The weather is changing quick in my neck of the woods. Last week it was Summer, mellow and very dry like it has been for months. Now as I sit here looking out the window it is raining in a dark and heavy way, with the sun only momentarily setting light to the red and yellowing trees in the garden. Pure fall bliss. It is my first time experiencing this season here and I am drinking it all in.
As I am starting to prep for coming mushroom hunts in the woods and windy visits to the sea, I am dusting off my cold weather wardrobe. One of the things I was particularly happy to find was the Skiff hat I made about a year ago. I never really got around to writing about it here. But in the spirit of documenting the stuff I add to my wardrobe, I have decided that it is not too late.
The Skiff hat is a bit of a new classic. Designed for Brooklyn Tweed by founder and all around genius Jared Flood. I knit it in a bit of a frenzy over a weekend, and if you ask me it was over way too fast. The pattern is a total joy to knit, which I imagine is part of why it has been such a consistent hit since it came out back in ’14. That and it’s good looks of course. The idea to knit the hat was one of those spontaneous I-want-to-cast-on-now things so I chose a stash yarn. 2 skeins of Quince and Co‘s Owl in the beigey colorway Buru, that I picked up when visiting the yarn shop Stephen + Penelope in Amsterdam a while back. It is a Wool/Alpaca blend but slightly heavier and more rustic than most, in other words a nice respite from my usually very fine yarns. I still have close to a skein left over which might become a pair of mitts soon.
The recommended yarn for the pattern is Brooklyn Tweeds own Shelter which is a bit lighter than Owl. Being the complete rebel that I am, I chose to disregard all common sense and went down a few needle sizes. I had done some test knitting (not to be confused with swatching) and found that I liked the fabric I got on 4mm needles (BT recommends 5’s) and since the Skiff has a reputation for knitting up a bit large, this seemed like a good choice. The smaller needle size definitely keeps the slightly uneven yarn nicely in check and the final hat is still nice and stretchy. It is ironically enough a little smallish for my head and I find that the yarn feels scratchy if I wear it for longer periods. I am not particularly sensitive to stuff like that though and it wont keep me from wearing it. The next time I knit it I might try a slightly softer yarn though.
It might sound weird because cables are of course universally loved but as a person who is usually attracted to basic stitches like stockinette, garter and various ribs, it has surprised me how much I love this cable hat. It might also have something to do with how nice neutral colored cables plays off against the simpler knits in my wardrobe, or any item in there really. It is such a wardrobe lifter. Perfect for Fall which is of course the season of perpetual layering.
You can find more specific notes for my Skiff hat on Ravelry, here.
Skiff hat for the cold
Beautifully done hat. This is going on my Rav queue, probably in a navy to play against all the dark grey I have.
I love the cables and semetrics. Thank you for the tip for not shortening the brim and I like a little fitted brim.Perfect.I too llove using Owl ,my favorite .