This is my first time knitting a hat-- also my first time using the magic loop method. Very exciting, but also somewhat intimidating (mainly because of the magic loop).

Depending on the size of the finished hat, this will either be for my husband or myself.

I cast on with the long-tail cast-on, simply because that’s the cast-on I’m most comfortable doing. We’ll see how that works out… Also, I only cast on 80 sts, because I’m so new to working the magic loop, and I wasn’t sure how/where to get rid of the extra stitch called for in the pattern. If there’s a slight jag at the start, I’ll just live with it.

Had to restart a few times to get the hang of the magic loop. Seems to be working, now, so it’s a matter of whether I did right to move up a needle size. So many were complaining of their hats turning out too small…

I found Liat’s instructions for the magic loop the easiest to understand.

February 10th--
Overall, this is an easy pattern. It is fun to watch the purl stitches build the spirals.

However, when I make this pattern again, I’ll be sure to use a stitch marker when I get to the decreases. I went wrong, somewhere, this time around. I don’t think it’s obvious-- especially not when the hat’s being worn-- but next time, I want it to work out perfectly. (I’ve also spotted one or two other errors. Oops. Oh well, it’s my first hat!)

I made the brim about 3 inches long (for folding over) and knitted the body for about five inches (maybe slightly shy of that) before starting the decrease… which I tried to work as written, but goofed up slightly (?) at some point. Again, next time, I’ll use a stitch marker… and maybe even a row counter to be doubly sure I don’t mess up.

I used about 65 grams and have about 50 grams left, which means I should be able to get another Hurricane Hat from my skein of wool, if I make a plain (non-folded) brim. Pretty nifty!

LATER--
Ok, I couldn’t take the mistakes, so I’ve ripped back quite a bit and will be trying to pick back up from there… which may be really difficult. At least I’ll give it a try.

Even Later--
It went a lot faster this time around, and I wound up using about three grams less than before. (I guess I started decreasing sooner or something…)

Using the stitch markers really helped in the decrease, and I ended up with the right number of stitches at the end. I’m still not thrilled with my stitch definition in the decrease, but it’s not awful, and maybe it will even out a little with washing and blocking.

This hat fits both me and Donald. I guess our heads are close I in size… or we’re not particular about fit… or he likes hats tighter and I like them looser.

Blogged. :o)