Pattern Release: Lelia Hat

  

Way back when I was still in design school, I sketched a cute little hat with a coffee bean pattern on it, and was positively smitten with the idea of it.

Fast forward a couple of years, and that same motif kept on coming up in my sketchbook, again and again. So when I volunteered to work up a design for the Fiber Gallery at Madrona this last year, I was super delighted to find the right balance of yarn and design to finally make the idea come to life, in the form of the Lelia Mitts.

But in my head, Lelia was always meant to be a hat, too. So I put that idea in the back of my noggin for a second while I finished up some other projects, thinking that I'd get back to it as soon as they were finished.

And thennnnnn we got a puppy. (Good-bye, free time! Hello, adorable poop-troll!)

But once the Corgmonster had finally settled in a bit more, and learned important commands like "sit," stay," and "holy crackers, dog, don't put that in your mouth" - a constant work in progress, let's be real -  the Lelia Hat seemed like a great way to get back to it.

Knit up in the same yarns and colorways as the Lelia Mitts, with the same gorgeous color changes of Dyed in the Wool, this hat was like a little potato chip of happiness coming off my needles.

And today, the Lelia Hat pattern is finally ready for its debut! Hooray!

It's available for download for $5.00, or you can check out the details on Ravelry on the Lelia Hat pattern page.

Happy Tuesday, friends!

<3
c.

Design Notebook: Lelia Hat

   

I've had the idea for a companion hat to the Lelia Mitts since the very beginning, but have been super sidetracked recently with work deadlines, classes, and various family stuff. I finally cast on for the sample last week, but after working the colorwork band and a few stripes, I tried it on and found out that it had some problems - too big in the ribbing, and maybe too big in the body too. Either way, not what I wanted.

So today I grabbed some turquoise and green stash yarn in the right weight, and cast on for a second hat to give myself a sanity check, by comparing the two hats without ripping out the first one. I knew that I should try that ever since I started last week, but was feeling disheartened by how far off the sample looked from my vision of it.

Of course, the answer was right there all along: go down a needle size. Chop off a pattern repeat. And suddenly, the thing that looked so sad to me this morning has regained its possibility, that it could have that thing that makes it feel special and right. I was fighting it, because it takes a certain amount of work to admit defeat and try again - but it almost always seems to be worth it in the end.

Harumph.

In other news, our little Corglet has officially completed her first class at doggie school! She's already way more attentive and happy than she was when we started, and we're finally starting to feel like we're communicating properly with each other - even though we still have a lot of work to do.

And Corglet happiness is positively contagious! (Just look at that face... sheesh, dog, you're the frigging cutest.)

Happy Wednesday, friends!
<3
Cory