My brother Lars is rather picky about knit items. Not just anything will do. For example, Lars finds ordinary wool far too itchy. He'd prefer no itchiness.

Therefore, we have this:

Tahki Panda, 100% polyester. Guaranteed not to itch. This yarn is actually very similar to fleece. It is like a long thin strip of sweatshirt fleece.

On the skein, it looks pretty good. Once knit up, it already looks a bit worn. Like a fleece sweatshirt that has gone through the wash. I wouldn't use this yarn for anything larger than a hat..

But hey, Lars likes it!

Yarn: Tahki Panda, 2 skeins
Gauge: 11sts/4" on size 11 needle
Pattern: Alpha Hat from Rowan Ribbon Twist
Size: 19" circumference; 7" st st before garter border.

Pattern Modifications: The pattern is written for a larger gauge..so I had to change it. Its worked flat, from the top down. Each RS row increases 6 sts, so I just did two extra increase rows to get to 55 total sts. I checked it against my Alpha Hat for size as I went along.

Time to Knit: about 2-3 hours, including time spent calculating gauge.

hello knitters! sorry for the unexplained blog break. but check it out, Streets and YOs has a new look, and more posts are to come... you will be fully updated on the crafty projects. To start with, a new project:

Lars seems to have lost the fine hat I made him last year. Apparently it was misplaced in some Bat Mitzvah debauchery last March and hasn't been seen since. There are reports that it is in Arizona... which really doesn't help anyone in Brooklyn. So he needs a new one.

Lars is serious about hats not being itchy. I still think it should be warm, so the idea is: Manos wool on the outside, with a inner headband-type lining of non-itchy material.

With the help of Yahaira and Jared, both very knowledgeable about yarns, I selected a silk/merino blend for the lining.

Its going to be a very basic stockinette hat. Stitch count yet to be determined.