Winter Tam Revisited

Before

The Winter tam was started some months ago and I can say is now finished.  Design being the organic process that it is with me the hat also got a new name - The Unicorn Hat.  Not very creative, but clearly descriptive.


After

The hat pattern has also been picked up by KnitPicks in their Independent Designer Program and should be up on their website soon.  Once it is, I will also post the pattern to Ravelry.  It is a 6 page download for $1.99.  Okay, you really don't need to print all of the pages, but I have tried to include things that you might want to know but don't need to print to complete the hat.  I was experimenting with this hat, I wanted to do something in blues (a winter color) but loved the medieval motif of the unicorn.  Unicorns are of mist and water and so I kept the contrast color the same pale yarn color - appropriately named Mist.  I striped the back, but personally I think using a tonal blue for the main body of the hat would be a much less fussy colorwork choice.  There also some seriously long floats that I decided were worth it because of the unicorn motif.  I actually don't mind floats, but you have to be really careful not to get them drawn to tight or to loose.  I had difficulty blocking on a dinner plate, but one of my test knitters didn't.  Of course, I didn't have the courage to tell her that I had completely left off one very important sentence in the pattern I gave the test knitters.  I forgot the sentence  Then do chart 2 again.   I caught it when I saw the finished product from test knitter - Vail. 

ARGH!!!  It was still a cute hat, but was missing the small dark purple band just above the unicorns.  Test knitters are worth their weight in gold, so are tech editor (not that I used one this time but probably should have).

I'm working on a new pattern - Spirit of the Deer, I will keep you posted.

Yarn by KnitPicks, palette fingerling