Knitting FO: Slouchy Copy Cat Hat

Pattern: Slouchy Copy Cat Hat by Terra Jamieson
Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Simply Taupe
My Ravelry project page

This year I participated in a secret Santa swap organized by The Broke and the Bookish blog, and I thought it would be fun to include something hand-knitted for my swap partner. I settled on a hat -- something pretty universally liked -- but it was surprisingly tough to choose a pattern that I thought most people would like and a yarn color that would appeal to anyone.

In the end, I was totally thrilled with the hat I made. It's neutral with a fun pop provided by the furry pompom, it's got a pretty but subtle pattern, it's slouchy and loose enough not to give you hat-hair but not too slouchy, and the yarn is gorgeous, soft and will match a lot of other colors. (Can you tell had a bit of a hard time sending it away?! If we weren't about to move to Hawaii, I'd make one exactly the same for myself!)

The pattern for the hat is a good one -- and it was free, so there's no room for complaints -- but I definitely recommend a few mods. I started off making the hat as written, even though I suspected it was going to be way too small. As soon as I knit enough to try it on, my suspicions were confirmed. On top of that, the original pattern doesn't have the ribbing and cables lined up and that was bothering my need for symmetry and order.

Luckily, a couple other Ravelers have already solved both these problems and if you're planning to knit this hat, you should use their suggestions. I've linked to them both on my Rav project page.

Possibly the best thing about the pattern is that it looks fairly complex but it's actually incredibly simple. The four-row repeat is a cinch to memorize and it made for perfect TV knitting. It features mock cables made by passing a slipped stitch over some knitted stitches. It was a super simple and soothing knit, and the finished product looks lovely!