Remember this? It was going swimmingly, until I got to the planned swirly decreases for the crown. It was a great plan, but in real life I didn’t like that the decreases didn’t hit the staghorn and gull motifs in a consistent way. I worked out another decrease for the top, but it’s based on 10 stitches instead of 6 or 12, which is the number of stitches I had. Blergh.
So I started over. But first, I checked to make sure I would like the new crown shaping. I decreased the extra stitches out, and then worked out the new planned crown. Just to make sure I wasn’t starting over for nothing.
It worked just fine, but it’s a much more rapid decrease than the swirly top, so the hat has to be knit taller before beginning the decreases. Ask me how I know. Call it a giant swatch. Yup.
I reknit the hat in 2 days. Partly because I can be a bit obsessive with my knitting. Also, I had a date with my tech editor for Monday, and it had to be ready because she’s booked for months.
I love it! The new decreases look just right with the gull stitch.
And the staghorn side is a thing of beauty at the top. Well, it is to me, at least.
The hat is being test knit now, and it will be published soon.
I frogged the first hat to reclaim the yarn, and am playing with mitts. Small circumference brioche is a bit fiddly with dpns or flexiflips or magic loop or 2 circulars! It’s so easy to gain or lose a YO by accident. But mitts could be very pretty. We’ll see how it works out.
In the meantime, I’m planning more classes. My classes with Twisted sold out immediately, so I added another Petite Brioche in October, and that sold out, too. We’re planning more. I’m thinking of Petite Brioche again on Sunday October 18. Message me if you want an email when registration goes live.
The new hat will be the project for a brioche increase/decrease class; I’m really looking forward to that. I’m planning that for Saturday, October 24, but I can’t list it until the pattern is ready. Soon! Again, message me if you want an email when registration goes live.
Smoke update: We had thunder/lightning/downpour at 4 a.m. The air is now merely Unhealthy, which is a vast improvement from Beyond Index, Hazardous, and Very Unhealthy! It will get better, bit by bit.
Onward!
PDXKnitterati 
I would love a notice when you do the new hat increase / decrease pattern class on October 24.
Thanks so very much. Your classes have been wonderful. I’ve enjoyed all of them.
Kathy Tevington
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Wow! All that work paid off. It is beautiful!!
Thank you; I love it! It’s like figuring out a puzzle.
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The hat came out gorgeous. i only wear winter hats under duress, so no hat knitting for me. My daughter has made me some though, just in case-lol.
That hat is just a glorious piece of knitting though. It i small enough I might be tempted – darn you and you beautiful design work, you may have tempted me yet again!😘
Can you tell me yarn weight you used and needles size – seeing if this isan options and already thinking or yarns for it. Just saw a beautiful lavender from Dwynwen at Lock Ness knitting., that I wondered what weight I might order from her. Resistance is futile I think……..
This is Malabrigo Rios, which is worsted weight superwash. I’m knitting on a US6 needle (brioche wants a slightly smaller needle than yarn band recommends because it’s so stretchy.) It’s delicious!
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PS: I don’t really wear hats, either! I knit them for the pure joy of it. Then they’re either class samples, or I gift them to knitworthy family or friends.
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Let me know when the message goes up for the brioche hat class. Thanks? Best, Marlene
Sent from my iPad
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Only a true natural knitter can do stuff like that. Sighh .. 😉
Beautiful!
Thank you; I’m rather fond of it!
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I love your hat. I’m much too familiar with the rate of decreases changing how tall the hat needs to be. At least this gives us an opportunity to knit more brioche!
And call me crazy, but I’m knitting another one with alternative simplified crown decreases, to see if I can add that to the pattern. Just so I don’t break anybody. But of course, it means knitting to a different height because the crown decreases would be more gradual. We shall see!
Michele Lee Bernstein http://pdxknitterati.com Sent from my iPad
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Love the way the decreases worked out! Your attention to detail really shows in your patterns 🙂 Very glad your air quality is getting better – hope the rain helps fight the fires as well and the particulate matter!
I couldn’t stop at one crown shaping, so now there are two! The second one doesn’t use quad decreases, so it’s not as symmetrical. but it’s also lovely and gets the job done!
It’s now rainy and cool here, so I hope that puts out fires. The smoke has gone away from Portland, so we’re back to walking in the evenings. Hooray!
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Both crowns are lovely! So glad you are getting some rain and it is helping with the fires and smoke! We had a similar situation here the other summer and it was pretty dire to deal with.