Love the hat! And I sort of wondered if having Hank over meant you had to finally give in and turn on the furnace.

So cute! I need another hat like I need a hole in the head, but I might need to make one anyway. I probably can do it with two strands of Manos held together (if I still have enough Manos to pull that off).

Woo-hoo, I'm first! I do love your unoriginal hat.

Beautiful! Well done, and you don't mind if I chuckle at the hat coming after the heat, do you?

Nice hat, I'm going to give it a try, I see a christmas gift in the making! glad you have the heat on, I was starting to worry. :-)

Adorable hat!
Such a true teen response...I can hear the tone now...."The Store?" hee.

In my rush to be first, I forgot to say... "Crazy like a bag of wet weasles"? Where do you come up with this stuff? You're hilarious!

Cool hat. It comes at the perfect moment just as I'm getting ready to knit hats for the holidays. And I've got just the yarn for it.

For the record, we turned the heat on here in Oakland weeks ago where it's a balmy 53 F. I'll gladly concede the battle of the furnace to anyone who wants to the title. When it comes to heat, I'm the ultimate wienie.

Congrats on winning the Furnace Wars! We're still trucking along (inside temp was 59F this morning) so I'll be sure to test knit that hat tonight!

Nice hat! Thanks for the link to that program, I just downloaded the demo version. :)

I can't help but wonder whether "Sam's buddy Emily" had a reaction to the knock-off of her store hat... :)

I do like the "unoriginal" hat - I think I finally have a use for some of the bulky yarn that's been languishing in the stash!

Love the hat, but I can't believe I got a bigger kick out of hearing that you all won the furnace wars. The team I was rooting for won!!!

I can just hear the early adolescent scorn when I read "the store?"

Sometimes they do think, but aren't they funny when they don't? ;-)

Ah, Knit Visualizer. I love it deeply, too. Isn't it a marvelous program?!

WOW Harlot,
You always manage to surprise me. Never know what I'll find when I drop by your blog! BTW, how are the home/office turf wars going? Did Joe give up yet and start looking for another professional space? Hmm, for that matter, leave him with the constant interruptions and lease a small private office of your own. You can plug in a coffee pot, get a small dorm fridge, put up some stash shelves. Nah, you'd never go home again LOL.

That hat's a real cutie pie.

Cool hat - and I'm so glad you're enjoying Knit Visualizer. :) Also, just so everyone knows, the "(no stitch) 2 times" in the pattern instructions are a nasty evil bug - they shouldn't be there. The next version (2.0 - to be released in about a month) won't have 'em cuz I've already fixed it.

LOVE that Rooster Rock! Right now I'm knitting a pair of socks on a considerably smaller scale, and the last thing I need is a bulky hat, but who can resist!?!

Great hat! And congratulations on the heat wars.

I'm sure that the store-bought hat was probably $12-$15 US. With using one skein of yarn, your speedy design and quick fingers, yours was much cheaper! And...Sam didn't have to cut the tag off.

Congrats to the Furnace Wars winners! Bragging rights for the rest of the year was so worth it, huh?

Great looking hat. I know just the head for that hat, now to find the yarn. May have to use several strands of what I have held together for a test knit. Just last night I was thinking about hats to make for Christmas. You are the answer. Thanks!

I loved the hat and am just about ready for cables and charts. I tried to copy a set of instructions but couldn't copy but three lines of the Pattern. My problem or ???

"Stash diving"--reminds me of Scrooge McDuck diving into his money (cache?!).

Glad you won the Furnace Wars!

I congratulate you on winning the furnance wars. We lost quite awhile ago due to bronkittens (bronchitis) here, me.

I love the hat and the colourway but this is where I get lost with all the knitterly lingo. It is like Greek to me. I would dearly love to make patterns but I fear this gal is too old to learn new lingo....lol Oh and I love 'I was crazy like a bag of wet weasels & the from "The store?" you alway crack me up.

Cute hat.

Ya know, the Los Angeles Times has declared bulky knits to be the height of fashion in LA this year. Yep, in LA, where it's never cool enough to wear bulky wool. Well, I'll be ready in case we have a record cold snap, or a winter vacation to Oregon.

The hat is adorable--but the model does not look to happy about it! Thanks for sharing the pattern!

Oh-- I'm still waiting for directions on how to make that twisted rib you turned into a sock last week. Just the stitch, not necessarily the whole sock. I have yet to be seduced by the sock side of the Force, but I do like eccentric stitches.

Wonderful pattern! Love the color way with the cables. Very preppy. Thanks for sharing! Also, congrats on the furnace wars.

How appropriate that you ignited the furnace on Guy Fawkes day.

I finally broke down last night and bought a portable (if you call 20lbs of metal portable) oil heater for our bedroom. I was perfectly fine to be a little chilly, but someone was shivering to death. I feared that I might find an icicle in my bed come morning...

I love the hat. And Knit Visualizer. Best. Software. Ever.

Great hat. too bad I look craptastic in beanies now that my hair is short. I even have appropriate stash yarn to make it.

And congrats on the furnace wars. I caved about two weeks ago after we cleaned the gas fireplace and I could actually see the flames--so we had to leave it on.

*snarf*

Is it wrong that the best part of the whole post for me was that you won the heater wars?

Well, that and "crazy like a bag of wet weasels."

C'est tres, tres, awesome. I was just thinking now that I've done the fingerless gloves for the season now I need to move on to hats...perfect timing! I will immediately earmark some of the stashed bulky weight :)

If winning the furnace wars is celebrated by the inspiration of and knitting of a new hat (and pattern), please win the furnace wars every year! And, your cold wind made its way to SW PA today, but you could keep the snow flurries!

I love the hat! Congrats for winning the furnace wars, I'll have you know that you shamed me into turning our heat back off!

Yet another entry for my ever-growing queue. I feel the allure of bulky-weight yarn, the siren song of (almost) instant gratification... or maybe it's just that Christmas is YIKES less than two months away.

We turned our heat on a while ago. You win. We warm.

Love the hat. Seriously. I think that my Christmas knitting list is now complete - everyone is getting some version of that hat.

Delicious hat!

Congratulations on your win! Besides being warm, is there a prize? A trophy?

Oh, and my family thanks you for blogging about the chocolate chip cookie disaster, as it gave me a craving and I had to make some cookies of my own.

Oh, and the recipe I used, Celebration Weekend Chocolate Chip Cookies, had a note about using all butter. Their recipe uses 1 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of shortening.

"Note: If you prefer to substitute butter for the shortening, the cookies will spread. If that isn't to your liking, you can reduce the total fat to 1 cup butter (the resulting cookies will be nice and plump but not quite as buttery)."

Martha should have known better.

You probably got a gazillion chocolate chip recipes after yesterday.

Umm... do you get anything for winning the furnace wars?

Help! Love the hat but I'm confused by this 'no stitch' stitch...what do you do when you get to this placeholder? Just slip the stitch without doing anything to it??

Glad you won the furnace war. My DH caves as soon as I start to whimper. A Knitter Story you might enjoy: My washing machine died. I sent my husband to get a new one with strict instructions not to get a front loader because it is not good for felting. The saleman tried to show him front loaders - he said, oh no, I have instructions not to do that because they don't felt. The salesman sighed and said, "Oh, you have one of those at home. I've heard that before. Here is a top load machine....." Guess some muggles are starting to get the picture!

hmm...is there a Furnace Wars trophy that goes back and forth between the homes? Maybe a BIG flame. LOLOL Congralations on the win.

I love the hat and intend to make it...big skooshy yarn with big cables is a winner. What a nice pattern, thank you.

So, "inspired" hats are not copyright infringements. Good to know. A few years ago, my niece, who thinks that Aunt Lisa can knit anything (bless her trusting heart - she gets anything she wants!), described a hat that a friend got at AE or one of those teen casual mall stores. Said friend was going back to said mall the next weekend and offered to get her friends similar hats. Alisa said, "No, that's okay, my Aunt Lisa can make me one." (She was never into following the crowd, especially when it comes to branded items.)

So she described it to me: plain. No ribbing. Not anywhere. Just four lines on the top where it got smaller and was sewn together.

I came up with the pattern that is "Lisa's Knit Hat" on the Ship Support page (http://www.theshipsproject.com/Lisa'sKnitHat.htm)! Okay, I had seen the hats in passing, but didn't look closely. She was totally thrilled, still wears it all the time, and asked for a similar hat in purple so her college roommate would quit stealing her red one.

I used to catch a lot of flack on the school bus in junior high for wearing sweaters and ponchos that my grandma knit me. The punks doing the taunting were always wearing the latest in store-bought fashions. I finally shut them up one day when I told them that anyone could buy something off the rack, but I actually had someone who cared enough about me to put some effort out for me.

Yeah! Way to go Steph and girls and Joe.

Love the hat. Actually have yarn in the stash that will work.

Would be great for nights at the observatory.

Cute hat! (and nice surly teenager).
Hey, your kids must complain about stuff - do they ever complain that their lovingly crafted mittens make their hands "smell disgusting"? (Nice use of the word disgusting for a 5-year old, but still...) My son doesn't like his snuggy mits because they smell like sheep when they get wet. And it's not funky yarn either - just regular Patons merino. Any thoughts?

My version of the Furnace Wars is not wearing socks (mostly, I compete by myself).

I'm still not wearing any. Does that mean I win?

If I did not have a pinhead, I'd totally make that for myself.

Congrats on winning the furnace wars~ toastie toes must be your reward :)
Thanks for the Unorginal Hat- this will be perfect for my nieces & my DS on again/off again GF *sigh*

Oh Steph, I've been tripping over two skeins of blue chunky one ply (Rowan Polar, maybe) that wanted to be a hat, but not a simple roll-brim. You've rescued it! Now I can get it off my bedroom floor... or the dresser, depending on who has the upper hand in the feng shui wars, the cats or the husband.

So, you saw the inspiration hat for three minutes yesterday, and today you post your completed pattern, together with photos of the finished sample? You totally rock! (Also, I think you have one of those wristwatches that stop time.)

Gorgeous hat, gorgeous daughter.

And by the way, I haven't yet turned on my heat, and I live waaaay up north (Don Mills and the 401).

WOOO-HOOO!!!!!! GO STEPH!!!!!

And I've seriously gotta improve my knitting skills. (Says the 21 yr old who does more crochet than knit atm...)

...So what did Emily think of the hat? (Other than you knit CRAZY fast.)

Yay for winning the furnace wars. My husband turned ours on a couple of weeks ago, as soon as it dipped down into the 30s at night. Yes, we're wimps. Good job on the hat! I might have to go stash diving to see what bulky yarns it will offer up.

Were you in my living room last night? I had a ball of Rowan Big Wool in my hand, thinking "I need to check Ravelry for a good cabled hat pattern." Wow, I didn't even need to do a search!

You're so awesome. 'Nuff said.

the hat is adorable, and the instantly visualized pattern (or so you would have us believe) is outstanding. That is an amazing piece of software. And does that fact that you are using it mean it is Mac-compatible?

I had to laugh about the name of the yarn, though. We were given a GPS system for the car as a gift. We went through the available voices and chose to let it speak as an British accented lady, whom we had christened Leticia. She ought to have mentioned that she has her own yarn! Maybe she can get me a deal?

Love the hat, and *really* love that you put the pattern in Ravelry already--I just added it to my queue.

Bless your heart! I have been pondering a hat pattern for some lovely Black Bunny yarn and while mine is worsted weight and yours is bulky, that's coming pretty close to a design I was trying to visualize.....I can diddle the rest I think. Either that or finish the one I had in my mind's eye. Oh what the heck, it's a hat, it'll take what - 4 hours tops - top make?

Oh, and the cookies? King Arthur flour cookbooks. Between those and old editions of Fanny Farmer, you can bake about anything.

Love the hat!! I'm excited to make one for myself. Where did you get the yarn, though? I looked on Blue Moon's website and they don't have a yarn available called "Leticia." TIA!!

It's the dampness that will get you every time. Dry cold is quite tolerable but, as my mother used to say, when it's cold & humid or rainy, it just chills your bones & you can't get warm without heat! Adorable hat.

Haven't turned the furnace on yet...I don't think it counts since it's still hitting upper 80's and lower 90's (F) here...You've saved me tho, now I can knit in bulky yarn a promised hat..since they're all in fashion! Way easier than trying to squeek one out in smaller yarn, and every second counts since CHRISTMAS IS COMING and all that gift knitting is staring at me :)

This is the weirdest thing that has happened in a long time. Here was my day: got up, beat hungry toddlers down with toast and oatmeal and sesame street. Read knitting blogs wi/coffee. Did crazy toddler stuff. Knit. Realize "trendy" hat I'm knitting isn't quite right, nor big enough. 4yo LOVED unraveling it with ball winder (thank you YH!). Look online for trendy hat to see if I can do a better .....interpretation. Not finding much. Look on Ravelry as kids eat lunch and watch faithful Mr. Rogers. Find Stephanie's post, done TODAY, of EXACTLY the kind of hat I'm looking for. Flash, bizarrely, to an old Harry Chapin song that I haven't thought of in YEARS... "All my life's a circle..."

Weird. Day.

Thanks Stef!! I needed the decreases....

Love the yarn. LOVE the hat. It's great when inspiration just walks into your life like that.

Must. Raid. Stash. For. Hat. Yarn.

Even though it's going to be 60F for a high for two days and then back up to 80F.

Need. Hat.

Want. Hat.

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaat

Braaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiins

Oh, way cool. Love the hat, must download the pattern immediately. Especially since I owe a few hats to people as holiday gifts. The tags shall read courtesy of the Yarnharlot!

Oh, and what's the gauge for the Leticia? I can't find it on the BMFA website and, with all the Raven frenzy, I don't really want to email them. I'm sure there is some bulky yarn marinating at the bottom of the stash that wants to be hatted.

Great hat pattern! I have some handspun staring me in the face waiting to become just such a hat!

Love it -- want to dig into the stash and make it -- except -- I'd have to do it off the web -- could you break up your chart/legend/pattern into 3 jpegs? the pattern part gets chopped off if I try to print...it's 70 deg F in San Jose today.

"Crazy like a bag of wet weasels" This cracks me up. My sister is mom to four ferrets, and you should see them when they get a bath. A bag of wet weasels really is crazy!

Love the hat. I wish I could design things. I'm trying to invent a cabled wrap for my mother and keep getting stuck on the math part.

I'm cracking up because probably within five minutes of Sam and her friend leaving for school you said to yourself (like the woman you showed how to knit a sock on the bus) - Damn! I can do that! And you obviously did in record time! Wonderful pattern for a bulky hat. I'm going to have to make one for each of my three nieces, and maybe one for the nephew as well (he's only three so he won't care about the cables!). Daniele

Ah, but the young friend's "store" hat has absolutely 0% love in it. I'm sure your hat is even warmer than its wooly parts just because of the love inside!

Congrats on winning the furnace war! That is a great hat! I have my eye on a skein of Malabrigo that would probably work. I'm currently working on the We Call Them Pirates hat for my daughter. My 15 year old son completely floored me last night by asking me if I would knit him a sweater! After I picked my jaw up off the floor I said "certainly-but you have to approve the pattern". I was planning socks for him for Christmas...

Smart, smart, smart hat!! Thank you for sharing and charting and picture-ing for us. This is just one reason I want to be like you when I grow up - or maybe just sometime before I die!

That heat must feel mighty good today! Enjoy!

Congrats on the official FW win! Thanks for sharing the super-cute hat pattern, even if it is unoriginal! I bet you knew we'd hound you for it as soon as we saw it. ;) And good for you, stash diving! =)

Absolutely Gorgeous!!! Must get some of that yarn with my STR-RSC 10% discount coupon. Your design interpretation is simple and elegant. I hardly think someone can copyright a cabled hat design. Especially when the "original" was probably lifted from another design. I'm not bitter, just a little grimpy. ;-)

Love the hat. Where did you get the bulky Socks that Rock??? I can't find it on the BMFA website, but I must have some.

Yea for new hat pattern. I do "family" gifts for my brother and family in Wisconsin...this is perfect. I will have to up size for his huge head but it will be fine for SIL and niece.

very nice hat! i do have to say that visualizing the look on someone's face that would be there if they were viewing a bag of wet weasels made me giggle. :)

Love that hat! Not for myself, but for my daughter, my niece ... I have some variegated Manos that would probably knit up to a beautiful hat. Thanks for creating and sharing the pattern!

I saw a different hat somewhere, printed out a photo of it, wondered how I'd make one like it ... and later that day happened upon a purse on Knitting Daily in a stitch pattern pretty darn close to the hat. That might be a long car trip project for over Thanksgiving weekend.

LOVE the hat, and Thank You!.... oh and big congratulations on winning the war... if only they were all that simple and easy, eh? well, actually when you 'bottom line' it all, they would be.

Wow - you are seriously connected to something in my world. I stopped by a charity shop at lunch, usually this one doesn't have much in the way of yarn, but "something" told me to stop in today. I scored some Lopi wool and some other yarn I can't recall the name of, but it's acrylic/wool. To become cottage socks was the original intent, however when I got back to work and checked your post I knew what I was supposed to do with that yarn! Terrific - a new "pattern" and "new" yarn will go together to make some wonderful hats for the Wesley Centre in Hamilton!

Also - wet weasels - wow that's really, really crazy!!! I had quite a mental picture!

I Love you.In a platonic way of course, not a crazy stalkerish way.

Thank you for giving us this pattern!

Now how can I get through 6 more hours of work??

Love the hat, sorry about the cookies, wet weasels *snort*.

The Store? - Floors me.

Ahh - to be a teenager & know everything and nothing all at the same time.

Also, you knit a swatch for a made up hat; are you feeling well?

That hat is what I need I think. I knit two versions of Le Slouch and neither are very slouchy. Why? Wool that has very little drape, even when I knit extra to make it, well, slouch. I do believe I have some more Manos and enough Malabrigo to make a stove cozy.

We turned our heat on one day last month but it hasn't been on since. It's november but feels like late september here in philly. Congrats on winning the war!

Ohhh looks like a fun knit!

I'm thinking MMMMMMmmmmmmalabrigo.....

I'm thinking good quick pressies for the nieces and Neph.

Thanks Stephanie!

Inquiring minds want to know - is there some sort of trophy that gets passed back & forth each year to the winner of the furnace wars? A snowman figurine, perhaps?

snort "crazy like a bag of wet weasels" snort

I can't drink tea anymore at the computer.

Great hat!

Madam, that is one adorable hat! Once I have some bulky yarn and the DPNs [could it be done on circs? I'd much prefer circs...], I shall have to knit a few...dozen. :)

Also. Guy Fawkes Day? The Harlot winning the furnace wars, and thusly turning her heat on that very day?

How apropos. Seriously.

Yes! I'm totally knittin' me some hat action!

Very cute hat! Thanks for the pattern, I might have to make one for myself:)
Congratulations on winning the furnace wars.

I am seriously in love with that wide cable.

Congrats on your victory! And hooray for a new pattern!

Love it! I actually saw it under my "friend activity" tab on Ravelry and had to come see.

A great hat for people of all ages and genders.

Fab hat! I could have done with that pattern last week when I knit a bulky hat for my DD! Still, nevermind, I shall just have to knit her another!

A side note to Shelby (and possibly others):
Haven't you ever heard the expression "crazy like a bag of wet weasels"?
The word sack is sometimes used instead of bag ... does that make it any more familiar?

If it doesn't ring any bells, then you've probably never heard the collateral expression: "grinning like a rat chewing an onion".

Janey

Congratulations on the lovely hat And the furnace wars. I guess you all get a treat at the LYS for winning , right ? Then Joe gets his gansey for bearing up too?

You impress me. But was Meg impressed (the true test) ? Did she want one too?
Thanks for sharing your pattern.
Blue Moon: not just for sock yarn anymore.

Here you are talking about turning on the heat because it was cold and I turned the AC back on because it was warm. (I guess that is the difference between Canada and Southeast Texas).

I keep seeing my name in the comments, so I am going to say hi to the other Glenna.

Congratulations on a furnace victory and a stash well mined!

That hat is fun! Thanks for sharing. :)

Glad to hear you can finally be warm. I don't know how you do it! I'm in Chicago and certainly had my heat on before you did. Man!

Thanks for the pattern. I bet I have something like that in my stash. We just won our furnace wars but only because it died and we just got a new one! Lukily the weather just turned cold in Kansas City.

Just finished a scarf made with Colinette Point 5 in Summer Berries... this hat would look amazing with it.. and frankly the yarn can accommodate the 7 mm needles as well...

Stats from Ravelry: Leticia is discontinued

"Blue Moon Fiber Arts
Weight: Super Bulky (5-6 wpi)
Yardage: 80
Unit weight: 100 grams (3.53 ounces)
Gauge: 8.0 = 4 inches
Needle size: US 11 - 13 or 8 - 9mm
Fibers: Merino
Texture: Single
100% Handspun Merino Wool from Uruguay

This yarn is not available on the website at this time"

I immediately thought of Hip-Hop by Berroco. Other possibilities: Jazz by Cascade, Plush by Cherry Tree Hill, Alaska by Classic Elite, Iceland Print by Crystal Palace, or any other super bulky that gets you gauge.

Thank you so much for posting the pattern!! My 13-year-old has been asking me to BUY her a similar hat for Christmas! Geesh, it's like she doesn't know me at all. Just in time, Stephanie, and your hat rocks!

1. I know what I want for my birthday...that Knit Visualizer program. That looks like it SO rocks. My husband thanks you (for the idea) and curses you (for the idea) at the same time.
2. That hat is awesome.
3. Congrats on winning the furnace wars! We have snow today, by the way. Not that it's sticking, but it is snowing. My mother, however, who lives in the snow belt of Ohio, is expecting 4"-6" of snow today.

Wow, we just turned on the heat too! I was freezing my buns off in the morning, and couldn't drag myself out of bed to shower until I turned on the heat and warmed stuff up. It was 70!
Yes, I do feel like quite the wimp now.
Carry on.

Really? With all that hair your head is still a ladies small?

Does that copy of Knit Visualizer allow for COLOR in their program, in the charts you create? Other than that, it appears wonderful. Christmas list grows longer, as a Woolee Winder is at the top!

My husband (who indulges the knitting habit, but doesn't always "get" it....thought that the furnace wars were about the funniest thing he had heard in a LONG time.

He is trying to figure out who we could war with next year....and promptly asked for wool socks.

I LURVE it! Me thinks I must find some yarn that hits that gauge somewhat and give this hat a whirl.

Congrats on winning furnace wars =)

Petunia:
The current version of Knit Visualizer doesn't allow for color - but the new 2.0 version will! I'm working on the update and hope to have it released within a month. You can see all sneak peeks of Knit Visualizer on my blog by visiting this link: http://www.persistentknitter.com/category/knit-visualizer/

(I can vouch for the awesomeness of the WooLee winder too. I got one for Xmas a few years ago and love it!)

Judging by all the comments, I think it's unanimous: The Blog is mighty impressed--and rightly so--with the Harlot (in more ways than one)!

That is just a darling hat! Any you picked just the perfect yarn for it. I am sure the store bought version is not anyway, shape or near as nice:)

Oooh, cool. A pattern! I just might have to make this hat for those frosty days when it gets below 70 degrees F here in Florida-where-the-Yarn-Harlot-has-not-toured-yet... :)

Aside from now desperatley wanting Knit Visualizer (which I hadn't heard of until now) I was wondering about the furniace issue, after noting the apparently light amount of clothing being worn for the cookie baking escapade. Or Candians are just much tougher than Californians (which is very, very likely to be true!)

That's so adorable! I may be making some of those for last-minute holiday gifts...

Aaaaahhhh! Thank you for satisfying my need for new knits to look at!

Love it! And just in time for the first... sleet.

The hat is very cute and looks like a fun, fly-off-the-needles knit, but "crazy like a bag of wet weasels" is pure gold.

Awesome hat! And I'll bet it takes about 20 minutes to knit up. Makes me wish we lived somewhere where wearing a bulky knit wool hat wouldn't lead to heat stroke.

Thanks for sharing your pattern, Stephanie! I think I shall abandon all other knitting and make one! I'm sure there's some yarn or other downstairs that would work to gauge. :O) Still chuckling over the wet weasels.... Thanks for that one,too. LOL

Thanks, Steph!

Thanks for the pattern! Love the hat, love the chart. Congratulations on your victory, and turning on the heat.

Congratulations! I'm still holding out. We'll see. Oh, and love the hat!

Blue Moon is made here in western Oregon and Rooster Rock is a nude beach on the Columbia River!

That hat is perfect! I bought a skein of rather expensive yarn a few months ago and have been wondering what to do with it...until today. I can't wait to get home and cast on!

LOVE IT I've had this wonderful yarn which I've attepted to knit into 3 different things and it's refused each time. This yarn is now calling my name!!!!!!

P.S. Can you post a few close up pics of how you knit fair isle with two hands, I have a second hat which is calling my name and I've never done fair isle.

Bless you. This will make some project 'leftovers' disappear. I seldom find patterns I like to take care of the bulky stuff.

As I am learning cables, and thinking I'm in a hat mood, here is the answer! Your psychic abilities move through the knitting world! Wow or Yikes? and yes, add me to chuckling about wet weasels. Reminds me of my boss telling me I was working harder than a pair of maggots fighting in dead earnest...

Love the hat! Thanks for sharing. We finally turned on the heat today. It was below freezed and incredibly windy. I still think 55F inside your house is perfectly fine during the winter.

Cool software, great hat. Perfect for nippy weather. Which reminds me, how'd that gansey spinning go today?

Now, *I* love it - and can't wait to make it! Your mad mad skillz are very impressive. Thank you!

(But, just out of curiousity, what did the teens Emily and Sam think? Bag of wet weasels... you kill me!)

Adorable hat, but totally unfair that you can design something (anything) that quickly. You could at least have the decency to pretend it took you more than one day to design and knit it. (hmmmmph)

I bet you can hear my voice in your head today.

Congratulations on winning the Furnace Wars! Do you get a prize?!

Very cool beanie - it's got cables, therefore I HAVE to knit it :)

Congrats on winning. I knew you could do it.

And thanks for the cute pattern.
:)

I love this hat - and I have the perfect wool for it. Thanks for the pattern. Glad you won Furnace War 2007. You should knit yourself a trophy!!

"The store?" That's a totally awesome hat, but I really love that totally guileless answer. Because, really, clothes can come from no other place,right?

While I am quite grateful for the pattern for this sweet and kicky little hat, I wish you hadn't introduced me to yet another amazing yarn from the Blue Moon Fiber Arts people. What I really need is self-control, not yarn, though I feel the former slipping away while I contemplate buying more of the latter. You rock. Thanks again for the darling hat pattern.

Amen on Knit Visualizer. I loves it.

And that might be just the thing to use up some wool for hats to send to Afghanistan.

Dang, that is a nice looking chart. Wish some other notorious companies would use such an easy to read chart! Way to go on the hat. /looking around...../ Hmm....I think I have some worsted acrylic around here somewhere...great for Xmas and donation gifts..../ Thank you! Happy Knitting.

I'm totally going to cast that on tonight! I have 2 random skeins of bulky wool that are begging for this pattern! Now I know why I kept thinking the right pattern would eventually appear... because it did!

Thanks for the hat pattern. Number one daughter is off to England for Christmas (without me, sigh) and that looks perfect!!

Thanks for the Hat pattern!
I have just the right yarn for it.
Your chart look impressive, but I like the original hand-drawing best

THANKS!!!! I Need this!!! It is perfect for stash busting and chirstmas knit inspiration.

I love it, super cute and very "normal" looking... people I know who don't usually go for hand knits would probably wear this yay!

Question. Could you do it on a circular needle instead of dpns???

I too am impressed with the "bag of wet weasels" comment. Must be a Canadian expression!

Very nice hat. It looks very nice and warm.

Way to go on winning!

Thank you for this pattern - it was just what i needed to make today. Mine's done and a short post about it is on my blog.
www.lauriedolan.blogspot.com

My pictures are not as good as i'd like. I made it from a lovely romney fleece i've been spinning. It's still on 7mm needles but is lighter - we don't need quite the warmth here in Victoria. I also did 4 repeats of row 18 to make it a bit longer to fit my large head.
Now i've got to get spinning some more of the romney because i've decided i want a stole width scarf to go with it!

Mazel Tov! You won the Furnace Wars...does the loser have to provide some fabulous soup or fondue or other warming dishes? (The cap thing is neat too - I could just *hear* that teengirl saying "the STORE???" as if anyone over 25 would be altogether too dense to comprehend anything so OB-vious, REEEEEE-ly.) When my kids were teenagers I always felt like they were only tolerating me...barely...because I was, after all, the source of -- oh, I dunno, FOOD??

Nice hat! I just put up a picture on tonight's blog post-especially for you. I scanned the graph for it and the pattern, so if you'd like it, send me an email? (think-who is your nemesis?)

Being a Vancouverite, I need a bulky knit hat like I need a bag of wet weasels, but your new knitty-type computer program looks wonderful. I will have to investigate.

you go girl! I should be able to find adequate yarn in my stash...26 plastic shoe boxes of yarn isn't too much, is it??

Yay! Congrats on winning the furnace wars. And, thanks very much for sharing your pattern with us - you're too good to the Blog Collective. :-)

So kind of you to fill my little knitting void too. I've got 3 balls of Rowan Country sitting here waiting to become a hat. I will be twisting them into your hat pattern tonight. Thanks!!!

PS - http://www.angelyarns.com/rowan-yarn/rowan-wool.php/rowan/516 color 659, Reed - a nice green combination I think you'd like.

don't know if you will get time to read this, but reading your blog is one of the high points of my day. I really look forward to it, the knitting stuff, and the sturm und drang of family life (sounds a lot like mine). You seen like an old friend, one whom I really understand well. Thank you for the gift of yourself!
Mary

See! I KNEW there was a reason I couldn't resist that yarn yesterday! It said "hat" to me, and my brain said, "Quiara, you have no hat in mind - you're just looking for an excuse to buy gorgeous yarn." I told brain to shut it and bought the yarn - and here Serendipity has presented me with a hat!

fantastic! thanks for sharing the pattern -- I have a ton of Christmas knitting to do and this will be perfect.

I love it!!!! Definitely will make one once i'm buying yarn again. *is destashing, actually sucessfully*

I love the hat. I think that I can actually make that one with stash that I already have. I would love to see the picture of the original hat. I have no doubts that your version is much more "unoriginal" if that's possible.

Good one! I was just thinking this morning how I wished I had a simple and cable-y pattern for super chunky yarn. You must have read my mind. Thanks!

Same cold hat-wearing weather here! Yesterday when I was waiting to catch the bus around 11 in the evening, my hair was blustering around my head, and my ears started an immediate freeze the moment I stepped out. Combined with that damp chill that just pervades the atmosphere and your bones, we've turned on our heat here as well, though I think...well, I was going to say that we're warmer than you, but for once we are not. We are running about 3 C colder than you! The wool cometh forth.

Wow! Perfect timing. I threw a half done sock across the room today from pure anger. I have just the yarn in my stash for this hat. Thank you so much for the charts ;)

A big woo-hoo for the furnace wars! My DH never turns the furnace off. Even on a chilly July morning (how chilly can July get?), he cranks up the heat just to crank up the a/c the same afternoon.

Thanks for hat pattern. Just the thing I need to get me out of my between-project malaise.

Congratulations! Both on your winning of the wars, and on the lovely new hat!

I like. It must be that time of year. I saw a hat in a parking lot that I really liked and am planning on figuring out how to make it. So thanks for the Knit Visualizer!

November 5th, eh. Cold comfort indeed. ;)

Stephanie:
I LOVE the hat but I still don't understand what "No stitch" means. Can you explain further?
Thanks
Nita

Stephanie, when you knit in that neat Irish Cottage style, on socks you have the working needle over your right hand, between thumb and forefinger...how do you hold it when working on something bigger, like a heavy sweater or blanket? And how do you wrap your yarn around your hand?

Thank you....

Hey, Stephanie, that's a fantastic hat. I love. love. love it.

I'm just about finished the interview with you and the gals in the VK-25th anniversary edition. Kinda fun to read about you in the magazine, other than a book review. Also neat to see a bit of your history, since I only heard about this blog a little under two years ago (and I don't even remember how I got here.) Gives me hope that maybe someday I could make a living doing the things I'm passionate about, instead of only doing what is convenient at this stage. Thanks for taking a not-so-great situation (unemployment) and rising to the occasion so that we got to get to "know" you, if only a little--and, of course, for being such a complete inspiration to all of us.

Gee, this is the closest thing to fan mail I've written since I was a teenager... :-)

Crazy bag of wet weasels... Heh, heh, heh! I am so going to make this hat. Thank you for the pattern.

So I read this blog entry right before I left work to catch a bus for my adventure home. While I was waiting at the bus depot downtown there was a girl wearing a very cute white knit toque cap thing. And I thought what a nice hat. As I got closed I realised that it was very very similar to your pattern. I had a good little gigle over it. Mind you she probably got hers from a store.

Love the hat. Love the colourway. I thought you should know that the colourway Rooster Rock is named after Rooster Rock State Park on the Columbia River. Big rock looks like a rooster. One half of the beach is clothing optional. Just a little background tidbit.

Carol in Vancouver, WA

Deary me I hope nobody thought that I meant the Yarn Harlot's instructions were unclear when I said 'this is where I get lost with all the knitterly lingo. It is like Greek to me. I would dearly love to make patterns but I fear this gal is too old to learn new lingo' I have tried many times to try and understand knitting instructions some how I find I they go in but I really don't understand what it all means. It probably goes back to when I asked my mum to teach me she got very impatient and we parted company on knitting....lol if you know what I mean.

I've think I've read "mad as a bag of weasels"
but not _wet_ weasels.

Did you bake little Guy Fawkes cookies? Or a gingerbread house of parliament?

"No stitch" means "ignore that square, it's just
there because the other stitches are being drawn
where they look right."

=Tamar

LOVE the hat and, since turnaround is fair play, here is a freebie designed by The Rainey Sisters:

http://www.theraineysisters.com/ccount/click.php?id=6

It's the Roslin Fair Isle Hoodie. Congrats on winning the Furnace Wars of 2007!

Love the hat! And I'm fascinated by the Knit Visualizer, which I didn't know existed until now. Congratulations on winning the Furnace Wars. My question is what did you set your heat on when you turned the furnace on? The Furnace War I'm waging with myself is how low I can set the thing, and not freeze inside my house. Right now I'm down to 57 and think it's possible to go lower, if I can stop my 16 year old from complaining.

You are too awesome!
Thank you for the pattern.

Wet weasels...hee! And wait, wait, wait--there's software out there that'll do charting *with words*, too? As in...chart-impaired people could possibly use it to reverse-engineer charts into words??? Oh lordy, I may have to start saving up if that's true. Whichever, that's a great hat!

Oh, and the Rooster Rock name? Not precisely 'cause the rock looked like a rooster. The entire bird, I mean. [g] No, it's - as they ever-so-delicately put it - because of its "phallic resemblance". The officials did the usual clean-up of mountain man language. (You note they never bother doing this with the Grand Tetons, which always has me cracking up. Apparently it wasn't so improper if it was in French!)

So is there an interesting story involving a bag of wet weasels that you'd like to share with us?

I have yarn for it!!!! I have been sittng on some yarn I received as a gift. Didn't know what I wanted to knit! A hat with cables, I want to knit a hat with cables! Yeah Stephanie. Quick easy Christmas gift.

Congrats on the furnace wars, I thought my family was the only one that had furnace wars.

Congrats on winning the furnace wars.
That cookie story is priceless!!
And the hat? Ditto. Nice work.
I HAVE to get me a copy of that software.

Thanks for the pattern! And what knitter never needs a new idea for his/her bulk wool. Great!

Love the hat. My two daughters (8 and 4) know that hats come from Mommy's knitting bag -- two were thrown together during a brownie camping trip this weekend and now I have requests from the rest of the troop! Congrats on the furnace wars and my train knitters and I loved meeting you in Marlton a few weeks ago. (We were so psyched we made the photos of the blog!)

Oh! I love that hat. Thank you for the pattern, I have the perfect yarn. :D Congrats on the furnace wars!

Ok so great minds must think alike b/c I just posted a pattern very similar to that! Cabled hats must be on the cutting edge of fashion... or something.

I have got to get a copy of that knit visulizer... that looks pretty awesome (and possibly addicting.).

Congrats on winning the furnace wars! We turned ours on this week too... there is cold and then there is damp cold.

What a way to get test knitters!! I had to whip up the pattern as soon as I read it and when I tried it on to show hubby he said he wanted one too!!! \
This pattern is a success!!! Now the blog wants MORE!!!!!

and there shall be many unoriginal hats for Christmas!

Great pattern--- and as mu handspun is moslty chunky as my backside--- this will be PERFECT!

Handspun and handknit....lthat will freak my family out!

Thank you for the pattern, Steph. I won several skeins of yarn in a door prize at my LYS and I was thinking of making a hat. This will be perfect.

Enjoyed the cookie story..I work with a cookie baker and a Martha Stewart follower. I sent it on to them!!!
I have same question, what is no stitch ?
Note to Carol:Sent my husband to by a new washer with the same instructions. Salesperson just thought my husband a little off in head and wished him luck? when he got the washer home.

I WANT THAT SOFTWARE!
In the meantime I have just the right wool for a hat. Thanks for the pattern - and by the way... Did you see social services about that poor kid who had to wear knitwear from the store?

With great reluctance, this morning we fired up the woodstove. It was 20F/-5C outside, 53F/12C inside, and as the kids were bundled off to school, a few snowflakes were falling.

Haven't touched the furnace yet. I still have a bit of fight left in me.

A very cute "unoriginal" original hat. Cool you are making the pattern available for others. The "Knit Visualizer" must be very awesome to work with.

Best wishes,
firefly

I was just thinking about how I need to knit myself a new hat now that we're getting cold weather. I think I know what I'll knit now :-) Thanks!

LOVE the hat! Perfect timing too because I just bought one skein of a hand-dyed bulky I fell in love with.

I love the hat! Thanks for sharing the pattern here. Now to find *just* the right yarn...

Oh, and congrats on your furnace victory! Duering next year's competition, your Unoriginal Hat can keep you warm. :)

Hey, thanks! I'm totally going to make one with a giant pom pom on top.

Nice hat! Thanks for sharing the pattern -- it looks like a great project to try out with bulky handspun!

My two favorite things about this post?

The hat, cool pattern, thankyousomuch

The phrase crazy like a bag of wet weasels. I think I'm going to have to "borrow" that one.

Thanks for all you do, you are amazing!

Love the hat will look great on my daughter who is thinking of being in New York for new years eve

Hey Stephanie,
For some reason known only to the computer Gods, the written pattern and chart will not copy/print to my computer. Pictures came through but nothing else???
What can I do?? I already ordered the yarn from STR!
Pat DeLeeuw

We still haven't turned on the heat here, in Nova Scotia. Fortunately for us we have a very well insulated house (R2000 or something my hubby tells me), personally I think the best part is the money I'm saving.....more yarn.

That is a beautiful hat! I'm in the dorms right now at college and even tho these pasts days its been in the 40s/30s here they havent turned on the heat yet!

I have had two skeins of Manos sitting in my stash for months and finally a project! The hat looks fabulous with two strands knitted together. I did use needles that were too small, so now I need to find someone with a much smaller head than my own to wear it!

Love that Blue Moon yarn! I especially love the name, "Rooster Rock." Most Oregonians knows that Rooster Rock is the nude beach on the Columbia River. You rock Blue Moon yarn! You too Stephanie!

OH I love the hat and the yarn is awesome may have to try this with some of my own handspun think it is thick enough!!!! and have had our furnace (old coal furnace we burn wood in!!) for a couple of weeks but full blast this last week!! cold and damp and rainy today!!! thanks for sharing this fab hat and so happy I found it!!! now to find time to actually knit it!! hugs Linda

What a cute hat. I love it. I'm so totally making myself one. After I make one for the kid who managed to lose the last hat I made her. This time I think maybe I'll sew a label in it. Thank you for sharing the pattern!

Love the hat, but it turned out too small for me so it will be donated. Guess I should have checked the gauge (doh!)

I think that on line 20, stitch 9 should be a no stitch. Just thought I should point that out, but since I'm new to reading charts, I could be wrong!

Thank you for the pattern, think it will make a perfect gift for my sister in MN. She is always cold so with luck I will get it done for Christmas
Thanks again
Kathy

I LOVE this hat! I am a VERY beginning knitter and did not learn anything other than knit and purl before I left the U.S. This seems so easy, thank you for printing it out, as well!

I love he hat and am making it for a Christmas gift for my Father in Law. It will be joined by a cabled scarf. Thanks for the pattern and I also LOVE knit visulizer

I'm confused. Does c2 stand for cable 2?

Nevermind. I am an idiot.

Lovely hat pattern! I'm going to make it right away in this neat hand dyed chunky merino that my LYS had.

I couldn't knit just one...I've knit up three so far, one for me, one for my Mom's trip to Antarctica and one wee one knit for charity. I have to knit up 6 more to give as Christmas gifts for all of my nieces!! Thank you so much for posting this lovely hat pattern!!