The tweed made me do it. I had some yarn left over from my Cherie pullover, and when I re-discovered it in my stash this past summer, I knew it had to be a hat. Not a matchy-matchy hat to wear with my Cherie pullover, but a stand-alone hat. A hat that would look great and be functional.  I loved Kat Coyle’s pattern in Greetings from Knit Cafe (especially after seeing Nonnah’s sassy version) so I decided to try my hand at it. I cast on for this hat in July, during Project Spectrum’s red, black, and metallics month. I had a few rows left on the needles, and I finally decided to finish it up.

…maybe it is because I knew that I could actually wear the hat now – now that the temperature has begun to correspond with the calendar month…

Kat Beret
Pattern: Beret from Greetings from Knit Cafe
Yarn: Dale of Norway Sisik (leftover from Cherie)
Needles: Size US4/3.5mm circular and DPNs

It’s a little bigger than I intended, and you can see the evidence of that in the above photograph. However, I think going down a needle size would have made it too tight, and I wanted to keep it as a beret. I love the little “dimple” details about 2 inches up where the increases switch to decreases. It adds an little more depth to the pattern.

The hat is flattering, cute, and simple. I will probably make another one at some point… most likely after my sisters see it and ask for one! I considered giving this one as a holiday gift actually, but once I put it on, I thought that I may need to keep it… does that make me selfish? It just seems that the beret’s shape is better suited for short hair styles!

With a mere two days left in this color triad of Project Spectrum, I decided to cast on for a simple stashbusting project in a glorious RED. I must admit that my mind seems to have shifted ahead to the next color triad; you may have noticed with the potpourri of new projects…

My newest projects are engaging and fun, but nearly all of them require some attention to charts. I was hoping for a simple stockinette project, and I found in the form of this beret from Greetings from Knit Café (a great book – my Canyon Hiking Socks are from the same book!) designed by the kind and talented Kat Coyle.

After finishing the Cherie pullover last fall, I held onto the leftover 2.25 skeins of Dale of Norway Sisik. It is one of my favorite yarns, and since it is no longer manufactured, I had to keep it close. I thought a hat would work, although I had no pattern in mind at the time. It is a nice match for the beret, and is working up beautifully on the size 3.5mm needles.

Project Spectrum was so shiny and new last year, and the concept attracted many people. This year, Project Spectrum changed formats and worked over a longer span of time with more color choices. With this change, it seems (at least to me) that PS has “lost some steam”, and does not engender the same creative spark and ingenuity that it did in its first round. What do you think? Please feel free to prove me wrong! I am gathering ideas and your thoughts on PS now, as I am starting to think about a third round. I have an idea that I am still working through, but I am not ready to commit to it. In the Project Spectrum Ravelry group, I have heard some feedback. Now, you can tell me more…

Please feel free to elaborate and tell me more in the comments or in email. I would love to hear from you.

~thanks~