12/5/14
As of this morning, I’m a little over 2.5 inches. I keep getting distracted when I finally get around to sitting down at home so most of this has been done on the bus or on breaks at work.

I CO using the double start method and I really like the results so far. I also incorporated the 3-in-1 TECHjoin to get a smooth bottom edge. I knit with Capretta last year, also held double, winging it gauge-pattern-wise. The hat turned out well enough and the receiver enjoys it, but I like this pattern and the gauge and the marled look. I was worried that the Platinum colorway had too much cream in it, but I think it was because when I first saw the skein it was surrounded by a bunch of warmer Palette skeins. My reservations are gone now with the Caviar by its side and I really quite adore how it’s coming along.

One gigantic change in this project (versus others requiring small needles in the round) is that I bought a pair of size 3 circulars, 16 in, AND IT“S A GAME CHANGER. I love them!!! I love not having to worry about getting ladders because I haven’t switched the starting stitch, I love not having to re-tighten the join of my interchangeables and I love not fretting about the magic loop because frankly it just feels weird. I am so pleased that I can knit without those little stresses, particularly because I have two other hats after this that require size 3s to make before the holidays roll around. SO PLEASED.

12/9/14
Finished today, hurray! I would’ve finished last night, but I didn’t have enough yarn in the Caviar colorway, which was really annoying, considering I had plenty in the Platinum. The first time I frogged it back to the original start row and used Kellifer’s modifications, but I still didn’t have enough, so then I frogged back to 7.5 inches and modified the modification. I ended up using:

Row 1: work in pattern for 12 stitches, k2tog p2tog
Row 2: k1 p1 around
Row 3: work in pattern for 10 stitches, k2tog p2tog
Row 4: k1 p1 around
Row 5: work in pattern for 8 stitches, k2tog p2tog
Row 6: k1 p1 around
Row 7: work in pattern for 6 stitches, k2tog p2tog
Row 8: work in pattern for 4 stitches, k2tog p2tog
Row 9: work in pattern for 2 stitches, k2tog p2tog
Row 10: k2tog around

Then slipped it all onto a tapestry needle and thread and pulled tight. It’s a little bunchier than I’d like, but it’s got the slouch and I think I can work out some of the bunchiness in blocking.

This pattern was great and the yarn held up to two bouts of frogging and some stress sweats.