Once More with Feeling

I finished the second of the emoticon hats just as the temperature plummeted and every leaf in Chicago leaped to its death. Overnight it became autumn. The sky is grey, people are cranky, and I have gorged myself on pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks until my blood flows with nutmeg and allspice.

Thank goodness I have a hat to keep me warm!

Like I said in my previous post, when this hat finally materialized--when I finally found the right yarn and the right chart and had the patience to really work out the ins and outs of the pattern--it turned out so much better than I imagined. And the response it evokes from people is incredible. Something about the carefree silliness of emoticons mixed with the coziness of a snug winter cap catches peoples eyes. Even Eric who mocked the idea when I first proposed it has begrudgingly admitted these hats are cute!

I finally posted the pattern last night, after wading through about 20 different versions of the smiley-face charts, a million proofreads, and the other woes that come with copyediting anything. In a fit of insomnia I managed to post it on both Ravelry and Etsy so you, too, can have a smile on your face and your head!


Pattern Specifics:

Once More with Feeling:
a distinctive winter hat with modern flair

Size: one

Measurements: apr. 18" in diameter, unstreched

materials: Caron Country: 25% wool, 75% acrylic. 3 oz/ 85g, 185 yds/170m. 1 ball Claret (#0017), 1 ball Naturally #0007).

Size 3 16" circular needles
Size 3 DPNs

Gauge: 6 st and 8 rows / 1" in stockinette
Not only is this hat super cute and incredibly fun to knit, it's a great stash buster. I got 3 adult hats out of 3 skeins of Naturally Caron Country; two red earflap hats and one white beanie. I'll definitely be making more of these in the future!


I'll probably try to release a child's version of the beanie in the near future, but for now I'm happy keeping this hat all to myself. I hope you enjoy it too!