Benjamin

Benjamin Slouch Hat

Benjamin by Jennifer Adams

Project Specs:  

Knit in Ultra Alpaca,6206 [light grey] and 6294 [turquoise mix].

Knitted on size US 5 needles.

Meet Benjamin.  Both the kid and the hat!  I had such a fun time writing this pattern.  For such a simple [looking] hat, it was a bit more complicated to design... and then explain clearly!  I mentioned before that I've enjoyed knitting patterns that are worn "inside-out."  And with this hat I wanted to take that idea a step farther, in the contrasting color floats found on the reverse side of the fabric.

Deceivingly, Benjamin could be considered a simple pattern upon first impression. But much like the thirteen year old who inspired it, there are a lot of twists, turns, and interesting details that reveal themselves only when they are ready. Details that will leave even a seasoned knitter pleasantly surprised!

Stripes create a stitched-effect on the "wrong" side.

 My idea for this design was for it to be knit on both the right and wrong sides.  And color options are endless!  I love Karin's version seen below.   I'm also excited to see her second version, with the colors reversed!

{ sketchbook }'s version of Benjamin

Benjamin is a slouch hat, my son's favorite style to wear at the moment!  But there are instructions included to make it more of a traditional beanie.  I also didn't want to fiddle too much with numbers, instead opting for one set, with size being determined by your needles.  I'm a huge fan of Elizabeth Zimmermann, and love how her patterns could always fit on a post-it note!  One of the ways she achieved this was keeping it simple.  With yarn weight and needle size Benjamin can be easily modified to fit any number of heads.  

Ben's all about a slouch hat.

I hope you enjoy this new pattern!  It's a fun knit that works up quickly. (I am still all about instant gratification!)

I'm looking forward to 2012; working on new patterns and knitting some great ones that are out there!  I'm also itching to catching up with a lot of old [blogging] friends and seeing what everyone is up to!  I can't even begin to imagine what my blogroll looks like right now... See you soon!

Happy Knitting!