| Pattern: | Vega Hat by Brooklyn Tweed |
| Size: | S |
| Alterations: | – knit the brim with 12 rows instead of 8 – used different needle size (recommended by yarn shop lady) – knit Vega Chart 6 times total (instead of 4) |
| Yarn: | Lana Grossa Cool Wool Big in Green (939) and White (601) |
| Needles: | 40 cm (16”) 3.5 mm (US 4/UK 9) circular needles, 3.0 mm (US 3 / UK 11) double pointed needles |
| Grams used: | 50g (green), 30g (white) |
| Make Again? | Yes, but with the recommended needle size and in a more natural looking yarn. |
When deciding on my next knitting project, I knew I wanted to learn something new. So, feeling all courageous and daring, I bought the Vega Hat pattern by Brooklyn Tweed. The skill level was a 2 out of 5 and the hat looked beautiful and intimidating, which seemed just right to expand my skill set.
I was prepared for everything: cryptical abbrevations, decoding hard-to-understand descriptions and and making a million mistakes until I got the pattern right. What I wasn’t prepared for, was the fact that this hat is just made with knit stitches from two different colours. I was almost disappointed until I realized that there was still something new I could learn from this pattern: stranded knitting.
If you look closely, you can see that I messed up a row in the lower half. Whoops …
How cool is it to knit all ninja-like with two balls of yarn? I hadn’t felt so badass since sewing my first pair of pants.
The pattern was pretty straightforward. I only struggled with the number of repeats of the first chart. The pattern has you knit it once, then calls for three repeats. But since the hat is supposed to be a beret, five repeats would have been much better. I added two more repeats to the hat after finishing it, as it barely covered my ears. Now it’s a bit large, but that’s okay.
Anyway, the hat is wearable and as always I love the colours and the pattern. For my next Vega, I would love to take heathered yarn in a less vibrant colour, though. It would fit the style of this hat even better.
So, now knitting with two colours isn’t intimidating anymore and I already started a new knitting project to expand my skillset even further.
I really want to get more into garment-knitting now. A cardigan feels great as a first project, because it doesn’t require much fitting, but there are so many beautiful fitted sweaters out there. The Snowflake pattern caught my eye recently (especially this version), but I’m still unsure if I should try, basically because it’s more time-consuming and expensive than just making a hat. Plus, I’m pretty afraid of the fitting process.
If you’re a knitter: Do you have any tips on patterns for expanding a beginner’s skill set? Are there some inexpensive yarns that would work great for a first-time sweater? I’d be happy for any advice.
By the way: I’m on ravelry now. So if you happen to hang out there too, let’s be friends. My username is naehzimmerblog and you can find me here (you need to be logged in on ravelry to see the page).
