Mission accomplished: part one....

Here are the two hats I knitted with the Rowan Summer Tweed yarn that was sent to me as a challenge by Fiona of the FC Knits blog.  I have knitted with some difficult yarns over the last 50 (!) years and this one probably scores 7/10 on the difficulty scale.  Its knobbly texture makes getting into a smooth knitting rhythm virtually impossible.  I would baulk at knitting a whole jumper with this yarn as it would probably take forever.  

BUT, it was absolutely perfect for the pattern I chose.   The cables section of the hat is best knitted slowly as counting and concentration are involved, so speed knitting is not necessary. The whole hat measures only 6 inches high in the toddler size, so it doesn't take very long.  The tweedy texture of this yarn makes the cables "pop". Though a summer weight yarn, I'm hoping that the cables and ribbing will add some extra warmth as these two hats are destined for a children's charity.

I loved this hat pattern.  The author suggests learning how to knit cables without a cable needle to save time.  I researched and learned the method but chickened out of actually using it as it involves dropping stitches and I had visions of them disappearing.  I decided it would be quicker if I used a cable needles and it was definitely a lot safer!

I have saved this pattern as I will definitely knit it again.  It comes in various sizes including "adult".  Using a more squishy Aran yarn would result in a softer, warmer hat though the cables might be less obvious.

Thanks for the yarn, Fiona.  There was just enough for 2 hats with a tiny amount left over for my bag of Aran oddments.  I have already started working on part two of your challenge.....but that's another story....