 nights. (Picture #4 and Benjamin is trying it on in Picture #5)

9/9/10: The new clue was released a few days ago, but I was just able to get to it now because I apparently only have one US7 double pointed needle. How did that happen?? Anyway, thanks to my mother, I got the needles I needed, and the body of the hat is done! (Pictures #6, #7, #8, &#9)

10/7/10: After much delay (I birthed a baby!!), I finished the knitting on the hat. I cut the bill piece from Stenciling Plastic that my mother found at Goodwill for $0.49. It was a tight fit to get in the knitted part, and I think I should probably have doubled it up to get more structure, but it’s not bad as it is. Now all I need is to decide on buttons!

10/30/10: Perfect buttons procured!! Now that Benjamin has a “Choo Train” hat, he doesn’t want to take it off! (Pictures 10, 11,12,13,14, & 15)

(Pictures are numbered from bottom to top -- KAL logo is Picture #1)