Rrrribet.

Top Down Bonnet from Hello Yarn
knitted in Cascade 220 wool, bright green, with small amounts of cream and dark brown for embroidery
knitted on Crystal Palace 35" bamboo circulars, US size 6
Ravelers find it here.

I've got just a few more days before I start a cross-country KAL (more about that later) and I've been searching the old queue trying to find some fun projects that knit up in a jiffy.  I've had this Top-Down Bonnet queued for some time and am glad I finally got around to knitting it!  I've seen so many lovely bonnets out there on flickr, and I have every intention of getting my hands on some of Adrian's yummy fat sock yarn and knitting a few.  (Note to Adrian, can you just accidentally lose a skein on sale day?  A skein of Horse Chestnut?)  When I first saw Liz's version I was in love!  It's one of my all-time favorite knits.  But, since Lu just got a pair of froggie wellies, well... she had to have a matching hat!

This pattern is so versatile.  My mind's been running through the different options you could use in knitting it.  Instead of ears I opted for eyes, so I shorted my increases to three from six, and then decreased only three times, every row instead of every other row.  For the final row I grafted seven stitches together instead of four, which is the same number picked up for the beginning of the ear/eye.  And because I needed to have eyeballs in a tight space, I used loose embroidery rather than crochet.

Annabelle's not interested in taking this one off.  I told her it looked like a night cap with her pink flannel robe, so she's content to wear it all day, singing "Wee-Willy Winkie."  Annie's little friend next door, Shanley Ray was very interested while I was embroidering the face, and asked for one too.  I am happy to oblige, especially since it's such a fast, fast knit.  I can't imagine how quickly the newborn version knits up.  Following the baby pattern instructions, I used worsted weight wool and US size 6 needles to make a  child's size.  And it worked perfectly.

So after a little run this morning, I'm hoping today is going to be a fairly lazy Saturday, and I can cast on one more Froggie Bonnet for Shanley Ray.  Or maybe I'll do Hello Kitty... or a big purple dinosaur... or Elmo! 

Then there's Cookie Monster, with the crazy eyes...


----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Leslie  DATE: 03/29/2008 02:20:31 PM That hat is totally adorable! I love the way you changed it to make it suitable for an older kiddo. You are so creative!
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Denise DATE: 03/29/2008 05:20:00 PM I just bought my daugher those green froggy wellies! Best not let her see the froggy hat, I'm still trying to get Jaden knit and the girlfriend shrug for her.
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Shelly DATE: 03/29/2008 10:59:38 PM GOAS (Genius on a Stick. Or in this case, two sticks.) You are my knitting hero and I bow down in worshipful adoration of your prowess (and photography skills.)
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Jennifer  DATE: 03/29/2008 11:47:20 PM Thanks guys! Leslie--we gotta get your sticks clicking again... other than size 0's! Denise--MAKE THE HAT! :-) (Aren't those wellies the best?) And Shelly-- it's genius in a can you big dork. Geez-Louise. Bow away. ;-)
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Ulla V. DATE: 03/30/2008 06:34:18 AM I think you deserve an award - have a little look at my blog.....
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Liz DATE: 03/30/2008 10:41:38 AM I love the frog version of that hat!! Perfect match for those awesome wellies. :)
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Shannon  DATE: 03/31/2008 12:41:39 PM This hat is awesome! I especially love the last photo. You did such a great job with this, and I want to make one now too. Do you think I would get laughed at wearing this in public?!?
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Jennifer  DATE: 03/31/2008 12:52:36 PM Ha! No Miss Turkey, I think you should! I saw an adorable version the bonnet on Ravelry with green little ears... so cute! And an ADULT was wearing it! I'll send it your way...
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Myriam  DATE: 03/31/2008 08:37:21 PM Super Cute!! Love what you did with it. i have had this on my queue as well!
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: towhee DATE: 07/23/2008 09:05:05 AM What a great hat! Love the photo with the froggy boots too.