Earflap Hat

Knitting Update:
I found this great earflap hat pattern online and then actually made the hat.  It was good.


I made the first one in leftover acrylic yarn I had lying around.  However, my mom saw the hat and liked it, so she footed the bill for some nice Peruvian sheep wool (pictured).  
It's true.  While I am modeling this hat for the picture, I do not actually get to wear it.  Oh well.  There's plenty of sheep wool left over so I might knit myself up a warm one.  


Or I could knit myself up a cold one.  I assume it would be some sort of beer cozy, which sounds about as unmannish as you possible can get.  Seriously.  You can suck the testosterone out of a Natty Light by putting a cozy on it.  Oh wait.  Natty Light is actually a testosterone drainer anyway.  You drink a Natty Light and all of a sudden your fist starts rhythmically pounding the air.  There's an inordinate amount of hair gel in your instantaneously highlighted hair and you are too "wasted, bro" to realize that you're a walking fire hazard.  Light up a cigarette and it's possible that you will start a domino effect in which every single male's hairstyle within a five block radius simultaneously catches on fire.  

Yes.  That is exactly what a Natty Light will do to you.  A beer cozy might have the same effect, but gradually over time. First it's beer cozies, then its coasters, and all of a sudden you're shaving your legs and wondering what fruit-smelling bath gel you should buy at the local Bath and BodyWorks.  And while you claim the leg shaving is for aerodynamic purposes, your buddies know the truth.  We always do.

When you start buying candles and picking out curtains (and more importantly, telling the difference between fabrics swatches), all hope is lost.  Your balls will have actually receded into your body to be reabsorbed for more important tasks.  

Earflap Hat details:

0.75 of a skein of Stitch Nation full o' Sheep 100% Peruvian wool - Little Lamb (color)

Vanna's Choice - Aqua (for hat trimming)

The hat pictured is for a size S, according to the pattern, which would explain how little yarn was used.  The neat thing about this pattern is that it is knitted on straight needles and then sewn together in the back.  It's like when you cut out a complicated pattern out of paper and then you put that there, fold this here, paste that there, and all of a sudden, it is a box.  I will admit I'm not a fan of knitting in the round because my stitches get twisted easily and my patience levels have never been particularly high when it came to arts and crafts.  

For those that don't know, knitting in the round is when you use circular knitting needles, cast on a number of stitches and then knit the first and the last stitch together so that it makes... BA-DUM.... a circle of stitches.    Knitting in the round requires you to not twist stitches, count stitches, have stitch markers (for stitch counting), and then switching to double pointed needles when you have too few stitches to use on circular needles.  How many times did I say stitches?  Anyway, it is a hassle, but you can make some nice things with it.  

Pattern details (here)

I tried making gauntlets, but to no avail.  I cannot find a pattern that suits my arms, so I think I'm going to make my own up and use some double pointed needles so that I can adjust the pattern as I go.  Might as well use up this nice wool on it while I have it.  I'm thinking about trying my hand at Amigurumi animals too, since I have seen some fantastic patterns for it.