The Mad Hatter

Once upon a time, long ago and far away I tried to teach myself to knit. Since I am more of a visual, watch someone else kind of learner, it didn't go so well. Fast forward to our DC assignment, where I met my friend Lorri. She is a fabulous knitter, and whenever I would see her she would be working on another great project. Then another neighbor moved in, and she was great at crocheting, and was learning to knit as well. With two wonderful teachers, a knitter was born.

The top three hats were done on straight needles with a pattern you can find at: http://cyberseams.com/article/105285/all_things_knitting/hat_pattern_fitted_amp_knitted_for_straight_needles.html

My friends tease and say I have authority issues, as I always seem to tweak the patterns a bit. This time it was for sizing and striping. I love the way the decrease looks, it makes a nice fitted skull cap The General thinks is cool. His is the red on bottom, grey on top. He designed the stripes on that one.

The bottom two are just simple roll brim hats, knitted in the round. This one is a baby hat for a friend who is waiting to adopt. I can't wait to see their baby in this sweet little hat. Of course if they get a boy, I'll have to get knitting again.

My favorite things about knitting and crocheting are: The compact nature of your supplies. You can easily carry a project with you and work on it when you have a few free moments. It doesn't take up a lot of space in my very small base house. It is very relaxing, and last but not least I love seeing a finished project. So much of what I do as a stay-at-home, home schooling momma isn't so easy to see. You clean the toilet, it gets dirty. You teach a math lesson, there is always another one the next day. With knitting, I sit down to a project and after a few days I have something tangible to show for my time.