Being a novice knitter, I know that I am usually only able to knit for 15 minutes before I make a mistake, put a marker in it and take it to the knitting store the next day to get help fixing it. At that rate it takes me about 3 months to finish anything! Ok that may be a slight exaggeration.
Luckily this apple hat was a completely new experience for me. This basic and cute hat actually could be made in a day (or 3).
I want to share a couple of small personal accomplishments I've had with this project.
1. I completed the hat in 4 days (3 days of knitting, which totaled about 3 weeks in real time since I didn't have much time to knit around the holidays. This was also not 3 full days of knitting, just 3 "sittings" so to speak) It is a very quick pattern and easy to do. This is a pattern you actually could complete on a weekend!
2. I overcame my fear of having a couple small mistakes. On the first baby hat I made, I obsessed over it being perfect. It turned out great, but took me 5 times longer to make. This time, I just rolled with it. If something looked off, I kept knitting. If I had extra stitches, I figured it out, and when the pattern told me to "sew" the leaves on the top, I decided to knit them on instead, since I can NOT sew! Yes there are a couple of visible mistakes, that if you were really looking you could tell, but overall it looked great. I am proud that I was able to give this hat to my friends, even though it wasn't perfect. Let's just say it looked "homemade!" The fact that I could overcome being perfect, and embrace my mistakes was huge! Of course when my friends thanked me for the hat, I couldn't take the compliment too well. "Don't look too close," I laughed. 3. I improved. Yep, you got it! Improv and knitting aren't two words that are even found in the same sentence. Most lifelong knitters would balk at not following a pattern, or keeping a mistake in their project, but that's because they know how to fix it! When I was downsizing the crown, I realized my number of stitches was off (because I was overconfident and started watching a movie while I was knitting and counting in my head- bad idea). Instead of getting mad, ripping the whole row out, and spending yet another lunch break at Yarn, I simply improved. Guess what... it worked! Ok, you could tell a little bit, but I still ended up with a cute baby hat!
Anyway here is the hat.... my 3rd hat ever made. It cost about $25 with two types of yard and the new needles I had to buy. Good news, I can make at least one more without spending a dime. Better news, another friend is having a boy in May!
PS. Thanks to Yarn for all of the help and inspriation. They have given me great advice, a shoulder to cry on, new ideas, and delicious tea. Without Yarn, I probably wouldn't ever knit again!
soooo adorable!! i will maybe have to have a baby just to get that hat. :) haha, JUST kidding. maybe you can teach me a little bit of knitting... i know NOTHING and would love a pair of my own homemade, fingerless gloves. maybe if i start now, i'll have something by next winter!
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