Skipp Hat

Pattern/Technique: Skipp Hat by Brooklyn Tweed (8 inch / shortest length)

Materials: Brooklyn Tweed Loft in Old World and Amaranth. Knit on US4 needles.

New skills: n/a

Lessons: I cast this on shortly after I finished my Skipp watchcap (documented here too) so there wasn't much in the way of new learning. I suppose a happy lesson is that you can get a watchcap and a regular non-brimmed toque out of 1 skein of each color, so I now have a hat for myself (my partner commented on how much he liked the first one I made, so I gifted it).

I also switched to two 16" circular needles while shaping the crown, which put less stress on the tips of my single 16" circular (I've noticed they get worn down when I knit a loop that's too small for the cable). Two needles worked well, particularly during the transition from one needle to another.

What I'd do differently: Nothing - this is a happy hat!

Care: Hand wash, lay flat to dry.

Monteagle Bag

Pattern/Technique: Monteagle Bag by Modern Daily Knitting 

Materials: 1 skein of HiKoo PopCycle in Glad 3004. Used size 10 16" circular needle.

New skills: lots of fun and strange new stitches

Lessons: The pattern calls for 270 yds of yarn, but I was actually able to squeeze 2 bags out of a single skein of PopCycle.

The diameter of the cable is significantly smaller than a size 10 knitting needle, which can make the stitches hard to "load" on to the needles. I had a really hard time with tension initially and nearly gave up on the pattern, but I eventually figured out some techniques to make this much easier:

• Using loose tension on the knit stitch rounds, particularly during the crossed stitch section

• Using my fingernail to slide stitches without putting pressure on them

Lightly gripping the already-knit stitches during the lasso section prevents the loops from getting tangled into the active stitch while lassoing.

In the horizonal stitch section, it's easier to move the stitch to the left needle by slipping the needle into the loop from the back.

The handle stretches out a lot when loaded, so make sure to measure the 20" length while the handle is stretched.

What I'd do differently: I'd cast off a little looser at the top of the bag to make it easier to fill.

I'm definitely curious about knitting this pattern in linen as recommended in the pattern.