My latest project is a double-thick, super warm winter hat – because who doesn’t want to read about a hat pattern in July? Maybe this post goes out to everyone in the southern hemisphere, because I won’t be wearing this one for a while, but I will be knitting more of them in the meantime!
The Musselbugh Hat by Ysolda Teague has become a real favourite in the knitting community, and it doesn’t take long to see why. The finished hat is wonderfully warm and plush, especially when worked up in a natural fibre. I used a few sock yarns (more on that later), but mainly Boots sock yarn with a make up of 80% merino superwash wool and 20% nylon.
The trickiest part of this pattern is the cast on. I used the recommended technique for this version, but I’ve since found this amazing tutorial by Knitty Natty. I’ll definitely be using it for my next version, which I’ll have on the needles soon. I’m just patiently waiting for my yarn to arrive – if that’s even possible. Once you’re past the cast on, you get to experience the totally genius method of checking your gauge. This is a swatchless hat, and you really have to experience it to understand what I mean. It’s brilliant.
One of the best parts of this pattern is the endless rows of stockinette. That might seem repetitive or boring if you prefer more challenging projects, which I do as well, but I always like to have something like this on the go for knitting during movies. It’s not very travel friendly as the hat starts to work up, but it’s perfect when you need a meditative project that doesn’t require too much focus.
I really underestimated how much yarn I’d need for a large hat. As you can see above, I had to add some of my scraps for the second crown. Luckily, the other great thing about this hat is the construction. The second crown actually folds up inside the first, creating an extra thick material. I worked quite a long “tube” as I wanted a nice big brim on mine – 170 rows between crowns! You can view more of these details on my Ravelry page.
It takes a special hat pattern for me to drop everything and make up in the summer, and even more special to get a dedicated blog post afterwards. If you’re into stockinette and need a hat, you might want to start on this one. Chip away at it over the summer and you’ll have the best hat ever by the fall.
Happy making,
Jackie
A little disclaimer: This blog is very small, so it almost goes without saying, but I am not affiliated with any brands mentioned in this post.
by jackie rose 
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