Beads & an FO

I will have more time tomorrow morning, and I promise I will post a couple of preemie/baby hat patterns. But this morning, I want to relate my experiences from last weekend. Saturday morning, two co-workers and I made our way out to Fishkill, New York for a bead show put on by Innovative Beads Expo. What a feast for the eyes! I was a little disappointed because I had hoped to find size 6 seed beads to incorporate into my knitting and crocheting, but there wasn't a seed bead to be found in the room. There were lots of other types of beads, though, which made me realize that I have a lot to learn about beads! I probably don't need another hobby, but I am really tempted to take a beginner's class and learn more. Rather than go home empty handed, I did purchase a new necklace. I thought the lampwork beads at this booth were the prettiest in at the show. (You can find out more about the artist here.)

On Saturday, I also managed to finish the hat I worked on at the last guild meeting. I wanted a large, floppy hat to wear in the summer, and I think I accomplished that at least! Actually, I can't believe my head is that big, but I do have thick, wavy hair which takes up a lot of room on my head. I know that the tie might look a bit odd on a summer hat, but I plan to wear this at the New Hampshire Highland Games in September, and the colors of the tie remind me of the Black Watch tartan. I can always make another tie for variety.















I put the hat on a bucket to photograph it, so it sort of looks like a top hat or something out of the Cat in the Hat. It looks much better on my head, though, really! The pattern is loosely based on a hat in Hip to Crochet by Judith Swartz. She used a DK weight yarn and single crochet, I used a worsted weight (Cotton Tots, which I had in my stash) and half double crochet. I did, however, follow her instructions for the eyelet rows and for the brim increasing. I do love the hdc, but it is a difficult stitch to use in the round. I used a spiral rather than joining rounds for the hat, but then my eyelet rows didn't quite match up. That's ok, since this hat is just for me, but I will have to keep experimenting to see if I can get this right in future.