Button Beanie Bloopers

Think back to around December 2008 - can you remember what you were doing? I was in Philadelphia (US), starting this cute beanie (ie woolen hat) from a Blue Sky Alpacas pattern.

It's the use of buttons that attracted me to it, as I had bought the perfect ones about three years prior in a London wool shop called Loop. Interestingly, I bought this pattern from a Philadelphian wool store, also called Loop (no relation - but perhaps they could call each other sister stores?).

Anyhoo - I had started knitting this beanie, and then packed it away and came across it the other day (don't judge me - I know you all have sneaky hidden unfinished projects!). I kind of followed the pattern, it seriously took me half an hour just to work out where I was up to after two years! Then I ended up with this pixie-cap...how? HOW? That's not how it looks on the pattern cover! It's not that it looks bad - it's just not what I envisaged (or wanted).

Crap! What to do now?

Well, unravelling some seemed like a good idea at the time. Then the thought of trying to thread back onto circular needles, or a set of double points, almost made me cry.

So I basically just threaded a big needle, and threaded the yarn back through all the stitches and tied it all together. Dodgy? You bet, it's not knitting perfection, but it worked!

I'm half thinking about undoing it all and re-knitting it a bit smaller and finishing it off properly - maybe in two years.

Comments on the pattern: It's aimed at an 'advanced beginner' which is about right - you get to use circular needles, learn how to knit a button hole, decreasing stitches and the rest is just rib stitching and stocking stitch. The one thing I wish they had done is give sizing options - as it's only given the number of stitches for one size of hat (medium) - it's a bit too big for me so a small option would have been better to start with.

PS - the olive coloured yarn is from Blue Sky Alpacas and the buttons are olivewood - so cute - and you can still get them here!