Nomsa Knits: Pattern Making!

I have a passion for all things knitting, that is at times, a bit unhealthy.

Over dinner tonight, my husband asked me how my new hat was coming along. I then proceeded to go into a five minute monologue at how fantastic the yarn that I am using is. I described how the wool is perfectly soft, the subtle color changes of the hand-dyed yarn is blending so well together, and that the yarn glides along my bamboo needles effortlessly. 

I am in some serious yarn love with Malabrigo. 

I have used it once before on a hat and loved it, but I could never find it in any local yarn stores where most of my yarn buying occurs. I prefer buying yarn in person because I get to justify standing in a yarn store for 30 minutes rubbing things on my face and being able to touch EVERYTHING. 

I become 'that' misbehaving kid we all see in the stores whose mom says thirty times during their five minute trip, 'Don't touch! Touch with your eyes, not with your hands!' I squeeze, grab and manhandle every ball of yarn I come in contact with, feeling a little bit wrong but also exhilarated. 

I discovered a new yarn store here in Atlanta about a month ago and have been there twice now for some Malabrigo. I am pretty sure it is going to become a weekly habit and I can claim that it is all for 'business' so my husband is alright with it.

Over the past few months, I have had a hat pattern bouncing around in my head that I have been trying to create into fruition. 

 

  I haven't really ever written a real knitting pattern before and there has been a lot of trial and error. I busted out some graph paper and sketched out the design, but actually figuring out the math of it all has proved to be a challenge. 

I have knit the same hat about seven different times now. Each time I try to adjust the size of it, height of it, the shape of the crown and alter the design so it fits perfectly. 

 

 I hope to be done with the hat completely by Friday with all my silly math kinks worked out. If I knew that I would be using this much math in real life after high school, I would have asked my algebra teacher about knitting gauges and how much needle size affects your knitting.  

The photos of the red and white hat are my prototype that I knit/tore apart/knit/tore apart/knit/tore apart/knit/tore apart/knit successfully. 

I used a Plymouth Select Merino Superwash for it, and am currently using the Malabrigo to reknit the hat again, to make sure the pattern is correct.

With that being said, I am really in love with this pattern. I think that it is going to be fantastic once it is written up, and I can't wait to share my first official knitting pattern with the knitting world. 

Hopefully Saturday or Sunday, I be able to show you finished product photos of the Malabrigo yarn hat being modeled, along with the pattern. Until then, does anyone have any advice on how to conquer the math used in knitting? 

~With Love, Ashlee~