Entourage Hat (with Pattern)

A couple of weeks ago, DMS (Darling Middle Son) directed my attention to a freeze frame on the DVR from an old episode of Entourage and requested that I knit him Vince's hat. Now, it must be noted that knitting commissions from my family are few and far between, and generally of the entirely unreasonable variety (recently example from DD: "Mom, I need you to knit me a pair of full-length overalls for Jacquie's bar mitzvah party. Oh...it's this weekend. And do you have any cashmere?"). Anyway, the proposed hat pictured above seemed perfectly do-able, so knit it I did ("it's crochet," you say? Hush, dear reader, DMS knows not the difference). Pattern of sorts follows (if you're not into Entourage, it will make a basic beanie adaptable to all sorts of striping or no striping at all):

Entourage Hat

Materials: Worsted weight yarn in 3 colors; approx. 1 50g. ball of color A (blue), lesser amounts of colors B (white) and C (black). I used antique stash yarn: 1 ball of Filatura Di Crosa Primo Antartic Wool Superwash for the blue, plus Woolease for the white and black.

Needles: 16" size 7 circular needle, plus an additional size 7 circular or a set of double-points for the decreases.

Gauge: It's a hat. It'll fit somebody. This pattern will yield a one-size-fits-most-adolescents-and-adults.

On circular needle, cast on 72 sts. in Color B (white). Place marker and join, being careful not to do the twist. Knit 1" of K2, P2 rib (approx. 5 rounds). On next round, increase evenly 12 stitches (K6, M1 around--I use a simple over the thumb loop increase here) for a total of 84 sts.

Change to Color C (black). Knit an inch of stockinette (knit every round for approx. 5 rounds).

Change to Color A (blue). Knit every round until hat measures 6" from beginning (approx. 25 rounds of Color A).

Begin decreases, knitting every other round plain:

Round 1: *K10, K2tog* around (77 sts.)

Round 2: K around

Round 3: *K9, K2tog* around (70 sts.)

Round 4: K around
Round 5: *K8, K2tog* around (63 sts.)

Round 6: K around
Round 7: *K7, K2tog* around (56 sts.)

Round 8: K around. At this point, your stitches will start straining on the needle so you'll want to divide them evenly onto double points or, my preference, 2 circular needles (thanks, KnittingHelp.com. Knit on, decreasing every round from this point on.

Round 9: *K6, K2tog* around (49 sts.)

Round 10: *K5, K2tog* around (42 sts.)

Round 11: *K4, K2tog* around (35 sts.)

Round 12: *K3, K2tog* around (28 sts.)

Round 13: *K2, K2tog* around (21 sts.)

Round 14: *K1, K2tog* around (14 sts.)

Round 15: K2tog around (7 sts.)

Cut yarn, thread through yarn needle and gather remaining stitches. Weave in ends, and wear proudly while rollin' with your homies.

Eat your heart out, Adrien Grenier.

Baby Surprise Jacket

Here's the Lemon-Lime Baby Surprise Jacket, another object that has been lurking in a bag whining for finishing. The necessity for a birthday present for the one-year-old daughter of a colleague of DH kicked my butt enough to slip-stitch crochet the shoulder seams, put on some buttons and weave in the myriad ends. Thank heavens for an absorbing Law & Order last night. The stats--varying shades of lemon and lime Mission Falls Cotton (to give you an idea of how long this project has been waiting, the wonderful Mission Falls has been pulled off and returned to the market in the interim), on I'm guessing size 8 needles. The pattern is from Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Workshop. I've made a few of these, and it never ceases to amaze me how a warshrag gone beserk folds into an object of such cuteness. Elizabeth Zimmermann's genius is second only to the caveperson who figured out that a lobster is something you can eat.

Buttonhole Bag

So, technically, it was all over but the felting in 2006, but I'm counting the Purple Haze Buttonhole Bag as the second F.O. of 2007 because I officially finished it over last weekend (finally summoning up the nerve and the quarters to descend to the basement of my apartment building where the dollar-a-cycle top-loader lives and the furry slimy creatures lurk. No sightings, thankfully). The stats: Buttonhole Bag pattern available at from the ever-dependable gals at Mason-Dixon Knitting (if there's such a thing as a knit-crush, Ann & Kay, you're mine). I used Mauch Chunky from Kramer Yarns (100 grams, approximately 120 yds.) in Plum and JuJu Fruit, 2 skeins each doubled on size 15 needles, with enough left over to do a Hexed hat from Knitty, currently on the needles. I'd never heard of Mauch Chunky until I stumbled across it at the late lamented P&S Fabrics on lower Broadway, but it's similar to Lopi and felted nicely after three rounds in the washer. I didn't take pre-felting dimensions, but the finished product is 13" wide and 6" high and stands up on its own which is just what I was looking for in a sweet little bag.