Earflappiness

There is something about an earflap hat that just seems fun and joyful. I see that they are also quite practical, but mostly they just scream out playfulness to me. I learned so much doing this hat - it was my second ever fairisle project and a wee bit more complicated than my first - the Center Square Hat. But still, pretty simple, and this hat knit up quickly as well. Only thing is, it came out a little too big, even for hubby's man-sized head. So, I decided to give it a little felting - ran it through the washing machine, inside a pillowcase on a short cycle on hot water. Still too big. So I stuck it in the dryer with a damp towel. That did the trick. It came out nicely sized and I really like what the felting did to tighten up the stitches and create a little fuzziness. Plus it'll be super water-proof now. So I guess it's about time for us to take a trip to the snow!

Here it is before felting:


And after:


Now isn't that fun?!

Pattern: Ryan's Hat from Interweave Knits (Winter '05 - staff project)
Yarn: Valley Yarns - Berkshire in Coffee Bean, Stone Blue and Mistletoe
Needles: US 9
Modifications: None, aside from the felting at the end to shrink it a bit. I'm not super thrilled with my color choices - the green and blue are a little too similar so the pattern doesn't stand out as much as I'd like. But overall I'm pleased with how it came out.