Fiber Arts Friday: Dutrieu Hat, part 6

 At the end of Part 5, we were here...

While doing some unpacking/organizing/looking-for-something-else I found this Needle-Felted Flower that I made in a class several years ago, when we were new to alpacas.  It needs to be finished a bit, but I think this might be a good way to complete this hat.

So after weaving in the ends, I pinned the flower in place and tried the hat on multiple ways, to settle on its final location...

  

and I don't love it.

So I decided to go ahead with crocheting a brim-edge.  I like this a lot better, but I still don't care fore the dark red "v" at the front.

  

So I wove in the ends and fastened down the flap with the minty yarn, while aligning the dark-red section.

  

I like this a lot(!) better.

I am still debating whether to add a small embellishment to the peak of the flap, but for now I am of the mind that less is more.

So I will live with it for a while and call this one good, finally.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Dutrieu Hat, part 5

Part 5?  Who would have thought that such a simple pattern would have so many things to talk about?  Not me... but here I am, with Part 5.  :-)

As a reminder.... I was contemplating accents at the end of the last post.

I knit a couple of rows with the gold and decided I didn't like it.  Then I knit the remainder out with the dark red-wine color (because it has matching blue flecks in it) but did not bind-off or join, because I was still not certain I liked it.

I sat with it for a few days and shared the above photo with a friend... and the more I looked at it, the less I liked it.  So I set it aside.

This is why color can be so challenging for me and why I generally prefer to work with un-dyed fibers!!

After letting it sit for several weeks, and growing impatient with the number of nearly-complete projects I had, I decided to bind-off with the wine-colored yarn over the Independence Day Holiday.

At this point, I don't hate it.  But I don't love it either.

The pattern calls for a button to hold the flap in place and, of course, the ends still need to be woven in.  

My current plan is to crochet a brim-edge in the wine-color and then likely add other embellishments.

So, clearly there will be at least a part 6 to this project.  Stay tuned.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Dutrieu Hat, part 4

Since last time, I have been contemplating what to do with the last inch of my Dutrieu Hat....

I went thru my stash of wool yarns and pulled out the close-to-sport weight.  Then kept out the few yarns that appeared to coordinate with the hat...

with undyed Targhee

with the white used for the
Provisional Cast-on

with unknown wool - gold and wine

While the hat sat with the potential stash members, I also took a snip of the yarn with me to the Estes Park Wool Market and happened to find an interesting coordinating yarn from ModeKnit Yarn, of Saint Paul, Minnesota.

So now, I have four-ish options that are marinating...

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Dutrieu Hat, part 3

So, last time I was just beginning the last panel of this six-panel hat and expecting to play a game of Yarn Chicken.

Soon after writing that post, I found the few grams remaining from my Minty Mitts...

While I am feeling a little better about my supply, I'm not confident that I have enough of this Possum-blend yarn to complete this hat.

I got ~25% into the last panel with the remainder of the first skein...

And another ~50% with the remainder of the Minty Mitts Skein.

Which means I have ~25% or 10 rows plus the bind off and join remaining to complete this hat.... AND that I lost at Yarn Chicken twice!  ;-)

So my mind has been turning toward my stash, wondering if there's something suitable to compliment the end of this project.

The ending stripe will be about 1-inch wide.

Do I go with white and drive a summery feeling?  Do I go with a natural, undyed color for a more cozy feeling?  Or something completely different?

I'll be pondering these questions for a while...

In the meantime, I hope you are having lovely weather and Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Dutrieu Hat, part 2

Last time I was just beyond 50% complete and now after a couple of  Dog Shows, this project is nearly complete...  I have just begun the last panel, and it looks likely that a game of Yarn Chicken is in my near future...

Stay Tuned and Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Dutrieu Hat

In looking for a simple project appropriate for waiting for services, I settled on Dutrieu by Wooly Wormhead.

I previously mentioned that I have wanted to make one of their patterns for quite some time.  I have also wanted to make a Cloche for several years.  Add in plenty of yarn left over from the Minty Mitts, and this seemed like the right one.

In searching the interwebs for how to pronounce Dutrieu, I learned that this is for Hélène Dutrieu, a Belgian Cyclist, Stunt Woman, and Aviator.  Very cool, indeed!

My French is not very good and my Flemish is non-existent, but at least I can hear the pronunciation in my head, even if I can not actually say it correctly.  :-/

This is an interesting construction, as is typically the case with Wooly Wormhead designs.  You can see the crown is starting to be shaped at the top of the piece, and the flap is beginning at the bottom.  There will be a total of 6 panels when complete.

I did take the opportunity to upgrade my tools in this size... I'm surprised by how much I don't like working with my original wood- and bamboo-tipped tools.

And with my new tools, I'm much further than I expected to be at the end of Memorial Day Weekend... currently just beyond 50%.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!